Module-2 post instructions:
Apply all 5 aspects of the Propaganda Model as presented by Chomsky and Herman, to a current issue that interests you that has recently been featured in the mainstream news, and which contains clear aspects of propaganda. Use a specific news article for your forum post. Explain your thoughts about how the model does and does not apply to this issue. Does using the propaganda model help you to see both sides of the story, and does it help you to consider what the issues might lie behind in the presentation of that issue?
In Manufacturing Consent, Chomsky and Herman discuss a propaganda model, a theory they developed to explain how certain agendas and ideologies are permeated through the media to influence the general public. Using the example of the news media, they propose five filters through which the news is presented to the general public:
1) Ownership of the medium (who owns the news source);
2) The funding source of the medium (advertisers, private investors, etc.);
3) Sourcing (who provides the information and where is it obtained from);
4) Flak (criticism of stories/ideas presented in the media, often from organized sources trying to promote or quiet a particular agenda); and
5) Anti-communism and fear (Chomsky and Herman discuss anti-communism in particular, but consider some of the “bad guys” we see discussed in the media today, such as terrorists, that can be used to create a sense of fear in the general public).
Module-3 post instructions:
Can you think of a recent example of public opinion and debate on a public policy?
What are some of the different ways in which this issue was presented in the media?
Did the presentation of this issue affect your opinion on how the government should move forward on it?
Module-4 post instructions:
Why do you think it is important to critically examine social identities in the media?
Have you previously formed an opinion of a person or group of people based on what you have seen in the media?
Has the content in this module challenged those pre-conceived notions in any way?
Module-5 post instructions:
Below are some questions that may help you to generate your response to the story, but you are not limited to these questions! If you have a different take that will guide your response, or different questions you’d like to pose to your classmates, do it!
The goal of this discussion forum is to dive into this news story more in-depth, utilizing much of what you’ve learned this semester to help shape your analysis. Remember, YOU are the ones guiding this analysis and research – use that to help you frame your investigations, and also in developing questions and even challenges for your classmates. The expectation is that you will find additional sources on your own, build on these questions, and find new and interesting questions to discuss with your classmates. These prompt questions may be only the beginning for you!
How has this story generally been portrayed in the media? Can we generalize it? Who are the ‘heroes’? Who are the ‘villains’? Who are the ‘victims’? Why?
What the key elements of the stories? What are some of the less-prominent undertones?
Who were the sources quoted in the article? Whose voice was amplified by this story? i.e. Did they get quotes from politicians, and if so, were they from one party or were there quotes from both parties? Were police agencies quoted, and if so, was there a response from a protestor, organizer, or sympathizer?
In the case of an op-ed: What institution does the author work for? Who finances the institution? Are they associated with a particular political organization or party?
Why do you think the public reactions have been so passionate and polarizing? How does your own socialization and social environment shape your opinions on this issue, and direct where you stand in this discussion?
What other questions are relevant to this discussion?
