Convergence of attention and prominence dimensions of salience among major online newspapers

Abstract

This study explores two primary dimensions of salience, such as attention and prominence, among coverage of four major online newspapers, which are NYTimes.com, USATODAY.com, washingtonpost.com, and LATimes.com. The four major online newspapers agree with not only issue agendas (attention of salience) but also story placement (prominence of salience). Specifically, NYTimes.com and washingtonpost.com post more important stories on the most visible areas of their major sections and publish less important stories on the bottom areas of the sections. This indicates the potentials of major online newspapers to influence other news media. Because news Web sites are major information sources, the convergence of attention and prominence is likely to affect public opinion. © 2010 International Communication Association.