The Specialized Business Press and Industry-Related Political Communication: A Comparative Study

Although trade publications produce half as many copies as consumer magazines and twice as many as daily newspapers, there has been little study of their role and performance in the U.S. media system. This study compared coverage of an industry-related policy proposal, the National Information Infrastructure, by the communication-industry trade press, non-communication-industry trade press, and newspapers. The study found that trade media appear to function as an insider channel of communication in the early stages of industry-related policy processes, but that they are less likely than nonindustry-related media to cover the social implications of industry policy proposals.