Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using Video And Contact To Change Attitudes Toward Gay Men And Lesbians, Jonna J. Cooley, Gary J. Burkholder

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Prejudice against gay men and lesbians has continued to fuel negative attitudes that are perpetuated by stereotypes and by validation from those within one’s own social group. While there has been some research regarding the impact of contact on attitudes, the present study expands the theoretical approach of Allport and the empirical work of researchers such as Herek to examine the impact of adding media to interactive contact with lesbian and gay individuals. Participants were placed into one of three treatment groups: control, video only, and video plus contact with gay men and lesbians. The sample included 106 undergraduate students …

Talking Heads: How Broadcast Media Frame The Public Relations Industry., Samara Rose Litvack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers conducted a content analysis to measure framing of the public relations industry in 354 English language broadcast transcripts from the United States, Canada, and Australia from Sept. 1, 2009 to Aug. 31, 2010.

The overall tone toward public relations was strongly negative. Mentions reflected one-way forms of communication and mentions of the pejorative term "PR" appeared more frequently than mentions of "public relations". The profession was almost always mentioned within the body of the broadcast, as opposed to the headline or the lead paragraph.

Exploratory research showed 15 shows that included negative mentions 100% of the time. Additionally, 27 …

The Path To Peace: Conflict Theory And Northern Ireland’S Troubles (1968-1998), Ruairi Wiepking

Master's Theses

This paper is a qualitative historical analysis of Northern Ireland’s Troubles. Over a period of approximately thirty years, sectarian violence in Northern Ireland dominated the headlines of newspapers in both the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. Despite this violent history, Northern Ireland has enjoyed relative peace and stability since the passage of the Belfast Agreement in 1998. This paper aims to better understand why and how Northern Ireland endured a generation of brutal sectarian violence and emerged into a new era of peace and mutual understanding. In doing so, this paper incorporates theories from peace and conflict studies …

Feminine Framing: Framing Theory And The Media's Portrayal Of Female Athletes, Kamber Seay

Honors Theses

The biased portrayal of female athletes by the media has been studied and discussed extensively. The Framing Theory hypothesis is used here to identify a correlation between the way female athletes are portrayed by the media and the way consumers frame their opinions based on these portrayals. A brief public opinion survey was given to a random sample of the student population at Coastal Carolina University. Of the 66 consumers surveyed, 51 (77%) stated that they believe there should be more media focused on female athletes. Of the 66 consumers surveyed, 55 (83%) stated that they believe the media portrays …

Photo Manipulation In The Media, Stephanie Coffaney

Graphic Communication

In today’s society there are photos everywhere; they are in magazines, advertisements, newspapers, and books because photos make the text or the story stand out. Some may not know it, but most of these photos have been edited and retouched. This research paper attempted to determine the majority opinion of what types of photo editing was above the tolerable limit, as well as the public awareness of media manipulation. The different levels of photo editing included changing the contrast, removal of blemishes and dust, addition/removal of objects, and addition/removal of main subjects. The results revealed that most people are aware …

Qatar, Al Jazeera, And The Arab Spring, Ahmed E. Souaiaia

Ahmed E SOUAIAIA

No abstract provided.

Gender And The Digital Economy: Perspectives From The Developing World, Margaretha Geertsema Sligh

Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh

Editors Cecilia Ng and Swasti Mitter address an important and timely topic in their new book. The book sets out to do exactly what the title says; the authors interrogate the participation of women in the Information and Communication Technologys (ICTs) industry, particularly in developing countries. As the editors point out in the introduction, there are concerns that globalization will increase inequalities and asymmetrical power relationships between the rich and the poor. Yet, they are quite optimistic about the potential enabling power of new technologies.

Gender And The Digital Economy: Perspectives From The Developing World, Margaretha Geertsema Sligh

Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh

Editors Cecilia Ng and Swasti Mitter address an important and timely topic in their new book. The book sets out to do exactly what the title says; the authors interrogate the participation of women in the Information and Communication Technologys (ICTs) industry, particularly in developing countries. As the editors point out in the introduction, there are concerns that globalization will increase inequalities and asymmetrical power relationships between the rich and the poor. Yet, they are quite optimistic about the potential enabling power of new technologies.

Law, Media, & Environmental Policy: A Fundamental Linkage In Sustainable Democratic Governance, Zygmunt J.B. Plater

Zygmunt J.B. Plater

The functional linkages between law and media have long been signficant in shaping American democratic governance. Over the past thirty-five years, environmental analysis has similarly become essential to shaping international and domestic governmental policy. Environmentalism—focusing as it does on realistic interconnected accounting of the full potential negative consequences as well as benefits of proposed actions, policies, and programs, over the long term as well as the short term, with careful consideration of all realistic alternatives— provides a legal perspective important for societal sustainability. Because environmental values and norms are often in tension with established industrial interests that resist public interest …

Profanity In Media Associated With Attitudes And Behavior Regarding Profanity Use And Aggression, Sarah Coyne, Laura Ann Stockdale, David A. Nelson, Ashley Michelle Fraser

Faculty Publications

We hypothesized that exposure to profanity in media would be directly related to beliefs and behavior regarding profanity and indirectly to aggressive behavior.

