Mass Communication and Society 2004 Abstracts
Mass Communication and Society Division
Duck and cover vs. duct tape: Comparing U.S. government’s domestic propaganda tactics • Whitney Anspach and Patricia Moy, University of Washington •Researchers suggest that propaganda tactics used since WWII have evolved in response to growing levels of propaganda awareness among individuals. This study seeks to test this assumption through a comparative analysis of two U.S. Government domestic propaganda campaigns, the 1950s Duck and Cover campaign and the 2003 Ready.gov/Duct Tape campaign. Using a typology of propaganda tactics (Johnson-Cartee & Copeland, 2004), this study confirms that commonalities do exist between the tactics used in each campaign. However, the results are inconclusive regarding whether these commonalities refute prior assumptions about the evolution of propaganda tactics.
“Another person’s perspective”: A qualitative case study of adolescent media producers and their conceptions of audience • Timothy Bajkiewicz, University of South Florida • Adolescents are tomorrow’s media consumers and producers. Media and science literacy are recent educational and philosophical movements interested in creating a critical thinking public. Audience is an ill-understood concept that is vital to both these movements. This qualitative case study of focus groups with 35 adolescent science students discusses their perceptions of audience. Relevant literature and implications are discussed.
Gender difference in the media use of middle school students • Joseph Bernt, Phyllis Bernt, and Sandra Turner, Ohio University • A survey, conducted at three diverse middle schools during 2002 and 2003, was completed by 588 students (52% female, 48% male). Girls and boys reported similar frequency of television, movie, video, and Web use and reported and similar preferences for online over print media. Girls reported using print media more and accessing different content from all media. Boys focused on sports and games; girls on people and relationships. Respondents reported similar access to computers and Internet.
Public meetings in the news: A baseline content analysis • John Besley and Katherine McComas, Cornell University • This manuscript examines the content newspaper stories about public meetings. Quantitative content analysis is used to show that frames consistent with a “rational choice” approach to political participation appeared more often in stories about meetings on environmental or health risks than for meetings about other topics. Little content was found containing content related to the idea of “procedural justice.” The discussion suggests how these results can inform comparative analyses of public participation across communities.
Skinny like you: Visual literacy, digital manipulation and young women’s drive to be thin • Kimberly Bissell, University of Alabama • Numerous studies have established a relationship between thin ideal media content and disordered eating patterns in women. Many of the images viewed in the media that endorse the “thin ideal” are digitally manipulated or computer-created. This experiment compared college women’s knowledge of digital manipulation in fashion and entertainment images to their desire to be thin, their desire to look like the model shown and four disordered eating subscales. Knowledge of digital manipulation did not reduce participants’ desire to look like the model seen. Entertainment media was a significant predictor of greater body image distortion, but sports media exposure was a negative predictor of the same four subscales.
Parental guidance of children’s internet use in Hong Kong • Kara Chan, Fei Shen and Jeffrey S. Wilkinson, Hong Kong Baptist University • This study examined the relationship between parental attitudes toward the Internet, use of restrictive or non-restrictive guidance approaches, and family communication patterns. A total of 354 Chinese parents in Hong Kong were surveyed. Structural equation modeling (SEM) determined that parents’ demographic factors and family communication patterns exert the greatest influence on attitudes and guiding behaviors. Parental computer and Internet literacy also held a pivotal mediating role.
What sexual messages do teenagers see in movies? A content analysis of top-grossing teen movies • Amy H. Chu, University of Alabama • Movies have never lost their appeal to various groups of audiences, especially teenage audiences, even though there are constant competitions from other popular media forms. The Motion Picture Association reported in 2002 that the 12-24 and 30-39 age groups have continuously shared approximately 50%, the largest percentage, of the movie theater attendance (MPAA Research Development, 2002). Thus, the fact that movies is one of adolescents’ favorite media choices inevitably raises a series of questions: which subject matter attracts young adolescents to go to movie theaters or video rental stores; what types of movie content and messages are presented to young audiences, and what influences may be imposed by the content.
