The recent proliferation of reality-based television programs highlighting cosmetic surgery has raised concerns that such programming promotes unrealistic expectations of plastic surgery and increases the desire of viewers to undergo such procedures. In Study 1, a survey of 170 young adults indicated little relationship between cosmetic surgery…

Subjective comments from veteran news reporters, media critics, and the public give the impression that bad or negative news is becoming a major problem in this country. This impression raises major questions concerning how much is really known about bad news, including whether the media present an accurate or distorted picture of reality in…

A survey of 155 midwestern movie viewers was conducted to determine the factors of the selective exposure and appeal of horror films. Audience members leaving the theatre after viewing "Halloween II" were interviewed using a questionnaire that contained measures of specific reasons for liking horror films as well as measures of several…

Concludes that the public's negative attitude toward the news media is beginning to mellow. (FL)

Concludes that whether a newspaper carries mostly good news or mostly bad news affects the image of the paper, with bad news having negative effects and good news having positive effects on readers' perceptions of the newspaper. (FL)

Finds that individuals exposed to a large amount of crime news are more likely to show concern with being a crime victim than those who are not. (FL)

Concludes that the editorial presentation of a story can have significant effects on an audience's perceptions of a story's target. (FL)

Indicates that consumers place little value on advertisements in nationally circulated magazines and on television as sources of information. Television commercials seem to be valued even less than print advertisements. (FL)

A study investigated whether the frequency of a legislator's direct contact with constituents was related negatively to the legislator's evaluation of mass media as sources of information on constituent concerns. The study also explored whether the legislators' evaluations of mass media as sources of information on constituent concerns were more…

Offers a clarification of the original uses of the word "stereotype" and argues that the current failure to account for evaluative and historical aspects of stereotypes has diluted the usefulness of the concept for critics and teachers. (MS)

Concludes that both reporters and information sources felt bias was less after newspaper mergers, but that political ideology shaped the source's perceptions about the bias. (FL)

Searched articles (n=387) in German magazines with highest circulation rates for attitudes about alcoholism. In 55 percent of articles, alcohol dependence was described as illness, but only 4 percent included definitions of condition. Found articles about alcohol dependence were so simplified reader could mistake condition as being self-inflicted…

Explores the effects on one of President Jimmy Carter's major opinion-shaping efforts on individuals' beliefs about the energy crisis. Concludes that his "Energy Week" may have caused people to take the crisis more seriously, but did not change their attitudes about energy matters. (FL)

Concludes that voters need a frame or a point of reference for determining the campaign relevance of issues and that, therefore, framing is a crucial consideration in the media agenda-setting process. (FL)

Preliminary data from a study-in-progress support the view that public information campaigns may have greater efficacy than shown by previous research. To evaluate the public impact of the Advertising Council's "Take a Bite Out of Crime" campaign, which was aimed at promoting greater citizen involvement in crime prevention activities,…