Behavioral research suggests that communication between two individuals is affected by such factors as their orientation toward a topic, the importance of the topic, and interpersonal attraction. Seven hypotheses were formulated to determine if these factors--originally discovered in a discussion setting--were operative in an information-seeking…

This document focuses on freedom of information during 1975. The first section focuses on possible threats to First Amendment freedoms during 1976. The second section focuses on the problems and threats to journalists of S.1, the Senate legislation introduced at the start of the new Congress which aims to revise American criminal law. The third…

A panel discussion on politics and the press was held at the convention of the American Political Science Association in September 1971. This volume contains an essay delivered at that panel on the various functions or activities of the press--adversary, surrogate, sovereign--and remarks of the three discussants. In addition, an essay especially…

Designed to encourage public action in the media, this "action kit" consists of articles and reports dealing with the subjects of peace and the news media. Included are an article by Federal Communications Commissioner Nicholas Jackson which argues that the "law of effective reform" should be applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)…

This book provides a collection of major cases and selected reprints of important articles from leading law journals, about obscenity, censorship, rights of privacy, and other First Amendment problems. The 50 Supreme Court decisions and 17 interpretive articles examine the legal activism of the Warren and Burger courts, from the 1960s through the…

Surveys the author's contribution to the Center for Social Studies Education curriculum on the Vietnam War. Focuses on "How the War Was Reported," a unit which raises four questions concerning the responsibilities of the government and the press for keeping the public informed. Encourages use of the curriculum in teaching about the…

Suggests that the Campaign Act of 1971 may be in conflict with the First Amendment because restrictions and criminal penalties apply to media as well as to politicians. (TO)

A keener sense of responsibility and a more sensitive type of journalism would result if student newspapers were required to rely on voluntary student support. (Author)

Major topics and geographic locations of articles on gifted education issues were identified for 180 newspaper articles published between January 1986 and December 1994. The majority of articles pertained to schools (32%), followed by those focusing on attitudes (22%), funding (16%), and enrollment/minorities (11%). (SW)

Presidential candidates in the United States tend to seek consensus rather than to try to discover new answers to problems and to convince voters that they should be elected to implement those answers. Reporters in the mass media emphasize objectivity and fairness in their reporting. This emphasis produces an intense interest in the…

This report discusses the background, advantages, and disadvantages of the televised presidential press conference, citing the opinions of numerous newspaper and magazine writers. After presenting a brief overview of the presidential press conference from the administration of Theodore Roosevelt to that of Eisenhower, the report discusses the type…

Based on responses from 1130 interviews in black and white neighborhoods, perceptions of what occurred relating to an incident in Detroit were linked to reports from mass media. Different media combinations were associated differently with how whites and blacks relying on these sources perceived the incident. (Author)

A study focused on how the broadcasting and advertising industries dealt publicly, through the medium of the trade journal, with political pressures shortly after the end of the Second World War. Was blacklisting and the political screening of talent acknowledged in the trade press? If so, did the publications approve or disapprove of the methods…

Since the 1974 Supreme Court dicta in "Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.," many courts have held that statement of opinion is constitutionally protected. However, statements that appear to be opinion based on undisclosed facts or knowledge not generally known to the public can be an exception. For instance, courts have protected specific…