How network TV news affectivity framed the 2000 election: A second-level agenda-setting conceptualization of TV’s visual elements and the candidates’ nonverbal communication • Renita Coleman and Stephen Banning, Louisiana State University • This study suggests an expanded concept of second-level agenda setting to include the affective attributes of candidates conveyed through the nonverbal channels. It examines the affective attributes that the 2000 presidential candidates are responsible for, i.e.: their appearance and nonverbal behavior, and the affective information conveyed by TV in structural features such as camera placement. Results show TV news accentuates the positive attributes of the candidates and shows little bias. There is more evidence of differential affective framing in the nonverbal communication of the candidates themselves.
Conversational conventions and public opinion survey interviews • Richard Craig, San Jose State University •Though producing poll results centers on eliciting responses, little research exists on the effects of social interaction and conversational aspects of polltaking. This paper examines the connections between public opinion research and Paul Grice’s theories of conversational logic and conventions. The paper compares and contrasts existing communication research on survey administration and gathering of poll data with Grice’s points about people’s inherent need to understand the “ground rules” for social situations in which they converse.
Antiwar framing devices and US media coverage of Iraq war protesters: A content analysis of the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today • Frank Dardis, Pennsylvania State University •This content analysis analyzes media framing and coverage of protesters of the Iraq War in the New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today over the period from 9/11/02-9/11/03. By utilizing an original, eclectic schema to analyze protest coverage – a typology of antiwar framing devices – the researcher demonstrated that elements of the “protest paradigm” were invoked frequently over this span. More importantly, however, the current study elucidates that not all devices were implemented in a biased manner, and that not all devices were associated with negative overall coverage of the protesters.
Exploring cognitive mechanisms behind agenda setting, priming, and framing • Janie Diels and James E. Shanahan, Cornell University • The study tests a model of construct activation over time that predicts that cognitive accessibility is the mechanism behind agenda setting effects while applicability is the mechanism behind framing effects. Accessibility models, such as agenda setting, assume that more prominent coverage of an issue increases the perception of the importance of that issue. Applicability models, such as framing, assume that interpretation of issues depends on how applicable this issue is to various pre-existing interpretive schema in people’s minds.
A salience scale to enhance interpretation of public opinion • Dixie Shipp Evatt, Syracuse University; and Salma Ghanem, University of Texas at Pan American •The M.I.P., or “most important problem” question, has been widely applied by scholars for decades to operationalize the salience of the public agenda. Yet, for all of the power of the M.I.P. as a stand-alone measure it leaves researchers with the difficult task of subjective interpretation. Scholars have yet to devise a consistent and reliable tool to identify the motivations and influences that prompt subjects to name one problem over another when they answer the question. This article suggests an approach to fill this void by proposing a scale that is thought to best capture the three dimensions of salience: social salience, personal salience and situational salience or arousal.
How we performed: Embedded journalists’ attitudes & perceptions towards covering the Iraqi war • Shahira Fahmy, and Thomas J Johnson, Southern Illinois University • Results of a web-based survey of embedded journalists suggest an overall positive perception of embedded reporting. While most embeds agreed their reports provided a narrow slice of the conflict, they still had a positive view of their work. Respondents also noted their stories differed from the stories of non-embedded journalists and perceived both types of reporting as invaluable. Further, embeds’ attitudes towards the war, age, professional experience and online reporting predicted statements on perceived performance.
Going beyond exposure to local news media: An information-processing examination of public perceptions of food safety • Kenneth Fleming, Esther Thorson and Yuyan Zhang, University of Missouri at Columbia •The relationship between local news media and public perceptions of food safety was examined in a statewide telephone survey (n = 524). The results show information-processing strategies substantially mediated the relationship, with elaborative processing being more influential than active reflection in people’s learning from the media regarding food safety. Attention to local television had an independent effect, after demographic and control variables including perceived safety of food supply were controlled. Also reviewed were social and psychological factors that affect perceptions of food safety.
Surf onto this Web site and tune in tomorrow! • Cynthia Flores, Georgetown University • Interactive features built into a website for television programs are becoming more widespread. The simplistic design and point-and-click technology allows even Internet neophytes to learn everything they want to know about a certain program; the challenge lies in luring the non-traditional Internet user. Though network executives are eager to integrate interactive technologies on a website, access to the features is not enough to attract viewers to participate in or make use of the online technologies.
