A study examined the role of the mass media in the development of people's conceptions about a neo-Nazi march planned for Skokie, Illinois, in 1978. The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not and in what respects different types of people had developed common conceptions about the event and what role the mass media played in that development. A content analysis of reports from newspapers, televised newscasts, and national newsmagazines revealed that while there were differences in the amounts of coverage given to the march, the relative emphasis on various aspects of the event was similar across the different media. A telephone survey of approximately 200 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania residents conducted just prior to the march, found that while respondents differed in awareness, interest, and opinions about it, according to religion, education, and age, they shared a number of similar conceptions and beliefs about the event. These conceptions were similar to the explicit and implicit messages about the march communicated by the mass media. (Extensive tables of data are included.) (Author/FL)