TV News Vs Newspapers

The Thursday, November 15, 2006, issue of the Spokesman-Review and the broadcast of KHQ news in Spokane and Brian William's network news of the previous evening differ vastly in the selection of stories and in each story's level of detail. While there were several stories in common, it's clear that the Spokesman-Review far exceeded both of the TV news programs in the number of stories they were able to cover.

There were a number of stories in common between the Spokesman-Review and network news broadcast. For example, both the network news and the Spokesman-Review covered Nancy Pelosi's difficulties in supporting John Murtha for House Majority Leader in the face of strong opposition within her own party. Both also covered the string of tornados that plowed through North Carolina.

Both also covered the crisis in Darfur and economist Milton Friedman's death, although there were some significant differences in the approach of their coverage that should be noted. While the network news covered Darfur from a featurey/documentary angle, the Spokesman-Review actually covered a recent deal reached for a joint peace force in Darfur that I don't believe was ever mentioned on the television news.

As far as Milton Friedman's death, the network news spent a minute or less mentioning Friedman's death with little in-depth background, while the Spokesman-Review was able to run a story taking up almost a quarter of a page. They were able to give some details about Friedman's background and significance that was severely lacking in the coverage of the network news.

The local KHQ news and the Spokesman-Review had several local stories in common as well. These included an arrest on child pornography charges, the failure of a man to appear in an Idaho court, blurbs about the Spokane Shock sports team, and a car accident.

Despite these common stories, the Spokesman-Review covered a ton of stories that neither TV news broadcast covered. They included: