Instructions:
Please choose only ONE of the following Prompts to construct an essay around covering media literacy, censorship, propaganda, and construction of historical narratives.
The paper should be 4-6 pages (1,000 to 1,500 words), 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced, one-inch margins, properly cited in Chicago Style (Links to an external site.) (endnotes or footnotes- see the Censored book for examples). Please completely address all of the questions in whichever Prompt you choose. Again, this paper must be uploaded in Canvas (save in doc., .docx, .pdf, .rtf only).
When choosing the Prompt and writing the essay, remember to consider all of the readings/materials in the Discussion Area, including the Browne/Keeley, McIntrye, and Higdon texts, as well as all the Censored books, and films you watched (also linked online) for sources relating to this assignment. Once a Prompt is chosen, students can go back over relevant sources, as some of them will be more relevant than others for each respective Prompt. For example, for one of the Prompts, it will be useful to review information on the Propaganda Model; or for another, the work of Project Censored (see the Project films; any of Censored 2019 the foreword and intro, chapters 8 and 10; Censored 2020 the foreword, intro, chapters 1 through 4 as well as chapter 8 on Fake News (Links to an external site.); Censored 2021 foreword/intro, chapters 1-4). For yet another, McIntyre may be more useful (especially chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, 7); along with the Higdon text and examples from the Censored books and other readings that you may incorporate into your essay (accessed under Files in the Canvas menu and online at Project Censored (Links to an external site.) and the Top 25 (Links to an external site.) archives). Also, updates on Herman and Chomsky’s Propaganda Model in the digital age can be found by Christian Fuchs here (Links to an external site.) and by Rob Williams here (Links to an external site.).
Again, remember to consult all the readings/materials Posted in the Discussion Area for previous weeks to determine which are most relevant to the Prompt you choose. *In fact, some of the Prompts for this midterm essay are based on Prompts/Posts you may have already done, which means you can choose one of those and expand on work you have already begun developing if you like, you would just need to extend and present it in essay format like the instructions above describe (hint, hint).
There are a couple more recent sources that apply to several of the Prompts below for this essay. One is a recent peer-reviewed journal article on the intersection of journalism and history, how the former may influence the recording of the latter, and how that may impact future generations’ understanding of our present, their past. See the historiographic analysis Nolan Higdon, Jen Lyons, and I did for the Secrecy in Society Journal- Today’s Fake News is Tomorrow’s Fake History: How US History Textbooks Mirror Corporate News Media Narratives (Links to an external site.). The other is from a past Project Censored Show, Anti-Social Media: Can Our Already Volatile Political Culture Transcend a Facebook World (Links to an external site.)? Here, I interview Nolan Higdon and author/journalist Alan MacLeod about current dilemma’s around social media and censorship, how that impacts narrative creation and sustainability, and ultimately influences the recording and political memory of history itself.
Please choose ONE of the following as a Prompt for this essay.
1. What is Project Censored and what do they mean by modern media censorship? What support do they offer regarding their definition and position on censorship and is it compelling? Are there really issues of censorship or rather “imperfections” where mistakes or news judgment are construed as obfuscation (also consider Junk Food News and News Abuse stories covered in lieu of relevant, factual reporting)? Be specific and include examples of modern media censorship, government or corporate, and follow possible societal ramifications of such up to the present. How does censorship in the present impact how we interpret the past? Do you see what some call censorship more anomalies within the system, or are these examples part of an overall structural problem with corporate media in the United States? What role does so-called Fake News play in all of this? In conclusion, do we have a truly free press? Why or why not? How or how not? How might this phenomenon impact not only our interpretations of present events but past ones as well? Be specific. Support all statements with facts and logical argumentation.
2. McIntrye builds on the concept of Post-Truth, of which he is most critical. What is Post-Truth and are McIntrye’s critiques valid (why or why not)? He goes on to warn of “spin” and propaganda in ch. 2 regarding the “Merchants of Doubt” (Oreskes, Conway p.22), which addressed deliberate, calculated, and deceptive communication practices by major industries (like Exxon, Tobacco Industry Research Council, or the American Petroleum Institute), as well as governments). Discuss these concepts and their applications with a couple of examples regarding the implications for a Post-Truth world (McIntrye, p.33) and explain how Browne/Keeley’s advice for critical thinking and constructing logical arguments may help one navigate the blizzard of misinformation in our society. As we discuss controversial matters where disagreements oft arise, what is the utility of “keeping the conversation going,” as Browne/Keeley put it, what are some ways we can do that, especially when faced with divergent views, or spin and propaganda? Cite examples. Finally, a broader point for the course, is why is it important to create a “friendly environment for communication?” Reminder- The talk (Links to an external site.) I linked the first week of class I gave for the Faculty Senate lecture last spring also addresses these ideas. Excerpts can be heard here (Links to an external site.).
3. In the conclusion of The Anatomy of Fake News (chapter 7), author Nolan Higdon prescribes what he calls a ten-point process to “save our democracy” (aka, The Fake News Detection Kit). Based on the contents of that work, and the history of fake news and disinformation (including even from the CIA, as noted by journalists Carl Bernstein (Links to an external site.) and Brian Covert (Links to an external site.)), what does Higdon mean by the statement “save our democracy?” From what and how? What does he outline as the core elements of news in the final step of the Detection Kit? How do you see the principles we’ve covered around critical thinking earlier in the course coming into play when considering the role of journalism around current events, or historical accounts of those in the past? Layout the tools for deconstructing the news and apply them to a current or historical event as an example. Feel free to note Higdon’s many examples from chapters 2 and 4. How do the solutions in the Fake News Detection Kit differ from the examples of fighting fake news from chapter 6? Which do you find more compelling and why?
4. Noted linguistics scholar and activist Noam Chomsky has said that propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a dictatorship. What are his and Edward Herman’s theories about “Engineering Opinion,” also known as “Manufacturing Consent,” in free societies (critiquing the ideas put forward by public relations guru, the nephew of Sigmund Freud, Edward Bernays, author of the book, Propaganda from 1928- see “The Century of the Self (Links to an external site.)” also linked below)? Explain Herman and Chomsky’s Propaganda Model with its filters and the role of mass media and government in democracies with regard to educating the public. How do you see the issues concerning private for-profit corporate ownership of the mass media affecting information dissemination in a democratic society? Propaganda can be a form of “fake news,” and can be weaponized ideologically against certain parts of our society. Give a couple of examples from the right or left, that illustrate this. What additional evidence may either support or debunk these ideas? How does this impact American democracy and specifically, the construction of history? Be specific and provide ample support for your views. Remember to think critically and logically.
Adam Curtis’ film on Edward Bernays
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The above explanation is the instruction for this essay; for the four prompts, you may choose whatever you like. For the quotes, I would be happy to have you cite McKinstry’s Post Truth or Nolan Higdon’s The Anatomy of Fake News. I appreciate your help.
