Pointing out that linear causal models can organize the interrelationships of a large number of variables, this paper contends that such models are particularly useful to mass communication research, which must by necessity deal with complex systems of variables. The paper first outlines briefly the philosophical requirements for establishing a…

An assessment of newspapers from ghost towns in the United States is proposed in this paper as a means of improving the definitions of frontier journalism beyond national time periods, expansion over geographical space, and primitive policy and practices. It is suggested that an evaluation be made by measurement and appraisal of those newspapers'…

The relation between revenues from motion pictures and the picture ratings (G, PG, R, X) by the Motion Picture Association of America was examined. Successful films were those listed by "Variety" magazine as the top revenue producers for the given year. Data were collected for the years 1969-1979. The analysis showed that years in which…

Approximately 200 residents new to the Seattle, Washington, metropolitan area were interviewed in a study to discover the interrelationships between information needs and newspaper use under conditions of dislocation. Five major areas of concern to new residents were identified (home, neighborhood, community, work, and leisure) and described in…

The issue of whether judicial orders restricting access to court proceedings should be subject to a procedural hearing, the standing of the media in such hearings, and the role of the media in the entire process are analyzed in this paper. The various sections of the paper deal with the following topics: the procedural plan, proposed to the…

Fifty-two subjects participated in a study of attitudes toward typographic treatment in print advertising. Twenty variations of a basic ad layout, based on nine typographic variables (five for display type and four for body copy), were developed to reflect current trends in fashionable/conservative advertising typography. The subjects sorted the…

Data collected as part of a larger survey that focused on the 1978 gubernatorial race in New York State were used in a study of political advertising and media credibility. Specifically, the study examined the factors that influence an individual's rating of the helpfulness of political advertising and related these factors to voting patterns. A…

This study explores the dimensions of credibility in newspaper and television news and compares the dimensions of media credibility with those of interpersonal source credibility. Subjects, 401 Kent State University undergraduates, were given a 12-page questionnaire designed to assess attitudes toward the following: newspaper national and…

In the past five years, unprecedented discussion and analysis have been focused on mass media in the third world. Common topics include development journalism, the New Information Order, cultural invasion and exchange, and ruralization of media. Ethical considerations for first world involvement in third world media have arisen in several areas.…

To determine whether newspapers are equally responsive to threats to freedom of speech and to freedom of the press, the news and editorial coverage by ten daily newspapers of 40 United States Supreme Court decisions concerning free expression was analyzed. The 20 free-press and 20 free-speech cases were randomly selected from over 70…

This paper distinguishes between basic research, applied research, and evaluation. Evaluation is broken down into two types: summative and formative. The limitations of formative research are presented, followed by a discussion of the value of the formative researcher participating in the product planning process. The types of data which formative…

A shopper is a local newspaper-format periodical that carries advertising and is circulated free of charge to the general public. This document compares the impact of the free shopper with that of the major daily subscription papers among suburban residents. For the study, a sample region was selected from the Long Beach and Orange County area of…

The first and second years, 1974-76, of a research project on the effects of filmmaking upon children who make the films are reported here. The aims of the research were to establish: (1) the processes through which the children proceeded in the acquisition of filmmaking mastery, (2) the relationship of instructional technique to these forms of…

This study examined one specific problem connected with the ownership and content of the Indian press: Is there any significant difference between independent newspapers and conglomerate-controlled newspapers in the quantities of developmental, governmental, and political news they present? The period of study was 1973, during which four daily…

As part of a program of statistical reports on public broadcasting, a survey requested 147 public broadcasting stations to supply information about their operations during one week in 1974. Data were collected about instructional television services, "Sesame Street,""The Electric Company," general and news programing, any…