http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/mass-communication Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sat, 13 Jun 2026 11:06:07 -0400 Sat, 13 Jun 2026 11:06:07 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1248/weight-of-evidence-reporting-pragmatic-optimism-or-a-bad-idea By Alexander E. Hopkins - While some believe that scientists should communicate their research apolitically in research journals, others believe that scientists should communicate to the media in order to bring awareness to their research topic. As a compromise to these two views, Professor Sharon Dunwoody proposed "weight of evidence" reporting to bridge this gap between the objectivity of science and the subjectivity of the media. The goal of weight of evidence reporting is to create highly pragmatic media consumers that will be allowed to arrive at scientifically-sound, objective conclusions based upon data. However... Thu, 22 Oct 2015 10:40 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1248/weight-of-evidence-reporting-pragmatic-optimism-or-a-bad-idea http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1104/effects-of-the-spiral-of-silence-in-digital-media By Alexander E. Hopkins - Since its introduction by German-born Political Scientist Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974, the Spiral of Silence theory has become one of the most-researched communication theories that explains public opinion formation in a media environment (McDonald, Glynn, Kim, & Ostman, 2001, p. 139). The Spiral of Silence attempts to explain how media consumption, interaction among key groups, and opinion expression all interact to form opinions in society. Over time, a "spiraling" effect will occur, in which a dominant opinion becomes more visible over one or more minority opinions. When initially... Fri, 04 Sep 2015 08:02 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1104/effects-of-the-spiral-of-silence-in-digital-media http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1051/media-discourse-during-the-financial-crisis-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-of-the-contemporary-fourth-estate By Shaun Docherty - The concept of a “fourth estate” was first articulated by John Declare, editor of The Times in an article published in 1853. He believed the press had a crucial role to play in British society’s transformation into a representative liberal democracy by holding the state to account and by “seek[ing] out the truth, above all things.”[2] This basic premise has been developed by liberal democracy theorists like Noberto Bobbio who have defined the modern media’s pivotal role in a functioning, inclusive democracy. Today, the media’s role in a democratic society... Fri, 19 Jun 2015 09:26 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1051/media-discourse-during-the-financial-crisis-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-of-the-contemporary-fourth-estate http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/693/the-role-and-impact-of-the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-taking-satire-seriously-on-a-daily-show-basis By Matthew E. Popkin - This paper analyzes the show’s major aspects that have developed over the course of the program’s existence which serve as checks on the democratic process. The paper first looks broadly at the news media, critiquing the networks generally and then focusing on the three major cable news networks. Specific critiques of the roles and responsibilities of the news media follow. Analysis shifts to The Daily Show interviews and the discourse that they foster. The last major section examines the show’s ability to reveal the hypocrisy and lack of transparency of the political process... Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/693/the-role-and-impact-of-the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-taking-satire-seriously-on-a-daily-show-basis