Testing self-knowledge in third-person perception: Media violence and the case of Kobe Bryant • Juliet Gill, Jesus Arroyave, Michael Salwen, Bruce Garrison, Tina Carroll, Lynn Gregory, Matt Grindy and Li-Wen Shih, University of Miami • This study examines relationships between people’s reported self-knowledge of a general topic and a specific current event, and the extent to which third-person effects are demonstrated. Results indicated knowledge was a predictor for the third-person effect regarding media violence effects, but not for coverage of the Kobe Bryant court case. Third-person perception of media violence effects was correlated to support for restrictions of media violence, providing support for the behavioral component of the third-person effect.
The impact of viewer’s perceptions of the behavior of reality program cast members: the gratifications of foolishness, failure, and fakery • Alice Hall, University of Missouri at St. Louis • This study investigated whether the gratifications that viewers’ receive from reality programs are affected by their perceptions of the cast members’ behavior. The results of a survey of reality program fans found that receiving information gratifications from the program was associated with ratings of the prevalence of both cast members achieving their goals and of the revelation of cast members’ pretenses. Among men, enjoyment was associated with seeing cast members both fail and succeed at achieving their goals. These findings are discussed by reference to social comparison theory and compared to the results of a parallel analysis of fiction programs.
Sourcing, social structure, & counter-hegemony in news articles about pesticide use: A case study of California newspapers • Joseph Harry and Elizabeth Burch, Slippery Rock University • Articles from four California newspapers writing about pesticide use were content analyzed to track news sources, and to determine quotation frequencies for pro, anti, and neutral-source views. As a case study, findings were analyzed within structural-pluralism and hegemony theories, and via historical, socioeconomic and demographic data. Results indicate that in all four newspapers, counter-hegemonic (anti-pesticide) sources were most-often quoted. In line with structural-pluralism theory, the larger, metropolitan papers provided somewhat more critical coverage of pesticide-related issues than did smaller, urban-rural papers, where agriculture is more common.
The intersection of race and gender in election coverage: What happens when the candidates don’t fit the stereotypes • Lesa Hatley-Major and Renita Coleman, Louisiana State University • The findings of this study indicate that journalists have made some progress in reducing stereotypes in their coverage; however the media are still covering candidates in significant stereotypical ways. While the media are focusing less on appearance of candidates, the female candidate in this study received more coverage about her gender, and the minority candidate received more coverage of his race. Despite previous experience, the woman candidate was still aligned with traditional female issues and the man with traditional male issues.
Exploring news dissemination on the internet • Abhiyan Humane, University of Wisconsin at Madison • The study investigates the type of articles presented on the front-page and articles disseminated by online users on a popular news website. The research shows that the interactive and structural attributes of the Internet have important implications on the kind of news stories online users disseminate. Results indicate that online users disseminate news articles that are different in revealing ways from the news articles presented on the front-page of the website by editors/journalist.
The television as nanny or nuisance: The relationship between attitudes toward television’s effects on children and parental efficacy • Stacey Hust, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill •Increasingly, children are more submersed in television. This trend has sparked scholarly investigation concerned with how television fits into the world of the family. This study extends previous research through an examination of the media’s relationship with parental efficacy. Results indicate the more positive people believe television is for children, the more positive they feel about parental efficacy. Also, perceptions of media’s effect on children are positively influenced by respondents’ confidence in television personnel.
Always in touch: A preliminary study of instant messaging • Ha Sung Hwang, Temple University • The purpose of the study was to examine the Instant Messaging (IM) phenomenon within the college sector in terms of what gratifications they seek, how they experience a sense of social presence (the feeling of being together), and how IM use affects their other media uses. Open-ended survey questionnaires were administrated to 78 college students. The preliminary data indicated that social interaction was the most salient gratification sought from IM, followed by medium appeal, entertainment, interpersonal utility, and information-seeking. The data also indicated that IM evokes social presence: a majority of college students agreed that they felt “as if they were together” or “in the same room” with another when they use IM.
