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Analyzing media messages

by Daniel Riffe

Content analysis has been used in mass communication and in other fields to describe content and to test theory-derived hypotheses. The variety of applications may be limited only by the analyst's imagination, theory, and resources. Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research is designed to serve as a primer in the technique of systematic, quantitative analysis of communication content. The research examples included here illustrate both recent and classic applications of quantitative content analysis. The authors address such fundamental questions as sample size and technique, measurement, and reliability, and consider each factor in detail. With this volume, they offer a comprehensive as well as comprehensible guide for scholars and students doing research in mass communication and throughout the social and behavioral science disciplines.