Mass Communication Research Methods

by Anders Hansen, Simon Cottle, Ralph Negrine, Chris Newbold

Overview

Mass Communication Research Methods provides a systematic and comprehensive introduction to the key research methods and approaches used in the study of mass communication and media. Originating from the internationally renowned Leicester Centre for Mass Communication Research, this book offers an indispensable guide for students in a wide range of courses, including communications, media and cultural studies, and other social science disciplines that offer students the opportunity to research mass communication and media issues.
Beginning with a clear and cogent discussion of the principles behind good research, including the key question of how to select the right methods for individual research questions, the authors go on to explore in a thorough and systematic fashion a range of different methods and approaches. From the study of media organizations and the practices of media professionals to media content, representations, and audiences, the development and application of each method is described in depth and the steps involved clearly outlined. Examples of research instruments are given where appropriate, and in each case references for further reading are provided.
Mass Communication Research Methods is the definitive companion, reference, and source for everyone involved in mass communication research.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814735725
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	06/01/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	468
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Anders Hansen is with the Centre for Mass Communication Research at the University of Leicester in England.

Simon Cottee is Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Wales, Bangor (UK).

Ralph Negrine is with the Centre for Mass Communication Research at the University of Leicester in England.
Chris Newbold is with the Centre for Mass Communication Research at the University of Leicester in England.

