Although parents are often thought to be the primary communicators of sexual information, studies have found that many adolescent boys report receiving little or no parental communication about sex. Instead, boys report learning about sex mostly from their peers and the media. However, little is known about the content of these communications,…

Argues that morality is a form of reality construction requiring a socially negotiated sensibility. Notes that this view is harmonious with the essential interpretive task of journalism. Stresses the importance of moral imagination as an aspect of moral reasoning, and claims that ethical action depends on an ethics of vision, a "seeing"…

Focuses on the implications of participatory democratic theory, as compared to elite democratic theory, for political communication theorists. Discusses how reciprocity provides political communication researchers with a tool for gauging the successes of various communication systems in enhancing participatory democracy. Suggests how mass-mediated…

Explores and illustrates the different types of press relations commonly undertaken by terrorist organizations. Argues that large and small groups both engage in publicity efforts, but employ different patterns of press relations activities. (SR)

Probes the contradictory philosophical reception of mass communication in the social thought of Charles Horton Cooley, John Dewey, Walter Lippmann, Robert Park, and Josiah Royce. Shows how these progressive intellectuals conceived of mass media as an integral part of a social order whose scale and mass require systematic means of…

Presents an essay by a pioneer scholar in the field broadly summarizing the collective body of findings from hundreds of studies of agenda-setting over the past 20 years. Suggests fruitful research lines for the future. (SR)

Looks at how intellectuals in the second quarter of the twentieth century responded to the rise of radio broadcasting, recovering some rich ideas about interactivity and intimacy in mass communication. Suggests that radio and television marked the end of mass communication understood as a form of communication that constitutes its audience and…

Discusses the relationship of debate theory to the 1988 presidential and vice presidential debates. Proposes that the press's involvement retrieves the debates from the category of "joint appearances." Argues that major definitional difficulties are resolved by recognizing the press as one of the adversaries in the debate process. (MM)

Examines by meta-analysis the effect that exposure to pornography produces on aggressive behavior under laboratory conditions considering a variety of possible moderating conditions. Demonstrates a homogeneous set of results showing that pictorial nudity reduces subsequent violent behavior, but that depictions of nonviolent sexual behavior and…

Offers a "guard dog" metaphor for the functioning of the mass media, suggesting that media perform as a sentry for groups having sufficient power and influence to create and control their own security systems. Delineates this perspective from others, and suggests several hypotheses that may be derived for testing the utility of the guard dog…

Builds a theoretical argument to explain both why human beings are interested in news and why much news content involves the identification of environmental threats and deviance. Argues that the desire to receive and transmit information is biologically and culturally derived, and that both biology and culture have a profound impact on the form…

Analyzes Tonya Harding's defense of her image in "Eye to Eye with Connie Chung," applying the theory of image restoration discourse. Finds that the principal strategies employed in her behalf were bolstering, denial, and attacking her accuser, but that these strategies were not developed very effectively in this instance. (SR)

Presents a general mathematical model of the diffusion of innovations that incorporates mass media and interpersonal influence. Suggests that policymakers can use diffusion models to evaluate the effectiveness of media versus interpersonal campaigns, make comparisons between subgroups, and evaluate the effect of a policy. (RS)

Argues that changes in current journalistic practices will be required if regional strife is to be adequately understood and reported. Suggests that peace researchers and other social scientists work together with journalists to bring interdisciplinary resources to bear on complex reporting problems. (SR)

Asserts that suspension by the Federal Communications Commission of the Fairness Doctrine (which required broadcasters to air controversy and air it fairly) has not led to greater amounts of controversial programing. Argues that cancellation of the rule may in fact have limited the airing of controversy. (SG)