ABSTRACT
Everyone recognizes that the mass media’s power extends beyond the mere transmittal of information. Their power (and some of their mystery) also derives from their ability to elicit emotions. Eliciting emotions often paves the way for action. We recognize the importance of this process at a common-sense level. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, for example, gained much support and momentum from the publication of emotionally provocative photographs and accounts of the brutalities at Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. Press coverage helped shape public action, leading to subsequent civil rights reforms. The Vietnam War—“the first mass media war”—offers another good example. The pervasive newspaper stories and television accounts of daily battle scenes were important influences at all stages of the war, for both its supporters and detractors. More recently, press coverage of the rioting in South Africa is seen as an important influence on U.S. policy.
