Examines October 1992 press releases distributed by the public relations staffs of the major political parties to determine whether they established issue salience. Concludes that an active public played a pivotal role in issue ordering, helping determine the presidential election outcome. Posits that one reason for increased audience influence is…

Examines how particular characteristics of two companies' press releases, generated during a hostile takeover attempt, influenced the media's news decisions. Finds that press releases from Prime Computer were associated with newspaper articles that were longer, more favorable to its point of view, and contained the same lead message points as…

Examines the rise and fall of media coverage of the issues of gun control and political conflict in Australia after an incident of mass murder in April 1996. Aims to reveal the issue management process that occurred and the hidden agendas that motivated the political and media activity. Demonstrates the media's role in the creation of issue…

Examines how corporate entities use the Web to present themselves as socially responsible citizens and to advance policy positions. Samples randomly "Fortune 500" companies, revealing that, although 90% had Web pages and 82% of the sites addressed a corporate social responsibility issue, few corporations used their pages to monitor…

Analyzes two sources of information supplied to members of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ): public relations materials mailed to SEJ members, and story tip sheets assembled by SEJ staffers. Finds the preponderance of materials promoting an environmental backlash agenda stem from just a few public relations sources; and the public…