Towards A Narratology Of Court Reporting, Jane Johnston, Rhonda Breit

Jane Johnston

This article uses the theory of narratology to connect legal discourses and processes with the way the media translate the law into news. It identifies how narratology has been used by other disciplines, notably the law, to provide a framework for better understanding, and uses a range of theories and examples to propose a narratology for court reporting. The research identifies six key elements of narrative and expands these into a three-level schema of story level, discourse analysis and the interpretative context of stories. Finally, the article foreshadows a methodology through which to develop the narratology that follows court proceedings …

No Angel: An Analysis Of Media Coverage Of Nadja Benaissa In The U.K., U.S. And Germany, Elizabeth A. Cantrell

Communication Theses

The media’s portrayal of HIV has taken a number of different forms since the disease was first discovered over three decades ago. HIV has been portrayed as an epidemic and a disease affecting homosexuals and immigrants. Its transmission has also been portrayed as a criminal offense. In August 2010, the German singer Nadja Benaissa was arrested for passing on HIV to a former partner and exposing two other men. Media constructions of this story draw upon HIV stereotypes because of her drug-using past, her immigrant status and her criminal actions. This media study points to a new discourse centered on …

Journalism Under Siege: An Investigation Into How Journalists In Macedonia Understand Professionalism And Their Role In The Development Of Democracy, Katerina Spasovska

Doctoral Dissertations

The financial decline of the traditional media; technological advances and 24/7 news cycles; and the rise of new media are transforming journalism in ways that are seen as problematic and leading towards less professional practices. In Eastern Europe this transformation tops off the still ongoing systemic transformation from communist systems, ongoing since the late 1980s.

This study examines how journalists in Macedonia perceive their profession today, what they consider professional journalism, and how they define their role in Macedonian society and democracy. Macedonian media system is fragmented and financially fragile, providing an opening for political and business influence. Foreign capital …

Drew Humphries (Editor): Women, Violence, And The Media : Readings In Feminist Criminology. Series: Northeastern Series On Gender, Crime, And Law, Lisa S. Holley

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

No abstract provided.

Women As Consumers Of Reproductive Technology: Media Representation Versus Reality, Shirley Shalev, Dafna Lemish

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

In light of the growing role of media as a central source of health information, this article evaluates the contribution of television representations to the dissemination of information and social conceptions of women regarding new reproductive practices. The study reported here examined a case study of media representations of surrogacy in a popular television series in Israel, entitled A Touch of Happiness, which has been broadcast repeatedly over the last decade. The analysis compared the televised content with the legal framework and social reality of surrogacy, and found major discrepancies between the two. Thus, this study demonstrates the role media …

“An Ill-Bred Lady With A Great Big Chip On Her Shoulder”: Gender And Race In Mainstream And Black Press Coverage Of Eartha Kitt’S 1968 White House Dissent, Sarah Janel Jackson

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

An analysis of mainstream and black press coverage of Eartha Kitt’s January 1968 White House dissent on the Vietnam War is presented. Of particular interest is the way journalists constructed Kitt’s dissent for their audiences within intersecting discourses of gender and race. Findings reveal that mainstream journalists tended to undermine Kitt’s dissent by representing her within a gendered racial binary that denied her access to definitions of true womanhood. At the same time, despite presenting more explicit sexual objectification of the actress, journalists in the black press allowed her dissent legitimacy, challenging mainstream discourses.

How To Be The Best At Everything: The Gendering And Embodiment Of Girl/Boy Advice, Barbara Lesavoy

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

This paper explores the binary divide packaged under the children’s How be the Best at Everything (2007) girl/boy advice books. Postmodern and materialist feminist thought as a lens into media-infused social and class reproduction provide a theoretical framework in interrogating this gender binary. I argue that that the books, as heteronormative nostalgia, operationalize a theory I term “gender retraction,” a phenomenon in which the vast knowledge that informs our identity spectrum propels us into a cultural time warp, where, with an array of socially inscribed possibilities, the binary clarity of age old girl/boy categories has resurging appeal The paper exposes …

Counter Narrating The Media’S Master Narrative: A Case Study Of Victory High School, Beth Trinchero

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Since the publication of A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983), Berliner and Biddle (1995) have argued media have assisted leaders in creating a “manufactured crisis” (p. 4) about America’s public schools to scapegoat educators, push reforms, and minimize societal problems, such as systemic racism and declining economic growth, particularly in urban areas. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act (2001) functions as an important articulation of this crisis (Granger, 2008).

