Television journalism has long been the object of study by scholars of news media ethics. A study examined the reasoning process and the criteria for judgment used by viewers when evaluating possibly problematic television (TV) news content, and analyzed these criteria as they are applied to ethical issues and problems in TV newscasts. Thirty-four…

A content analysis of selected print media examined press coverage of the shuttle Challenger explosion. Press sources identifying and explaining technological causes were tabulated for two major newspapers, three popular newsmagazines, and one trade magazine, during the 30 days following the event. Results revealed (1) a failure to provide timely…

To determine children's "dramatic literacy" and the modal sources of their inferences, a study interviewed 45 Kansas third graders in regard to a theater production of "Monkey, Monkey." Two-thirds of the children reported that third graders in another city would enjoy this production "a lot." A majority found the play…

Towson State University (TSU) conducted a public debate series within the Maryland State Penitentiary, that state's maximum security lockup. Following delays due to an escape and subsequent lockdown that preceded the first scheduled debates, the prison program began in 1983 with TSU students debating the right to privacy. The continuing prison…

One of the most creative, active, purposeful and successful efforts of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP), active from 1935 to 1939, was the Children's Theatre. Plays for production were selected on the basis of educational and cultural value, with special attention on sufficient realism to help children's awareness of self and place in the world.…

Shakespeare's genius as a creative playwright can be judged both subjectively and objectively. Cognitive psychology uses specific behavioral measures to assess performance. A product is marked by latency, quantity, and quality. When college students engage in tests of originality, these measures support many theories of creativity. A similar…

This paper reviews the newly emergent trend of audience-centered debate paradigms, such as the narrative and the issues-agenda paradigms, in light of an informal logic perspective on the argumentum ad populum fallacy. The paper demonstrates the complexity involved in the evaluation of ad populum arguments as well as the care which must be taken in…

To understand better how reviewing and other forms of evaluative journalism influence audiences and to test a proposed model, a series of experiments on 410 undergraduates assessed how initial film-viewing interest level (low, medium, high) and review direction (negative, mixed, positive) affected interest in film attendance. First, an extended…

A study focused on predictors of people's learning from public service announcements (PSAs) seen on television. Telephone interviews were conducted with 480 adults randomly selected from residents in Dane County, Wisconsin, in October 1987. Typical demographic information was obtained: sex, age, income, occupation and education. Commercial slogans…

Argues that, to break out of the empty rhetoric characteristic of most student writing, students and teachers must break the parent-child rhetorical pattern, in which parents and teachers assume the role of nonlisteners. (JAD)

Each culture advances its own inflected narrative rejoinder to the issues that have confronted it from both time immemorial and in recent developmental history. The important aspect of such a process, however, is that "mythic narratives" allow for answers to be advanced to pressing needs that any particular society may consider…

Contending that public broadcasting has great potential to invigorate national discourses and to function as an agent of social change; at the beginning of the 21st century, many public television licensees are united solely by a core programming schedule and the need to raise funds at least four times a year. The paper traces the history of…

Examines October 1992 press releases distributed by the public relations staffs of the major political parties to determine whether they established issue salience. Concludes that an active public played a pivotal role in issue ordering, helping determine the presidential election outcome. Posits that one reason for increased audience influence is…

Describes the basic characteristics of the "carnivalesque enactment" and its therapeutic potential. Explains a case study of the drama project at the Rabin Children's Medical Centre, how the carnivalesque enactment was developed step by step, and the kind of effect it stimulated among the children. Suggests new theatrical experiments with…

Proposes that in addition to entertaining, film offers up subject positions; mobilizes desires; influences its audience unconsciously; and helps construct the landscape of American culture. Notes that film can provide a pedagogical tool for offering students alternative views of the world. Concludes that as a form of public pedagogy, film combines…