Showing papers in "Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly in 2001"

A Virtuous Circle: Political Communications in Postindustrial Societies

Abstract: A Virtuous Circle: Political Communications in Postindustrial Societies. Pippa Norris. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 398 pp. $59.95 hbk. $21.95 pbk. The main finding of Pippa Norris's study is that exposure to the news media is positively related to citizens' levels of political knowledge, trust, and participation, even after controlling for demographics, attitudinal factors, and cultural differences. Although various positive contributions of exposure to news media already have been documented in other research, never was the amount of evidence as monumental as in this book. Norris analyzed European Community, Eurobarometer, European Election and Post-election, British Campaign Panel, U.S. National Election, and Pew Center for the People and the Press surveys, providing individual and aggregate level, over-time and cross-sectional evidence supporting her virtuous media thesis. The book is set up as a challenge to "conventional wisdom" or "unquestioned orthodoxy" of media malaise theories that argue that "exposure to the news media discourages learning about politics, erodes trust in political leaders and government institutions, and dampens political mobilization." The problem is that there is a huge gap between the abundance of glib charges and the scarcity of empirical evidence of negative effects of news media. Consequently, Norris mostly relies on Michael Robinson's long ago retracted videomalaise claim and strays away from her main line of theorizing by reviewing studies that deal with the issues well outside the scope of her own study, such as effects of framing news stories, political advertising, and television entertainment. Findings of negative media effects in contexts other than elections and those tapping more specific types of media content and their particular features remain unchallenged by the Norris study. Norris acknowledges that "we need to compare the effects of variance in the media messages so that we can see whether people who consistently use one distinctive source (such as crime-focused local TV news) differ from those who use others (such as rightwing talk radio)" and that "our measures of media habits are often diffuse and imprecise," but she is still restricted in her research to measures of frequency of general newspaper and television news use. Nevertheless, Norris urges us to stopblaming the news media for political problems and instead to direct our attention to "the problems themselves." This call, without showing that media in many of their specific content characteristics or structures are not a part of problems that extend beyond voting and political campaigning, seems premature at best. However, Norris's study makes a significant contribution to communication research by most convincingly showing that the news media may be an important part of solutions to some of the social ills. …

The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect

Abstract: The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect. Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel. New York: Crown Publishers, 2001. 205 pp. $20 hbk. Inherent in the behavior and process we call "journalism" is controversy. Journalism's inexact, less-than-scientific character almost assures it will occasionally enter a crisis, becoming awash in change, its self-identity threatened or its credibility challenged. Just as naturally, we can depend on someone to attempt to right the ship, calm the waters, and smooth the sails. Enter The Elements of Journalism, which simply lists and details what the authors consider journalism's ten guiding principles and purpose for the enlightenment of journalists and the general public. For the former, the book serves as a Journalism 101 moral refresher: Journalism's purpose is truth, produced by those loyal to that purpose and to the citizens (not to profits). Committee of Concerned journalists Chairman Bill Kovach and Project for Excellence in journalism Director Tom Rosenstiel assert, however, that truth is not enough: There is also verification, to which they devote a chapter that's as good a reporting primer as any textbook. The authors explain "the intellectual principles of a science of reporting" gleaned from numerous discussions with and surveys of editors, journalists, and members of the public. As a CCJ member, I applaud the effort: Journalists need to be reminded of their profession's high ethical objective. Any craft-journalism included-requires a howto inventory. For the public, the book provides a glimpse into why serious journalists behave as they do; journalism has a purpose over and above selling newspapers and airtime. The lay reader discovers there is a rationale for what journalists cover and that not only is journalism a map with which to navigate society, but that good journalism strives to be accurate and comprehensive. But it is not enough to index-as the text does-all the proper characteristics. To be sure, the authors credibly explain each item. For example, they say journalists have an obligation to monitor the powerful because-as investigative reporting gets trivialized (thanks to consumer-oriented topics such as the honesty of auto brake mechanics) and challenged-journalism's function as a public forum becomes weakened, giving way to "a new wave of journalism as assertion." But as if it were Moses coming down from the Big Newsroom In The Sky, the book comes off as so many pronouncements. This is no text for a skeptic; while each element gets its due in terms of description and analysis, there is no Burning Bush-no original explanation exists for the list as a whole. By its structure, the text expects the reader to accept the idea that journalism is a recipe. The book makes a weak attempt at synthesis in the last chapter, in which the authors claim that journalists' responsibility to conscience ties all the other elements together. On its face, this makes sense: For example, what journalist would not say his or her conscience is the reason for his or her search (via journalism) for truth? But the final chapter does not engage in such analytical application of the elements, choosing instead to elaborate on the role of conscience in newsrooms and the threat certain newsroom cultures pose against individual conscience. …

