Black Americans' use of and belief in the credibility of the mass media is no less extensive than that of the general population. In fact, television and radio use by blacks exceeds that of whites and research shows the broadcast media to be particularly important sources of information for blacks on consumer and political affairs. But many…

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)

For a researcher with a serious interest in studying popular culture, the collective negligence of the entertainment industries, the scholarly community, and the government is a given, but some action to preserve American mass media artifacts can be undertaken. Contrary to the myth of unlimited access to information, certain regions of the public…

Communication researchers should ask more explicit questions concerning the processes by which mediated messages can create, modify, or reinforce beliefs about social actors and social environments. There are four general categories into which to divide variables concerning processing strategies for mediated social information: source…

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…

Noting that covering the United States Department of Education can pose special problems for journalists, this report provides information about the operations of the department and notes the strengths and weaknesses of information produced by and about it. The first three sections of the report discuss the current political atmosphere at the…

Noting that the theory of international development is a paradigm, a model by which researchers guide their studies, this paper reviews various concepts of international development theory and proposes a research study that would examine mass media use in Georgia, one of the new republics born out of the death of the Soviet Union. The paper begins…

Based on a definition of public relations that recognizes the field as a purposeful management function, this paper provides a perspective on public relations to help practitioners develop strategies for the use of new media forms in public relations programs. The paper begins with a historical review of mass media effects research and proceeds…

Pointing out that television sets are virtually a universal household fixture in most industrially developed nations, this book presents many categories and specific examples of television's (and sometimes radio's) coverage of ethnic minorities and conflict. Chapters in the book are: (1) Introduction; (2) Background Notes; (3) Mainstream vs.…