DOWN TO BUSINESS: THE COMMODIFICATION OF NONPROFIT SOCIAL SERVICES

Private nonprofit organizations play a major role in delivering a range of publicly funded social services. Aggregate data from a recent Urban Institute study reveal that recent federal cutbacks have affected the services, programs and clients of NPOs. An examination of specific agencies in Maricopa County (Phoenix) reveals that many service providers have adopted a business approach to their services and clients, treating them as commodities. In general, agencies serving clients with Resource Mobilization Potential-youth and elderly-have fared better than those dealing primarily with poor adults.     

A Review of: “Media Democracy: How the Media Colonize Politics,by Thomas Meyer with Lew Hinchman”

This study assesses the importance of paid advertising. Drawing from observations and interviews with ad creators and campaign managers, it describes, analyzes, and evaluates what the candidates did and why in the 1992 New Hampshire presidential primary election. Specifically, the study examines the importance of initial ads, consistency in ads, and the use of negative ads. It demonstrates that candidates flooded the airwaves with 30‐second ads, spending well in excess of overall spending limits on advertising alone. Ad innovations in 1992 were as follows: heavy New Hampshire and Boston time buying, an attack strategy against an incumbent president, an informercial to raise money, distributed videotapes, interactive video appeals, and half‐hour programs. Candidates who advertised early and stayed consistent in their imagery did better than candidates who advertised later and created multiple images and varied ads.     

The Mass Media, Crime and Terrorism

The mass media play a large role in the public perception andacceptance of criminal behaviour by the United States of America.Public acceptance of illegal actions by the US government inthe Iraq War, as well as steps taken to combat terrorism, havebeen influenced by entertainment media content and media logicabout crime and fear. The focus of the article is on the culturaland mass communication contexts that have promoted fear of crimeon the one hand, while also justifying illegal state actionsto combat crime — and now terrorism — on the other.Propaganda and news management (e.g. the military-media complexand the failure of journalism) contribute to a discourse offear and symbolic negation of the ‘other’ —as criminal or terrorist — and, in the process, valorizecriminal conduct as necessary and heroic.