Media and Disability Interest Group

Madness in Magazines: The stigmatization of a psychiatric disability in American news weeklies • Carol Fletcher, Hofstra University • The National Council on Disability has blamed the dismal state of the country’s mental health system on society’s failure to see “recovery as achievable and desirable for every person with mental illness.” The current study questions the role the media in fostering a view of the mentally ill as incapable or unworthy of treatment. Specifically, it examines every article about bipolar disorder over the past 15 years in Time, Newsweek, and US. News & World Report. Coverage of bipolar disorder has improved, and newsmagazines are less likely than newspapers to link the disorder with violence. However, the tendency of newsmagazines to blur distinctions between mental illnesses creates a subtler form of stigmatization, invalidating the suffering of individuals with serious psychiatric disabilities.

Representations of Mental Illness in Newspaper Articles on Violent Crime • Laurel A. Alexander, University of Texas at Austin • To investigate newspapers’ depictions of mental illness, a content analysis of 10 U.S. newspapers was conducted. While few violent crime articles focused on mental illness, a significant proportion of mental illness-related articles focused on violent crime. Violent crime was a more frequent focus than positive topics like treatment or policy. Agenda setting suggests that the frequency of violence in mental illness-related articles would lead people to view violence as a salient attribute of mental illness.

The role of disability in the films of Charles Chaplin • Jeffrey Alan John, Wright State University • In his long motion picture career Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) was one of the most famous names in world cinema. Not so generally known, however, is the significant role that disability played in his films. With Chaplin’s biography and modern frameworks for study of disability as background, this paper analyzes Chaplin’s use and apparent attitude toward disability, and suggests reasons why he chose to utilize disability in those ways in his films.

Visible images of disabled students: an analysis of UK university publicity materials. • Sue Ralph and Kathy Boxall, University of Manchester • This paper examines how UK universities are dealing with disability in their publicity materials to future students. Basic public relations practices explain that an organization should know its audiences and focus its messages accordingly. Do university admissions officers understand that a significant number of their audience might be disabled and will need information about the specific disability services available? This study examines what universities are, and are not, including in their general promotional materials about disability related topics as well as what campus disability services are providing.

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Internship and Careers Interest Group

Reality Check: Do Students Have What Practitioners Want? A Field Study of Public Relations Internship Site Managers • Ashley Brown and Lisa T Fall, University of Tennessee at Knoxville; and Allison Boudreaux, Clarity Works, Knoxville, TN • This study examines the necessary skills and professional characteristics public relations intern should possess in order to be successful while on the job – as reported by site supervisors. The sample (n=109) consists of site supervisors, during the past five years, who have employed students enrolled in a large Carnegie Research I Institution located in the southeast. The conceptual framework for this study is pedagogical issues within the public relations curriculum. Implications from the results are suggested for both academicians and practitioners.

Preparing Students for a Career in Television News as the Hispanic Population Grows • Thomas A Griffiths and Micaela Choo Banks, Brigham Young University • This study explores preparation for a television news career and the study examined representation of Spanish-speaking journalists since many graduates will cover this fastest growing minority community (U.S. Census, 2003). Data were collected via a survey of 208 RTNDA members. The findings indicate (n=88, 42.3% response rate) students should focus on writing, local internships are preferable and journalists are hired by answering ads. Spanish-speaking journalists were underrepresented primarily in larger markets.

Media Convergence and Journalism Education: Preparing students for careers in a converging news Environment • Andrea Tanner and Sonya Duhé, University of South Carolina • This study provides a nationwide examination of the opinions of both television news professionals and journalism educators regarding media convergence, specifically focusing on how students should prepare for a career in television news in a converging media environment. Data revealed that more than eight of ten news directors and eight of ten educators practice/teach convergence in some manner. In addition, both educators and news directors stressed the importance of basic writing skills over media convergence skills.

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Graduate Education Interest Group

Perceptions of Radio Educators and Radio Managers Regarding Curriculum In College-Level Radio Education • Kersten A. Kappmeyer, Iowa State University • This study proposes a single-platform basis on which to base convergence curriculum inquiry. Radio managers and radio educators were surveyed to determine their levels of support for convergence curriculum and reasons for such support. Results showed a tendency for educators and managers to support convergence curriculum adoption, and a tendency to have positive reasons for that support. However, the tone of the reasons given was significantly more positive among educators than managers.

Understanding International Teaching Assistants (ITAs): Institutional, ITA, and Student Role Expectations of ITAs • Eun-A Park and Jae Hong Kim, Pennsylvania State University • This study explores how school administrators, ITAs, and undergraduate students understand the role of ITAs and what they expect of ITAs in the American undergraduate classroom via in-depth interviews. By looking at each part (school, ITAs, and students), we determine if there is a discrepancy or understanding gap in their expectations.

