Prestige Press Coverage of Us-China Policy During the Cold War's Collapse and Post-Cold War Years: Did a Deteriorating Cold War Paradigm Set the Stage for More Independent Press Coverage?

US journalists argue that post-Cold War foreign affairs press coverage is more independent than its Cold War predecessor. They claim that the US government's inability to adequately replace the Cold War paradigm and resulting confusion over foreign affairs have forced them to cover international relations in a more watchdog fashion. Scholars have virtually ignored such assertions. This study helps fill this research gap by examining whether US-China press coverage was more independent during the Cold War's breakup and post-Cold War years than during the Cold War proper. Content analysis of 1177 New York Times and Washington Post articles and 399 government publication articles found that press coverage was more independent during and after the Cold War's collapse and suggested that independent coverage was associated with journalists' renewed sense of watchdog obligations, increased access to sources and reduced national security risks.