ncerns of Chapter 3.
The authors observe that while many media studies discuss content, they do not directly study it, preferring to "look at the time spent with television as opposed to other activities, the number of newspapers read, and so on" (p. 28). This type of behaviorist approach links media and behavior, focusing more on use than content. The argument of Shoemaker and Reese is that media content must be studied in relation to other sources of social reality. In Chapter 4, "Patterns of Media Content," the authors review studies that show patterns that relate to social reality and social change. They emphasize that their purpose is to focus on studying "messages in the mass media, and particularly in the major mass media: television newspapers, and magazines" (p. 41).
In Chapter 4, Shoemaker and Reese examine studies of media content in order to find patterns of content. They discuss several areas that cause problems for the news media. These include political bias, behaviors depicted such as the stereotyping of social deviants, gender discrim
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