Facebook and other social media have been hailed as delivering the promise of new, socially engaged educational experiences for students in undergraduate, self-directed, and other educational sectors. A theoretical and historical analysis of these media in the light of earlier media transformations, however, helps to situate and qualify this…

This ethnographic study explored the ways in which media, particularly television, connected with English language and literacy practices among Sudanese refugees in Michigan. Three families with young children participated in this study. Data collection included participant observation, interviews, and collection of artifacts over 18 months, with…

Shows that "The New York Times" devoted a significant portion of its television-related articles to personality features from 1949 to 1977 and that only recently has this trend showed signs of changing. (FL)

Reveals three core areas of "most desirable" communication behaviors that are important to broadcast journalism graduates entering the field: "personal character,""assertiveness," and "crusadingness." (FL)

Examines the structure of television pictures as based on the theory of field forces and suggests a series of hypotheses, experimental designs, and statistical treatments to be used in empirical investigations. Various theoretical concepts of composition (field forces) are discussed. (Author/JEG)

Concludes that, while group ownership of newspapers and television stations continues to grow, common ownership of a station and a newspaper in the same market is declining. (FL)

Reviews the history of WNTV, the oldest television broadcasting establishment in tropical Africa, concentrating on the environmental circumstances peculiar to developing nations. (FL)

Reports the findings of a survey conducted to determine the level of understanding of the news business by the general public in a midwestern community. Concludes that the respondents knew more about television news than about newspapers. (FL)

Examines origins of wildlife films. Outlines their tension between education and entertainment. Looks at how Disney codified wildlife films as a coherent genre by imposing conventionalized narrative frameworks upon them. Discusses factors influencing wildlife television in the 1990s. Concludes that wildlife films are a valid and distinct film and…

Contends that the effect of television can best be understood as part of the overall attempts by social scientists to understand the effects of the mass media. Argues that symbolic interactionism is the most viable theory for bringing together the pure and the applied aspects of this issue. (LLL)

Reports on a study which attempted to delineate cultural differences between middle-class White and Black females by determining if they have different reference groups as reflected in media usage habits. Findings showed that magazine, radio, and television use differed between groups. Differences were not considered indicative of true cultural…

Finds substantial agreement among major media as to the mix of various news topics but substantial disagreement as to which specific stories should be used. (FL)

This investigation considered description, association, and inference regarding television viewing patterns and motivations of aging persons. Among its findings, this study concluded that television--aside from its important role in disseminating information and entertainment--also functions to occupy idle time and to fill a companionship vacuum…

Shows evidence of media leadership of audience behavior that is consistent with the direction of coverage of a community controversy. (FL)

Examines one aspect of human information processing, the "translation phenomenon," in which words are remembered as pictures and vice versa. Finds that translation is more likely to occur after the passage of 48 hours, and most often results in facts that were conveyed as narration being remembered as having been conveyed in video. (SR)