Longitudinal Modeling of Frame Changing and Media Salience: Coverage of Worker Displacement, 1980-2007

Abstract

This article presents the results of a longitudinal analysis of media framing of worker displacement in the United States. To identify the frame-changing dynamic occurring over time, a content analysis was performed on 1,128 articles covering layoffs in The New York Times between 1980 and 2007. The article identifies both frame changing along the time and space dimensions, and changes in core frames of coverage. It also examines the relationship between these framing dynamics and the portrayal of layoffs as either problematic or non-problematic. Ultimately, the article contributes to the potential for convergence between social problems agenda tracking in communication and sociological research, and to the study of media framing of worker displacement, specifically layoffs.