Page 43 - Historical Dictionary of Political Communication in the United States
P. 43
32
CULTIVATION
any effect at all, it raises concerns about what television is injecting into our
minds.
Some recent studies also have made the obvious point that a cultivation effect
for any individual depends on what television programs that person watches.
The concept is important in political communication to the extent that the
cultivation that occurs relates to political issues. The obvious example is crime,
which has been an effective political issue for years. Yet, study after study shows
that the public overestimates the extent of crime. The media—both print and
broadcast—must share some of the blame for this.
SOURCE: Werner J. Severin and James W. Tankard, Jr., Communication Theories,
fourth edition, 1997.
Guido H. Stempel III