Individual and Routine Forces in Gatekeeping

Abstract: Lewin's concept of “force” is explored in this study, which shows support for the proposition that newspaper gatekeeping is influenced more by forces on the routine level of analysis than by individual staff writers' characteristics. Newspaper stories about fifty Congressional bills were content analyzed, and two surveys were conducted of the stories' writers and of editors at their newspapers. No individual-level force was related to the quantity of coverage the bills received, whereas editors' aggregated assessment of bills' newsworthiness was positively related to quantity of bills' newspaper coverage.

Radical Media: Rebellious Communication and Social Movements

Abstract: We may not be able to make you love reading, but radical media rebellious communication and social movements will lead you to love reading starting from now. Book is the window to open the new world. The world that you want is in the better stage and level. World will always guide you to even the prestige stage of the life. You know, this is some of how reading will give you the kindness. In this case, more books you read more knowledge you know, but it can mean also the bore is full.

Accidentally Informed: Incidental News Exposure on the World Wide Web:

Abstract: An important element of news delivery on the World Wide Web today is the near ubiquity of breaking news headlines. What used to be called search engines (e.g., Yahoo! and Lycos) are now “portals” or “hubs,” popular services that use news, weather, and other content features to extend the time users spend on the sites. Traditional models of news dissemination in the mass media often assume some level of intention behind most news exposure. The prevalence of news on the disparate corners of the Web provides opportunities for people to encounter current affairs information in an incidental fashion, a byproduct of their other online activities. This study uses survey data from 1996 and 1998 to test whether accidental exposure to news on the Web is positively associated with awareness of current affairs information. The results indicate that incidental online news exposure was unrelated to knowledge in 1996 but acted as a positive predictor in 1998.

Second-Level Agenda Setting in the New Hampshire Primary: A Comparison of Coverage in Three Newspapers and Public Perceptions of Candidates

Abstract: Second-level agenda setting was examined during the New Hampshire primary through a comparison of Gallup poll responses and coverage in three newspapers in the region. Results show that John McCain was covered much more positively than George W. Bush. The findings also show that respondents linked four of six cognitive attributes (issues, personal characteristics) to candidates in direct proportion to media coverage. The results show less support for media influence on the affective (positive) attributes individuals linked to candidates.

The Form of News: A History

Abstract: The Form of News: A History. Kevin G. Barnhurst and John Nerone. New York, London: The Guilford Press, 2001. 326 pp. $35 hbk. Kevin G. Barnhurst and John Nerone are well known to both communications scholars and media historians in the continental United States and beyond. Barnhurst has been a prolific contributor to the literature in the fields, and Nerone has been in the public spotlight recently for his re-examination of the classic work "Four Theories Of The Press." Together, these two form a very dynamic duo as their recent collaboration The Form Of News: A History will attest. But rest assured, as competent and complete a study as this is, it cannot be read without experiencing abit of intellectual sweat. Right, this is not exactly the kind of work one should assign to first-year communications students. Wait until they at least get to graduate school. This is a book essentially about what a reader sees and feels when he/she picks up a newspaper. Of course, content cannot be ignored, but the authors place what is written within a context of how the information is presented. It is the study of form, whether that form be seen within the style of writing that has been used in the daily press or any one of a number of other factors such as the way in which a newspaper is organized. Thus when form is considered, a number of actors come into play such as the amount of white space that appears in a newspaper, the type faces that are employed, and the role of, for example, first illustrations and then photography. The most striking aspects called form the book is specifically separating one from the authors to weave together No, this is not to suggest those aspects called form without specifically separating one or does not the other. but it is conducted this is not to suggest that a well-discussion on pattern that looks at typography cannot or does not take place, but it is conducted within a well as its communicative properties. The same pattern appears in that looks at typography on its artistic merit as well as its communicative impact of the change of The same page design including the appears in the intense discussions of the impact of advertising, the addition of headlines and front page design including the use of borders to create of advertising, the addition that the news is not just one subheads, and the use set of paragraphs placed strategically the impression that of the news is not just one dense set of paragraphs placed strategically in front of the consumer. …

The Spiral of Silence and Public Opinion on Affirmative Action

Abstract: This study sought to more fully explicate the key variables involved in Noelle-Neumann's spiral of silence theory, which states that fear of isolation keeps individuals from expressing opinions perceived to be in the minority. We tested the theory in the context of public discussion about affirmative action policies, a domain seemingly ideal due to its moral and value-laden characteristics. Data from 217 randomly selected adults in October 1998 indicate that fear of isolation indeed prevents one from publicly voicing perceived minority opinions. Willingness to speak out on a controversial ballot initiative was predicted also by demographics, media use, and importance of the issue. However, it was perceived consonance of one's opinion with family and friends—rather than society at large—that predicted willingness to speak out.

