Newspaper Representations of Homelessness: A Temporal Comparative Analysis

• Main Author: Werman, Sarah
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 2019
• Subjects: homelessness; social problems; salt lake city; media; sociology; journalism; Sociology
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7536; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8667&context=etd

This research focuses on the ways in which homelessness is discussed in two newspapers in a major city in the intermountain United States. I analyzed newspaper articles with the goal of understanding public discourse in two ideologically distinct newspaper venues. I examined the news media portrayal of the homeless in 752 articles in these two newspapers during two distinct six­-month time periods, one during which the city was nationally recognized as a major advocate for “Housing First,” or “solving homelessness,” and a more recent period during which urban gentrification has challenged the location of homeless services. Specifically, I addressed the he primary informants drawn upon by the newspapers, and the potential “missing voices” in the media discussion. My research looks at homelessness in these papers both over time and across papers.