Investigates the relationship between education and knowledge of energy issues. Finds some evidence of such a relationship, especially among the more educated readers of newspaper energy stories. Finds some tendency for an initial knowledge gap--the more educated seem to learn more than the less educated at first. Notes that the difference…

Despite longstanding interest in cable television regulation, little has been investigated concerning crossownership of cable with other media properties. A study examined the issue from economic (antitrust) and First Amendment (diversity of sources) perspectives. Data on where the cable companies' franchises were located and in what other media…

To examine the role that items on the list of "What Literate Americans Know" (developed by E. D. Hirsch, Jr.) plays in the nation's literacy, a study conducted an electronic search of "The New York Times" to establish the frequency of occurrence for a sample from the list. A random sample of 424 terms (9% of the total list) was…

Contributes to scholarship on democracy, community, and journalism by examining the interplay between communication, democracy, and community at an inner-city neighborhood newspaper. Concludes that, through its focus on neighborhood culture, acknowledgment of conflict, and attempts to provide a forum for the neighborhood's self-definition, the…

Explores how the form of print versus television media influenced the autonomy of coverage during the Gulf War. Examines levels of support and criticism of President Bush's policy in the media and the diversity of sources evaluating that policy. Finds that television news was more supportive of the official government line than was print media.…

A case study compared United States and South Korean press coverage of the crash of the November 29, 1987, Korean Air Lines (KAL) flight 858, to examine how the press reported the terrorism angle before evidence supporting the charges of terrorism was uncovered. Stories dealing with the crash reported in four prestigious United States newspapers…

A truly diverse press not only takes seriously its political role of fostering robust debate but stands committed to its cultural role of providing a distinctively local context for the issues and discussions it reports. However, what contributes to the diminution of press diversity remains a controversial question that continues to attract…

Efforts to discover what variables affect news media content have taken many approaches during the past 35 years. These approaches have emphasized psychological factors, sociological factors, cultural and social forces, and economic factors. Evidence exists that all these forces play a role in determining what becomes news. To examine how these…

In order to determine the nature of foreign news coverage in the Arab Gulf states, a study examined six newspapers in these states (one in each country) in regard to the volume, news sources, and kinds of news (both subject categories and regions covered). Data were selected from 12 issues (one from each month) in 1986 from the following…

In order to identify the scope or limits of the practice of development journalism, a study examined the content of the Forum page in the "Straits Times" of Singapore during relatively free (1979-1980) and restricted (1986-1987) press periods. The study had two major objectives: (1) to study the nature of the Forum page (a readers'…

Colonial printers were more or less forced to take sides during the Revolutionary era. As they did so, their social status changed from that akin to mechanics to that of spokespersons of a social movement. From this time on, the gradual separation of editor from printer formed a social basis for defining a journalist's tasks as editorial, not…

To determine whether there are systematic differences in press role between nations or blocs of nations, an exploratory study examined structural differences between United States and European political systems and whether, in light of these differences, press roles may vary in some respects across continents. These editors were interviewed about…

Predicated on the assumption that organized labor has long been misrepresented by the mass media, and bolstered by a literature review, a case study analyzed in detail labor news coverage from the "Columbus Dispatch" for the month of April 1994. A total of 37 articles were gathered that related to labor issues--articles on the ongoing…

Investigating complaints that newspaper reports about Hispanic Americans or Hispanic issues are biased, a study examined the daily newspaper coverage of Hispanics and Hispanic issues by the "Albuquerque Journal" (New Mexico) and the "San Antonio Express" (Texas). Three constructed-year samples, for 1982, 1984, and 1986, were…

Utilizing both content analysis of 139 editorials appearing in 19 United States daily newspapers and the results of a survey of 146 newspaper editors, a study asked three questions: (1) To what extent is hunger covered in the news and editorial columns of U.S. daily newspapers? (2) How is hunger defined as a problem in terms of its causes in those…