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Adolescence is a key period in the development of individuals’ news habits, but little is known about the processes involved in the process of news media socialization. This study proposes an integrated model in which the influence of family communication on motivations and behaviors of adolescents in relation to news consumption occurs through the development of personality traits related to information processing (namely, need for cognition and need to evaluate). Structural equation modeling of data from a representative survey of 2,273 adolescents, aged 13 to 17, provide support for the theorized model, such that concept-oriented communication within families is associated to news exposure indirectly, via personality traits and motivations. Thus, the study provides an initial assessment of one way children are socialized to become news enthusiasts and news avoiders. It also provides empirical evidence that information-processing traits are influenced by family communication patterns, confirming what hitherto was theoretical speculation.

Scholars have observed the influence of online and offline media use on the promotion of political and civic engagement. Findings indicate a positive correlation between media use and participation. This study moves beyond such effect on participation. Using data from an original national US survey, this article explores the effects of News Platform Preference Scale -a construct that measures the contrast between online and traditional news use in a continuum -on participatory behaviours. Controlling for usual online and offline media use, results show that a preference for digital media has strong positive effects over political and civic participation, suggesting these media may indeed be different.

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The study is based on a multi-wave panel survey on media use, and political and social attitudes among 12-to 17-year-olds. The results show that African Americans were more likely than Whites to engage in civic activities, politically participate in online and offline settings, take part in political consumerism, talk about news, follow the news, and demonstrate overall interest in news. This suggests that race is a complex, influential characteristic affecting youth behavior.

Empirical and anecdotal evidence shows that the news media are male-dominated. This study updates the extant literature on women's representation in the op-ed pages of ten U.S. newspapers. A content analysis showed that female authors are moving beyond topics traditionally linked to females and are writing columns on topics such as politics and economy. However, they remain a minority, and, thus, women's voices have yet to gain more visibility in the world of opinion writing in U.S. journalism. Keywords print media, content analysis, gender, professional issuesOpinion pages illustrate an area of American journalism notorious for its lack of diversity. Deborah Howell of the Washington Post explained the problem simply when she wrote the opinion page is often "too male and too white." 1 Scholars offer various explanations for why women are not featured more on opinion pages, such as gender enculturation, by which women are raised to believe they are not qualified nor have the right to voice their opinions; the male-dominated culture of newsrooms, where women have traditionally been marginalized and offered fewer opportunities; and

In many countries, television newscasts are increasingly relying on personalization and emotion exacerbation in their news coverage, arguably as a means to attract audiences. Such features are prominent in Latin American cultural products based on melodrama, such as telenovelas. While often deemed to be bad journalism, there is mixed evidence on the impact of such news treatment on knowledge acquisition, especially with audiences more attuned to these formats. Based on an experiment in Chile, this study tests the effects of melodramatic coverage on viewers' recall and comprehension of news items. Results show that melodramatic treatment favors recall, but not comprehension of data included in the news reports. Comparisons across news treatment by gender, age group, and socio-economic status suggest that rather than overall differences, specific demographic groups are more affected by melodramatic news.

This study examines and compares discursive constructions and performance of gender in Sarah Palin's media portrayal during the first week of her nomination to the Republican vice-presidential candidacy. Using a discourse analysis of online video clips posted by 5 U.S. network news websites, the authors found a discourse rich with complexity in both Palin's gendered performance and the resulting discursive media (re)contextualization of Palin. Her gender performance serves as an example of how masculinity and femininity are performed in a complex blend and how Palin's ''masculinity'' is accepted and celebrated, while at the same time also firmly rooted in more traditional notions of femininity.