This paper argues that Dwight Eisenhower's use of television in the political campaign in 1956 helped mark the rise of the centralized presidential campaign strategy. To determine the impact of television on this campaign and describe the campaign's inner workings, the paper recounts (1) the Republican dilemma over the use of television and the…

A content analysis was conducted of 203 editorials from the "Daily Oklahoman" from the first six months of the 1980 presidential campaign. The analysis was based on two assumptions: (1) the tone of the 1980 presidential campaign essentially was set after only six months of official campaigning, and (2) the "Daily Oklahoman"…

Noting that 1977 public opinion polls concerning the new Panama Canal treaties were interpreted as showing increased support for the treaties, this paper contends that this interpretation was erroneous and that the major outcome of the extensive polling was misleading data. The paper is divided into three major analytical sections. The first…

To provide a deeper look into the American political system that so intrigued the visiting French statesman Alexis de Tocqueville in 1831 and 1832, this monograph focuses on the role of the press in American politics in the the age of Jackson, the 1820s and early 1830s--a period of dramatic and substantive political party growth. In particular,…

Gallup public opinion poll information was examined in conjunction with the Television News Index to study the influence of network television news on public opinion; results indicated that, contrary to a belief common among social scientists, public opinion is highly affected by network TV news. A two-fold theory based on the principles of…

In an effort to discover the effects of mass media on viewer perception of candidates' positions, tests were administered to 10 to 12 families at each of five locations across the country immediately following each of the 1976 Carter-Ford debates. Sixteen statements were drawn from the presidential platform of each party and each statement was…

In order to determine if media dependency has effects on audience members, a study was conducted among 460 randomly chosen household heads in Syracuse, New York. The respondents were asked to answer questions designed to measure media dependency in terms of use and of reliance on the various media. The questionnaire included a measure of audience…

Reports results of a telephone survey which investigated what mass media sources the public uses in getting information about the environment and what role educational level and age has on the type and frequency of use of the media. Findings indicated that newspapers were used most often, followed by the television. (ML)

Investigates the relationship of campaign media attention to the intent to vote, both directly and through intervening stages of cognition and strength of commitment to candidate choice. Concludes that TV attention directly influences vote intention whereas attention to newspapers works through cognitions. (MM)

Presents results of a study comparing effectiveness of TV and print in issues campaign. Contends that recall of information is inhibited by TV. (MS)

A study of the wartime press suggests that the plan to incarcerate Japanese Americans (under Executive Order 9066) was government-initiated, that the public and the press initially disapproved of such treatment, and that events emanating from the government influenced shifts in press and public opinion that allowed implementation of the plan.…

Data from a comparative study of media use and preferences in two Tennessee towns reveal significant differences in media preferences and challenge some lingering stereotypes about the homogeneity of a small town's use of its daily newspaper. (GT)

Focuses on reasoning processes people used to decide whether to support President Reagan during the Iran-Contra Affair and the role of the media in that reasoning process. Finds that the media framed the affair as a valence issue rather than a position issue, and that highly sophisticated people demonstrated a higher level of complex reasoning…

Reviewing the historical development of media agenda-setting theory suggests that topics emphasized by the mass news media become the topics people think are most important. The vast majority of agenda-setting studies, however, rely on aggregate measures of media and public agendas, and produce very little support for the original theory as there…

To clarify numerous points of contention surrounding Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann's spiral of silence theory, according to which individuals' media-influenced perception of their congruence or incongruence with dominant opinion determines their willingness to speak out in public, a study examined the relationship between opinion expression, perceived…