Contends that the trouble with communication research is fragmentation and too much low-quality and very little high-quality work. (PD)

Daniel Linz and Edward Donnerstein criticize the research methods and conclusions of pornography researchers Dolf Zillmann and Jennings Bryant (who allege that consumption of pornography results in antisocial effects). Zillman and Bryant respond. (ARH)

Considers Canadian contributions to the philosophical basis of educational technology which have helped shape the model shifts now occurring in the field. Four individuals are highlighted: Harold Innis and his work on media; Marshall McLuhan, who built on Innis' work; Ursula Franklin and her philosophical analysis of technology; and Arthur Kroker.…

Defines the "critical" approach to communications study. Assesses leading recent works in critical and institutional theory, emphasizing books available in English. Claims that scholars in mass communications must periodically address the questions raised in these publications to keep abreast and take full advantage of the critical…

Presents a brief overview of the history of recorded music, focusing on the dynamics between production and consumption. (JD)

Compares interpretive media research with traditional media research. Suggests that interpretivism's distinctiveness from earlier work is not always entirely clear and that, through an analysis of the challenges that interpretivism poses to preceding traditions, these challenges may be illusory. (MG)

Responds to six articles in the same issue on images in retrospect. Deals collectively rather than individually with ideas that underlie the work of the respective authors and attempts to provide a critical interpretation guided by the maxim "always historicize!" (SR)

Responds to Jeffery Bineham's article, "A Historical Account of the Hypodermic Model in Mass Communication" (same issue). Argues that the history of the hypodermic model (viewing media's all-powerful and direct influence on society) is distinct from the history and literature of empirical research on mass media effects. (MM)

Explores three legal implications of news councils: (1) the effect of the councils on the frequency of libel suits, (2) the validity of the waiver complainants must sign, and (3) the potential impact of news council decisions in determining standards of press performance. (FL)

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)

Notes that despite recent United States Supreme Court decisions that have been unfavorable to the press, a First Amendment-based conditional privilege protecting the editorial process against governmental intrusion survives. (FL)

Asserts that there is a need for research and scholarship in journalism, but that it must be important rather than filled with gobbledygook. Discusses the need for a more critical analysis of media performance. (MS)

Discusses the assumptions that ground radical, liberal, and socialist feminist theoretical frameworks, and reviews feminist media research. Argues that liberal feminism speaks only to White, heterosexual, middle and upper class women and is incapable of addressing most women's concerns. Concludes that socialist feminism offers the greatest…

Surveys the relationship between historical inquiry and mass communication research. Argues that historically grounded inquiries into mass communications have focused on three areas: apparatus-centered criticism, social history, and textual interpretation. Contends that challenges from inside and outside the discipline have encouraged historians…

Develops an interpretation of contemporary social and cultural life which conceives of "the religious" as radically located within "the secular." Notes that such a situation implicates some received understandings, particularly in the area of secularization. Explores implications for media theory and research, along with…