Government regulations state that broadcasters are obligated to allot program time to matters of public interest, but neither law nor precedent have determined their commitment to present messages on social problems. To determine the amount of public service advertising (PSA) that is broadcast, particularly anti-drug appeals, a content analysis…

Message strategies relating to information about social problems such as drug abuse have been based on the assumption that exposure to relevant information via mass media will result in behavior modification. There is need, however, for scientific inquiry into methods of information acquisition and perceptual response to information. A two-part…

Compares the roles of traditional media and nonmedia sources in disseminating information on drug abuse and treatment among college students. (TO)

A large proportion of those who seek drug abuse information from a telephone hotline service have immediate drug information needs, either for themselves or to assist others. Requests for general or pharmacological information are less frequent. Content analysis was applied in a study of telephone calls to a Hartford, Connecticut, "drug abuse…

Drug dealers are often popularly stereotyped as "pushers" who actively engage in enticing young people into the drug habit, but there have been no scientific studies of their behavior or their attitudes on drug abuse or public health. In an attempt to gain information about behavior characteristics and communication patterns of middle…

Much information about drug abuse and other controversial social problems comes from sources other than radio, television, or the press. In addition to private and government agencies that provide "walk-in" services and responses to correspondence, there are special telephone hotline services that give information on topics such as drugs…