Suggests that while endorsements seem to sway a few voters, the effect is so small that such endorsements are unlikely to influence the outcome of an election. (FL)

Factor analysis of 50 editors' responses to a questionnaire eliciting information about objectivity found general agreement on the subject but clear differences of emphasis on various aspects of it. (FL)

Discusses how the use of unregulated mass media to convey the health risks of smoking is severely limited by the tobacco industry's power, via advertising dollars, to minimize the coverage of the negative health aspects of smoking in the editorial content of these media. (JD)

Reports that editorial page editors and cartoonists agree on most aspects of the cartoonist's role, but differ on the amount of freedom allowed the cartoonist. (FL)

Results of a survey of 359 editors of nondaily newspapers indicates that most nondaily editors see their editorials and editorial pages as important segments of their newspapers and believe they can use them to help influence readers, particularly on local issues. (Author/GT)

A study of newspapers in three Louisiana cities suggests that whether a city's newspapers are owned jointly or by separate owners, little duplication occurs in newspaper appearance or content. (GW)

Traces the evolution of libel law involving the clergy as plaintiff and the news media as defendant. Concludes that the clergy's position in libel suits is not as favorable as it once was but that it is still more favorable than that of most other types of plaintiffs. (FL)

Concludes that most newspapers will reject letters to the editor that they consider to be libelous, but that many make efforts to rehabilitate those letters. (FL)

An analysis of the editorials in ten leading newspapers during the 1976 presidential election shows that considerably more space was devoted to economic issues than to any other specific issue. (GT)

An analysis of the election stories about presidential candidates that appeared in three major news magazines during the 1976 presidential campaign reveals that coverage of Eugene McCarthy's candidacy was unbiased but meager. (GT)

Indicates mixed support for the hypothesis that editorial sections publish a positive ratio of favorable to unfavorable commentary about endorsed candidates and a negative ratio of favorable to unfavorable commentary about unendorsed candidates. Suggests that editorial sections in some newspapers may be more internally balanced in their political…

Reports on a content analysis of "Reader's Digest" indicating that there is some validity to the notion that it is unchanging. Notes that the percentages of articles in some important categories, specifically those discussing controversial issues, have remained consistent over 40 years. (FL)

Reports that (1) the length and number of news items about aging and the aged in 10 metropolitan newspapers were disproportionate to the proportion of aged persons in the population, and (2) the tone of such newspaper stories was positive or neutral. (GT)

A content analysis of newspapers in 11 Texas cities between 1975 and 1977 suggests that only editorial page coverage favored mayoral candidates endorsed by the newspapers and that all serious candidates had an equal chance of receiving fair campaign coverage in their respective city newspapers. (GT)

Analysis of the New York "Times's" financial column for the period October 13 to November 13, 1929, reveals that the column did not predict the stock market crash, that it was usually neutral in its financial analyses, and that it was more often optimistic than pessimistic in outlook. (FL)