SliderA B C D E F G H IJKL M N O P R S T U VXYZWlawsuits, focusing on accusations of defama-
tion, invasion of privacy and interference with
business.
Julian Petley in an article ‘SLAPPS and Chills’
in Index on Censorship, 1 (1999), writes, ‘Th ese
cases ... are a form of strategic legal intimidation
or gamesmanship, designed to frighten, harass
and distract actual critics, and to discourage
potential ones from even voicing their views in
the fi rst place.’ Most cases do not reach court,
nor are they intended to.
However, for Helen Steel and Dave Morris,
distributors of a leafl et entitled ‘What’s Wrong
With McDonald’s?’ there was to be no escape
from libel proceedings. Their trial was the
longest in British history and took every penny
the defendants possessed (defendants are
ineligible for legal aid in defamation cases);
they squared up to a company that spends an
estimated US 2 billion a year on advertising (see
John Vidal’s McLibel: Burger Culture on Trial,
Macmillan, 1997).
In June 1997 it was revealed that a TV docu-
mentary made by Franny Armstrong, McLibel:
Two Worlds Collide, had been rejected by both
the BBC and Channel 4 because of the risk of libel
action. Existing, well-established programmes
such as the BBC’s Newsnight, Panorama and
Watchdog have stirred up choruses of protest
from multinationals such as British Aerospace,
Ford, Dixons, Hotpoint and Proctor and
Gamble. See censorship; mcdonaldization.
See also topic guides under media: freedom,
censorship; media issues & debates.
Sleeper eff ect Researchers into the responses
of audiences to messages have noted how these
responses can be delayed and only become
manifest some time after exposure. Th is is the
‘sleeper’ effect. See effects of the mass
media.
Slider Many experiments have been conducted
to investigate the eff ect of group pressure upon
the individual and the manner in which such
pressure manifests itself in the interpersonal
communication of the group. In a typical
experiment, one member of the group may take
on the role of slider, that is he/she will initially
disagree with the majority of the group on a
matter but is persuaded to agree with them. Th e
member of the group who takes on the role of
deviant, however, consistently disagrees with the
majority. Of those in the experimental situation,
some may be naïve, that is unaware of what is to
take place in the experiment, and some members
may be confederates, that is in league with the
experimenters.from attempting to dominate proceedings or,
in contrast, to check oneself from withdrawing
from what is going on.
S-IV-R model of communication Derives from
general theories of learning/communication,
where the relationship between stimulus (S) and
response (R) is regarded as providing the key to
both learning and communication. Actually it is
a teaching-orientated model rather than learner-
centred, and implies a predominantly one-way
traffic of information from teacher to pupil.
The IV stands for intervening variables
(ivs), those factors in the communication situ-
ation that help, hinder or modify the response
to the intended message. These variables are
innumerable: noise (technical or semantic),
lack of motivation or concentration, personal
problems and, very importantly, the infl uence of
other people – peer groups, friends, parents, etc.
See mediation; other; significant others.
See also topic guide under communication
models.
Slander A false or malicious report by spoken
word or by sign or gesture. In law, slander
may constitute defamation – of character or
reputation – and may be subject to heavy fi nes.
However, no legal aid is granted in the UK for
defamation cases. libel is the written or printed
equivalent of slander.
Slang Colloquial language whose words and
usages are not generally acceptable within
formal modes of expression. Th e word was not
used until about 1756. Prior to that it was called
cant, and referred to the secret language of the
underworld, of thieves and rogues; also termed
argot. Slang usually begins as in-group language,
then moves into popular use. For example, the
criminal world’s slang nouns for policemen
(coppers, rozzers, bluebottles, the fuzz), for
magistrates (beaks), for prison (stir time, bird,
porridge) and for youth (chaz, gothics) have
achieved broad currency.
Rhyming slang, associated with London
cockneys, uses slang words that rhyme with the
intended word. Th us ‘apples and pears’ means
stairs, ‘trouble and strife’ means wife. Th e point
of rhyming slang is to conceal the meaning of
the language used from unwanted listeners. See
colloquialism; dialect; jargon.
SLAPPS Strategic Lawsuits Against Public
Participation; a practice originating in the US
but spreading globally, in which big corporations
put legal frighteners on critics of their activities.
Wherever corporate interests – whether in
the environment, in foodstuff s, in publicizing
information – are deemed at risk, out come the