This paper explores the idea that the media "cause" or strongly motivate acts of terrorism. In an effort to refute this view the paper applies Kenneth Burke's dramatistic theory of communication to show that the motives and behavior of political terrorists can be explained without reference to the media coverage terrorism produces. The…

As a result of the overwhelming amount of print and electronic advertisements which compete for consumer attention, advertisers must find effective methods to get through the ad clutter and capture their audience's interest. Several tactics can accomplish this strategy, including the tactic of breaking or reversing audience expectations or…

Awareness of audience is of major importance in rhetoric, but most students who come to a writing center need help in recognizing and accommodating an audience for their work. Standard warnings from rhetoric texts and writing instructors not to write for the instructor not withstanding, it is the job of the writing center staff to help the student…

From the beginning, readers theatre performances generally have been held in academic or theatrical settings and have relied heavily on literary scripts. Now, readers theatre performers are finding a wider range of audiences and materials for their use. Among these special audiences are elementary and secondary schools, schools for the physically…

The psychological effects on viewers of the television film "The Day After," designed to dramatize the possibility of nuclear war and its horrible consequences, were examined by this study. Subjects were 435 residents of the Boston metropolitan area who were randomly sampled from area telephone directories and interviewed by telephone.…

This pamphlet aims to help child care agencies and centers mount a campaign to counteract negative media coverage about child care. To plan an approach to the media, it is suggested that the child care organization designate a media person, develop a budget, target the audience, develop a message and vehicle, compile a media book with information…

A study was conducted to examine the effects of NBC television's critical commentary on a 12-minute 1984 Reagan campaign film on audience perceptions of gratifications received from the film. It was predicted that exposure to the critical NBC commentary would result in lower evaluations of the film's helpfulness (gratifications received), and that…

Student writing performance has not appreciably improved in the past decade. While there is evidence that teachers assign more writing than in the past, performance has not kept pace. Three urban schools that experienced significant improvements in students' writing achievement were studied. To glean ideas and examples, the authors observed…

Influenced by film and television exposure, the student designer tends to be camera oriented and two-dimensional in creating theatrical sets. This paper outlines six visual projects designed to help students develop a selective visual sense for dealing with the three-dimensional aspects of the stage. The projects include the following activities:…

This subcommittee report presents a history of congressional action regarding violence on television and then outlines conclusions and recommendations for legislative consideration. Acknowledging that excessive viewing of violence may have harmful effects on children, the report places responsibility for program content on the networks and…

This paper discusses the need for global study of the link between socioeconomic priorities and the news values expressed by the mass media. Although the "gate keeper" theory is still considered to be valid (that is, the assumption that the media is selective in what it presents), additional audience research is suggested. The impact of a study in…

Sixty-five female undergraduate students who were either standing or reclining listened to a tape-recorded counterattitudinal speech containing either strong or weak arguments. Their evaluations revealed a significant interaction between posture (standing or reclining) and quality of arguments (strong or weak) on a measure of attitude change.…

Undertaken to determine reasons for the lack of success experienced by suppliers of scientific and technical information (STI) services in the promotion of their services to users, this study has identified the attitudes, settings, functions, needs and perceptions of the user audiences. A user panel, selected to interact with the education and…

A study was conducted to examine the relationship between apprehension and the quality of writing when that writing was aimed at a distant and at a familiar audience. Fifty-eight freshman English students from a two-year college were given a questionnaire to assess their level of writing apprehension. They were then asked to write two in-class…

The seven articles in this journal issue examine trends and topics related to radio and other broadcast media. The articles discuss the following: (1) current trends in radio audience measurement, (2) the policy implications of radio research, (3) a research study of the relationships between age and radio usage, (4) the role of the part-time…