A study investigated whether political interest was a factor in differences in political knowledge between television and newspaper reliant individuals. Data were collected through 353 hour-long interviews with adults in a midwestern city. Subjects supplied information about their media use and preferences, political preferences, education level,…

While the use of informational graphics in newspapers is increasing, little is known regarding how well readers can understand them and how readers use them. A study investigated whether readers of newspapers read graphics before or after they read the headline/text, and whether people decide to read a graphic device for appearance-related or…

Data gathered in a study of news coverage of the parttime Indiana and fulltime Michigan state legislatures were used to determine if source use in stories, portrayals of lawmakers and of the legislature as a whole, and topic coverage varied with the length of the legislative session. A content analysis was conducted of the 111 stories written by…

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…

Two hundred fifty residents of a southern California city responded to a telephone survey designed to assess audience interests in and preferences for local television newscasts. The respondents were asked to rank, in order of their preference, six major news catagories: issues, unexpected events, entertainment, sports, weather, and banter between…

A study of 150 residents of a small southern Illinois city suggests that there are significant correlations between local daily newspaper content and what people in the community report reading and talking about, but that there are only nonsignificant partial correlations between the newspaper's and the residents' agendas about local news. (GW)

Evaluates how well the media guided readers and viewers through the Chernobyl disaster. Concludes that the press and television did not provide enough radiation and risk information in their coverage of the Chernobyl accident, but what was provided was appropriate, even-handed, and conservative. (NKA)

Reports results of a bibliometric analysis of professional education journals publishing literature on educational microcomputing based on ERIC's Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE). Cumulative statistics on microcomputer articles in journals and general categories of articles as determined by ERIC descriptor usage indicate an…

Uses log linear analysis to show that political activity is a potent predictor of media use. (FL)

Reveals that women in decision-making positions in their jobs use media more for work-related information than do women in other work. (FL)

Compares the roles of traditional media and nonmedia sources in disseminating information on drug abuse and treatment among college students. (TO)

Reviews research suggesting that student publications' staffs should survey the news needs of the campus population to improve newspaper quality and readership. (RL)

Reports on a study ranking the prestige of 26 journals in the field of mass communication. Reveals a wide range in the perceived prestige of these periodicals. (RL)

Examines whether knowledge gaps decrease when motivation to acquire information is similar among more and less educated groups. Compares two groups with differing motivations to acquire cancer and diet information in a community that received a year-long health campaign. Finds evidence of education-based differences in knowledge even among members…

Magazines are popular information sources for teens and already may have played a significant role in educating teenagers about AIDS. Many AIDS activists and health educators believed coverage of Magic Johnson's November 1991 announcement that he had contracted AIDS through heterosexual sex might help to convince teenagers about their AIDS risk. A…