True Enough & Media Effects

“Scholars call this force “media fragmentation”… the way that information—broadly, everything you know about the world—was once disseminated by handful of organizations but has lately been cracking up. Today, people can get the news from all directions” (14).

“The Swift Boat controversy over whether Kerry truly did earn his medals, then, can be seen as a fight over two competing versions of Reality. In essence, the ads were asking us to look at history—the histroy of Kerry’s time in Vietnam—and to decide which reality actually occurred” (21).

Who are the Swift Boat Veterans?

Other examples of “reality splitting”

What are the effects of this type of media (don’t be cynical…) What are the effects of this type of media (don’t be cynical…)? What are the responses by the public to this media? Is this ethical? Is it Right?

The 5 A’s of Media Literacy

"In a free and open society, there is a tremendous amount of information--the question is how to make sense of it…It is also clear that [an understanding of] journalistic practices--the way journalists write, the way they present news--is drifting away from young people and therefore from American society." (Kalb, from Tugend, AJR, March 2003

Access Awareness Assessment Appreciation Action 5 A’s of Media Literacy Access Awareness Assessment Appreciation Action

The 5 A’s serve as a guide for understanding the skills and awareness necessary to properly understanding media’s roles and responsibilities in democratic society

5 A’s for Media Literate Citizenship ACCESS to media AWARENESS of media’s power ASSESSMENT of how media portray events and issues APPRECIATION for the role media play in creating civil societies ACTION to encourage better communication across cultural, social and political divides.

ACCESS Who has access to this information? Are there any barriers to entry? How participatory is the information/media? Are there Hi-Fi/Lo-Fi versions of the information? Participation Gap Digital Divide

Access: Digital Divide “The term digital divide refers to the gap between those people with effective access to digital and information technology, and those without access to it. It includes the imbalances in physical access to technology, as well as the imbalances in resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen.” (wikipedia, 2007)

New Media Technologies connected Cultural involvement economic opportunity E-life infrastructure Virtual community Access to local/global information Rural Isolated Lack of opportunity Lack of funding Lack of infrastructure Lack of e-knowledge The Digital Divide increased decreased ICT Infrastructure

Access: Participation Gap Digital immigrants vs. Digital Natives Like many of you, I’m a digital immigrant. I wasn’t weaned on the web, nor coddled on a computer. Instead, I grew up in a highly centralized world where news and information were tightly controlled by a few proprietors, who deemed to tell us what we could and should know. My two young daughters, on the other hand, will be digital natives…. We need to realize that the next generation of people accessing news and information, whether from newspapers or any other source, have a different set of expectations about the kind of news they will get, including when and how they will get it, where they will get it from, and who they will get it from. Rupert Murdoch, 2005

AWARENESS What is the meaning of this information in larger social & civic contexts? What are the main issues of credibility, neutrality, and authenticity? What are the main issues in the information presented? What are the underlying assertions? How are the stories being told? And by whom?

They manipulate…

Then we manipulate their manipulation…

ASSESSMENT Who is the intended audience? What’s are symbols? What are hidden messages? From what angle is the story being told? What’s the emotional appeal? Who is speaking, delivering the message? What is omitted from the message?

Assessment: Newsworthiness The Inverted Pyramid

How does the media determine what is newsworthy? Timeliness Prominence Proximity Significance Currency Controversy Uniqueness Emotional Appeal

APPRECIATION In what ways are media beneficial avenues for new citizenship? What are the civic implications of the information? How does a greater understanding of the complex but necessary role of this information allow for a greater understanding of its purpose? How diverse and independent is the information?

Appreciation: Diversity A different kind, form, character, etc.; unlike: a wide range of diverse opinions. Of various kinds or forms; multiform. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diverse

Do the Media Reflect US Diversity? Not very well… Take Primetime TV: Today 40 percent of American youth ages 19 and under are children of color, yet very few of the youth on television reflect that diversity. Similarly, although there are more women in the US than men, primetime TV presents a universe that is overwhelmingly male.

Do the Media Reflect US Diversity? What are the ramifications? TV tells stories and shows images that shape the worldview of millions. When certain groups are privileged and others are excluded, messages are sent that these groups are valued differently by society….and this, in turn, can affect how viewers feel about themselves and others.

TV Stats… Every year Children Now conducts a study on primetime TV. In 2004 they found: Racial diversity of total primetime characters: White 73 % African-American 16% Latino 6.5% Asian/Pacific Islander 3% Arab/Middle Eastern 0.5% Indian/Pakistani 0.4% Other 0.7%

Action How is this information produced? By Whom? What does this form of media production do for the scope, content, and shape of the information? What new opportunities does this production allow for? What restrictions? How participatory is the information? Is there room for dialogue?

Action: The Civic Voice

5 A’s for Media Literate Citizenship ACCESS to media AWARENESS of media’s power ASSESSMENT of how media portray events and issues APPRECIATION for the role media play in creating civil societies ACTION to encourage better communication across cultural, social and political divides.