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It is popularly believed that television violence and declining morality are important causes of crime. Nearly all of the research in this area, however, has centered attention on programs, both news and entertainment. Commercials have generally been neglected. The present study sought to remedy this oversight. Findings from a content analysis of 1,699 commercials show that only a very small percentage of commercials contain violence. The ndings also indicate that a low number of commercials exhibit behavior or attitudes that run contrary to conventional moral standards. It is theorized that although advertisers sponsor programs that feature violence or morally controversial themes, they do not wish to closely associate such content with the products or services they seek to sell.

Perceptions of and about the police have many sources, not the least of which is television. Given the fact that Americans are more likely to encounter television police rather than real police, researchers have examined how the police are depicted on television. For the most part, however, research has focused on entertainment crime and police programs. The present project, an exploratory study of television news stories about the police and policing, offers a supplementary focus. The sample consists of a 5-week content analysis of national, big city, and small town newscasts drawn from a rural cable television system. Findings suggest noteworthy differences between big city and small town television news coverage of the police, albeit limitations of the methodology.

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