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+ Group Chat The news media are independent, socially responsible watchdogs that look out for the public interest. The media create and shape public opinion about issues rather than simply report on them. People don’t really want to know the “truth” about what is going on in the world because it may disrupt their lives. Media can be an effective force for change.

+ Class survey In the last 24 hours, how many of you have… Watched TV? Listened to the radio? Watched the news? Been on Facebook? Twitter? Tumblr? Read a news article? Seen an advertisement? Today, we’re exposed to more than 5,000 ads a day compared to 500 in the 1970s!

+ Media: A Critical View Media and the Study of World Issues Ms. Percy

+ Agenda: Identifying types of media Media bias Steps for critical media analysis Detect and compare

+ What is Mass Media? Mass media refers to all the various forms of communication used to reach a large population (region or country). Mass media also refers to the organizations, companies and/or individuals that own the media outlets. Mainstream media refer to the media that is distributed by the largest – most popular- media outlets Alternative media refer to media that present an alternative to mainstream media (content or modes of distribution) Print media: newspapers, articles, books, pamphlets Broadcast media: radio, TV, film, music Digital media: internet – social networking sites, ads, websites Outdoor/External media: billboards, posters, blimps

+ Media and the study of world issues Mass media functions as the main, albeit not the only, source of information about world issues Globalization of media has created a border-less world in terms of sharing information in real time Internet – contributed to the spread of democracy, wealth creation, technological advancements etc. Great benefits, but also great challenges TAKE 2 As individuals studying world issues, what challenges can arise from having such a huge amount of information available at our fingertips?

+ Bias review Prejudice in favor of or against one perspective, group, organization, thing, institution or individual Examples?

+ Six Main Types of News Media Bias: Gate-keeping Bias Declining to report on stories or keeping stories covered up Coverage Bias Reporting on only certain aspects of a story Coverage only focuses on one stakeholder in the story or one perspective

+ Types of Bias Mainstream Bias Reporting on stories that other media are reporting on, while ignoring others Sensationalism Bias Reporting on events that are unusual or rare, as if they are more common Often associated with entertainment value

+ Types of Bias: Advertising Bias Stories are covered- up, selected or modified to appease the advertisers Corporate Bias When the owners of the medium have an agenda they want to push

+ Detecting Bias…Take 2 Log on to Today’s Meet When analyzing issues in the media, we want to get as unbiased a perspective as possible. With this goal in mind, take 2 minutes and develop 2 questions at your table that you think we must always ask ourselves when analyzing issues in the media (news broadcast, news article, photograph, map etc.)

+ 10 Steps for effective critical analysis 1) Who is the author or creator? 2) What is the main message of the text? 3) What is its purpose (to inform, educate, persuade, entertain)? 4) What is the author’s socio-political position? 5) With what social, political and/or professional groups does the author identify with? 6) Does the author have anything to gain from delivering the message? 7) Who is paying for the delivery for the message and where does it appear? 8) What bias can you detect in the text? (consider the tone) 9) What data does the author/creator reference (facts, statistics, opinions)? 10) What overall conclusions can you draw from the text?

+ Facts and Opinions Facts Be critical of how they are used How was the data collected? Who collected it? Would someone else collecting it produce the same “facts” What facts were not given as evidence (what is omitted)? Opinions Not all opinions are useful People are not impartial All opinions are biased! Table Challenge Examine the stats you have on your placemat. Develop as many questions as you can that need to be asked in order to make the statistic relevant