A study examined the ideological rift reflected in two communist-oriented and one Western-oriented Nicaraguan newspapers. It was hypothesized that items in "La Prensa" would refer to the United States more favorably and more frequently than they would refer to the Soviet bloc, while items in "Barricada" and "Diario" would refer to Soviet allies more frequently and more favorably than they would to United States affairs. Three composite weeks for each newspaper were studied. Coders decided whether each of 615 items reflected favorably, neutrally, or unfavorably on the government of the nation cited, and assigned a news topic category to each item. The numbers of unfavorable and favorable items referring to the United States in "La Prensa" were virtually identical, and most items were neutral, leaving little basis for government accusations of blatantly pro-United States sympathies. The precentage of Soviet bloc items rated unfavorable, however, was over half, implying a lack of balance in dealing with communist nations. Results involving "Barricada" and "Diario" devoted considerably more attention to the United States, mostly unfavorable, while those items referring to the Soviet Union and its allies were largely favorable. (HTH)