Press criteria for strike reporting: Counting or selective presentation?

The manner in which industrial relations issues are presented by the press and the congruence between press reporting and strike activity are analyzed using a strike pattern model and a path analytic technique. The usefulness of a strike pattern mode is suggested on the basis of the contributions and deficiencies of past research. A scheme of newsworthiness is elaborated for the strike phenomenon. The data analysis is based on a sample of 69 issues of Davar, an Israeli national circulation newspaper, and on the detailed strike statistics of the corresponding period (1974-1976). The main findings are as follows: first, the frequency of strikes is the major determinant of press reporting, while it is a minor component of the volume of strikes; and second, the frequency of strikes, their duration, and their breadth explain 30% of the variance of press space allocated to industrial relations issues. The need for identifying nonshape factors for this purpose is suggested.