Data from 83 Minnesota newspapers support the hypothesis that as communities become more pluralistic, their newspapers will report more conflict. Between 1965 and 1979, Minnesota saw an increase in population and proportionate increases in income from manufacturing and agriculture. During this period of growing pluralism, the amount of newspaper…

To discover the components of a trustworthy source, a study evaluated the credibility of health-related news stories. Subjects, 192 college undergraduates, read one of four random versions of a one-page newspaper story about aspirin's ability to ward off heart attacks. They were told that the sources for the articles were: a medical journal (high…

Using a revised theoretical model of newsworthiness, a study investigated the prominence with which world events are covered by the United States news media. The model differs from previous newsworthiness studies by adding two measures of the deviance of events and by including several country-based social significance predictor variables. Two…

Much discussion within media ethics has focused on the acceptability of surreptitious tape recording of news sources by media professionals. The most common legal and social arguments supporting secret taping assert that recorders "hear" and "remember" better, are expedient and practical, protect against libel suits, provide…

The teacher's guide and parent booklet on play are both intended to provide encouragement and ideas for parents of young handicapped children. The teacher's guide stresses the importance of positive parent-child interactions, addresses specific problems of some children (such as lack of mobility or perseveration) during play, and offers…

The relationship between academic institutions and knowledge dissemination is discussed, with attention to new technologies, university presses, the role of scholarly journals, colleges as gatekeepers of knowledge, colleges as both producers and consumers of scholarly products, and an international network of knowledge distribution. New…

Designed to demonstrate that the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database is a useful source of information for educational practitioners at all levels, this digest provides an introduction to the ERIC system and describes the National Education Practice File Project (NEPF). This 2-year project was designed to find out from…

Based on the premise that editorial page writers do not have what they consider sufficient time to adequately research their topics, a study surveyed newspaper librarians and writers to determine the extent of database system use by editorial page writers. Circulations of the participating newspapers were included as a variable to determine if…

An annotated list of selected organizations that offer materials and services designed to help elementary and secondary school educators expand international studies in their schools is provided. Information about the organizations includes student and teacher materials available, inservice workshops, consultations, access to resource collections,…

This manual is designed to aid the inexperienced person assigned to a hospital library and given the responsibility of ordering library materials, organizing the collection, borrowing from other libraries, and seeking information. Following a brief introduction, the manual is divided into 10 chapters: (1) Organization and Administration of the…

To gain a perspective on the kinds of people who find newspapers and television to be high or low in credibility, a two-phase study combined demographic and other characteristics, media behavior, and attitudes toward the media. The first phase involved a series of focused group discussions, while the second was a national, representative sampling…

This study surveyed families in Arkansas to obtain information on where parents acquire advice and information to assist with their childrearing efforts. The sample for the study were 23 parents of the University of Arkasas' nursery school children, 24 parents of first-grade children in a rural Arkansas county, and 18 parents located throughout…

The intellectual and moral climate of a school is related to the nature of authority. It is the way that authority is instituted as well as the manner in which it is exercised that shapes the intellectual and moral character of the school. Public education in urban areas today is increasingly instrumental, technical, adversarial, and officially…

A study explored the use of seven political information channels available to eligible voters during the 1986 off-year elections. Specifically examined were (1) the degree to which various political information channels were used during this election, (2) which of these information channels respondents depended upon most for information about the…

Materials and resources to aid teachers in the instructional process on the U.S. Constitution are annotated in this document. The 50 listings include: (1) teaching materials; (2) periodicals; (3) audio-visual materials; and (4) background books. Each of the annotations includes: (1) a citation; (2) a description of the item; and (3) source…