Videodiscs have four characteristics that are valuable to the researcher, namely, that: (1) the contents of the videodisc are permanent, allowing multiple repetitions using the same material; (2) the order and sequencing of the material may be changed according to the focus of an instructional program or research study; (3) videodiscs can be…

Adults in 309 households in the Orlando, Florida, area were surveyed by telephone in a study that investigated the public's perceptions about journalists and the media. The subjects were asked 20 questions that elicited their knowledge about ownership of daily newspapers, including the name of the owner of the local daily, as well as their…

Because recent restrictive changes in cigarette advertising laws have unknown consequences for advertisers, this report outlines the history of the controversy over whether to allow cigarette advertisements, explores its legal status with respect to First Amendment rights for advertisers, and considers potential solutions to the conflict between…

First Amendment students were unhappy to see Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart retire because his voting record demonstrated a favorable attitude toward freedom of speech and press. His replacement, Sandra Day O'Connor, was predicted to be a conservative or moderate who probably would vote consistently with Stewart in other areas, but her…

Eight Chinese daily newspapers were content analyzed to determine the role and functions of the Chinese press in the United States. The papers studied were based in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and were dated from Novemer 1 to November 6, 1982. The results indicated that the Chinese press did not pay much attention to the local…

A study examined the conserving tendencies of the established political party press during the early stages of the antislavery movement. Eighteen partisan newspapers--from both northern and southern states--were examined for their coverage of the July 30, 1836, mob violence against James G. Birney and his Cincinnati "Philanthropist," and…

A study examined whether the presence of certain news values, particularly those identified by Western journalists as important, affect reader interest in a news story. Timeliness, prominence, cultural proximity, and conflict, separate and in combination, were the four news values (independent variables) under study. The dependent variable, reader…

Advances in media technology, specifically the videotape industry, have made pornography widely available. Opponents of pornography include religious groups, law enforcement officers, some politicians, and some feminists. A distinction is made between eroticism (occurring between consenting participants) and pornography (signifying overt or covert…

In an effort to document the historical evolution of journalists' political involvement and determine when it began to affect journalistic behavior, a case study examined the personal and professional lives of journalists in Minnesota practicing in the 1920s and 1930s. The study investigated whether these journalists (1) were elected to public…

The Stanford Reading and Television Study was undertaken to research the relationship between children's television viewing and their acquisition of reading skills. This progress report outlines the design of the study, describes the nature of the data which were collected, and summarizes key analyses of the data. The results reported indicate a…

Main trends in media research in Western Europe are identified, with emphasis on three successive stages since 1960: tools technology, systems technology, and reflective technology. Previously, the third stage has not been well elaborated, a statement supported by an analysis of the content and context of European media. A critical appraisal of…

Noting the increase in the number of Hispanics in the United States and a parallel increase in the number of magazines for this segment of the population, a study analyzed readership patterns of a Spanish-language metropolitan magazine. Data were collected by means of a mail survey completed by 282 subscribers of the "Miami Mensual." Six…

Noting that efforts at restraining rock music may be quite limiting to the free expression of artists and the reception of the music by individuals who strongly value their musical experiences, a study investigated the uses of rock music by young adults and its effect on them. Subjects, 128 college students, indicated on a self-report survey (1)…

A study tested a causal model of international communication media appraisal using audience evaluations of tests of two films conducted in the Philippines. It was the fourth in a series of tests of the model in both developed and developing countries. In general the model posited determinative relationships between three exogenous variables…

Drawing from articles appearing in several national publications about the dioxin contamination found in Midland, Michigan, in l983, a case study examined how the publications handled the phenomenon of expert disagreement concerning the nature of dioxin. Specifically, it examined how the publications handled expert disagreement about (1) the way…