Explaining complex scientific and environmental subjects in the mass media is difficult to do, particularly under such constraints as short deadlines and lack of space or time. When a scientific controversy and human health risk are involved, this becomes an even harder task to accomplish. The subject of electromagnetic fields (EMF) involves…

It is no longer "new" news that the "new" media, separately or in convergence with the traditional mass media, are often reinforcing old ways and traditional patterns. Concentration of ownership; under- or misappropriate employment patterns for certain groups and classes of people; and inadequate, inappropriate, and inaccurate…

To find out whether the portrayal of mothers in young adult novels reflects real-life mothers and the many social and political changes of the past 20 years, a study examined 33 books selected from Booklist. The books had to have realistic and contemporary settings and include a characterization of a mother. They were examined for attributes that…

This paper presents a typology of terrorism which is grounded in how media differentially cover each type. The typology challenges some of the basic assumptions, such as that the media "allow" themselves to be exploited by terrorists and "encourage" terrorism, and the conventional wisdom about the net effects of the media's…

This two-volume report of a planning study conducted for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting presents an assessment of the opportunities and risks associated with public broadcasting's involvement in teletext and videotext. Volume 1 contains a strategic assessment that offers analysis, recommendations, and conclusions regarding the market for…

A 10-minute videotape program that reviews library skills was evaluated with 8 fifth and sixth grade classes in the St. Louis area to determine both the effectiveness of the program itself and the method of formative program evaluation. The program used videotaped slides to present program ideas. Questions focused on whether students who viewed…

The Lifetime Television Network has established itself within the cable industry as the only network that explicitly gendercasts its programming. Lifetime specifically markets itself as "Television for Women"; however, what that means exactly is not clear. On the one hand, Lifetime does not want to be noted as the "feminist network." Yet, former…

A Florida experiment demonstrated that cameras can operate in a courtroom without causing the disruption experienced in previous courtroom cases. The more difficult question--whether the more subtle effects of the camera hamper a fair trial--is open to debate. (GT)

Examines three groups of studies that demonstrate what communication research has to say about the relationship between peace and news, between war and the media. Presents a model of five discourses used in the coverage of war and peace in the news media. (MS)

Theoretical and research literature on learning from books, television, computers, and multimedia environments is examined. The media are distinguished by cognitively relevant characteristics of their technologies, symbol systems, and processing capabilities. The relative cognitive effects of learning with different media--particularly those…

Identifies four key emphases in life-long radical journalist I. F. Stone's approach to reporting: his strategic approach to documents, his commitment to history, his devotion to on-the-scene research, and his independence from sources. Considers limitations and adaptations of Stone's approach for the practice of reporting and for understanding the…

A study examined the promises and limitations of the entertainment-education strategy used in development communication and charted some future directions for this approach. The approach began in the 1970s with the recognition that mass media has its limitations in fostering national development; a more participatory development theory emerged…

A study examined the current legitimacy crisis that faces America's educational system and the efforts of one group, Catholic schools, in addressing this crisis. A legitimation model for educational institutions was developed based on the values society calls for in education, and this model was then applied to Catholic schools to see how their…

This essay examines some Republican communication behaviors which account in part for accusations that the use of negative strategies was unprecedented during the 1988 presidential campaign. It also explores some of the effects of those strategies on political communication behavior during the first year of the Bush Administration. It is suggested…

This special report provides a survey of media in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and attempts to answer questions such as: what freedoms the mass media enjoy, the nature of their finances, what problems they have to deal with, and what their future in competition with new modes of communication will be like. Chapter 1 discusses the…