A study examined (1) whether the public knows of the newspaper ombudsman and his or her role at the newspaper, and (2) probed the effects of calling a newspaper on public perceptions of the newspaper's interest in accuracy and correcting errors. Two telephone questionnaires were completed by 152 of the 438 persons who had contacted the ombudsman…

The ombudsman, often defined as a kind of inspector general, is usually empowered to: (1) investigate in confidence, without restraint, either upon receipt of a complaint or on the ombudsman's initiative; (2) recommend to any official appropriate review of the facts; and (3) publicize findings or publicly criticize malfeasance. Various…

A study was conducted to determine how readers regard the accountability of newspapers that employ ombudsmen. Subjects were 393 readers of Kentucky's "Louisville Times" and "Courier Journal." Both papers, the first American papers to hire ombudsmen, publicize the existence of the ombudsman in a daily column, and from 1974 to…

This document on the Civil Rights of Students, perpared by the Educational Opportunities Planning Center, provides a synthesis of presentations made by the author and of the three discussion and answer sessions that followed at the three meetings of the School Law Conferences. Opening remarks emphasize the need for educators to respond to…

Focusing on the processes involved in making formal bureaucracies responsive, the study examined: the structure of formal grievance and redress procedures within the criminal justice system in San Jose, California; and the informal strategies used by politically active members of the Chicano community to extend and strengthen these channels. The…

These two lectures discuss children's rights and the role that government can play in helping to alleviate some of the difficulties faced by children in developing nations, focusing on the situation in Costa Rica, specifically, and Latin America, in general. The first lecture examines some of the economic and social problems in Costa Rica, their…

This paper describes a Nursing Home Ombudsman Program, developed to provide employment for the "unemployable" older adult, that hired 19 older adults to work 20 hours per week for a year, providng friendly visits to senior residents living in nursing homes and minimum outreach services to community seniors. A two-week, eight-session orientation…

This paper examines efforts in Western Europe to monitor and guide the performance of the mass media. The evidence indicates that consumers are increasing their efforts to let the media know their wants and needs; these efforts include complaints to national press councils and action in special-interest groups. Local and federal governments have…

Institutions are pervasive phenomena in that they prescribe the boundaries for what individuals can do on a day-to-day basis. The office of ombudsperson has been created in many universities and political units in order to minimize the degree of conflict between individual goals and those of the institution. Three roles for ombudspersons exist:…

Established in 1970 and operated by the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans, the George I. Sanchez Junior Senior High School (Houston, Texas) is an alternative school for Hispanics in grades 7-12. The school, staffed originally by volunteers, acquired a full-time executive director in 1973, established relations whith the Houston…