Examines the development and historical inaccuracies of the "magic bullet" interpretation of American propaganda studies, which asserts that propaganda critics between the world wars treated messages as "magic bullets" directly and powerfully infused into passive receivers. Considers why this misconception of the progressive…

Through an analysis of two representative media--romance fiction and television news--the author argues for production of a media-literate citizenry. Suggestions governed by the Freirean objective of co-intentional education are offered to support media literacy as a form of cultural politics and to advocate its adoption. (Author/CH)

Investigates the relationship of personality and past film viewing experiences to preferences for different degrees of graphic horror in film, and for female versus male victimization. Finds that the Machiavellian trait of deceit, past exposure to horror films, and, for male subjects only, the enjoyment of pornography were good predictors. (SR)

Notes that the paradigm of resistance has enjoyed widespread popularity in the field of media studies. Argues for understanding media studies as a field in Pierre Bourdieu's sense of the term. Explores the analytical and political limits of this paradigm, and by extension, the intellectual vision that proceeds from it. (SR)

Responds to contentions that accommodation media ethnographies are incapable of addressing matters of ideology or significant social-historical variables. Explores the theoretical sources to which many accommodation ethnographers turn, sources which suggest that the theoretical bases of accommodation approaches make provisions for studying…

Suggests that contemporary rhetorical theory and research can use important insights into the nature of mass media language that representation and commodity theories cannot incorporate. Suggests that, by recognizing the rhetorical aspects of media language, scholars can legitimize the research and the dialogue that are required for the…

Uses the practice of song dubbing in the Hollywood film musical to explore the implications and consequences of the singing voice for imaging practices in the 1930s through 1960s. Discusses the ideological, technological, and socioeconomic basis for song dubbing. Discusses gender, race, and ethnicity patterns of image-sound practices. (SR)

Offers a "guard dog" metaphor for the functioning of the mass media, suggesting that media perform as a sentry for groups having sufficient power and influence to create and control their own security systems. Delineates this perspective from others, and suggests several hypotheses that may be derived for testing the utility of the guard dog…

Reviews the global political environment, major global news providers, and technologies of global news production. Argues for a multinational comparative mapping of international news representation in the 1990s. Outlines a major international venture to update and elaborate the 1979 UNESCO/IAMCR study of foreign news in the media of 29 countries,…

Finds that 86 percent of commercials shown on "Channel One" were for products, and 14 percent were public service announcements; values emphasized were leisure/pleasure, appearance/sexuality, wisdom, and independence; and dominant themes were being popular, having friends, having fun, and being attractive. (SR)

Explores how synergy and related strategies have become major building blocks of the global mass media system, used to optimize their presence across many media channels as possible, and to organize cross-media activities across national borders. Discusses synergy and media fragmentation, making synergy work, synergy beyond advertising, and…

Assesses the nature of the relationship between experienced loneliness and media gratifications. Finds that chronically lonely college students rely less on media for escape than do others and that they reported the least motivation for watching their favorite soap opera. (SR)

Considers three aspects of Robert Kozma's (IR 529 138) and Richard Clark's (IR 529 139) debate on the role of educational media: (1) the logic and definitions of the debate; (2) what the debate says about the field of instructional technology; and (3) the consequences of adopting one position or the other. (KRN)

Explores whether exposure to televised fictional depictions of realistic life-threatening events (fires, drownings) affects children's risk-related assessments that could influence longer-term responses. Finds that children exposed to a particular threat rated similar events more likely to occur in their own lives, considered potential…

Examines the influence of mass media, interpersonal channels, and self-efficacy on risk judgment. Confirms that mass media channels influence social-level risk judgments. Finds that personal-level risk was influenced to some degree by mass media channels and that interpersonal channels and self-efficacy account for some variance on social-level…