After the Riots / NEWS IN BRIEF : MEDIA : Poll Links TV Coverage to Unrest
Television news coverage of the Los Angeles riots contributed to rioting in other cities, according to a nationwide survey of television news editors and producers.
The poll was conducted in late May by Nielsen Media Research for Medialink, the nation’s largest distributor of video news releases to television stations. Nearly 100 news directors responded to the telephone survey.
Almost 56% of news executives polled said television coverage of the disturbance helped spark rioting in other American cities, but 36% believed that news coverage did not play that role.
Nearly 25% of those polled thought the graphic broadcasts of beatings engendered more violence, but two-thirds of the respondents disagreed.
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