The Metro Wide Web: Changes in Newspapers' Gatekeeping Role Online

Abstract: Newspapers traditionally have brought selected information about the world to local readers' doorsteps. But as papers go online, their editors face new decisions relating to that gate-keeping role. This study examines the print and online versions of six Colorado newspapers, comparing the amount of local and non-local news, sports and business content in each. The findings indicate the online products have a much stronger local orientation than the print ones, suggesting that online papers may be moving toward a reinterpretation of their role in connecting readers to the world beyond their horizons.

The Roots of a Sociology of News: Remembering Mr. Gates and Social Control in the Newsroom:

Abstract: We examine two “classic” research studies from the 1950s: David Manning White's analysis of the “gatekeeper” news editor and Warren Breed's explanation of social control in the newsroom. Although posing a potentially radical question—“What makes news?”—these efforts were largely absorbed into and reinforced the limited media effects paradigm of the time. Drawing from interviews with the authors, we trace the origin, impact, and intellectual context of these forerunners of media sociology.

Intermedia Agenda Setting in the 1996 Presidential Election

Abstract: This study of the 1996 presidential election analyzed political television advertisements, three major newspapers, and television network newscasts to determine what—if any—intermedia agenda-setting influences existed. The study analyzed 116 political advertisements, 818 newspaper stories, and 101 network news stories. Support was found for the influence of the major party candidate advertisements on the news agenda. Specifically, some influence of the traditional party challenger was found on the network television newscasts and all three of the major newspapers analyzed. Also, as in previous campaigns, the majority of news coverage focused on the political horse race.

Voter Learning and Interest in the 2000 Presidential Election: Did the Media Matter?

Abstract: This study examines the relationships of exposure and attention to various news media, including the Internet, with information learned about the issue positions of candidates George Bush and Al Gore, interest in the 2000 election campaign, and intention to vote among a random sample of adult residents of Indiana who were interviewed by telephone in October and November 2000. The findings are compared with those of previous studies of the 1988, 1992, and 1996 presidential elections. They confirm the importance of television news and television debates as sources of issue information, despite criticisms, and the importance of paying attention to newspaper campaign news for voting.

Predicting Pluralistic Ignorance: The Hostile Media Perception and its Consequences:

Abstract: This study focused on media coverage of a controversial issue—the use of primates in laboratory research—to examine pluralistic ignorance, the potential for public misjudgment of public opinion. We hypothesized that people on both sides of the issue would find news coverage relatively disagreeable to their own point of view (the relative hostile media perception). We also expected to find that perceived public opinion would be influenced by personal opinions (the projection bias) and by perceived news slant (the persuasive press inference) and that, because of the hostile media perception, these latter two factors would push perceived public opinion in contrary directions. Data from a national probability sample (N=402) indicated support for all three hypotheses. In addition, along with an aggregate perception of unfavorable news coverage we found that people substantially overestimated public opposition to the use of primates in research. The results suggest that perceptions of the slant of press coverag...

Sample Size for Newspaper Content Analysis in Multi-Year Studies:

Abstract: This study examines the most efficient method of sampling content from five years of daily newspaper editions. Selecting nine constructed weeks (nine issues from a Monday, nine from a Tuesday, etc.) from five years is more efficient than the ten constructed weeks—two from each year—suggested by previous research on populations of a year's newspaper content. This rule holds provided the variables being measured do not have large variances.

From Luxury to Utility: A Longitudinal Analysis of Cell Phone Laggards:

Abstract: Who remains a cell phone have-not as the cell phone evolves from luxury to utility? This study, based on large-scale telephone surveys in Hong Kong in 1998 and 2000, pursues a longitudinal analysis of the socioeconomic characteristics of the diminishing ranks of non-adopters and assesses the consequence of non-adoption. Over the period, the divide shrank, but the dividing lines along socioeconomic status are still significant. Though the have-nots perceived the cell phone's technical attributes in a better light, socioeconomic status and social influences continued to dominate in the adoption process. Further, cell phone have-nots appeared less knowledgeable about information technologies, providing fresh empirical support for the knowledge gap hypothesis.

