Elihu Katz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elihu Katz
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Elihu Katz
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| Born | 21 May 1926 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Died | 31 December 2021 (aged 95) Jerusalem, Israel
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| Nationality | American and Israeli |
| Education | Columbia University (BA, MA, PhD) |
| Occupation | Sociologist and communication scientist |
Elihu Katz (born May 21, 1926 – died December 31, 2021) was an American-Israeli expert. He studied how people use media and what they get from it. He was a sociologist, which means he studied society. He was also a communication scientist, meaning he studied how people share information. He wrote many books and articles. People remember him as one of the main people who started regular television in Israel.
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About Elihu Katz
Elihu Katz was born in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1926. He finished high school in 1944. After that, he served in the Army for three years. He went to Columbia University and earned three degrees there.
Elihu Katz passed away in Jerusalem, Israel, in 2021. He was 95 years old. He was buried in the Har Hamenuhot Cemetery in Jerusalem.
His Work in Communication
Elihu Katz is famous for his work in mass communication. This is about how messages reach many people. He worked with another expert named Paul Lazarsfeld. Together, they created an important idea called the "two-step flow of communication."
Two-Step Flow of Communication
This idea suggests that media messages do not always go straight to everyone. Instead, they often go to certain people first. These people are called "opinion leaders." Opinion leaders are people who are very active in their community. They are also trusted by others. After opinion leaders get the message, they then share it with their friends and family. This is how information spreads in two steps.
Katz and Lazarsfeld wrote a book about this idea. It was called Personal Influence: The Part Played by People in the Flow of Mass Communication.
Other Important Studies
Elihu Katz also worked on other interesting topics. He studied how new ideas spread in society. For example, he looked at how doctors learned about new medical treatments. He also studied how TV shows like Dallas were understood in different countries. He wrote about "media events" too. These are big live broadcasts like royal weddings or Olympic Games.
Teaching and Research
Katz was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He also taught at the University of Chicago. He helped start the Department of Communication and Journalism at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This helped other universities in Israel begin studying media too.
Bringing Television to Israel
Elihu Katz played a big part in bringing television to Israel. He was the director of Israeli Television from 1967 to 1969. Today, this TV channel is known as KAN 11.
Awards and Honors
Elihu Katz received many awards for his important work.
- In 1989, he won the Israel Prize. This is a very important award in Israel for social sciences.
- In 2005, he received the Marshall Sklare Award. This award is for scholars who study Jewish life.
- He also won the UNESCO-Canada McLuhan Prize and the Burda Prize.
- Many universities gave him honorary degrees. These included Northwestern University and the University of Pennsylvania. He also received honors from universities in Paris, Rome, and other cities around the world.
- In 1999, he became a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is a group of very smart and important people.
See also
In Spanish: Elihu Katz para niños
- List of Israel Prize recipients
