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War on terrorism changes TV news agenda: study

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The war on terror has caused a seismic shift in the news content on network television, with traditional hard news eclipsing celebrity and lifestyle coverage on morning and evening newscasts, according to a study released Monday.

The study -- conducted by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a research group affiliated with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism -- also concluded viewership is up in contrast to years of decline. The study was funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The project examined the weeks of June 18 to 22, June 25 to 29, October 15 to 19, and October 22 to 26 on the three evening newscasts of ABC, NBC and CBS, and included an even more detailed study of their morning newscasts for the same four weeks as well.

It said that on the morning news, pieces about government, the military, national affairs and international affairs that had nearly disappeared have increased more than seven fold. Celebrity and lifestyle stories that had dominated the shows have declined by three fold.

The evening newscasts have developed a news agenda closer to the 1970s than the 1990s. Eight in 10 evening news pieces involve government, national or international affairs, up from 67 percent a few months ago.

Celebrity and lifestyle stories have nearly disappeared. This summer, they composed about a quarter of the nightly news stories.

In examining whether the changes will last, a study overview said there are signs, "however tentative," that the shift may be only temporary.

"While the news has gotten more serious, almost all of the change is focused on the war, which suggests that the networks may have simply changed subjects rather than changed their approach to the news," the study said.