Sociology and the Mass Media: Some Major Problems and Modest Proposals

A CASE HISTORY BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IS PRESENTED, OF EVENTS OCCURRING WHEN A SOCIOLOGICAL PAPER WAS DISSEMINATED THROUGH THE MASS MEDIA & THE SUBSEQUENT IMPACT ON THE AUTHOR & PROFESSION. THE CONTENT OF THE INITIAL JOURNALISTIC TREATMENT WAS PROCESSED BY SUCCESSIVE JOURNALISTS & FOLLOWED CLOSELY THE PROCESSING OF A RUMOR IN WHICH CERTAIN ASPECTS ARE SHARPENED. THE CONTENT WAS TREATED SO THAT THE BASIC IDEAS COULD BE MORE EASILY ASSIMILATED BY THE PUBLIC; THIS LED TO CONSIDERABLE DISTORTION. THE NORMALLY SLOW PROCESS OF SCIENTIFIC EVELUATION WAS ALTERED BY SOME ACCELERATION & AUGMENTATION; PRESS COVERAGE LED TO THE APPLICATION OF NORMS OTHER THAN THOSE SHARED BY THE SOCIAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES & TO SOME PREDISPOSITION BY OTHER SOCIOLOGISTS TO JUDGE THE PAPER AS PRESENTED IN THE MEDIA RATHER THAN IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM. MISREPRESENTATION WAS MADE OF THE NATURE & SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY AS A DISCIPLINE & PROFESSION; TO COMBAT THIS SOME INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS FOR ALTERING MEDIA IMPACT ARE PROPOSED. THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOC IS SUGGESTED AS THE MEANS TO: (1) PREPARE A 'HOW-TO' MANUAL FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE MEDIA, (2) DEVELOP A PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE TO PREPARE NEWS RELEASES, (3) REQUEST SELECTED AUTHORS TO PREPARE SHORT DESCRIPTIONS FOR NEWS RELEASES, (4) EMPLOY A CLIPPING ANALYZER TO DETECT &, WHERE POSSIBLE, CORRECT MEDIA MISSTATEMENTS, & (5) INVESTIGATE METHODS OF DISSEMINATING SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH THROUGH TV NEWS & DOCUMENTARIES. THESE SUGGESTIONS ARE NOT INTENDED TO CONTROL EITHER THE MEDIA OR INDIVIDUAL SOCIOLOGISTS. J. N. MAYER.