The Mass Media & Social Problems

Discusses the way the mass media treats social problems, its contribution to causing and curing social problems, and its use by concerned organisations and groups wishing to act to reduce social problems. It brings together a wide range of topics including racism, sexism, poverty, violence, pornography, the educational disadvantaged, and crime and justice.

(partial) The Historical and Theoretical Background to the Debate on the Mass Media and Social Problems: Introduction. Three models of mass communications research. Important concepts in mass communications theory. Psychological theory in mass communications research. The Mass Media and Conflict in Society: The mass media and crises. The Mass Media and the Treatment of Minority Groups: Race and the mass media. Sexism and the mass media. Sex, Violence, Crime and Justice: Violence and the mass media. Sex, eroticism and pornography. Crime and the mass media. The courts and the newsmedia. The Mass Media and the Social Services: Education, Health and Welfare: Education and the mass media: compensating for the educational disadvantaged. Health, ill health and mass media. The mass media and welfare.