THE GROUP-SPHERE MODEL OF INTERNATIONAL NEWS FLOW 1
© All Rights Reserved – A PRE-PRINT VERSION OF:
Segev, E. (2015). The group-sphere model of international news flow: A cross-
national comparison of news sites. International Communication Gazette, 78(3), 200–
222.
The group-sphere model of international news flow: A cross-national comparison of
news sites
Elad Segev
Tel Aviv University
Abstract
Why are some countries mentioned very frequently in international news while other
are not? Seeking to improve previous explanations in the literature, this study employs
a large corpus of news sites in 11 countries and 10 languages over a three-year period.
A systematic computer-driven analysis revealed a similar pattern common to
international news in all countries. The best explanation for the prominence of a
foreign country in the news included variables from three groups (national traits,
relatedness, and events), each representing different spheres (economic, social, and
political) respectively. The conceptual contribution and empirical implications for
future studies are discussed.
Keywords: International news, news flow theory, country prominence, news sites,
cross-national comparison