Suchergebnisse

Discussed are the kinds of information needed to clarify the role of mass media as channels of communication under varying conditions. This role will be a function of their availability and distribution within an area, which raises two questions: (1) the relation between accessibility and exposure, & (2) the restrictions on accessibility and resistance to exposure in various countries. Restricted accessibility may lead to innovations in distributions such as public listening to radios in Turkish coffee houses, wired radio, and newspaper reading to small groups. This may lead to restrictions on the character of exposure, reducing the number of possible interpretations. Comparative studies of accessibility and exposure need to be supplemented by inquiries into the attitudes which people have toward particular media. Since the content of mass media is often transmitted to people unexposed to the media, the role of informal channels must be studied. The relative importance of different channels is determined by accessibility and by content of material being communicated. Research designs should distinguish people for whom communications perform different functions, e.g., within the same primary group, those who experience greater exposure and use this to develop leadership positions. In areas relying largely on oral channels, different kinds of news are likely to have higher currency than in areas well covered by mass media. Inaccessibility of daily news may lead to certain types being assigned a more enduring value and regarded as still worth learning about weeks later. As more news filters in, the traditional communication structure of many communities is likely to undergo continuous change. It is suggested that interdisciplinary cooperation in the study of comparative communication will increase knowledge of communications as well as individual disciplines. R. S. Halpern.

Data secured from a sample of 1,530 parishioners representing the total membership of the Protestant Episcopal Church were used to investigate the strength and sources of differing points of view about the proper role of the church in contemporary American political life. Two specific questions dealt with are: (1) What limitations should be imposed on the political activities of the clergy? (2) What are the differences between church members who exhibit a 'permissive' attitude toward such activities and those who oppose them? Results indicate that almost all parishioners are willing for the minister to take some part in political activities. For example, 89% agree that he should urge his parishioners to vote. However, they are not willing that he assume a partisan role. Thus, less than 25% think it proper for the minister to permit candidates to speak in the parish house, and only 9% would approve of the endorsement of specific candidates. A 6 point Guttman scale based on responses to 5 types of ministerial activities was used to rank parishioners along a permissiveness dimension. Further analysis showed that the more permissive members were also more likely to feel that the church should concern itself with social and econ problems, should encourage support of the UN, and in general take a position on practical political issues. Contrary to expectation, however, an attitude of permissiveness toward such clerical activism is not directly but inversely related to the involvement of the individual in the organizational life of the church. The greater the % of the individual's group affiliations which are church-related, the less likely is he to endorse an active political role for the church. The relationship is maintained when sex, age, and educ are controlled and is therefore not a spurious one, though it is more pronounced among women than men, among older rather than younger parishioners, and among those with little educ and little interest or knowledge about public affairs. A clue to the interpretation of such resistance to clerical activism on the part of highly committed parishioners is given by the finding that such persons do approve of close ties between church and family. A close linking between family and church and a weak association between church and political participation are both aspects of a 'traditionalistic orientation toward religion and the church.' K. Geiger.