Cooperative Learning in Communication • Mina Tsay and Miranda Brady, Pennsylvania State University • Cooperative learning has increasingly become a popular form of active pedagogy employed in academic institutions. This study explores the relationship between cooperative learning and academic performance in higher education, specifically in the field of communication. A questionnaire was administered to 24 undergraduate students in a communication research course at a large northeastern university. Findings showed that involvement in cooperative learning is a strong predictor of a student’s academic performance. A significant relationship was also found between the degree to which grades are important to a student and his or her active participation in cooperative learning. Furthermore, the importance of grades and sense of achievement are strong predictors of performance on readiness assessment tests.

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Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Interest Group

Sodomy in the Lone Star State: Texas Media Coverage of Gay Rights Pre and Post-Lawrence v. Texas • R Christopher Burnett, California State University at Long Beach; and Carlos Godoy, University of Southern California • The landscape of the gay rights debate has shifted sharply since the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2003 outlawed state sodomy laws. The case that accelerated the shift originated in Texas, regarded as anti-gay rights. This paper uses content analysis techniques to assess whether an anti-gay bias existed in news coverage in Texas both before and after the landmark Supreme Court ruling.

The Differing Treatment of Gays and Lesbians in the Media in the United States and Europe • Ann Lowney, William Carey College • This paper will seek to expose how treatment of gays and lesbians in the media differs in Europe and the United States. Specifically the paper will look at prime time television shows on both sides of the Atlantic and it will delve into the treatment of sport concerning including the gay and lesbian lifestyle. The aim is to compare and contrast the treatments where applicable and highlight the ethical ramifications. My argument is that the current treatment of gays and lesbians by the media in the United States hinders these groups desire to be accepted and studies by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance against Defamation centre reveals an interesting theory that may affect the future of the visibility of gays and lesbians in the media in future.

Globalized Eroticism, Negotiated Identity: An ethnographic study of Chinese gay men’s erotic pleasures and identity formation in cyber-communities • Hong-Chi Shiau, Central Connecticut State University • The research analyzed the posting section of the most popular gay-themed web-site in Taiwan to understand how Chinese gay men negotiate their identities and derive erotic pleasure through sharing posted audio, graphical, and textual messages. The research suggests that gay Chinese men in the cyber-community form sexual identities through employing various strategies, such as through role-playing. The rhetoric skills employed includes gender-crossing, teasing, prostituting and reciprocating.

‘Neither Cold Nor Hot’: An Analysis of Christian World Wide Web sites that Address GLBT Publics • Douglas J Swanson, University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse • This research analyzes Christian Web sites addressing gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered publics. The study involved content analysis of visual, operational, and informational enhancements and a frame analysis to assess issues of intent, consistency, accuracy, and validity. Web sites emphasized information dissemination rather than evangelization or proselytization; were overwhelmingly framed as collections of linked resources, rather than as online destinations for users seeking spiritual comfort; were almost completely devoid of traditional Christian symbols, scripture, and testimony; and failed to acknowledge in depth the complex debate over same-sex relationships.

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Entertainment Studies Interest Group

From Toronto to the World: Rush’s Rhetoric of Oppression and Liberation • Brett A. Barnett, Bowling Green State University • Extending the literature on the rhetoric of music, this paper discusses the rhetorical nature of songs produced by the Canadian band Rush, a genre largely ignored by communication scholars. Through an intrinsic analysis of a sample of songs appearing on the band’s most recent greatest hits album, this essay demonstrates that Rush’s hits tend to alternate between the complementary themes of oppression and liberation, thus providing a potential source of catharsis and inspiration for listeners.

The Assertive, Sexual Woman: “Sex and the City” and Attitudes toward Non-Traditional Women • Mary B. Bradford, University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa • This study explores the relationship of viewing sexual programming and attitudes about females in traditional and non-traditional roles. Participants who reported more frequent viewing of “Sex and the City” were more likely to give a higher rating of an assertive, sexual female and a lower rating of a traditional female. Similarity to the characters on this show was also positively related to ratings of the assertive female and negatively related to the traditional female.

TV Fans as ‘Outlaws’: An Examination of Audience Activity and Online Fandom • Vic Costello, Elon University; and Barbara Moore, University of Tennessee at Knoxville • Self-described fans (N=755) of particular television programs were asked to respond online to a question about their use of the Internet for keeping up with a favorite television program. The authors analyzed textual responses to this question for patterns and themes related to audience-centered theories of television-viewing activity. The results reveal a thriving, interpretive community of ‘outlaw’ fans in search of others with whom to communicate and share the experience of a favorite television program.

Wild Watching: Fans’ Reaction to Televised Sports in a Movie Theater • Michael D. Dorsher, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire • This study examines how fans like watching a sporting event telecast in a movie theater compared to watching similar games live in the arena, on TV at home, or on TV at a bar or restaurant. The study deduces eight hypotheses from the literature and tests them with a self-administered survey completed by 190 respondents at two National Hockey League telecasts in a movie theater. The data support six of the eight hypotheses: Male and female fans alike preferred watching hockey on TV in a movie theater over everywhere else-better even than watching it live in an acclaimed arena.

