To provide a better understanding of the depictions of countries by the news media, it is necessary to determine whether similar portraits are presented in all types of reporting or whether there are different, or even contradictory, portrayals of foreign countries within individual newspapers considered nationally influential. A study examined the images presented of the governments of El Salvador and Nicaragua in four U.S. elite newspapers during 1983, primarily focusing on the frequency and direction of mention. Content analysis was used in an attempt to discern whether an overall image of a foreign country is a reasonable manifestation of how that country is presented in mass media, or whether such an overall measure is too broad. Results indicated considerable differences between the images presented by domestic and foreign reporters, probably due to the differences in the informational sources they consult and quote in their reports rather than any overt bias. In addition, findings suggest that there is a relationship between the policy position of the U.S. Government toward the governments of El Salvador and Nicaragua and the type of coverage those two governments receive in the elite press of the United States. (Five tables and 44 notes are appended.) (MS)