Robert H. Wicks

Dual-Modality Disclaimers, Emotional Appeals, and Production Techniques in Food Advertising Airing During Programs Rated for Children

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) directed advertisers to present disclaimers in the dual-modality format more easily understood by children. A content analysis of the emotional appeals, production techniques, and types of disclaimers appearing in over 3,800 food television advertisements was conducted. Ads appearing in child-rated programs present significantly more of the emotional appeals and production techniques that research suggests capture the attention of younger children. Most disclaimers in child-rated programs were not dual modality. Future research should examine whether food advertising presents a potentially distracting mix of production techniques and emotional appeals that may divert childrens attention from disclaimers.

Going Negative: Candidate Usage of Internet Web Sites during the 2000 Presidential Campaign

This study examines the news releases that were posted on the official campaign Web sites of George W. Bush and Al Gore during the 2000 presidential campaign. Analysis of each of the 487 news releases posted during the campaign season reveals that nearly three-quarters of these contained an attack on the opponent. This parallels data on the incidence of attacks appearing in televised political advertising during the 2000 campaign. The study provides support for the Political Competition Model, which posits that close races produce significant negativity. Furthermore, the study offers insights on how presidential political campaigns may use campaign Web sites in the future.

Message Framing and Constructing Meaning: An Emerging Paradigm in Mass Communication Research

This chapter analyzes the influence of framing research on the advancement of a meanings paradigm also known as constructionism. Framing models have been useful during the past 2 decades to help explain how people construct meaning by drawing upon stored knowledge or schemas to interpret news and information. Media or message framing refers both to the process of selecting and the manner in which information is presented. News messages may be framed either episodically, as a case study, or thematically, in which general or abstract concepts are presented and emphasized. Schemas, attitudes, and beliefs of professional communicators may influence the ways in which media messages are framed. Journalistic framing involves identifying a problem, assigning responsibility, considering ethical or moral implications, and recommending a solution. Audience or individual framing occurs when people process information in the context of their own schemas. Framing studies often employ multiple methodologies to analyze the messages that are produced and reception processes that occur among audience members. Thus, analysis of the framing literature is important in understanding how both the media and the members of the audience play active and vital roles in the process of constructing social reality. Examples of journalistic and audience framing processes are presented to illustrate how framing operates. Implications for the future are discussed.

Food and Beverage Advertising to Children on US. Television: Did National Food Advertisers Respond?

In 2005, after criticism of the U.S. food industry for advertisings role in childhood obesity, national advertisers announced new policies to reduce childrens exposure to ads for unhealthy foods. However, limits on these policies suggested that the food advertisements viewed by children would not change significantly. Content analysis was conducted on television food advertisements aired just before and one year after these announcements. The advertisements were coded for product type, persuasive appeals, and production techniques. The results suggest few changes in food advertising seen by children.

Tracking the 2004 Presidential Campaign Web Sites Similarities and Differences

This study analyzed the content of news releases posted on the presidential candidate Web sites of George W. Bush and John Kerry during the 2004 election campaign. Findings suggest topics like terrorism and the war in Iraq received significant attention in the news releases, supplanting traditional campaign policy issues such as education, social security, and Medicare. The 2004 online campaign news releases also confirmed the prominence of attack over policy issues in the two major party candidates’ rhetoric. Also, 80% of the news releases posted by George Bush and John Kerry on their campaign Web sites contained an attack against the opposition. Finally, approximately 80% of the overall 2004 online news releases posted by Bush and Kerry on their campaign Web sites contained at least one reference to candidates’ personality traits.

Remembering the News: Effects of Medium and Message Discrepancy on News Recall over Time

This article suggests a theoretical explanation of the processes related to recall and learning of media news information. It does so by linking the concepts of schematic thinking and the Search of Associative Memory (SAM) to the variable of time. It argues that learning from the news may be better than many recent studies suggest. Although humans may have trouble recalling discrete news stories in recall examinations, it seems likely that they acquire “common knowledge” from the news media. Time is an important variable in helping people to remember news if they use it to think about new information in the context of previously stored knowledge.

Correlates of Political and Civic Engagement Among Youth During the 2012 Presidential Campaign

A national mail survey of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 (n = 876) was conducted immediately before the U.S. presidential election (October 2012) to investigate socialization agents that may correlate with political and civic engagement. The relative importance of potential correlates of engagement including demographics, parents, peers, schools, religion, traditional media, social networks, and digital communication were evaluated. Regression analysis revealed that civically engaged youth identify with a religion, participate in civic education activities at school and extracurricular activities, take action (e.g., boycotting or buycotting), develop attitudes about citizenship, and engage in online/social media political activities. Politically engaged youth come from higher income households, discuss news and politics, take action, and are very prone to engage in online/social media political activities. While a wider range of activities appear to be related to civic engagement, those who are politically engaged appear to have a strong interest in online media usage. Implications are discussed.

Youth Political Consumerism and the 2012 Presidential Election What Influences Youth Boycotting and Buycotting

The authors examine whether predictors of adult political consumerism (i.e., boycotting and buycotting) and factors associated with youth civic and political participation also predict youth political consumerism. Data from a national mail survey of adolescents ages 12 to 17 years and their parents (n = 876) conducted in October 2012 are used to examine predictors of youth political consumerism. Factors analyzed include youth political and civic participation, parental modeling of boycotting and buycotting, and parental encouragement of following news and politics. Other factors examined include youth civic education, extracurricular participation, and youth social or civic attitudes. In addition, the authors assess differences between youth who boycott and those who buycott. The findings show that parental modeling is the most important predictor of youth political consumerism, and young political consumers also engage in civic and political activities. Moreover, youth boycotters and buycotters appear to exhibit differences in political ideology and motivations for political consumerism.

Tracking the Blogs: An Evaluation of Attacks, Acclaims and Rebuttals Presented on Political Blogs during the 2008 Presidential Election

This study employed Benoit’s functional theory of presidential discourse to examine the incidence of attacks, acclaims, and rebuttals on four politically aligned blogs and six politically nonaligned blogs. Results suggest that candidates use their own blogs for acclaims, political parties use their blogs to level attacks against opponents, and rebuttals on blogs are rare. These findings are contrasted with the entries on six politically nonaligned political blogs directed toward specialized audiences, such as conservatives, liberals, independents, women, African Americans, and Christians. Candidate blogs contained significantly more acclaims than did nonaligned blogs, but both were similar with respect to incidence of attacks and rebuttals.

Partisan Media Selective Exposure During the 2012 Presidential Election

This report explores the variables related to partisan selective media exposure, a process by which people select media outlets and content consistent with their political predispositions. This study employs national survey data (N = 876) during the month of October 2012 immediately prior to the U.S. presidential election. Political orientation (i.e., liberal, moderate, or conservative) served as the dependent variable. The analysis revealed that political orientation was related to gender, race, and religion. The civic engagement variables of participation in a church project and participation in volunteer work within one’s community were also related. Finally, the results suggest that conservatives were most prone to use conservative talk radio, Christian radio and TV, and Fox News. Liberals were more prone to use PBS and Facebook. As such, the data indicate that audience members appear to seek out partisan media and messages consistent with their political leanings. The implications of partisan selective media exposure concerning the development of political knowledge are discussed.