This book provides a collection of major cases and selected reprints of important articles from leading law journals, about obscenity, censorship, rights of privacy, and other First Amendment problems. The 50 Supreme Court decisions and 17 interpretive articles examine the legal activism of the Warren and Burger courts, from the 1960s through the…

Recognizing that mass media--now at a stage of viewing critically its effects and responsibilities--and society at large are interdependent, this casebook reviews the many facets of the media and mass communication as they relate to both producers and consumers of messages. The 23 chapters include discussions of the media's responsibility toward…

This book, an account of the "Red Lion" Supreme Court case and similar cases that arose after that decision, discusses the implications and problems inherent in enforcing the Federal Communications Commission's "Fairness Doctrine." After a detailed chronicle of the Red Lion case, the book relates applications of the Fairness…

The purpose of this book is to explore the effects of public opinion on governmental policy making, with a special focus on the role of the mass media in this process. Specific areas covered include political campaigning, the President and the press, blacks and the media, and cable television. Topics of discussion in the ten chapters are: linkage…

The relative credibility of media is measured and compared over a 16-year period by the Roper Organization for the Television Information Office. Sources of information and trends in viewing habits and hours of viewing are described; the relative desirability of media as viewed by various population groups is reported. Changes in opinion as to…

The communication patterns among Africans and American blacks are rooted in similarities. Both groups are constricted within societal communication networks, with blacks occupying peripheral positions. Special cognitive and linguistic handicaps erect obstinate barriers to reforms in the distribution and reciprocity of power. The assertion of black…

Guidelines for administrator response to the mass media when one's organization is the focus of a news story are offered in this book. Practical suggestions are offered for the projection and enhancement of an organization's value in crisis and noncrisis situations. A common-sense communications approach is advocated regardless of organizational…