“America’s Top Model Meets The Bachelor on an Un-Real World”: Examining Viewer Fascination with Reality TV • Cynthia Frisby, University of Missouri at Columbia • One hundred and ten people were asked to participate in a two-part study on the effects of watching reality television. Each participant was asked to complete a uses and gratifications survey and then return in ten days to watch a popular reality TV program. The focus of the study is to test two hypotheses about the effects of viewing reality television: (a) reality show viewing will be positively related to social comparison gratifications and the viewers need to make comparisons with the guests and situations, (b) regular viewers will report greater affect and enhanced mood after watching a show than non-viewers. Results provided support for both hypotheses. Viewers watch reality shows because watching them allows viewers to imagine what they would do in an extreme situation and this comparison results in enhanced mood.

Constructing the “ideal” wife: An analysis of the representation of women in the reality television show, The Bachelor • Amanda S. Hall, University of Georgia • Grounded in cultural studies, feminism and ideology, this study seeks to gain an understanding of how women are represented and how the “ideal” wife is constructed on season four of the reality television show, The Bachelor. Textual analyses of each episode (9) were conducted to discern how female participants on the show were represented. Findings support the notion that heterosexual relationships as portrayed on the show support the private-public binary between men and women.

Fireworks, Bobbleheads, and Free Hot Dogs: Promotions’ Effect on Minor League Baseball Attendance • Thomas Kim Hixson, University of Wisconsin at Whitewater • Game promotions in minor league baseball are implemented mostly to increase attendance, but little research has examined these promotions and their effect on attendance. Commonly held assumptions regarding game promotions are often the basis on which promotion decisions are made. Attendance data was collected from 1231 minor league openings and matched with game promotions. Overall, game promotions significantly increase attendance; however, surprisingly few significant differences were found in attendance when comparing game promotions.

Still a Man’s Game: Gender Representation in Online Video Game Review Content • James D. Ivory, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • Despite the popularity of video games, the medium is still less popular among women than men. One reason for this may be that representations of female characters in video games remain geared toward a male audience. This content analysis used online video review content to investigate both the prevalence and depiction of video game characters. Female characters were found to be both underrepresented and proportionally more often sexualized in comparison to their male counterparts.

Suspense as the Function of Subjective Probability Estimations • Mina Lee, University of Alabama • Suspense is an internal affective status, responsive to suspense evoking material such as a film or a novel. This study suggests suspense evoking can be described as the function of subjective probability of the final resolution. Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) was used and participants were asked repeatedly to estimate of their belief of the main proposition of the film. The results supported the idea of subjective probability is involved in the suspense evoking mechanisms, by showing that there is significant correlation between a subjective probability and suspense rating and the subjective probability explains a unique portion of suspense rating in regression models. The results are discussed in the context of situational representation construct.

Portrayal of Older Characters on Children’s Animated Programs • Tom Robinson and Caitlin Anderson, Brigham Young University • This purpose of this study was to determine how older characters are represented, portrayed and displayed in children’s animated television programs. A content analysis of five networks was conducted providing 45 hours of programming and 121 different episodes. The results indicate that older characters, while predominately portrayed in a positive manner, are underrepresented and shown with a variety of negative characteristics including angry, senile and crazy, ugly, overweight, toothless and slow moving.

Liking Them Bad: Positive Affective Dispositions Towards Villainous Characters • Meghan Sanders, Pennsylvania State University • Most research using disposition theory as a driving force have dichotomized characters as protagonist and antagonists, with the latter being deemed as the recipient of negative sentiment. Prior research suggests villains can be the recipient of positive sentiment and hence become attractive to the viewer. This study explored the relationship between personality characteristics of and attraction to villainous characters. Results showed that various personality traits allow us to have different reactions to villains but that these reactions are also filtered by our own dispositions.

‘Here Baby, There Mama, Everywhere Daddy Daddy’: Legal Challenges to the Rock-Musical ‘Hair • Jim Sernoe, Midwestern State University • The controversy over the play Hair led to a series of attempts to prevent its performance at theatres across the country in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These censorship attempts in turn led to a series of cases around the country, primarily in the South, culminating with a 1975 Supreme Court ruling in Southeastern Promotions v. Conrad. This paper examines the cases in depth and speculates as to the reasons for the legal and cultural clashes.

Drama in the Ring and on the Ice: An Exploration of Atom Egoyan’s Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Television Productions • Marsha A. Tate, Pennsylvania State University • Film director Atom Egoyan’s oeuvre includes two CBC television productions—the 1986 hour-long drama, In This Corner and the 1993 made-for-television movie, Gross Misconduct. This essay examines several aspects of the productions that challenged the normal conventions of 1980’s and 1990’s television along with critical and audience reaction to them.

(R)evolution Of The Television Superhero: Comparing the Portrayal of Superheroes in Superfriends and Justice League • Kevin D. Williams, University of Georgia • Using Mike Benton’s four characteristics of a superhero (costume, powers, secret identity, and altruism), a superhero cartoon from the 1970s, Superfriends, was compared against a superhero cartoon airing since 2000, Justice League. Comparisons were made to examine how American cultural values have changed in the last 30 years. A final statement is made discussing how these superhero narratives were metaphors for American power in the historical periods in which they aired.

<< 2004 Abstracts