Web media and the quantitative content analysis: Methodological challenges in measuring online news content

This article presents a method for quantitative content analysis of news online. The research design is based on a triangulation approach, using qualitative and quantitative measures combined with automated computer-assisted analysis. Used to perform a content analysis of the online news output of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation [NRK] from 2009, this approach revealed that methodologies designed for measuring broadcasting news content do not suffice in the online news environment. Online research methods need to be redesigned to account for the medium-specific news features on the internet. Computer-assisted coding methods can contribute depth and scale to such an analysis, as it can extract and assemble detailed data on large quantities of articles. Using a combination of automatic coding methods with established content analysis for television news, this article presents a new design for quantitative content analysis of news online.

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