Based on uncertainty reduction theory, this paper argues that individuals were motivated to seek information and learn about the September 11 terrorist attacks to reduce uncertainty about what happened. Results from a panel survey indicate that negative emotional response was a strong predictor of efforts to learn. Analyses also show that relative increases in newspaper, television, and Internet use from Wave 1 to Wave 2 were positively related to efforts to learn about the attacks. The findings extend uncertainty reduction theory to the mass media context thereby contributing to our understanding of uses and gratifications.

Research shows that news coverage of protest groups that challenge the status quo treats them relatively critically. To develop a more precise understanding of such coverage, this study content analyzes an international set of newspapers ( N = 220) to explore the relationships between a protest group’s goals and tactics on resulting news coverage. The findings indicate that a group’s tactics—more than its goals—play a substantial role in affecting coverage. Furthermore, the findings also show that the protest issue and location indirectly affect coverage through their relationship to a group’s tactics. Implications for journalists and protesters alike are discussed.

This paper examines newspaper coverage of protests from 1960 to 1999. Initial findings indicated protests received consistent levels of support over that time. In light of this, we expected little change in the extent to which these protests challenged the status quo. However, there was a steady decline, with protest coverage becoming less deviant throughout this study. Further analyses suggest disparities in coverage of different protest-types were apparent during the Vietnam War. The most drastic change in treatment of different protest-types was directly after the height of the anti-war movement followed by gradual change thereafter.

This article addresses whether current methods of measurement are sufficient to reflect all nuances of the third-person effect. We do so by content analyzing all major third-person effect (3PE) articles, assessing measurement and analysis approaches employed by 3PE researchers. We revisit data from two published studies, comparing analytical models that emerged as commonly used by 3PE researchers (i.e., the standard subtractive measure, Whitt's Diamond model, first-and third-person estimates entered separately, and the subtractive measure with self-estimates as a control). Ultimately our analysis helps us Mike Schmierbach (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin) is an assistant professor of media studies in the College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University. His research interests include investigating the role media play in prompting issue interest and engagement and exploring the effects of non-narrative aspects of video games, particularly multiplayer elements. Michael P. Boyle (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison) is an assistant professor in Communication Studies at West Chester University. His research interests include news treatment of social protest and effects of news content on issue interest and political participation. Douglas M. McLeod 492understand past research and makes suggestions for research approaches in the future. First, researchers need to more carefully explore the role of firstand third-person perceptions in the behavioral hypothesis. Second, using only one analytical model does not tell the complete story. To that end, we propose a multimodel approach to analyses in third-person research be applied to extant and future work in this area.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the third-person perception, but many aspects of its origin and consequences remain unaddressed. In this study, we examine how potential positive and negative video game effects are perceived differently based on the extent to which respondents actually play video games. Although video games exhibit clear third-person perceptions and subsequent support for censorship, these patterns are greatly diminished for heavy players.