Coding sheet of content analysis of news websites

Here is a sample coding sheet for content analysis of news websites:

Variable 1: News Source

• Code: 1 = National news source (e.g. CNN, BBC)
• Code: 2 = Local news source (e.g. local newspaper, online news site)
• Code: 3 = International news source (e.g. Al Jazeera, Reuters)
• Code: 4 = Online news aggregator (e.g. Google News, Apple News)

Variable 2: News Topic

• Code: 1 = Politics
• Code: 2 = Business
• Code: 3 = Entertainment
• Code: 4 = Sports
• Code: 5 = Health
• Code: 6 = Technology
• Code: 7 = Education
• Code: 8 = Environment
• Code: 9 = Crime
• Code: 10 = Other (specify)

Variable 3: Tone

• Code: 1 = Neutral
• Code: 2 = Positive
• Code: 3 = Negative
• Code: 4 = Emotional (e.g. sensational, alarmist)
• Code: 5 = Objective (e.g. factual, balanced)

Variable 4: Language

• Code: 1 = Formal (e.g. professional, technical)
• Code: 2 = Informal (e.g. conversational, colloquial)
• Code: 3 = Emotional (e.g. emotive, persuasive)
• Code: 4 = Objective (e.g. factual, neutral)

Variable 5: Visuals

• Code: 1 = No visuals (e.g. text-only article)
• Code: 2 = Images (e.g. photos, illustrations)
• Code: 3 = Videos (e.g. embedded videos, links to videos)
• Code: 4 = Infographics (e.g. charts, graphs, diagrams)

Variable 6: Authorship

• Code: 1 = Anonymous author
• Code: 2 = Named author (e.g. journalist, editor)
• Code: 3 = Staff writer (e.g. no byline, but attributed to news organization)
• Code: 4 = Guest author (e.g. expert, opinion piece)

Variable 7: Length

• Code: 1 = Short (e.g. 100-200 words)
• Code: 2 = Medium (e.g. 200-500 words)
• Code: 3 = Long (e.g. 500-1000 words)
• Code: 4 = Very long (e.g. over 1000 words)

Variable 8: Interactivity

• Code: 1 = No interactivity (e.g. static article)
• Code: 2 = Limited interactivity (e.g. comments, social media links)
• Code: 3 = High interactivity (e.g. polls, quizzes, games)

Variable 9: Advertising

• Code: 1 = No advertising
• Code: 2 = Limited advertising (e.g. small ads, sponsored content)
• Code: 3 = High advertising (e.g. multiple ads, prominent placement)

Variable 10: Bias

• Code: 1 = No bias (e.g. neutral, balanced)
• Code: 2 = Slight bias (e.g. subtle, implicit)
• Code: 3 = Strong bias (e.g. overt, explicit)
• Code: 4 = Extreme bias (e.g. inflammatory, sensational)

Additional Notes

• Any additional observations or comments about the article or website.

This is just a sample coding sheet, and you may need to modify it to fit your specific research questions and goals. It's also important to ensure that your coding scheme is reliable and consistent across all coders.