Television and television advertising, because of their pervasiveness and intrusiveness, have been identified by many as potent, formative, and usually negative influences within our culture. Print media, including magazine advertising, although perhaps less potent, are perceived as equally important. The effects of gender portrayals on audiences…

Emerging videotex news services--systems for distributing textual information on television screens that permit direct competition with pulp newspapers--are presently rooted in a limited theory of newsreading. The first of two rival theories of newsreading applicable to electronic newspapers is "uses and gratifications" research--the…

Terrorists seek recognition for their cause by using violence to create public fear which will force the government into repressive counter-measures. The mass media play a vital role in this strategy. News reports of terrorism may magnify the climate of fear, thereby augmenting the public's overreaction. Moreover, broadcast of terrorist acts may…

A review of research on the roles played by the mass media and the political parties during the agenda-setting stage of political activity in the United States indicates that the mass media have assumed some of the informing and issue-initiating functions generally understood to be performed by political parties. It seems desirable to develop an…

Three introductory chapters discuss evaluation and identify relevant studies on three different perspectives: purposes for evaluation, focus of the evaluation, and methods of evaluation. Studies are divided into a number of categories under each of the broad topics, and listed alphabetically by author if one is given; if there is no personal…

Stresses that understanding the impact of interaction with mass media requires conceptualizing media as an institutionalized social form. A critical feature of this process is the grammatical character of media interaction in the form of rhythm and tempo, because these rhythms and tempos become established in everyday routine. (SKC)

Argues that comparative and international research in the United States reflects the interests of the United States government. Claims such an ideological position defines the field's theoretical and methodological parameters. Cultural studies offer a perspective on this bias and offer a comprehensive, contextualized approach to the study of…

Reviews research on the educational aspects of British television programs, especially those dealing with economic knowledge and financial advice. Concludes that there is a public demand for better economic understanding and that television can be used as a significant component in an economic education campaign. (GEA)

Delineates what it means to view news as cultural celebration, assesses whether standard approaches to media seem applicable to this notion of new, and drafts the normative issues at stake in this version of journalism. (SRT)

Reviews the history of research designed to determine the effects of media upon the learning process and the ways that learners utilize media to perceive and process information. Research methodologies are discussed, theories developed over the past decade are presented, and directions for further research are suggested. (LRW)

Concludes that in the years since the revolution, Cuba has developed a modern mass media system that is fully used for national development. (FL)

Traces the public interest concept in libel to the time of "Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.," which supposedly rejected the concept, and beyond, demonstrating that the problem many free press advocates associate with the decision is really a consequence of the public interest test those same advocates cherish. (FL)

Notes that the courts have specific sanctions under the "Federal Rules of Civil Procedure" to ensure discovery in libel and invasion of privacy cases. Examines media-related cases in which courts have used these sanctions and relates them to nonmedia cases. (FL)

Reviews the recent literature on mass media campaigns and communication approaches promoting drug abuse prevention aimed at four target audiences: youth, parents, women, and the elderly. Cited the importance of audience analysis, of segmenting audiences into subgroups, and of designing customized presentations as critical across all target…

This document compiles and classifies research findings on the influences of media violence, particularly its effects on children's and young people's aggression or violent behavior; the review draws on many studies with different theories and methods. The research findings are presented in the following areas: (1) imitation; (2) aggression…