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Research Project - MEDIA IMAGES

 

NVCC Library Web Page: www.nvcc.edu/library

 

Assignment

Consider a combination of at least three magazines you read and television shows you watch on a regular basis.  Consider how at least one of the following groups is portrayed – women, homosexuals, African Americans, rap artists, teenagers, Christians, single men and/or women, married men and/or women, the elderly, single parents, multiculturalism and diversity.  In your opinion, is (are) the group(s) given fair treatment?  Support your opinion. 

 

Information that must be included: 

1        Identification of publishers of magazines and their other interests/investments

2        Identification of writers of television series

3        Description of audience publication or television show seeks to attract

4        Plot summary of television series

 

 

Finding Information

These are suggested strategies for finding the magazine and TV show information that you need for your research paper. Remember, you probably won’t find everything you need in one place!

 

Magazines

Step 1

  • From the Library web page, click on Magazines, Newspapers & Reference Databases.
  • Scroll down and click on Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Reference
  • Scroll down and choose Ulrich’s Periodical Directory
  • Under “Quick Search”, type in the exact title of your magazine and click Submit
  • Find your magazine on the list provided and click on it. (It may be hard to find the one you need).
  • There will be several tabs at the top of the page:

-     The Basic Description tab will tell you who the publisher is

-     The Advertising, Rights & Demographics tab will give you reader demographics or tell you who reads the magazine

-     The Reviews tab will give you a review of the magazine.

 

Step 2

  • On the Basic Description tab, highlight and copy the name of the publisher.
  • Go back to the Library web page and click on Magazines, Newspapers & Reference Databases
  • This time, scroll down to Business & Economics
  • Click on Business and Company Resource Center
  • In the box at the top, paste the name of the publisher and click Search
  • This can help you find information about the publisher and its other interests and investments.

 

TV Shows

An excellent World Wide Web resource for researching movies and television shows is the Internet Movie Database.

  • Visit the Internet Move Database at www.imdb.com
  • On the left under “Search the IMDb”, type in the name of your TV show and click GO>
  • Look at the menu on the left.

-         Click on Full Cast & Crew to see a list of writers

-         External Reviews may give you some clues about who the show is trying to attract

-         Plot Summary will give a description of the show’s plot

 

Nielsen’s Ratings

http://www.nielsenmedia.com/ratings/top10_menu_page.html  Check here to find out the top-rated shows in broadcast, cable, syndication, and among African-Americans and Hispanics.

 

Last updated 1/20/06