Questionnaires were sent to 114 of the 228 editorial page editors at newspapers in the United States with daily circulations greater than 50,000 for a study that compared (1) the editor-publisher relationship existing at chains to that found at independent papers, and (2) the 1984 presidential endorsements made by chains to those by independent…

Two unrelated studies investigated issues in newspaper journalism. The first, a replication of an earlier study, examined whether the priority given by newspapers to reporting local news was warranted. Respondents in three areas of the country were asked to rate their interest in various types of news on a five-point scale. Results indicated that…

Prepared by members of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Committee of the Associated Press Managing Editors (AMPE), this collection of articles deals with a variety of issues concerning freedom of the press. Following a list of members of the committee, the major articles in the collection are: (1) "Massive Libel Suits Threaten Freedom of All…

This book, the seventh in a series surveying broadcast journalism, provides behind-the-scenes details of news coverage during 1978-79, evaluating the growth and sophistication of the news media. The first section of the book discusses the treatment of major issues and news events, including the "odd couple" of politics and broadcasting,…

This paper presents a conceptual analysis of bias and outlines the complexity and subtlety of the questions engulfing bias by sorting out views of bias that have been implicit in debates about the media, assessing the scientific value of these competing views in identifying and understanding bias in the media, offering an alternative view which is…

There are many parallels between the Richard M. Nixon administration and Warren G. Harding's term: both Republicans, both touched by scandal, and both having a unique relationship with the press. But in Harding's case the relationship was a positive one. One of Harding's first official acts as president was to restore the regular White House news…

This monograph discusses the role of the press in reporting the nomination of Senator Thomas Eagleton for Vice President of the United States, the revelation of his hospitalization for mental illness six years prior to the nomination, and his eventual resignation as George McGovern's running mate in the 1972 Presidential elections. Four sections…

Like so many issues in a democratic society, bilingual programs have become entangled in a series of related problems, from other schooling policies to economics and, even, political squabbles. As a result, the whole subject of bilingual schooling seems to be dimly seen and easily misunderstood. Adding to the difficulties, the national media have…

An interview with Wallace Westfeldt, NBC news executive who has been assigned to conduct a thorough study and evaluation of NBC news operations prior to assuming a new post after stepping down as executive producer of NBC-TV nightly news. (JM)

The main objective of this constituency study was to determine the level of awareness and corresponding opinions of constituents with regard to three issues. Thirty-three Wisconsin state senators served as subjects along with 1,650 Wisconsin citizens who were interviewed via telephone regarding their views. The political public relations…

It is widely accepted that the news media, especially in specific expressions of press opinion, have the effect of setting the agenda of issues in many political campaigns. The nature and extent of such agenda-setting is not yet established, although a study of two test newspapers tends to define further this effect. An analysis of the…

Media in democratic societies are generally assumed to have a responsibility to provide a forum for the articulation of diverse ideas, including radical discourse. Research on media coverage of groups which challenge the status quo, however, shows the limitations of the media in the democratic exchange of ideas. To evaluate the coverage of one of…

This paper compares newspaper coverage of United Nations (UN) events in the United States and Great Britain, African and Asian nations, and in the black press in the United States. The method involved sampling UN-related coverage in 13 newspapers at four year intervals from 1949 to 1961 and for every second year from 1961 to 1977. Newspapers…

The purposes of this book are to summarize and analyze the nature of public opinion in contemporary America and to examine the implications of that nature for the possibility of a functioning democracy. Material in the four sections covers the following topics: "The Study of Public Opinion: Political Theory and Methodology"--opinions and…

This study was designed to determine which kinds of printing--religious, government, or political--provided the highest volume (number of pages) of printing business for the Boston newspaper publishers from 1763 through 1775; which kind produced the most income; and which of the publishers appeared to be the most prosperous from 1763 through 1775.…