Responding Intelligently When Would-be Censors Charge: "That Book Can Make Them.. !".

CENSORSHIP; MASS media; COMMUNICATION; EDUCATION; SCHOOL administrators; SCHOOL administration

School administrators and teachers need to recognize that most persons—including would-be censors of school-related media communications—simply do not understand the complexities germane to measuring the impact of the mass media and the specific messages transmitted to broader audiences via a variety of media channels. In particular, what most laypersons fear are the perceived negative short-term effects while they ignore the critically important question of long-term influence. The author argues that administrators and teachers have a responsibility to better inform themselves vis-à-vis media influence so that they are able to effectively respond to concerns of potential censors of school related materials. They need, in point of fact, to become educators in the broadest meaning of that word. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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