Media salience, media use, and attitude strength: Agenda-setting effects on attitudes toward political figures during the 2000 presidential election • Kideuk Hyun and Nakwon Jung, University of Texas at Austin • This study examines the relationships between media salience, media use and attitude strength toward political figures, through a comparison of NES poll and news coverage. The amount of media coverage significantly related to one dimension of attitude strength: attitude dispersion. The relationship between media use and attitude strength varied with the type of news media (newspaper or network TV news) and political figures (obtrusive or unobtrusive). Our study shows that attitude strength toward unobtrusive figures had no or weak relationships with media use, as we expected.
Moving from theorizing to application: Predicting audience use of new TV formats • Leo Jeffres and Kimberly Neuendorf, Cleveland State University • Mass communication scholars have been slow to translate theories and research into practical applications. One area fruitful for such application is audience analysis, in particular, predicting audience media behaviors. Viewing media behaviors as largely optional uses of free time that fulfill particular uses and gratifications, we explore model building predicting audience enjoyment of the relatively new television format, “reality TV.” Results showed that enjoyment of the reality TV format was positively related to more uses and gratifications dimensions than any of the more established formats, but it is the addition of the more focused, parasocial uses and gratifications that allows us to more accurately gauge our target, enjoyment of reality TV programming.
The blogs of war: Reliance on weblogs for information about the Iraqi war • Thomas Johnson, Southern Illinois University; and Barbara K. Kaye, University of Tennessee •This study employed an online survey of Weblog users to find out how much they relied on Blogs for information about the Iraqi War and how demographic and political variables predicted Weblog reliance. Findings suggests that more than three-quarters of Weblog users relied heavily on Blogs as a source of war information, significantly more than any other source. Political variables, particularly knowledge and interest in the Iraqi War and trust in government, predicted Blog reliance.
Structural pluralism, ethnic diversity, and crime news in local newspapers: A community structure approach • Jae-Hong Kim and Douglas M. McLeod, University of Wisconsin at Madison • This study examines the relationship between newspaper crime reports and social reality (as depicted in FBI Uniform Crime Reports) in terms of the community structure model, which is derived from the research of Tichenor, Donohue, and Olien. A total of 32 metropolitan statistical areas and primary metropolitan statistical areas, which were classified into four different categories of community according to the structural characteristics of structural pluralism and ethnic diversity, were randomly selected. Crime news reports from the major newspaper of each selected community were analyzed based on the types of crimes (violent crime vs. property crime). These data were compared to the FBI crime statistics (UCR). In terms, ethnic diversity was found to be a more important factor than structural pluralism in explaining the high proportion of violent crime coverage and the lesser amount of reportage of property crimes, as well as the discrepancies between the newspaper crime reports and the FBI crime statistics.
An application of the newsworthiness model to online international news coverage • Jong Hyuk Lee, Syracuse University • This study examined if the newsworthiness model can apply to online news media as well as traditional news media. The basic hypothesis of the newsworthiness media is that the more deviant and the more socially significant an event is, the more prominently the event is covered by news media. The correlation and multiple hierarchical regression analyses found that the deviance had significant influence on prominence whereas the social significance did not have any impact on prominence. For online users’ evaluation, the deviance and social significance were not significant indicators, either. The natures of online news media such as secondary news sources and soft news oriented media may account for these results.
Reality TV and third-person perception • Ron Leone, Stonehill College and Kimberly L. Bissell, University of Alabama • Students from two universities estimated the effects of three reality TV programs on themselves and others. Respondents estimated others were more affected than themselves, a relationship influenced by their view of the programs as realistic, but not by actual exposure, enjoyment of, and identification with the programs had no effect on perceptual gaps. Social distance and perceived exposure level were examined as explanations for perceived effects on others, with social distance outweighing exposure level.
Press coverage of anti-war and pro-war demonstrations before and during the 2003 U.S.-Iraq War • Catherine Luther and M. Mark Miller, University of Tennessee •This study examines press coverage of pro- and anti-war demonstrations before and during the U.S.-led Iraq war. Computer analysis revealed the existence of partisan frames in texts by pro- and anti-war organizations, and legitimizing or delegitimizing words in news articles. Anti-war frames predominated in both pro- and anti-war press coverage. Articles about each group reflected its frame more, and words of delegitimization were used more in anti-war articles.
