A network of educators, students, health professionals, journalists, media-makers, parents, activists, and other citizens joined as a member-supported, independent, non-profit continental educational coalition.
The AEJMC exists to promote the highest possible standards for education in journalism and mass communication. It encourages the widest possible range of communication research, the implementation of a multicultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and the defense and maintenance of freedom of expression in day-to-day living.
AoIR is an international academic organization dedicated to interdisciplinary studies of the internet. In addition to the annual AoIR conference, its mailing list provides a venue for its more than 2,000 subscribers to discuss the latest trends and issues in internet research. The AoIR Guide to Ethical Online Research is available online at www.aoir.org/reports/ethics.pdf
The AU Election map is designed to highlight the campaign work, advocacy, research and analysis of students, faculty, and alumni at the local, state, and national level.
This site is aimed at DIY (do it yourself) music artists and independent labels. It is a primer about the recording business, with acerbic comments about the big record companies.
Broadcasting and Cable covers “the business of television,” including local and national broadcast and cable developments. The website also includes information about industry events and conferences.
According to its mission statement, the Center for Digital Democracy is “committed to preserving the openness and diversity of the Internet in the broadband era, and to realizing the full potential of digital communications through the development and encouragement of noncommercial, public interest programming.”
A pioneer in its field, the Center for Media Literacy is a non-profit educational organization that provides leadership, public education, professional development, and educational resources nationally.
The CMPA is a non-partisan and non-profit research and educational organization that conducts scientific studies of news and entertainment media. The CMPA has emerged as a unique institution that bridges the gap between academic research and the broader domains of media and public policy.
Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film
The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film conducts and reports regular research about the status of women in film and television, both in front and behind the camera.
Chronicling America, a project of the Library of Congress and National Endowment for the Humanities, represents a “long-term effort to develop an Internet-based, searchable database of U.S. newspapers with descriptive information and select digitization of historic pages.” The site allows users to find out which libraries hold what newspapers and in what form — original or microfilm. Users can also see digitized versions of front pages of newspapers, for example the New York Sun, going back more than one hundred years.
Columbia Journalism Review's mission is to encourage and stimulate excellence in journalism in the service of a free society. It is both a watchdog and a friend of the press in all its forms, from newspapers to magazines to radio, television, and the Web.
Court Decisions Regarding Freedom of Speech in the U.S.
Critical Studies in Media Communication provides a home for scholarship in media and mass communication from a cultural studies and critical perspective. It particularly welcomes cross-disciplinary work that enriches debates among various disciplines, critical traditions, methodological and analytical approaches, and theoretical standpoints.
The Council “is focused on promoting the growth and vitality of this dynamic marketing discipline.” Its website includes an explanation of custom publishing, profiles of custom publishers, and research, case studies and how-to articles that explain and promote this type of magazine publishing.
DiGRA publishes original research on games for academics and professionals. The organization hosts a bi-annual conference for the international digital games research community.
This is one of the three key labor unions for theatrical movies made in the U.S. The union's website presents news about and for their members, as well as insight into critical aspects of the movie business.
Editor and Publisher is a 116-year-old magazine covering the newspaper industry in North America. This site provides detailed economic and demographic profiles of, and links to, newspaper markets in the U.S. and Canada.
Founded in 1990, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit advocacy group with the stated aim of championing “the public interest in every critical battle affecting digital rights.”
ESA, the trade association for the computer and video game industry in the U.S., regularly posts press releases, research, statistics, and industry sales reports on its website.
Free Press is a national, non-partisan organization working to reform the media. Through education, organizing, and advocacy, it promotes diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications.
Folio is the major trade magazine of the magazine publishing industry. On the website users can read magazine articles and a newsletter, learn about industry events, and browse through a directory of companies, from list brokers to publishing technology firms, which supply the industry with the resources needed to carry out its business.
Gamasutra is a website aimed at game developers that posts regularly updated news, features, and job postings for the computer and video game industry. Owned by CMP Media, it is the companion website publication to the magazine Game Developer.
Tim Dirks has put together a fascinating and useful website that moves across film history by decade. The site also includes “Quotes,” “Genre,” and “Reference” sections.
The Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising and Marketing History
This organization focuses on the marketing aspects of the news media business, with perspectives reflecting its diverse membership, representing 70 countries. Its website contains useful papers and conference reports reflecting changes in the ways news media are trying to increase circulation and advertising.
This is the website for publishers of magazines such as Vermont Life and Oklahoma Magazine, which are aimed at particular geographic areas. It includes a reference area with links to useful sites that are relevant to all sorts of magazines.
The Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, published quarterly, is the scholarly journal of the Broadcast Education Association. Considered one of the leading publications in the communication field, the Journal contains timely articles about new developments, trends, and research in electronic media written by academicians, researchers, and other electronic media professionals.
