Examines the relationship between ability grouping of media writing students and their writing competence over time. Finds that students in the different ability groups start the media writing course with a wide gap in mechanical skill level; the gap is eliminated at final exam time. Notes that when students are measured on the same set of skills…

Replicates and updates the only other research that examined the adoption of computer-assisted reporting instruction in journalism schools quantitatively. Compares the different computerized sources being used in newsrooms and classrooms, and elicits the reasons that these sources are being used in each environment. Concludes many programs are…

Finds that while students (studying broadcast journalism or advertising) and practitioners (station news directors and agency media directors) were in agreement on the majority of opinion statements discussing advertising's influence on broadcast news content, except students were less bothered by advertising's influence on news content than were…

Attempts to locate the changes and challenges to the traditional understanding of what journalism is, to describe ways of dealing with them up to this point, and to formulate a number of arenas to explore initiatives to educate the new journalists of today and tomorrow. Notes that the argument is based on recent developments in journalism…

Assesses the effectiveness of the trauma training program for recent journalism graduates. Finds that all graduates see trauma training as a worthwhile exercise for journalism students in order to address trauma victims appropriately. Indicates that the majority of journalism graduates in this study have been exposed to traumatic incidents in…

Surveys print and broadcast journalism educators and professionals. Finds a gap, though not a particularly wide one, between the professional journalists and journalism educators concerning courses journalism programs should emphasize, important competencies for journalism students, mid-level professional training, the importance of various…

Presents key findings of the annual survey of journalism and mass communication enrollments. Finds faculty hiring and faculty size have stabilized; half of those hired have a doctorate; one in four hired come directly from graduate school; and administrators anticipate hiring faculty in print and broadcast journalism. Notes continued decline in…

Surveys high school newspaper advisors, finding remarkably similar attitudes, in states with scholastic freedom of press laws and states without such laws, regarding scholastic press freedom, the way they exercise their duty in overseeing the newspaper, censorship and self-censorship, and controversy over newspaper content. Finds differences in…

Reports results from a national survey regarding courses on public-relations campaigns. Examines predominant pedagogical strategies and course-management text techniques used; intentions for the course; theory/research elements; the role of management skill and/or interpersonal dynamics in the student campaign both internally and externally, and…

Surveys journalism and mass-communication researchers regarding the extent to which they have experienced unprofessional behavior by editors and referees in the evaluation of manuscripts. Finds that the primary complaint is that editors do not reach publication decisions within a reasonable period of time. (SR)

Surveys college students' perceptions of their textbooks. Finds that students consider textbooks an important part of their courses; believe that the quality of writing accounts for half of the helpful learning and 60% of non-helpful learning, with organization elements next in importance; and that mass-communication students' views differ from…

Examines 12 journalism textbooks published from 1891 to 1942, showing how their changes parallel changes in journalism and society. Provides insights into the authors' perceptions of the proper role of journalism in society, and documents changes in the way press responsibility was viewed by journalism educators and professionals. (SR)

Describes a research assignment (called "photo-elicitation") in a graduate course on the role of photography in society in which students interview people similar to the subjects in the photographs to discover how the photographs affect them. Includes material from one research project interviewing three recovering drug addicts responding to Larry…

Offers a blueprint that instructors of mass media theory courses can adopt to expose students to racially inclusive research in order to encourage students to explore and employ relevant theories when probing media and race questions. Offers examples of inclusive media research, examining six prominent theories: selective-perception theory,…

Surveys creative directors at advertising agencies nationwide regarding their preferences for contents and strategies in the portfolios of entry-level copywriters and art directors. Reports results in terms of content and approaches, number of campaigns and pieces, subjects of ads selected, importance of presentation, importance of concept over…