Unwillingness-to-communicate, perceptions of the internet and self-disclosure in ICQ • Miranda Lai-Yee Ma and Louis Leung, Chinese University of Hong Kong •This research examined the ICQ usage pattern among a group of 591 Internet users, as well as their self-disclosing behaviors in ICQ conversations. Results show that people who are more willing to participate in real life communication tend to disclose more intimately, positively, and in great amount about themselves in ICQ; whereas, people who find real life communication un-rewarding would tend to be more dishonest, negative, less desirable, and less open in disclosing their opinions.
The public’s need to know: Public service advertising and the effects of using the actor portrayal label • Jensen Moore, University of Missouri at Columbia • This study examines a new facet of advertising credibility: identification or lack of identification of an actor in a public service advertisement. The question under examination is: Do individuals feel that public service announcements are less credible and/or effective if they use actors instead of everyday people? Using a between-subjects experiment, this research examines audience responses regarding credibility, emotionality, organization credibility, and attitude toward a public service advertisement which used an actor instead of an everyday person. Results suggest that use of the “actor portrayal” label reduces the effectiveness of the advertisement.
Rethinking capital punishment: Changes in news media framing of the death penalty debate • Leigh Moscowitz, Indiana University • The last decade has seen a dramatic decline in public support for the death penalty in the U.S., as well as efforts by the Supreme Court and some states to limit the practice. The content analysis reported here investigates possible changes in how the issue was framed from 1990-2000 in Time and Newsweek. Findings suggest the magazines engaged in more negative anti-death penalty framing toward the later years of the study, coinciding with the decline in public support.
Citizen competence and public opinion about science controversy: Exploring the functions and effects of the mass media • Matthew Nisbet, Ohio State University; and Robert K. Goidel, Louisiana State University •This paper presents a framework for understanding the origins of public opinion on matters of complex policy controversy, using the contemporary debate over embryonic stem cell research and therapeutic cloning as a case study. Analyzing national survey data collected in the Fall of 2003, we find that different forms of informational and diversionary media—including attention to newspaper coverage, Christian television use, science fiction television use, and science documentary television use — guide opinion formation directly but also indirectly by shaping the schema by which citizens interpret stem cell research and cloning as political issues.
Framing SARS in Toronto: A comparative analysis of the World Journal and the Toronto Star • David Oh and Wanfeng Zhou, Syracuse University • Our framing analysis compared the frames used in the World Journal and the Toronto Star. We used four of the five frames identified by Semetko and Valkenburg (2000): conflict, responsibility, economic consequences, and human-interest. We also studied the use of risk frames. The Toronto Star used the conflict, responsibility, economic consequences, and human-interest frames more than the World Journal; whereas, the World Journal used the risk frame more than the Toronto Star.
Intervention of eating disorder symptomatology using educational mass communication messages • Sung-Yeon Park, Bowling Green State University; Jacqueline Bush Hitchon, University of Wisconsin at Madison; and Gi woong Yun, Bowling Green State University •This research has demonstrated that information campaigns using mass media can improve young women’s perceptions about their bodies. Exposure to a PSA or an alignment ad increased body satisfaction among subjects with a relatively positive predisposition toward their body. In addition, the alignment ad had positive effects on self-consciousness and norm of ideal thinness among the same population. The differences between a PSA and an alignment ad in terms of their educational effects were discussed in the context of general mass media campaigns and their evaluations.
The psychological impact of “Foxified” news on news processing and public mood • Zengjun Peng and Esther Thorson, Missouri School of Journalism • This study examines the psychological impact of foxified news on news processing and public mood. A 3 (public mood: negatively induced, positively induced and control)x2 (foxified and regular news story)x2( positive or negative stories) design was employed to test main effects and interactions. Results show that foxified news did show significant difference in psychological impact compared to regular news, particularly in the condition of negative news. Also, public mood did influence people’s evaluation of news stories, with people in the negatively induced mood rated foxified news as more convincing and balanced.
Developing a model of adolescent friendship formation on the Internet • Jochen Peter, Patti M. Valkenburg, and Alexander P. Schouten, University of Amsterdam • Drawing on a sample of 493 adolescents, this study tested a path model of adolescent friendship formation including as predictors introversion/extraversion, online self-disclosure, motive for social compensation, and frequency of online communication. Extraverted adolescents self-disclosed and communicated online more frequently, which, in turn, facilitated the formation of online friendships. Introverted adolescents, by contrast, were more strongly motivated to communicate online to compensate for lacking social skills. This increased their chances of making friends online.
