Research continued and new studies were launched in four major areas: communications, urban problems, politics, and economic issues. The foci of these studies are described briefly. Projects in communications are examining flows of news, media monopoly, press freedoms under pressure, public affairs broadcasting, press councils, political access to…

A 4-day simulation activity encourages high school students to confront issues of law and journalism through exploration of seven legal issues: prior restraint, access to courts, rights of reply, libel, privacy, confidential sources, and use of stolen documents. The kit contains all materials needed for the simulation, including a director's…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The nine titles deal with the following topics: (1) unobtrusive issues in the agenda-setting role of the press; (2) perceptions and usage of the Caribbean News Agency (CANA) in the third world; (3) the relationship between the…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 23 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) Kansas scholastic newspaper content and management practices in a First Amendment context; (2) a historical analysis of new journalism; (3) how North…

JUDGE JAMES SKELLY WRIGHT'S DECISION IN THE HOBSON V. HANSEN SCHOOL SEGREGATION CASE IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IS EXAMINED IN SEVERAL SHORT ARTICLES. JUDGE WRIGHT HELD THAT THE 1954 SUPREME COURT SCHOOL DESEGREGATION DECREE EXTENDS TO DE FACTO AS WELL AS TO DE JURE SEGREGATION. HE RULED THAT SUBSTANDARD EDUCATION OF THE POOR IS DISCRIMINATORY,…

The purpose of this handbook is to set forth, for the day-to-day use of school board members, some of the proven methods of attaining and holding public interest and support of the schools. Guidelines are offered, adaptable to local situations, on measuring public opinion, press relations, the public relations team, advisory committees, handling…

The major goal of this book is to improve the public's understanding of the legislative branch of the state government in Connecticut. It is divided into seven sections: (1) the political tradition and environment of the state legislature; (2) the state legislature as a nonpartisan institution; (3) the substance of the legislature; (4) the…

Much has been written about the power of media to influence the public through instruments of advertising and a variety of venues (Considine & Haley, 1999; Cortes, 2000; Kilbourne, 1999). In this chapter, the author has chosen to use a singular media focus--news--to support the critical importance of teaching media literacy skills to students. She…

Because public opinion polls have become important sources of information for legislators and politicians, public opinion pollsters should carefully consider the relationships between gender wording of polling questions, measurement errors, and validity and generalizability of survey findings. Findings from numerous research projects indicate that…

All areas of mass communication are surveyed. Man's earliest efforts as a communicator are considered, and what is known about the development of speech and writing is explored. Various theories (including mathematical ones) are reviewed which attempt to explain the processes of both personal and mass communication. Separate chapters focus on the…

Analysis of the Wisconsin woman suffrage campaign of 1910-1920 suggests that public relations belonged not only to political or business practices, but was equally a process by which the masses achieved their own best interests in nineteenth and early twentieth century social reform movements. Woman suffragists were led by women, and the public…

The six papers which comprise this document are the result of a year-long "New Birth of Freedom" program in Seattle. The sponsoring organization was a broadly-based group called the People Power Coalition, comprised of civic organizations, churches, research institutes, and media outlets. The program examined the Declaration of Independence in…

During the Cold War era, when many institutions of higher learning sacrificed faculty in the face of political pressure, the Owen Lattimore case represents a situation where university administrators stood firm. This book explores what happened when pressure was put on Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) to punish a faculty member who expressed…

These nine essays address controversial issues of academic freedom and values at the university level. The book, which was derived from two years of debate and lectures presented to national meetings of the American Association of University Professors, is organized in three sections which address such issues as: the purpose of academic freedom,…

The mass media teach whether or not mediamakers intend to or realize it, and users learn from the media whether or not they try or are even aware of it. This means all of the media, including newspapers, magazines, movies, television, radio, and the new cyberspace media serve as informal yet omnipresent nonschool textbooks. This raises an…