Reports the findings of a survey conducted to determine the level of understanding of the news business by the general public in a midwestern community. Concludes that the respondents knew more about television news than about newspapers. (FL)

Reports that, overall, Minnesota newspapers and complainants approve of the Minnesota Press Council; that there is a strong correlation between newspapers' approval of the council and their opinions about its effectiveness; and that there is a lesser correlation between newspapers' approval of the council and their familiarity with it. (GT)

To investigate the nature, content, and validity of criticisms of the news media and to determine whether these criticisms are made objectively, a study surveyed 550 members of the Mass Media and Society Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Response rate was 41%. Questions examined statements…

Survey data on newspaper food editors and newspaper readers were collected through a title-rating technique. Analysis of responses to 40 food titles and leads indicated three newspaper food-editor types: transitional, traditional, and "new guard." Food-page readers fell into two types: information oriented (nutritionists) and cooking…

In a series of national polls conducted in 1975-1976 that had people record their activities over a 24-hour time period, researchers found that on a typical day more people read a newspaper than watched television news programs. Older adults were more likely to use both news media, while young adults were more likely to use no news medium. Over…

Reports findings of surveys of people's evaluations of press behavior during the Watergate period; concludes that the most important determinants of press criticism were in support of Nixon, party affiliation, and ideology. (GW)

In an attempt to understand nonreader attitudes toward the daily newspaper, 576 non-newspaper reading adults were queried in three waves about their reasons for avoiding newspapers. In the first wave, the major findings were that nonreaders avoid newspapers because of lack of time, preference for another news medium, newspaper cost, and lack of…

A survey of persons who wrote letters to the Cleveland public television station regarding the Watergate hearings revealed that presentation of the Senate hearings improved PTV's image in the minds of some viewers. A content analysis of the letters written to the station indicated that 49 percent of the writers specifically stated support for…

A survey of over 1,300 newspapers shows major changes between 1979 and 1983 in content and layout. Several trends run counter to reader interests: (1) increasing the ratio of features to hard news, (2) reducing the balance of national/world news to local news, and (3) reducing the number of columns on specialized interests. (PD)

Investigates a survey on the role of the daily press in Swedish society and reveals divergent views of societal roles and concerns. (MH)

A study of the diffusion of news about the Mormon Church's approval of Blacks for the priesthood revealed that "shocking" good news can ignite the interpersonal communications system, that news has more credibility when obtained from media than when obtained interpersonally, and that people use mass media to verify news obtained…

An Indiana survey of the media use of 108 older adults yielded information about their radio, television, and newspaper preferences. The results suggest that education, income, and sociability exerted as much, or more, influence on how the sample used the media than did their status as senior citizens. (GT)

Concludes that attention to the media during presidential campaigns accelerates the development of attitudes about candidates and thus facilitates making a voting decision; notes that less motivated individuals, who are likely to spend less time with the media, are slow in discriminating between candidates and more likely to report decision-making…

A study examined whether public perceptions of media institutions and products are multidimensional and whether the public's image of media matters. Subjects, 512 randomly selected adult residents of Dane County, Wisconsin, were surveyed by telephone. Results revealed that public perceptions of the media are complex, multifaceted, and include more…

A study was conducted to assess the sources used by a metropolitan population for news about state government. Telephone interviews were conducted with 714 adult subjects in a metropolitan area in Michigan. Subjects were asked how much time they spent reading newspapers and watching television, how interested they were in state government, and…