Do you think you are media literate?

Transcription

1 Do you think you are media literate?

2 A media literate person would be able to answer the following questions: Who is communicating and why? What type of media text is it? How do we know what it means? Who receives it? What sense do we make of it? How does the media present its subject matter?

3 There are many different definitions of media literacy. Some are: The ability to choose and to understand the media we consume The ability to question, to evaluate and to respond thoughtfully to the media we consume The ability of a citizen to access, analyse and produce information for specific outcomes

4 Critical thinking enables audiences to develop independent judgement about media content (Silverblatt, 2001: 2) We need to: Have active interaction with media Understand the process of mass communication Develop strategies with which to analyse and discuss media messages Have awareness of media content as a text that provides insight into our contemporary culture and ourselves. An understanding of culture can give us perspectives and insight into media messages.

5 Audience behaviour Remember audiences are SELECTIVE in what part of the message they store and assimilate into meaning, and so may misinterpret/miss the point Audience expectations on the whole audiences tend to believe the news And don t forget that what appears on screen, although appearing real, is constructed and staged by the media. It only represents a version of reality.

6 Interference: Refers to multiple factors that obstruct the communication process and can occur at all points during the process. Anger and frustration are often the cause of communication interference, whether on the part of the communicator or the audience.

7 Some examples of communicator interference are: When communicators obstruct the messages by not expressing themselves properly Using words or expressions that the audience doesn t understand When the communicator has not carefully thought through what he or she wants to say When the facial expressions of the communicator do not seem to match his or her verbal message

8 Some examples of channel interference: When a piece in a text has not been edited properly and vital information has either been misused or left out When there is distortion at a vital moment in the radio broadcast or somebody in a cinema coughs or talks at a vital moment

9 Some examples of audience interference are: When you have totally misunderstood an advert When the audience impedes the communication process. Often an audience s choice of what to read or hear is based on their own personal values and interests. People often seek those views that concur with their own and avoid communications that offer a different perspective When content is distorted by bias, prejudice and preconceptions

10 Is new media increasing audience interference? And people are selective in what they listen to think of when you are bored in lectures! Also, audiences often filter messages through their egos in that they only concentrate on parts of a discussion which pertain directly to them.

11 The Virtuous Journalist Hah hah hah!

12 Critical thinking for journalists Outcomes: Explain the difference between journalism and spin Identify the structure of an argument Analyse and evaluate premises, claims and conclusions Fallacies Consider the link between powerful forces in society and the media List strategies used to influence the media

13 Journalism is the struggle to tell the truth Good journalists are loyal to the truth, and so must think critically Public relations aims to persuade people to accept a particular point of view and are loyal to whoever pays them, and thus must think strategically

14 Critical thinking requires us to identify and evaluate arguments An argument is a claim with reasons (premises), given to persuade us of the truth of the claim Arguments generally wind towards a conclusion

15 Decoding indirect arguments 1. Privatisation will be good for the poor. I know this because the president said this on television last night. Hidden (implied) premises: a) the president really knows what the impact of privatisation on the poor will be, and b) the president is telling the truth, therefore.

16 2. Rich people know what is good for the economy. Rich people support privatisation. Implied: Rich people know what is good for the economy and implied, everyone benefits from a good economy. Rich people support privatisation therefore (implied conclusion) I should support privatisation if I want to be rich!

17 So you need to ESTABLISH CLARITY Remove emotion Evaluate arguments Is it obvious? Where s s the evidence?

18 Does the claim make sense? Who is making this claim? How did they arrive at this claim? Who benefits from this claim? Should I accept this claim?

19 The conclusion of an argument Deduction Deduction is the kind of logic used in maths. A bachelor is an unmarried man. Sanjeev is an unmarried man. Therefore, Sanjeev is a. Induction Inductive arguments, which reach a conclusion based on close observation, are not absolutely certain. Political leaders in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Namibia have told the media that homosexuality is un-african because they don t t know any homosexuals.

20 Analogy Arguments from analogy (comparison) are based on the assumption (acceptance without proof) that what has been true in one case is likely to be true in other, similar, cases a reasonable possibility of accuracy. Eg my friends from SA in the UK feel the cold a lot, therefore when I visit, I will probably

21 Fallacies: false ideas 1. Prejudice fallacy: people often believe that they have a right to project their fears and anxieties on to groups of people who they think are different to them because of their race, culture, religion, language or sexual orientation. This always leads to illogical thinking because people make their own choices and must be judged by their own choices.

22 2. Slippery slope fallacy It is often claimed that if we tolerate or allow one thing, it will lead to a whole lot of other things with more extreme consequences. This can never be assumed and must, like all other claims, be supported with evidence.

23 3. Straw Man fallacy When there is a debate or disagreement, people often misrepresent their opponents view. They then attack the misrepresentation rather than the actual view of their opponents. For example, someone is again the death penalty as a tool of effective law enforcement and feels that better policing resulting in higher rates of arrest and conviction would achieve more. You would be guilty of the straw man fallacy if you said that this means we should be soft on crime.

24 Remember power relations: Common coercive strategies Withdrawal or threatened withdrawal of advertising Taking costly legal action against the publication Presenting the publication or journalist as an enemy of the people Constantly demanding coverage Outright repression

25 Common persuasive strategies The production of press releases and research reports seeking to persuade journos to a particular point of view Inviting journos to conferences to listen to experts Making a journo s life easy by providing press releases and photos which don t t need to be altered

26 Common seductive strategies Rewarding pliant journos with gifts travel and accommodation, food and drink Invitations to important events The chance to meet and spend time with important people

27 Journalists have to seek continually to balance their reporting and analysis by making an effort to: Speak to less powerful people Spend time with them Understand how events affect their lives Visit the places that tend to be ignored

28 Whose interests does this claim serve? Critical thinking is a social and political practice that requires journalists to resist coercion, refuse seduction and retain their autonomy.