An examination of the coverage of Latin America during 1977 by "Newsweek,""Time," and "U.S. News and World Report" was undertaken to compare the number of stories and the amount of space devoted to that region with that afforded other areas of the world. The results showed that of the major areas of the world, only Canada and Australia received less coverage than did Latin America. Coverage of United States-oriented stories was predominant, with the Panama Canal issue dominating "Time" and "U.S. News" and U.S. diplomatic efforts in Cuba dominating the reporting of "Newsweek." Each newsmagazine chose a different approach to Latin America--"U.S. News" provided coverage of economic issues and a broad, if brief, view of the region; "Time," with the smallest number of Latin American stories, ran longer articles, with more indepth examination of nations and issues; while "Newsweek," with the largest number of stories, offered broader, general coverage concerned with United States-dominated issues such as economics and tourism. (Author/FL)