Change and the News Library

Abstract

As a special library, the news library has undergone dramatic changes in the last decade. Technological advances have almost totally transformed the news library's environment, collections, and operations. The major changes include the use of commercial and in-house electronic database systems to store full-text news story and other necessary information, and the retrieval of them by librarians or journalists. In other words, computerized database has been exchanged for file drawer filing and retrieving. This paper will address the evolution of the traditional news library and its impact on news librarians.     

Television Teaching: Parody,The Simpsons,and Media Literacy Education

This paper examines televisual parody as a media literacy educator, and the potential of parody to channel the powers of comedy and entertainment in order to “teach” the techniques and rhetoric of televisual texts and genres. It focuses on the case of the hugely successful and popular animated parodic sitcom, The Simpsons, and its playful attack on advertising and promotional culture. Currently in its 16th season, The Simpsons broadcasts to approximately 60 million viewers in 70 countries weekly, offering a playful critique of television from within the television frame.     

Mourning “Men Joined in Peril and Purpose”: Working-Class Heroism in News Repair of the Sago Miners’ Story

Initially promising to replicate the story of the 2002 rescue at the Quecreek mine in Pennsylvania, news coverage of the January 2006 coal mine accident in Sago, WV, went terribly wrong when journalists incorrectly reported the miners’ “miracle” survival. Analysis of 761 newspaper, newsmagazine, and broadcast news reports illustrates how journalists corrected a mishandled story, and offers a glimpse into their broader role in constructing politically affirming national mythology. The final story of Sago was one of a rural community with class pride, distinct gender roles, and other “traditional” values presumed lost—a nostalgic parable of blue-collar patriotic sacrifice.     

Frame Diversity and Citizen Competence: Towards a Critical Approach to News Quality

This article identifies two basic models of citizen competence (the ignorant citizen and the rational citizen) in which normative theories of journalism and standards of news quality are grounded. I propose the interpreting citizen as an alternative view of citizen competence. According to this model, the availability of diverse interpretive frames in the public realm, particularly in the news media, is an important precondition for enhancing citizen competence. Given flaws in existing standards for evaluating journalism quality, the news media should be judged in terms of their performance in presenting diverse interpretive frames, rather than in terms of informational goals.     

Lying and deception detection in television families

This study explores the use of lying and lie‐detection among television families in situation comedies. The findings indicate that (a) lying was prevalent on these television shows; (b) lies to spare others were told most frequently; (c) the majority of lies went undetected; (d) the husband/father character told the most lies; (e) children were the most honest characters in situation comedies and (f) peripheral characters were the recipients of many lies. Two conclusions were drawn from these findings. First, this study gives insight into the content of family communication as presented on television. Secondly', the study suggests television families mirror real families with respect to family structure and the ability to detect deception.     

The relationship of supportive communication to sex discussion in the home

Supportive communication was examined as a component of mothers’ sex discussion with children. Results demonstrated that mothers who communicated supportively were more open and disclosing when discussing sex and were more likely to provide sons with birth control information and instruction than mothers who communicated nonsupportively. The study concludes by raising several issues for future research and sex education pro‐ams for parents.     

Majority/minority size and the evaluations of persuasive arguments

The present study examines the influence of relative minority size on perceptions of argument quality and attitude change. Strong and weak arguments for both cautious and risky positions were presented in conjunction with information describing the size of minority factions as either small or large. Results demonstrated that cautious argument quality influenced perceptions of argument quality only when the majority advocated a cautious position or when the minority faction was large. Results are discussed in light of their implications for normative and informational influences in group polarization.     

A Patient-centered Approach to Breaking Bad News: Communication Guidelines for Health Care Providers

This investigation takes a patient-centered approach to examining strategies physicians use to deliver bad news to patients. Qualitative data were obtained from 68 patients who had received a message they perceived as negative information from a health care provider. Through grounded theory methodology, patient accounts were examined to reveal four provider strategies for breaking bad news. This investigation underscores the importance of using effective communication strategies to achieve patient satisfaction and compliance.     

立片言以警策:新闻标题的炼字锻句问题

现代传播媒介已不仅限于传统的平面媒体(报纸)一端,传媒形式的多样化特别是网络的发达,使得各种新闻的总量成为真正的海量。在这信息爆炸的时代,在各种新闻"泛滥成灾"的情况下,如何将某一有价值的新闻及时有效地传达给受众,让其发挥应有的作用,就成为考验新闻写作者或新闻编辑者语言表达智慧的一道无可回避的试题。为了使所要传播的新闻最大限度地为受众了解,新闻写作者或新闻编辑者就必须在新闻标题的炼字锻句方面下功夫,注意表达技巧,在第一时间内迅速抓住受众的注意力。新闻标题需要讲究表达技巧,但要遵循"自然"、"贴切"的原则,不能"为修辞而修辞"。     

Investigating Personality and Viewing-Motivation Correlates of Reality Television Exposure

This study investigated the personality and viewing-motivation correlates of reality television exposure. Results from a survey of 592 undergraduates showed that extroversion negatively predicted reality television exposure, whereas neuroticism was not associated with it. Both instrumental (social interaction, information, and arousal) and ritualized (relaxation, pass time, entertainment, and companionship) viewing motivations positively predicted exposure to reality television. A two-stage model by which personality traits contributed to viewing motivations, which, in turn, contributed to the selection of reality television, was tested and offered an adequate fit to the data. Implications for uses and gratifications research are discussed.