Utilizing the theoretical lenses of master narrative theory (Lyotard, 1984), Critical Race Theory (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001), and social capital theory (Bourdieu, 1986; Coleman 1988), …

How The Media Compound Urban Problems, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

Manipulating The Public Agenda: Why Acorn Was In The News, And What The News Got Wrong, Peter Dreier, Christopher Martin

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Public Approval Of Congress On Midterm Congressional Election Outcomes, Jordan L. Goldman

Honors Theses

Over the past half-century, the United States Congress has become less revered by the American people. The Constitution names Congress as the first branch of government. The framers instituted Congress in Article One of the Constitution to symbolize the importance of the rule of law of the people. Its members were to be chosen members of the public, rather than royalty or nobility, to give the branch a sense of democratic legitimacy. However, during the past fifty years, public opinion of the first branch of government has waned. The reasons for this diminished respect are complex and numerous. In general …

Secrecy In An Open Society, Nicholas A. Poli

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the difficult task of finding a balance of secrecy and openness in America. The common notion is that America is an open society; however, with an intelligence community predicated upon secrecy, an imbalance of power between the Executive and Congress, a media which does not always report objective news, and a complacent American public, openness ultimately becomes more difficult to maintain. To find a balance, I propose a hypothetical spectrum of openness in which there is a straight line with two endpoints- one endpoint representing complete secrecy, the other complete openness. I argue that both ends of …

Norcal Vs. Socal: Culture As Communication, Jillian J. Smith

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

"Spring Awakening" And Anti-Conformity: An Ideological Criticism, Kara M. Stone

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

News Media Environment, Selective Perception, And The Survival Of Preference Diversity Within Communication Networks, Frank C.S. Liu, Paul E. Johnson

JITP 2011: The Future of Computational Social Science

There is a natural tension between the effects on public opinion of social networks and the news media. It is widely believed that social networks tend to harmonize opinions within them, but the presence of media may accentuate diversity by inserting discordant messages. On the other hand, in a totalitarian state where the government controls the media, social networks may mitigate the homogenizing pressure of a regime’s propaganda. The tendency of opinion to follow the “official line” may be mitigated because opponents of the government interact on a personal level and bolster one another’s views. This paper employs agent-based modeling—an …

Balancing Bias In The Media, Sharon Beder

Sharon Beder

The news is presented to give the impression it is factual, uncoloured by journalistic bias, so each side of a controversy is accurately reported. This paper outlines the way that the influence of editors, owners, advertisers – as well as journalistic conventions – are more important to the final result of journalism than the reporting skills or biases of individual journalists.

Primetime Crime And Its Influence On Public Perception, Katherine E. Stott

Senior Honors Projects

Since the television became more readily available to the American public in the 1940s and 50s, television shows have captured the attention of the nation. While television programs and televisions themselves have changed since then there are a few constants, one being the continued popularity of crime shows. From Sunday to Saturday during ‘prime time’ on just the four major networks, there are over fifteen hours of crime programming. The shows aim to entertain, leading them to show many inaccuracies about crime and the justice system in America. Studies have shown that most white Americans receive their information about crime …

Public Confidence In Social Institutions And Media Coverage: A Case Of Belarus, Dzmitry Yuran

Masters Theses

Social scientists agree that public confidence in social institutions is a crucial element in building democratic society. This is especially true for transitional societies including post-communist countries, because the lack of public confidence in newly emerged democratic institutions can interfere with democratic development. Although different theories explaining public confidence in social institutions were developed, these theories ignored the role that mass media play in building public confidence. The goal of this study is to examine the connection between mass media coverage of social institutions and public confidence in these institutions by conducting content analysis of Belarusian newspapers, reviewing the results …

Sport And The Media In Ireland: An Introduction, Seán Crosson Dr., Philip Dine

Seán Crosson

[Introduction to Media History Special Issue on Sport and the Media in Ireland]. The symbiotic relationship that has existed since the mid-nineteenth century between sport and the media - from the popular press, through newsreels and radio, to television, and beyond - is so well established as hardly to require comment. However, the very familiarity of this long and successful marriage should not blind us to its abiding, and abidingly remarkable, affective power, both for individuals and for communities, real and ‘imagined’, of all kinds. We may thus legitimately pause to reflect on the key role played by the media …

Time Out For Women Magazine: A New Magazine Prospectus Informed By A Historical Review And Qualitative Study On The Media Uses Of Mormon Women, Maurianne Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

This project uses a qualitative research approach to understanding Mormon women's uses and gratifications of magazines. The first study provides a retrospective look at the uses and gratifications of readers of the Relief Society Magazine (1915–1970) in order to understand where media targeted to Mormon women has been. Through interviews, focus groups and questionnaires, the study finds the main reasons Mormon women read the Relief Society Magazine was to provide (a) a handbook for daily life, (b) a community, (c) intellectual stimulation, (d) an aspirational ideal, and (e) an escape from daily life. When the magazine ceased publication, readers felt …