Chris Newbold is with the Centre for Mass Communication Research at the University of Leicester in England.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: ASKING ALL THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Theory in Media Research - O. Boyd-Barrett
The Complementarity of Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies in Media and Communication Research - K.B. Jensen
Media, Culture and Modern Times - G. Murdock
Remarks on Administrative and Critical Communications Research - P.F. Lazarsfeld
Media Sociology: The dominant paradigm - T. Gitlin
Communication-Research - One Paradigm, or 4 - K.E. Rosengren
The Three Paradigms of Mass Media Research in Mainstream Comunication Journals - W.J. Potter, R. Cooper and M. Dupagne
The New Revisionism in Mass Communication Research: A reappraisal - J. Curran
Asking the Right Questions - J.D. Halloran
Cultural Compliance and Critical Media Studies - G. Philo and D. Miller
PART TWO: RESEARCHING MEDIA INSTITUTIONS, ORGANIZATIONS, PROFESSIONALS AND PRODUCTION
The History of Media Institutions
Finding Data, Reading Patterns, Telling Stories: Issues in the historiography of television - J. Corner
Problems and Possibilities in the Writing of Broadcasting History - A. Briggs
Media Professionals and Media Production
Participant Observation: Researching news production - S. Cottle
The Research Method - P. Elliott
News as Purposive Behaviour - H. Molotch and M. Lester
The Sociology of News Production - M. Schudson
Media Gate-keeping - P.J. Shoemaker
Research Approaches: Research questions and methodological requirements - R.V. Ericson, P.M. Baranek and J.B.L. Chan
New(s) Times: Towards a 'second wave' of news ethnography - S. Cottle
Holism, Communion and Conversion: Integrating media consumption and production research - D. Deacon
Political economy
The Political Economy of Communications - J. Wasko
Communications policy research
Facing In: Researchers and academia - S. Braman
Media Policy Paradigm Shifts: Towards a new communications policy paradigm - J.van Cuilenburg and D. Mc Quail
PART THREE: RESEARCHING MEDIA CONTENT AND REPRESENTATION
Content Analysis
Content Analysis - B. Gunter
Ethnographic Content Analysis - D.L. Altheide
Two Approaches to the Study of Advertisements - W. Leiss, S. Kline and S. Jhally
Reading the News - R.V. Ericson, P.M. Baranek and J.B.L. Chan
Semiotics and Discourse Analysis
Semiotic Analysis - A.A. Berger
'Suit, tie and a touch of juju' - the Ideological Construction of Africa: A critical discourse analysis of news on Africa in the British press - H.J. Brookes
How to View Commercials - P. Rutherford
Discourse Analysis - R. Gill
Structural and Narrative Analysis
Narrative and Genre - H. Newcomb
Structural Analysis and Mass communication - O. Burgelin
Introduction to the Structural Analysis of Narratives - R. Barthes
Narrative Strategies in Television Science - R. Silverstone
Re(de)fining Narrative Events: Examining television narrative structure - M.J. Porter, D.L. Larson, A. Harthcock and K.B. Nellis
Framing analysis
The Constructionist Approach to Framing: Bringing culture back in - B. Van Gorp
The Framing Project: A bridging model for media research revisited - S.D. Reese
Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm - R.M. Entman
Cascading Activation: Contesting the White House's frame after 9/11 - R.M. Entman
Getting Framed: The media shape Reality - C. Ryan
The Power of a Frame: An analysis of newspaper coverage of tobacco issues - United States, 1985-1996 - C.L. Menashe and M. Siegel
The Empirical Approach to the Study of Media Framing - J.W. Tankard
Linguistic and rhetorical analysis
An Integration of Corpus-based and genre-based Approaches to Text Analysis in EAP/ESP: Countering criticisms against corpus-based methodologies - L. Flowerdew
Corpus Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis: Examining the ideology of sleaze - D. Orpin
Figures of Rhetoric in Advertising Language - E.F. Mc Quarrie and D.G. Mick
From 'Politically Correct Councillors' to 'Blairite Nonsense': Discourses of 'political correctness' in three British newspapers - S. Johnson, J. Culperer and S. Suhr
Tampering with Nature: 'Nature' and the 'natural' in media coverage of genetics and biotechnology - A. Hansen
The Meanings of 'Risk': A view from corpus linguistics - C. Hamilton, S. Adolphs and Nerlich
Visual analysis
Analysing Visuals: Still and moving images - S. Cottle
Rhetoric of the Image - R. Barthes
The Determinations of News Photographs - S. Hall
Building the World's Visual Language: The increasing global importance of image banks in corporate media - D. Machin
Taking television seriously: A sound and image bite analysis of presidential campaign coverage, 1992-2004 - E.P. Bucy and M.E. Grabe
PART FOUR: RESEARCHING MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION IN SOCIETY, CONSUMPTION, AUDIENCES, POLITICS, PROBLEMS AND PLEASURES
Five Traditions in Search of the Audience - K.B. Jensen and K.E. Rosengren
The Challenge of Changing Audiences - Or, what is the Audience Researcher to do in the Age of the Internet? - S. Livingstone
Audience and Readership Research - J. Kitzinger
Survey Research
Survey Research - P.J. Shoemaker and M.E. Mc Combs
The BBC Internet study: General methodology - S. Reimers
Focus Group Research
The Focused Interview - R.K. Merton and P.L. Kendall
The Methodology of Focus Groups: The importance of interaction between research participants - J. Kitzinger
From Focus Groups to Editing Groups - a New Method of Reception Analysis - B. Macgregor and D.E. Morrison
Rethinking the Focus Group in Media and Communications Research - P. Lunt and S. Livingstone
Selected Key Models in Media Audience and Influence Research
Cultivation Analysis
Growing up with Television: The cultivation perspective - G. Gerbner, L. Gross, M. Morgan and N. Signorielli
Agenda-setting
The Agenda-setting Function of the Mass Media - M.E. Mc Combs and D.L. Shaw
Reception Analysis
Patterns of Involvement in Television Fiction: A comparative analysis - T. Liebes and E. Katz
Uses & Gratifications
Media Uses and Effects: A uses-and-gratifications perspective - A.M. Rubin
Political and Public Opinion Influence
The Media, Public Opinion and Political Action - H. Semetko
Television, Public Opinion and the War in Iraq: The case of Britain - J. Lewis
Effects of News Coverage on Policy Attention and Actions - A Closer Look into the Media-Policy Connection - I. Yanovitzky
Constructionism
The Rise and Fall of Social Problems: A public arenas model - S. Hilgartner and C.L. Bosk
Media Discourse and Public Opinion on Nuclear Power: A constructionist approach - W.A. Gamson and A. Modigliani
PART FIVE: DOING COMMUNICATION RESEARCH: SOURCES AND RESOURCES, THE RESEARCH PROCESS
Using Data Archives for Secondary Analysis - C. Seale
Dealing with Documentation - D. Deacon, M. Pickering, P. Golding and G. Murdock
Mass Media Research and the Internet - R.D. Wimmer and J.R. Dominick
Reaching Conclusions, Evaluating the Research, Writing the Report - I. Bertrand and P. Hughes.

Editorial Reviews

Introduces key research methods and approaches used in the study of mass communication and media, for students in communications, media and cultural studies, and other social science disciplines. After an overview of research principles, coverage includes participant observation, archival research, content analysis, surveys, and computer-assisted handling and analysis of data. The development and application of each method is described, and examples of research instruments are given. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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