The Republican presidential and vice presidential candidates edged out the Democratic candidates in photographic coverage in Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report in this study of 1988 campaign coverage. The study covered the fall campaign and measured 15 attributes of photographs (in addition to the sheer numbers), such as camera angle, whether or not the candidate was smiling or frowning, active or passive, and the manner of dress. The study found evidence that editors attempted to balance coverage between both parties. The Republican edge was not large.

Negative stereotypes not only affect how older people feel about themselves, but also how younger people feel about old age and their prospect of growing old. The research reported in this paper has examined the negative and potentially harmful stereotypes of older people portrayed in magazine advertisements in the United States, as perceived by groups of older and young people. Q-methodology sorts of 40 advertisements with negative images of older people, along with personal interviews, were used to probe older people's and college student's feelings and attitudes about the images. The subjects were placed in four categories: ‘moralists’, ‘objectors’, ‘ageing moralists’ and ‘resentfuls’. Regardless of whether stereotypes were used, the older people liked the advertisements that showed them as being clever, vibrant and having a sense of humour. Neither the older people nor the students liked advertisements that ridiculed or poked fun at older people, or presented them as being out of touch with reality and unattractive. Both groups rated the stereotypes dealing with the real problems associated with ageing as inoffensive. The comparison of the two age groups showed a strong consensus about which images were acceptable and which offensive.

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Q Methodology was used to recast the Mass Communication Writing Apprehension Measure (MCWAM) created in 1988 and 1992 studies of students. Objectives included assessing the multidimensionality of the MCWAM and the nature of positive and negative attitudes toward writing. Using a pretest, posttest approach, this study produced indepth information on two factors of students: OptimistslProfessionals and DoubterslPessimists. After a sixteen-week semester, the OptimistslProfessionals remained very positive about writing and the relevance of writing skills. By contrast, the DoubterslPessimists grew even more negative toward the writing experience.The confidence critical to long-term success as a writer is often lacking in an introductory journalism or media writing classroom. Phillips was one of the first to suggest that an individual is apprehensive when his "anxiety about communication outweighs his projection of gain from the situation."' Writing apprehension among students in a media writing course may result in fear, frustration, and ongoing anxiety about the skills required in chosen careers. Although nervousness at the outset of a writing assignment may be expected, an enduring negative attitude may block student progress. The more writing instructors can learn about students' individual attitudes toward writing, especially at the outset of a course, the more opportunities the instructor may have to address anxiety issues and implement personalized strategies that could help students gain much-needed confidence in their writing abilities.Communication researchers have been concerned about the effect of anxiety or apprehension on human communication, notably since the 1960s. Over time they concluded that communication anxiety affects a large proportion of the general population. Composition teachers and, subsequently, media writing teachers have explored the effect of this phenomenon on writing students. As part of this exploration, reMark N. Popovich is a professor and Mark H. Mass6 is an associate professor in the J 6 M C Quarterly

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