This digest addresses the question of health information and reporting in the mass media, focusing on its accuracy and on some researchers' ideas for improving the quality of the health information that is disseminated. The digest discusses accuracy in reporting, the role of commercial television, advertising, and the audiences for health…

Teachers have long used the media--and particularly film--to accomplish various instructional objectives such as building background for particular topics or motivating student reaction and analysis. The appeal of visual media continues to make film, video, and television educational tools with high potential impact; and (because of videocassette…

The purpose of this Digest is to explore the evidence suggesting the effectiveness of literacy instruction through communicative and visual arts. It discusses the communicative and visual arts in literacy instruction; television and multiple media as instructional tools; using dramatic activities in language arts classrooms; and teaching language…

Noting that over the past decade incidents have occurred and new technologies have appeared which together have raised questions about the ethical values of American journalists, this Digest seeks to identify some of those ethical issues and to point to the work of those who have studied these issues. It addresses issues of plagiarism and…

This digest examines the relationship between the political process and the media. The digest discusses the ramifications of advertising in politics; the role of the televised debate in elections; individual voter characteristics and the media; and media coverage and campaign awareness. Fifteen references are attached. (RS)

Noting that critics charge that news reporting focuses on the superficial, personal characteristics of candidates and ignores the issues underlying elections, this Digest examines the relationship between the political process and political communication through the media. It addresses the power of advertising, cyberspace political communication,…

Noting that children today are growing up in a "media saturated" world in which mass media, including the Internet, have a commanding presence in daily life, this Digest argues that it is imperative for educators to teach what M. Megee (1997) calls "the new basic"--media literacy--so that learners can be producers of effective…

This Digest argues that a well designed course of instruction can utilize motion pictures, television, and video tapes to channel a student's enthusiasm and route it to an academically useful goal. Sections of the Digest discuss what films and television offer to educators; potential applications in language arts classrooms; some other…