Kim Bissell is the Director of the Institute for Communication and Information Research, and the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama, USA. She has published more than 30 research articles in peer reviewed journals and several book chapters. Her research interests include the intersection of media, health, and sport in the context of media effects and media messages.

Stephen D. Perry is the Editor of Mass Communication and Society, and is the Mass Media Coordinator and Professor at Illinois State University, USA. He is co-author of Communication Theories for Everyday Life (2003) and author of A Consolidated History of Media (2005), as well as many book chapters and research articles in peer-reviewed journals. His research interests include media effects on society, and media history.