This study was conducted by the Project For Excellence in Journalism, a journalists’ group in Washington D.C. affiliated with Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The scholar team that developed the methodology for measuring newscasts included Lee Ann Brady of Princeton Survey Research Associates; Marion Just, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College; Michael Robinson, Ph.D., formerly of Georgetown University; Ann Crigler, Ph.D., Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California; and Sherrie Mazingo, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota. Todd Belt of USC developed the system for measuring stations’ three year ratings trends. Ellen Edwards, who is on leave from The Washington Post, edited these articles. Researchers at Princeton Survey Research Associated coded the newscasts and prepared the initial statistical data under the supervision of Brady.

Design Team

The following local news professionals developed the criteria of quality for this study and signed off on major decisions.

John Cardenas
News Director, KPHO, Phoenix

John Corporon
Board of Governors, Overseas Press Club

Randy Covington
News Director, WIS TV, Columbia, South Carolina

Marty Haag
Senior Vice President of Broadcast News, A.H. Belo

Natalie Jacobson
Principal Anchor, WCVB TV, Boston

Alice Main
Executive Producer, WLS TV, Chicago

Gordon Peterson
Principal Anchor, WUSA TV, Washington, D.C.

Jose Rios
Vice President of News, KTTV, Los Angeles

Dan Rosenheim
News Director, KRON TV, San Francisco

Jim Snyder
Retired Vice President of News, Post Newsweek Stations

Kathy Williams
News Director, WKYC TV, Cleveland

Gary Wordlaw
President and General Manager, WTVH TV, Syracuse