Your midterm consists of a two-page, single-spacedtake-home essay (1,500+ words).
It is due by the end of Monday of week #6 (11:59 p.m. May 6, 2024)
Late submissions will NOT be accepted; Email submissions are not acceptable.
Put your EOU ID number in the “header” area.
Please adhere closely to the format/rules of business correspondence. Please visit this website https://www.xerox.com/en-us/small-business/tips/business-letterLinks to an external site.to know the details.
Choose one of the five commissioners of the FCC (http://www.fcc.gov/leadershipLinks to an external site.) to register your concern about the pending legislation S. 686 (RESTRICT Act) and TikTok ban. You will address your profound concern with the ramifications of S. 686 and the TikTok ban. Show the commissioner that you have done some research on him or her and know very well about his or her policy leaning, and thus, voice your strong position regarding the issue accordingly.
This assignment’s purpose is to practice your civic engagement skills. You are expected to argue for your concern for the current situation with earnestness, expertise, and professionalism. In the meantime, this assignment asks you to apply the theories and concepts you have learned so far as a young media scholar to your deliberation and policy proposals.
Specific instructions:
In the beginning, explain your interpretation of S. 686 and its grave consequences for media freedom in the U.S. In addition, register your observation of the congressional hearing regarding the TikTok ban. You need to spend some time thoroughly understanding the details of the upcoming ban.
Clearly express your opposition to S.686 and the ban based on your understanding of the US Supreme Court’s ruling inRed Lion v. FCC
. I have highlighted some paragraphs to facilitate your reading. But you need to reinterpret the Red Lion ruling to be able to frame your argument against corporate censorship (a.k.a. private censorship) in America. Have you realized that the S 686 and TikTok ban will give the established Megatech (MetaGoogleAmazonAppleMicrosoft) extraordinary power to control whatever information the American public could and would have access to? You must cite the pertinent sentence from Red Lion to interpret the ban and restriction as against the First Amendment freedom for “we, the people.”
You need to cite the pertinent theories you have learned so far in the first 5 chapters of the book to analyze the controversial aspect of the restriction and the ban. Please pay close attention to theories such as
media ownership concentration,
conglomeration,
structural restraint,
vertical integration,
fairness doctrine,
private (corporate) censorship,
homogenization,
Marxism theory on base/superstructure,
public interest,
Leninism on State,
selective regulation/deregulation,
cross-ownership,
pack journalism,
hit system,
commercialization of news,
infotainment,
star/hit system,
news routine,
spin and “objective journalism,”
cultural hegemony,
dominant ideology,
ideological hegemony,
consensus narrative,
gatekeeper,
false consciousness,
mainstreaming,
the social construction of reality,
acculturation,
agenda setting,
priming,
media representation,
…You don’t need to cite them all, but you need to cite the most suitable theories/concepts to demonstrate the controversial nature of the proposed ban/restriction in the service of the ruling class and at the disadvantage of the general public in the meantime.
You need to demonstrate the threadbare and the hypocritical nature of the “national security” pretense being cited to restrict/ban people’s access to unconventional information and inconvenient truth. You may cite JFK’s speech on secret society, Snowdon/Assange’s disclosure of the national surveillance program, and theUS Supreme Court’s ruling on Pentagon Paper
to show how the government misuses national security as a sweeping argument for preventing American people from knowing the imperialistic nature of the so-called new world order and the ungodly truth of our democracy.
You must cite the US Supreme Court’s ruling onRed Lion v. FCC (1969)Links to an external site.to support your argument with the commissioner regarding the TikTok Ban.
At the end of the letter, you need to state clearly your position on the restriction/ban. You need to urge the FCC to take action to rein in the deterioration of our freedom of speech under assault from corporate America, Megatechs, the deep state national security apparatus, and other various entrenched interest groups.
You might be emotionally charged in your polemic writing. But please remain calm, polite, and coherent. You need to restrain your expression of emotion and not indulge in ranting, or worse, cursing.
Try to start the letter naturally and add some human touch to your letter. For example, Dear Mr. Pai: I am….. Recently I heard…. I am very concerned about… I hope you can hear me out…. But do not trade colloquialism for professionalism.
I have recently shared with the class some videos regarding the restriction/ban in Announcements on Canvas. You may check them out to help you quickly have a grip on the issues. Here is the folder on Google DriveLinks to an external site..
DON’T USE CAPITAL TYPEFACE TO STRESS YOUR VIEWPOINT. IT IS RUDE TO WRITE IN CAPITAL TYPEFACE. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE POUNDING THE TABLE AND YELLING AT THE PERSON YOU ARE WRITING TO.
End the letter with respect and goodwill.
Choose “Times New Roman” as typeface with size set as “11” pt.
Set the space between paragraphs as “6” pt.
Set the first line indent of each paragraph as “0.2” inch.
Set the top and bottom margins as “1.0” inches; set the left and right margins as “1.25” inches.
Errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling can lower your grade;
Convoluted ideas and long paragraphs can lower your grade, too.
Afterword: You might hold a different position regarding the restriction/ban, say you might support the restriction/ban. That’s totally fine. Here I leave the option open for you to write a letter to the commissioner to voice your support of the restriction/ban. Your grade will not be unfairly penalized by your different position. But you need to frame your support with strong and compelling evidence and consistent and coherent argumentation. You need to cite the pertinent media theories and US Supreme Court rulings to support your position on restriction/ban. Patriotism is not enough. And be aware that a true patriot does not always agree with government policy.
