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AbstractIncome‐based educational inequality is a global issue. In Australia, schools in the relatively large private sector charge a range of fees, with public schools also exhibiting considerable income differences. Using a nationally representative sample in the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes, we examined the public's fairness perceptions of income‐based educational inequality and how their fairness perceptions are related to self‐interest (particularly regarding social class) and ideological orientations. We found that people hold diverse views about the fairness of income‐based educational inequality and that the number of people who perceived it as unfair was almost double the number of those who perceived it as fair. Respondents categorised as upper/upper‐middle‐class were, however, more likely to perceive income‐based educational inequality as fair, while agreement with government responsibility for economic well‐being was associated with a negative view of income‐based educational inequality. Implications of these findings for the promotion of socially just and equitable education are discussed.

Abstract
Neoliberal educational reforms that emphasize market-based competition and individual responsibility have exacerbated socioeconomic segregation in the Australian school system, thereby putting underprivileged students at a greater disadvantage. This necessitates a renewed focus on educational equity. As the public's policy preferences are important in policymaking, it is essential to understand the factors that contribute to the public's attitudes toward equity-oriented educational policies. In this study, we investigated beliefs about collective responsibility as a contributing factor. An online survey of adults (N = 1,999) conducted in the most populous state in Australia revealed that people's beliefs about collective responsibility for socioeconomic achievement gaps positively predicted their support for public assistance to students and schools in need. Furthermore, people's appraisals of educational equity positively predicted their support for public assistance, partly due to its positive effects on those beliefs about collective responsibility. These results provide insight into ways to shape the public's attitudes toward equity-oriented educational policies.

Results from an experimental study show that the audience recall of AIDS PSAs is related to message appeal types, cultural identity, and gender. PSA messages with strong emotional appeals are better remembered by college students than the rational appeal messages. The U.S. viewers recall more of the AIDS prevention messages than the international participants. Results also show that college women recall more AIDS PSA messages than college men in general, and emotional AIDS message appeals in particular. The pattern indicates an exact reversal of differences between two message-appeal types for each gender.

This study of duplication and differentiation in local television news indicates that local producers show a preference for sensational stories that feature acts of sex and violence and are easy to explain. Local television news shows little differentiation in topical areas of these stories built of concrete fact, but it tends to differentiate more in soft news topics.

A comparison of US & South Korean (SK) newspaper coverage (in 4 US & 2 SK papers, 30 Nov-3 Dec) of the Nov 1987 crash of Korean Airlines flight 858 over the Thai-Burma border, both before & after evidence of North Korean (NK) terrorist involvement in the crash was uncovered, does support the notion that the press plays up or sensationalizes reports of terrorism with little or no evidence. Even though the US & SK press were aware of rumors of NK terrorist involvement in the crash, until evidence was available, they did not stress the terrorist angle or NK involvement. Also, SK public officials exercised at least a degree of "agenda control" in directing press coverage to stress NK involvement in the crash. 1 Table, 7 References. Modified HA

AbstractIn this study, we investigated people's perceptions about the causes (i.e. attributions) of underachievement among students experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage and their support for public assistance to those students. Results of an online survey conducted with Australian adults (N = 1999) revealed that people preferred societal attributions to individual attributions for underachievement among those students. The respondents' attributions, particularly societal attributions, significantly predicted their support for public assistance to students and schools in need. There were statistically significant differences between people with conservative and progressive political views in their attributions and support for public assistance. However, after taking people's attributions into account, their political views add little to the prediction of their support for public assistance. These findings have implications for the promotion of equity‐oriented educational policies.