The Journal of Communication is the flagship journal of the International Communication Association and an essential publication for all communication specialists and policy-makers. The Journal of Communication concentrates on communication research, practice, policy, and theory, bringing to its readers the latest, broadest, and most important findings in the field of communication studies.
The Journal of Mass Media Ethics explores ethical problems and topics in the various areas of mass communication. It emphasizes materials that deal with principles and reasoning in ethics, rather than “anecdotes, orthodoxy, dogma and enforcement of codes.”
Established in 1919, the MPA calls itself the industry association for consumer magazines. It is a strong advocate for magazines to advertisers and the government. The website reflects these roles in addition to having sections about magazine careers, magazine retailing, and other aspects of the industry. The site also hosts the American Association of Magazine Editors.
The Media & Advertising section of The New York Times offersnews and commentary about the changing media industries, ranging from technologies to legislation.
The Media Education Foundation produces and distributes documentary films and other educational resources to inspire critical reflection on the social, political, and cultural impact of U.S. mass media.
Media Effects Research Lab at Pennsylvania State University
The Media Effects Research Laboratory at the College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University is a facility dedicated to conducting empirical research on the psychological effects of media content, form, and technology. Several experimental studies involving hundreds of subjects have been conducted in the Lab since its opening in 1997.
The Media History Digital Library brings together magazines and other periodicals available in the public domain by digitizing them and putting them online.
Based at the University of California Santa Barbara, The Media Industries Project brings together media industries, academics, and the public around issues of digital distribution, labor, and globalizations.
The MPAA (together with its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association) “serve as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries, domestically through the MPAA and internationally through the MPA.” The site contains much interesting data about the performance of the industry in the U.S. and abroad. It also presents the association's positions on piracy, film ratings, and U.S. movies internationally.
This is an online overview of important figures and events in the history of public relations. It includes a video of Edward Bernays reflecting on his career and on the public relations profession.
The NAA is a “nonprofit organization representing the $55 billion newspaper industry,” whose members “account for nearly 90 percent of the daily circulation in the United States and a wide range of nondaily U.S. newspapers.” This site is a good portal into the mainstream U.S. newspaper business. Various areas cover advertising, circulation, electronic publishing, diversity, and other aspects of the newspaper business.
One of the Big Three agency holding companies, Omnicom has a website that illustrates the astonishing breadth of advertising, public relations, and other marketing communications firms that such conglomerates own. The site includes case studies and a map of the firm's offices around the world.
Housed at the New America Foundation, the Open Technology Institute conducts technology policy research in areas including privacy and security, broadband access, and net neutrality.
Based in New York and Los Angeles, The Paley Center regularly hosts conversations with key figures in news and entertainment, as well as holds almost 150,000 programs in its collections.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project conducts extensive research into the ways the Internet and related technologies have impact on the lives of Americans of all ages.
Based in New York City, the PRSA calls itself the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. This website presents an overview of the association's activities, with areas dedicated to jobs, networking, professional development, and publications.
As its website says, “the RIAA works to protect intellectual property rights worldwide and the First Amendment rights of artists; conducts consumer, industry and technical research; and monitors and reviews state and federal laws, regulations and policies. The RIAA also certifies Gold, Platinum, Multi-Platinum, and Diamond sales awards, as well as Los Premios De Oro y Platino, an award celebrating Latin music sales.” The website reflects these activities as well as presents statistics about record industry revenues.
Based in Arlington, Virginia, RCFP is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free legal help to journalists and news organizations since 1970.
Rounder is now one of the biggest independent record labels in the U.S., with several specialized subsidiary labels. It was founded in 1970 by three university students. The website is a showcase for its activities, which center on U.S. roots music, such as bluegrass.
Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
This is one of the key labor unions for theatrical movies made in the U.S. The union's website presents news about and for their members, as well as insight into critical aspects of the movie business.
More than a century old, the Society for Professional Journalists provides a vision, mission, and support for those working in journalism or seeking to join the profession. SPJ offers resources and insights into journalism’s biggest challenges, including the changes brought on by convergence technologies.
An interesting site of one of the Big Four recording firms. It has information about its labels, artists, and executives, its approach to copy protection and royalties, and a “parental guide.”
University of Iowa's List of Internet Resources on Media Law
The Vanderbilt Television News Archive collects and preserves news broadcasts from multiple channels and makes them available for viewing. The archive’s records date to 1968.
This legendary show business magazine provides coverage of the movie industry and television programming, including reviews. Many aspects of the site are open to subscribers only, but visitors can get a flavor of the topics they cover; colleges may have a password for students.
This is one of the three key labor unions for theatrical movies made in the U.S. The union's website presents news about and for their members, as well as insight into critical aspects of the movie business.