ERIC Number: ED203342
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1981-Aug
Pages: 27
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Interpreting the Atomic Age: Scientific News Coverage of the Atomic Bomb in Representative Newspapers and Magazines.
Barwis, Gail L.
A study examined the coverage of the scientific aspects of the atomic bomb in four representative newspapers (New York "Times," New York "Herald Tribune," Chicago "Daily Tribune," and Boston "Daily Globe") and in 14 general mass circulation magazines in the time period immediately following the dropping of the bomb. Among the conclusions of the study are that (1) the government's elaborate secretive preparations for informing the public about the nature of the bomb proved generally ineffective; (2) newspapers--with the exception of the New York "Times"--were not relaying information related to the scientific aspects of the bomb but rather were concentrating on the drama of the bomb and its effect on the war; (3) mass circulation magazine coverage from August through December 1945 ran the gamut from the simplistic to the highly technical, yet in general offered only token explanations of the science of the bomb; and (4) the scientific community, not the media, took the lead in speaking out for understanding and control of the bomb. (AEA)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism (64th, East Lansing, MI, August 8-11, 1981).