Websites

Students of mass communication will find a great deal of useful information on the Web. Bear in mind, however, that most websites are created and posted without first being evaluated by an expert (or team of experts) in the field. So please be careful—websites can vary in quality and reliability. Fortunately there are guides available to help you choose. One excellent guide is Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask, a site created and maintained by Joe Barker at the University of California-Berkeley Library: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html.

The following is a selection of reputable websites used by students of mass communication:

Government sites :

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Home Page

http://www.fcc.gov
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the following communication-related areas: radio and television broadcasting; telegraph, and cable television operation; two-way radio and radio operators; and satellite communication.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) Home Page

http://www.fec.gov
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the United States government with duties comprising the disclosure of campaign finance information, enforcement of limits and prohibitions on political contributions for federal elections and oversight of the public funding of presidential elections.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Home Page

http://www.ftc.gov
The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) primary functions include the administration and enforcement of various federal antitrust and consumer protection laws.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)

http://www.ntia.doc.gov
"The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the Executive Branch's principal voice on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues."

Department of State International Information Programs (IIP)

http://usinfo.state.gov
The Office of International Information Programs (IIP) "designs, develops, and implements" Internet and print publications, speaker programs and a variety of other information resource services. These initiatives are designed specifically for "key international audiences, such as the media, government officials, opinion leaders, and the general public" in countries throughout the world.

Scholarly Associations and Organizations:

American Communication Association (ACA)

http://www.americancomm.org
The American Communication Association (ACA) promotes "... academic and professional research, criticism, teaching, practical use, and exchange of principles and theories of human communication" (About ACA, http://www.uark.edu/~aca/aboutaca.html). 

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)

http://www.aejmc.org/
"The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a non-profit, educational association of journalism and mass communication faculty, administrators, students and media professionals. Founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1912, AEJMC has some 3,500 members around the world" (AEJMC Home page).

International Communication Association (ICA)

http://www.icahdq.org/
Founded in 1950, the ICA's membership includes scholars, government officials and other individuals from around the world who share an interest in the study of human communication.

National Communication Association (NCA) 

Note: Until 1997, known as Speech Association of America

http://www.natcom.org
Founded in 1914, The National Communication Association (NCA) is the is the oldest and largest national organization to promote communication scholarship and education. The purpose of the Association is to promote study, criticism, research, teaching, and application of the artistic, humanistic, and scientific principles of communication.

Trade Associations and Organizations

National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)

http://www.nab.org/
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a trade association of the radio and television industries. The Association represents these industries before Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and various other federal agencies.

National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA)

http://www.ncta.com/
"The National Cable and Telecommunications Association, formerly the National Cable Television Association, is the principal trade association of the cable television industry in the United States. Founded in 1952, NCTA's primary mission is to provide its members with a strong national presence by providing a single, unified voice on issues affecting the cable and telecommunications industry" (About NCTA, http://www.ncta.com/aboutus/).

Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)

http://www.riaa.com
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade association representing the United States recording industry. The Association's stated mission is "to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members' creative and financial vitality."

Guilds and Foundations:

Screen Actors Guild (SAG)

http://www.sag.org
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) represents film and television performers.

Benton Foundation

http://www.benton.org
The Benton Foundation works "... to articulate a public interest vision for the digital age and to demonstrate the value of communications for solving social problems. Through its projects, the foundation bridges the worlds of philanthropy, public policy and community action to promote the use of digital media to engage, equip and connect people for social change" (About Benton, http://www.benton.org/About/foundation.html).

Other websites of interest:

American Communication Association Communication Studies Center

http://www.uark.edu/~aca/acastudiescenter.html
This site offers "... an annotated collection of communication-related hyperlinks organized by subfields within the communication discipline" (Source: Communication Studies Center homepage).

American Film Institute

http://www.afi.com

Collection Finder: American Memory From the Library of Congress

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/papr/mpixhome.html
Provides digitized versions of documents, maps, motion pictures, photos & prints, and sound recordings ranging from the 1400s to today. Collections are variously arranged by broad topics (e.g., agriculture, history, performing arts), time, place (e.g., Northeast U.S., international), Library of Congress library division, and digital format (e.g., JPEG, SGML, etc.).

Films Selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, 1989-2002
http://lcweb.loc.gov/film/titles.html

Finding Data on the Internet

http://www.robertniles.com/data/

A handy page for beginning journalists. Provides links to US government and other Web sites other offering data on topics including agriculture, crime, economics, education, health, law and politics, the military and more.

Media and Communication Studies Site (MCS)