Citizens’ perceptions of media performance and political disaffection • Bruce Pinkleton, Washington State University • Political observers, scholars and other commonly blame the media for contributing to increased voter cynicism and apathy. A telephone survey of randomly selected registered voters in Washington state tested relationships among political involvement, efficacy, perceived media performance, and political disaffection. Survey results indicate that cynicism was associated to participants’ perceptions of both newspaper and television news performance, while efficacy was positively associated to evaluations of these media. Neither cynicism nor efficacy associated to perceptions of radio news performance. In addition, negativism toward political campaigns associated only to perceptions of radio news performance, while apathy associated only to perceptions of newspaper performance.
Campus binge drinking: Is the “0-to-4” social norm believable? • Lindsey D. Polonec, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA; and Ann Marie Major, Pennsylvania State University • This paper reports the findings of a survey evaluating a social norms campaign to reduce binge drinking on a university campus. From a social comparisons perspective, the study explores correlates of accuracy and bias of the respondents’ perceptions of the binge-drinking problem on campus and their beliefs in the social norms campaign message that the majority of students on campus drink “0-to-4 drinks when they party.” Accuracy and bias were related to perceived risk and communication.
Changes in the professional values of Canadian journalists: A panel study, 1996-2003 • David Prichard, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee; Paul R. Brewer, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee; and Florian Sauvageau, Laval University in Quebec City • This paper presents findings of a panel study of Canadian journalists, focusing on changes in their professional values between 1996 and 2003. The results of the project reveal major changes in the values of Canadian journalists over the seven-year period. In particular, support for core values of Canadian journalism such as accuracy eroded significantly. This effect was more pronounced among English-language journalists than among French-language journalists.
All the students that are fit to teach: A survey of enrollment management in communication programs • Brad Rawlins, Brigham Young University • Undergraduate interest in journalism and mass communications programs continues to grow. But resources to accommodate growing enrollments often lags behind. This has forced some programs to incorporate limited enrollment strategies. A survey of communication programs indicates that programs are limiting enrollment to match resources to student demand and to enhance the quality of students in the program. Overall, accredited JMC programs with large enrollments are the most likely to have an admissions policy.
Framing health care reform: Elite sources, pluralism and conflict • Jennifer Schwartz, University of Oregon • A textual and content analysis of six daily newspapers shows that differences in the elite source structure of a pluralistic social environment influences news frames of controversial issues, inclusion of viewpoints, and source selection. Negative frames of a political issue, the inclusion of negative viewpoints, and reliance on elite sources are more common in communities where a subsystem of the power structure is both dominant and directly threatened by an issue than in communities where the power structure is insulated from the issue.
Queer guys for straight eyes?: Gay men respond to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy • Joseph Schwartz, Syracuse University • Minority groups have long faced obstacles to accurate representation in the media. This paper examines the breakout hit of summer, 2003, Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and its potential for social and political implications beyond the small screen. The study used 16 in-depth interviews with gay men to understand their unique perspective on the program’s gay leading men and the validity of the program’s portrayals.
The framing of Iraq war reporting by embedded and unilateral newspaper journalists • Susan C. Sivek, University of Texas at Austin • This study analyzes the framing of stories by embedded and unilateral newspaper reporters during the 2003 Iraq war. The frames used by embedded journalists differed from the frames chosen by independent unilateral reporters, regardless of other characteristics of their newspapers. Embedded reporters tended to adopt a military-promoted “Liberation” frame in their stories, while unilateral reporters were more likely to select an “Invasion” or “Mixed” story frame. The normative value of the embedding program is discussed.
Does a news anchor’s gender influence audience evaluations of the anchor • Thomas Smee, Pennsylvania State University • This study investigated the relationship between a news anchor’s gender and audience evaluations of the anchor and news. The experiment allowed for an evaluation of the relationship between news anchor gender and the audience’s perceptions of the anchor and the news while examining the roles of several additional variables such as gender bias and story type. Addressed in the conclusion to this paper are the outcomes and implications of the study.
