This paper examines past media research on presidential campaign debates, reviewing literature from the fields of mass communication, political science, and speech communication, and considering regulatory changes (e.g., debate sponsorship and equal time provisions) and the growth of primary and general debates as an institution. Beginning with…

Examining the evolution of the "Good Housekeeping" Seal of Approval--one of the first codes to set standards for the products advertised in a periodical, a study analyzed issues of "Good Housekeeping" magazine from 1909 to 1975 (with the exception of issues from July 1929 to December 1938). The study also examined elements that…

A qualitative examination was made of the black newspaper, "The Blade" in Parsons, Kansas, during two six-week periods: September 24-October 29, 1892, the first available issues of the paper, appearing just prior to national elections; and October 23-November 27, 1897, which included two weeks before and four weeks after local elections.…

Contributes to (and draws on) journalism history, mass-culture studies, and women's history in a rhetorical analysis of a series of six full-page illustrations titled "The American Woman" run in 1897 in "The Ladies' Home Journal." Reveals how class and gender issues intersected and underscored the role of the mass media in…

This theme issue of the "Centro Bulletin" examines media stereotypes of Latinos and presents examples of alternatives. "From Assimilation to Annihilation: Puerto Rican Images in U.S. Films" (R. Perez) traces the representation of Puerto Ricans from the early days of television to the films of the 1970s. "The Latino 'Boom'…

In studying the history of the American press, little attention has been given to printing networks and the apprenticeship system, factors which permitted the press not only to survive but to grow. Essential to press growth was the apprenticeship system, vocational education which replenished and augmented the craft's practitioners. Apprentices…

This paper argues that Dwight Eisenhower's use of television in the political campaign in 1956 helped mark the rise of the centralized presidential campaign strategy. To determine the impact of television on this campaign and describe the campaign's inner workings, the paper recounts (1) the Republican dilemma over the use of television and the…

An independent, critical press has been active in Nigeria for a century. Most newspapers are privately owned and publish a range of news and commentary, often critical of the government. The history of the relations between the press and the government during the century, and particularly during the 20 months of rule by the Mohammedu Buhari regime…

On October 1, 1949, the Chinese People's Consultative Conference enacted the "organic law" that formally created the People's Republic of China; the following day notes were delivered to consular offices in Peking stating that the new government considered it necessary that they establish regular diplomatic relations with all countries…

The use of promotional films by the Hampton (Virginia) Normal and Agricultural Institute between 1900 and 1917 is examined in this paper. The paper first traces the problems faced by Hampton and other private southern black schools during the early twentieth century and describes Hampton's extensive promotional efforts designed both to improve…

A study explored the debate over comic books and children in the 1950s, addressing the communication role of comic books in forming a new community of comic book fans during that period. Using E.C. (Educational Comics) comic books as a case study, the conventions of the comic books, correspondence between producers and consumers, and articles by…

The Politics and Mass Media section of the proceedings contains the following eight papers: "Politics and the War on Drugs: Patterns of News Coverage" (Lisa Brockmeier); "The Challenge of Bearing Witness in Political Reporting: Making the Public Conversational Partners" (Karon Reinboth Speckman); "The Concrete-Avoidance…

A study examined whether the authors of "The Brownies' Book," a magazine published in 1920-1921 for black children, achieved the seven goals they had set for themselves and whether the economic conditions of that period had an effect on the failure of the magazine. An analysis of the issues of the magazine reveals that the editors did…

This paper outlines the predominant aesthetics of American public television's contributors and viewers. These aesthetic perspectives are elaborated in relation to specific historic, institutional, and political trends in American society. The paper traces public television usage and support as the product of confusing and sometimes contradictory…

An examination of the portrayal of women in popular magazine advertising from 1942 to 1945 suggests that the mass media played a major role in calling women out of the home and into the factory and machine shop to assist in the war effort. Discouraged from working during the Depression years when jobs were scarce, in the 1940s women were eagerly…