Despite a tradition of government secrecy, Canada recently adopted freedom of information legislation. Reflecting greater public and media interest in the issue of public access to information and government secrecy, Bill C-34, the Access to Information Act, received royal assent in 1982, as did a privacy act, enacted to protect the complementary…

To determine the extent to which Chinese mass media reflected official policy concerning U.S.-Sino relations during the six year period after the 1979 normalization of relations, a study examined Chinese newspapers and evaluated their treatment of U.S. actions. News stories, editorials, columns, and features in the Foreign Broadcasting Information…

The current Australian scene is a good example of how American culture as portrayed in the mass media is reflected by a receptor national culture. Australia, sharing a similar history and a common language with the United States, has virtually no resistance to American culture. Some differences in national characteristics, such as the Australian…

With the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos from his 20-year rule of the Philippines, the news media regained its freedom and its voice, and now faces a new set of problems: low circulation, questionable ethical standards of reporters and their lack of experience, and ominous indications from the Corazon Aquino government that the administration might…

A study examined the role of the mass media in the symbolization process (a process which was necessary to distract attention from the political and economic problems of the European Community and to enhance support of the powerless parliament) during the European election campaign of 1984 and whether symbolization strengthened the motivation for…

This paper analyzes the origins, growth, and present state of communication research in Latin America. Based on empirical data, the paper identifies: (1) the factors that determined the kinds of studies that emerged in the region; (2) the major research topics; (3) the most influential scholars; and (4) the main currents of theoretical influence…

Noting the unprecedented expansion of research in the field of international communications, much of it conducted by scholars from developing countries, this bibliography contains citations of studies on the international flow of news. The bibliography begins with an introduction to the field of research on international news flow, noting those…

The shooting down of KAL Flight 007, a South Korean airliner, by a Soviet jet fighter, and the resulting deaths of the 269 people on board, has brought into focus the Reagan's administration's equivocal relationship with the Soviet Union, provided insights into the channels of power in the Soviet military hierarchy, and led other nations to…

A review of research conducted in Egypt to assess the impact of videocassette recorders (VCRs) on society and on other communication media indicates that the use of VCRs--a new phenomenon in mass communication in that country--has been accelerating over the past five years as more people have been gradually exposed to the advantages of unlimited…

This paper reviews the major studies of international and national approaches to media ethics and describes the various academic and global contexts for international media ethics study. It suggests methodology for helpful, if embryonic, comparison and for accurate pattern recognition. The paper explores the question of whether there are…

Noting that recent emphasis in the New World Information Order debate has focused on the development of new structures for the production and exchange of news among Third World countries, this paper provides a qualitative and quantitative examination of three types of alternative news agencies. They include the second-tier Western agencies…

Drawing data from a variety of sources, a study was undertaken to place China's propaganda activities in the United States during World War II into a historical perspective. Results showed that China's propaganda efforts consisted of official and unofficial activities and activities directed toward overseas Chinese. The official activities were…

A study examined how four news magazines in North America and Western Europe covered British public reaction to the 1982 Falklands War. The news magazines--similar in format--represented four nations with varying degrees of closeness to Great Britain: the United States ("Time"), Canada ("Macleans"), West Germany…

This volume posits the existence of a gap between theory and practice in rural-development efforts involving communication media and provides suggestions for integrating the efforts of theoreticians and practitioners. Chapter one briefly reviews the development of theoretical concepts about the nature of communication and the use of communication…

Cultural dependency has become a serious international issue over the past two decades, especially as it relates to the news media. If charges that the Latin American media are subservient to foreign interests have any truth, then the content of their media should closely resemble that of the foreign wires to which they subscribe. The news can be…