A survey of 210 Texas residents revealed a preference for local and independent ownership of newspapers, although the quality of independent and group-owned papers was rated about the same. (GT)

A study examined (1) whether the public knows of the newspaper ombudsman and his or her role at the newspaper, and (2) probed the effects of calling a newspaper on public perceptions of the newspaper's interest in accuracy and correcting errors. Two telephone questionnaires were completed by 152 of the 438 persons who had contacted the ombudsman…

A study was conducted to learn more about voters' use and perception of endorsements in the 1984 presidential election. Six interviewers were trained and then assigned to a random sample of precincts in Orlando, Florida, on the day of the 1984 presidential election. Each interviewer stopped every third voter and asked those willing to cooperate 12…

Concludes that newspaper business section editors have more favorable attitudes toward capitalism than do members of the general public. (FL)

Findings from a 1971-72 North Carolina statewide survey focusing on the newspaper nonreader were compared with results from a similar statewide survey taken in 1961-62 in Wisconsin. Although there were limits to how precisely the two sets of data could be compared, the findings demonstrated that the type of person who chose not to read a newspaper…

Secondary analysis of 1971 and 1977 surveys by the Newspaper Advertising Bureau suggests that newspaper editors underestimate public interest in sicence news. (GT)

More letters to the editor are being written to daily newspapers than ever before, and more of them are being published in ever-expanding letters columns. However, many letters go unpublished because of the letter's unsuitability, lack of space, or the writer's view having already been expressed. A study examined--by combining the methods of…

A study tested the hypotheses (1) that reporting of methodological information needed to gauge the accuracy of public opinion poll stories in metropolitican daily newspapers improved significantly during the presidential election years from 1968 to 1980, and (2) that these newspapers were more likely to report this information in their own inhouse…

Reports a study devising a constructive treatment for news of violence that has higher reader interest than a conventional straight-news approach. (TO)

Compares the reactions of photojournalists and the public to hypothetical ethical dilemmas confronting press photographers. Concludes that the two groups disagree significantly in their reactions to 17 of 19 ethical situations. (FL)

Analyzed China's foremost party organ, the "People's Daily," during 1979-80 to find out what changes have occurred with regard to media images of the U.S. since the normalization of the Sino-U.S. relationship. Noted a more favorable portrayal of the U.S.--at the expense of the Soviet Union. (PD)

Interviews with 1,034 respondents shortly before the 1972 presidential election, and with 701 of these respondents shortly after the election, revealed that a small proportion perceived political bias in television news, a larger proportion perceived biases in newspaper reporting, and the vast majority saw no political bias in either medium. (GT)

This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the media emphasis of issues serves to set the agenda of public awareness of those issues. Data were obtained from telephone interviews during the 1976 United States Presidential campaign from 658 voters in Pennsylvania and California. The issues of unemployment, inflation, and crime were…

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)