Searching for the organization-public relationship: A valid and reliable instrument

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to devise a valid and reliable instrument to measure the organization-public relationship. This study has three research steps. At first, the study tests extensive item...

Beer and Circus: How Big-Time College Sports Is Crippling Undergraduate Education

Abstract: Beer and Circus: How Big-time College Sports Is Crippling Undergraduate Education. Murray Sperber. New York, NY: Henry Holt, 2000. 322 pp. $26 hbk. My students and I honor an unwritten, nonaggression pact: I will grade their work as hard as they think I should, not as hard as 1 think I should; I will overlook their cheating and supply study guides that will guarantee high test scores; and I will not expect them to attend class. In return, students will not make demands that will distract me from what is most important to me, my research, and they will give me decent ratings on teaching evaluations. In short, we mutually agree that we will not bother each other. My university also has a pact with students: It will put most of its money into high-profile, prestige-enhancing graduate, honors, and research programs, and minimal funds into regular undergraduate programs. To make this bitter pill easier to swallow, the university will take no meaningful steps to control binge drinking, and it will put unconscionable amounts of money into circus (big-time college football and basketball programs), which is what students come to the university for in the first place. Murray Sperber, an Indiana University English professor, contends that these kinds of pacts are common (no, I don't, in fact, have such an agreement with my students) as he documents the decline in undergraduate education, and the negative impact of intercollegiate sports on universities, particularly those in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division 1-A. Journalism and mass communication students and faculty should read this book for three reasons. First, Beer and Circus is an excellent example of investigative journalism; it is a reporting model that demonstrates how objective journalism should be practiced. The book ought to outrage students as it helps them develop critical thinking and reporting skills. Second, Sperber's sometimes indirect criticism of the media is most instructive. The media not only have missed Sperber's story; they frequently paint a false picture of sports in the academy. For example, they perpetuate the myth that athletic departments make money through "revenue" sports. In fact, almost all lose money, particularly when one considers the hidden costs buried in general university budgets (e.g., utilities, maintenance). Further, few journalists understand that many universities support expensive, bigtime athletic programs because they cost substantially less than good undergraduate programs and they distract the rabble so it won't get angry about poor educational opportunities, according to Sperber. …

The Politics of Misinformation

Abstract: The Politics of Misinformation. Murray Edelman. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 139 pp. $44.95 hbk. $16.95 pbk. The image of our political and social system, which shapes our reactions to our government and our society, is based on an illusion. That's according to Murray Edelman in his book The Politics of Misinformation. In this book, Edelman argues that real social change and progress do not occur as often as we think they do. Instead, what occurs is an illusion of political progress and social change presented to us by media, corporate, and political elites. We are willing to accept these illusions because, as Edelman argues, we are willing to "vest power in a small group of people by accepting their right to rule and obeying their laws and orders, even when these are contrary to the interests of the great majority." The implication of accepting what we are told is that true social change; change that "substantially improves conditions for the mass of the population," is rare in our society. And according to Edelman, the reason true social change does not happen is because elites resist any change that would reduce their power, status, and financial resources. After presenting these basic arguments, Edelman attempts to show how our images are developed and maintained through the use of authority, public opinion, institutions, language, and science. In his final chapter, Edelman uses crime as an example to show how elites keep up the appearance that something is being done about crime, when, according to Edelman, the truth is that minorities and the poor suffer because of crime policies and the middle class is pacified by the appearance that something is being done to rid the society of crime. The strength of this book is Edelman's willingness to call into question how our institutions, our beliefs, and our society are based on a valuing of something that is good for elites but not for mass publics and certainly not good for minorities or marginalized groups. Edelman argues that our institutions, particularly our media, are part of this socialization that teaches us not to question why certain people have power and others do not, not to question class biases, not to question behavior by elites or public officials as long as the behavior is done on behalf of the state. Edelman rightly argues that many complex issues are so simplified by media and authorities that the public sees something like cri urinal behavior as primarily a problem of a person's individual behavior and rarely as an issue that might include broader social problems. The public rarely gets information in some broader context or historical framework, which may focus our thinking on a superficial solution to an immediate problem. The best parts of the book are Edelman's careful and astute observations about how we as a public are susceptible to accepting official versions of the truth or reality, when in fact we should become much more aggressive and critical about what we read, hear, or see. And he is accurate in many of his arguments about the groups that have been hurt by some of these portrayals: the poor, the disenfranchised, people without a voice in politics or in business. There are, however, several weaknesses in the book. The placement of the chapters does not always make sense for the reader. …

Comparing Distinctions and Similarities Across Websites of Newspapers, Radio Stations, and Television Stations:

Abstract: In the current Internet environment, media must not only compete with one another but with a host of newcomers, including online companies with no traditional media ties and a variety of other entr...

