Degree Name

MA (Master of Arts)

Program

Criminal Justice and Criminology

Date of Award

5-2007

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Wayne Gillespie

Committee Members

Michael C. Braswell, Steven J. Ellwanger

Abstract

This research investigated the effects of the media on attitudes toward police and fear of crime, while controlling for selected audience trait variables. A self-report questionnaire was administered to 351 students at East Tennessee State University. The survey consisted of demographic and audience trait variables. The survey also contained items that measured the respondants' media consumption. Respondents were asked, for example, which format they typically get news from (e.g., newspaper, television), how often they watch television, and how real they perceive crime related television to be. Multivariate analysis showed that demographic and audience trait variables explained more variance than did media-related variables.

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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