Reporting on Fairness in Civic Life: Interviews With Journalistas About Writing on Local Political Leaders.

Drawing on procedural justice research from social psychology, this study explores the role that journalistic practice plays in telling community members about whether local politicians are behaving fairly. Qualitative interviews with 24 community journalists working in cities in Upstate New York are used to answer the following research questions: (1) how does content regarding authority fairness find its way into news stories, (2) what facets of justice - whether distributive, voice, or relational - do journalists emphasize, and (3) to what extent do journalists believe readers make fairness judgments based on local news coverage? The interviewed journalists recounted that they often used their evaluation of local politicians' fairness in deciding whether to pursue a story. In doing so, these journalists highlighted questions of whether journalists were listening to community members and the degree to which politicians appeared to take the best interest of citizens to heart. There was little agreement among journalists about the degree to which citizens could adequately make fairness judgments based on local news coverage, although the television reporters believed that television's visual component provided key information about the fairness of local politicians. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]