Perceived Effects of Sexually Explicit Internet Content: The Third-Person Effect in Singapore

Abstract: This study investigated the third-person effect of pornography on the Internet. The study was conducted in Singapore, a conservative nation that looks askance at sexuality in media. Congruent with the third-person effect, respondents judged pornographic material on the Internet to have a greater impact on others than on themselves. This “perceptual bias” predicted support for censorship. In addition to general tests of the third-person effects of perceptual and behavioral components, the study also examined factors that may enhance or mitigate the third-person effect. Findings revealed evidence for a perceived social distance corollary with children to be more influenced by pornography. The perceived greater effect on children, however, did not increase the likelihood of support for censorship on children. This finding supports McLeod, Eveland, and Nathanson's assertion that perceived likelihood of exposure to content may affect third-person perception.

When the Frame Is the Game: Revisiting the Impact of "Strategic" Campaign Coverage on Citizens' Information Retention

Abstract: We explore whether campaign news that emphasizes the strategic motivations for a candidate's promises increases negative evaluations of the campaign and reduces information retention on the part of the average citizen. In an experiment, we exposed adults to contrived news coverage that depicted candidates either as “strategic” actors, motivated by electoral success, or as “sincere” public servants representing constituents. The presence of polls and war language to describe candidate interactions was also manipulated. Strategic frames produced more negative reactions than did sincere frames. Furthermore, strategic coverage significantly depressed substantive information retention. Polls and war language did not exacerbate the effects of the basic frame.

Revisiting the Civic Duty to Keep Informed in the New Media Environment

Abstract: The present study revisits the relationship between the civic duty to keep informed and news media use in the new media environment, then discovers that the civic duty to keep informed functions as an intervening variable between education and news media use. Of particular theoretical interest is that the civic duty to keep informed was found to be a consequence of education and a determinant of use of new news media, specifically cable news and national news on the Internet, news media that did not exist when the civic duty to keep informed was first measured using a Guttman scale more than twenty years ago. The civic duty to keep informed was also found to have the same strong monotonic relationship to traditional sources of news, newspapers, and network television, as was found in numerous settings more than twenty years ago. Moreover, one new relationship emerged here that was not found in earlier years, a clear relationship between a civic duty to keep informed and use of local TV news. The demograph...

A Grain of Truth: The Media, the Public, and Biotechnology

Abstract: Spend your time even for only few minutes to read a book. Reading a book will never reduce and waste your time to be useless. Reading, for some people become a need that is to do every day such as spending time for eating. Now, what about you? Do you like to read a book? Now, we will show you a new book enPDFd grain of truth the media the public and biotechnology that can be a new way to explore the knowledge. When reading this book, you can get one thing to always remember in every reading time, even step by step.

Interactive Disaster Communication on the Internet: A Content Analysis of Sixty-Four Disaster Relief Home Pages:

Abstract: Disaster relief home pages were content analyzed using a seven-dimensional conceptualization of interactivity. This study provides a theoretical exploration of the concept of interactivity and its potential contributions to the Internet as an increasingly interactive mass medium. It then applies interactivity to the development of disaster communication and tests that framework in the context of disaster relief home pages. Although most sites that were analyzed contained a large amount of news and explanatory content, as well as potential for user response, most did not show high scores in actual responsiveness to user or the other five dimensions of interactivity.

The Status of Internet-Based Research in Five Leading Communication Journals, 1994-1999

Abstract: In light of recent calls to action regarding Internet research, this study examines the content, frequency, and pattern of published Internet-based research articles in five leading communication j...

Covering Conflict: A Structural-Pluralist Analysis of How a Small-Town and a Big-City Newspaper Reported an Environmental Controversy

Abstract: Structural-pluralism theory pertaining to differences in how metropolitan and small-town news media cover the news is used to frame a comparative analysis of source-quotation patterns by a small-town and a nearby big-city newspaper covering the same environmental conflict. Results suggest that some aspects of structural-pluralist theory may merit re-examination as the social structure of small towns undergoes change, meaning some community papers may perform more like their big-city counterparts for sustained periods of time.