Investigates whether ethics codes help shape the decisions journalists make in situations that raise ethical issues. Finds no evidence that ethics codes directly influence journalists' decisions. (RS)

Reports that the position in a news story of biasing information about a robbery suspect had little effect on judgments of the suspect's innocence or guilt. (GT)

A count of the characters in two combined groups of local and United Press International news stories suggests that the frequency ranking of the letters used most in typesetting is ETAOIN RSHLDCU, rather than the traditional ETAOIN SRHLDCU or the order reported by I. E. Fang in 1966. (GT)

Investigates large daily newspapers' coverage of education. Finds that most large daily newspapers have improved and expanded their coverage of education. Finds that the education "beat" has been upgraded so that is now considered a highly desirable assignment. (RS)

Examines coverage of the stock market crash in 1987 by CBS Evening News, "Newsweek," the "New York Times," and "Wall Street Journal." Finds that print media favored Wall Street sources whereas CBS favored government sources. Finds that news media favor high prestige sources and that use of different sources results in…

Interviews newspaper reporters to show that journalists, like scientists, usually have hypotheses in mind in working a story. Finds, however, that unlike those of scientists, journalists' hypotheses were both explicit and implicit. (MG)

An analysis of 37 cumulative news stories that appeared in "The New York Times" from 1925 to 1975 suggested that the informational linkages between segments of cumulative news stories were extremely weak and that none of the characteristics of cumulative news story construction changed significantly over the sample period. (GT)

An experiment conducted with students in news reporting classes revealed that information sources said to represent groups received more emphasis and more complete coverage in news stories than did sources said to be unaffiliated with groups. (GT)

Examines the importance of a working knowledge of the mechanics of the English language to good professional journalistic writing. Finds that newspaper editors judge reporters on their writing mechanics, expressive skills, and journalistic abilities. Finds that reporters judge themselves accordingly. Finds that English majors scored better than…

Finds that student journalists reacted differently to--and wrote different stories about--a woman news source who spoke about a rape crisis center, depending on whether they had been told that the woman was herself a rape victim. (GW)

Examines format effects on the comprehension of television news. Finds that comprehension of television news is enhanced by the use of film and by mixing up formats. Finds also that comprehension is lowest for "talking head" items in programs with unvaried format and best for film items in mixed format newscasts. (PRA)

Traces the development of the "new journalism" that appeared in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century and shows how it influenced European news publications. (FL)

A study of a North Carolina newspaper indicates that newspapers using fully integrated electronic editing systems have fewer errors in spelling, punctuation, sentence construction, hyphenation, and typography than newspapers not using electronic editing. (GT)

Finds that 204 high school students preferred newspapers that used accompanying materials, such as pullout quotes and many, although smaller, photographs. Notes that writing style and the use of color had little influence. (RS)

Reports on a study indicating that veiled attribution occurs in approximately three-fourths of news stories in both "Time" and Newsweek," and that the attribution phrases used emphasize partisan ties, suggest expertise, and tend to personalize, to add apparent scope to a story, and to be especially vague in international stories.…