All media is created by people, often a group of people, these people are called gatekeepers, “which means they affect or control the information that is transmitted to their audiences” (Chapter 15, Section 2, Paragraph 9). Since people are by nature subjective and, as we learned in the chapters on self, tend to view themselves more favorably and see the world from their own worldviews, the news is often being told from a perspective, as much as it would like to be objective.
Initial Post
(due before 11:59 p.m. Thursday)
Choose an article of news (it can be from an online news site, it can be a report on television news, it can be a radio article) and add a link to the article you’ve chosen as the first thing in your post.
Then, using the questions in Chapter 15, Section 3 (listed below), analyze the article you’ve chosen using the media literacy skills.
The following questions will help you hone your media-literacy skills (Allen, 2011):
Who created this message? What did they hope to accomplish? What are their primary belief systems?
What is my interpretation of this message? How and why might different people understand this message differently than me? What can I learn about myself based on my interpretation and how it may differ from others’?
What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented or omitted in this message? What does this tell me about how other people live and believe? Does this message leave anything or anyone out?
Why was this message sent? Who sent it? Is it trying to tell me something? To sell me something?
If you’re not sure of some of the answers, do some digging on the company website. Usually some of the questions about who created the message can be found on the “About Us” page, or the “Masthead”.
What do you think of your article? Have you learned anything new from analyzing it using these media literacy questions?
Ask your peers a question about your article, or their use of media literacy skills in their lives.
REPLY Posts
(due before 11:59 p.m. on Saturday)
Respond to at least TWO peers’ Initial Posts. After responding to the post and answering your peers’ questions, consider discussing intercultural communication competence.
In addition, ask your peer a question about their experience.