The relationship between television viewing, expectancies, and intentions to drink alcohol among a group of Norwegian adolescents • Steven R. Thomsen, Brigham Young University; and Dag Rekve, Norwegian Ministry of Social Affairs • The aim of this study was to examine the influence of television viewing, having friends who drink, and family rules about alcohol use on the development of normative beliefs, expectancies, and intentions to drink alcohol in the next 12 months among a group of Norwegian adolescents who reported that they had not previously consumed alcohol. Because Norway prohibits alcohol advertising, we were able to limit our focus to the potential effects of incidental portrayals of alcohol consumption in entertainment programming. Our findings indicate that television viewing for this group has a weak predictive association with normative beliefs (directly) and expectancies and intentions (indirectly). Having friends who drink was the strongest predictor of normative beliefs and was associated with expectancies and intentions both directly and indirectly (via normative beliefs).
Patriotic images, the Super Bowl, and advertising content in post 9-11 America • Bob Trumpbour, Pennsylvania State Altoona; and Nicholas Darr, Southern Illinois University • The Super Bowl advertising is examined after the 9-11 tragedy to determine how advertisers use patriotic images. Use of patriotic symbolism was generally downplayed, but in the 2002 Super Bowl, three advertisements tapped into the 9-11 tragedy without heavy use of symbols. More commercials contained patriotic imagery in the Super Bowl (2002) immediately following 9-11, but the duration of patriotic symbol display was less profound than in the 2003 and 2004 Super Bowls. Cultural implications are explored.
Exploring possible correlates of journalists’ perceptions of audience trust • Yariv Tsfati, University of Haifa • A sample of Israeli journalists (n=209) were asked whether they feel Israeli audiences trust the Israeli media in general, and whether their audience trusts the work of their news media outlet in particular. The correlates of these survey items are examined. Results show that perceived audience trust was correlated with journalists’ own trust in the Israeli media and with journalist’s evaluation of the audience. Perceived trust was also positively correlated with journalists’ identification with professional standards such as neutrality, verification and factualness. In contrast, perceived audience trust was not correlated with most demographic and professional status variables. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.
Internet use as a contingent condition in the agenda-setting process • Wayne Wanta and Sooyoung Cho, University of Missouri • A phone survey (N=345) compared Internet users and non-users. Frequency and duration of Internet use were negatively related to agenda-setting effects: The more individuals used the Internet, the less likely they were to be concerned with general issues or sub-issues of terrorism that were covered in the media. Use of the Internet for news and political information were positively related to agenda-setting effects. Regression analyses show that exposure to traditional media was the most powerful predictor of agenda-setting effects and Internet use motivations were weakly related.
Scene of the crime: The study and practice of local television crime coverage from the mid-1990s to the present • Debra Wenger and Jeff South, Virginia Commonwealth University • This study examines the quantity and quality of crime coverage on television and its perceived impact on public policy. It discusses various stations’ attempts to address the concern that there is “too much crime on local TV newscasts.” The paper explores three techniques that can make such coverage more relevant to viewers: adoption of crime coverage guidelines, use of interactive crime Web sites and, most notably, the coverage of crime from a public health perspective.
Media conglomeration and soap opera storytelling: The evolution of network television news • James Wittebols, Niagara University • This paper presents longitudinal data (1970-2000) examining changes in the way stories are told in nightly network news. After a brief historical overview of network news, data from ABC and CBS nightly news programs are analyzed for how they use soap opera storytelling techniques. The data show the move from a public service orientation to an entertainment orientation has resulted in a soap opera storytelling orientation to presenting the news.
President’s agenda-selling effect in direct communications—A time-series Quasi-experiment on President Bush’s 2003 state of the union speech • Xu Wu, University of Florida • Previous agenda-setting research has examined the relationship between the president’s policy agenda and the mass media’s issue coverage agenda. However, few studies paid attention to the president’s power of selling his policy agenda to the public through direct communications. In this study, the researcher conducted a time-series quasi-experiment to test the influence of President Bush’s State of the Union speech on audience’s issue importance judgment. Strong “agenda-selling” effects were supported by the research results.
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