| Media homepage | Lester B Pearson College | IB Theory of Knowledge | Active Citizenship |
| Finding News | Evaluating News Critically | Considering Ethical Issues | Taking Action |
READINGS ON MEDIA
Part I: Selected Readings
Part II: Readings and links sent by students, other teachers, UWC graduates and friends. These include both general comments on media, and comments on media coverage of events now current.
Note to students on resource lists and recommendations: You can't rely on someone else's list and think you have covered an issue. Check many sources. This list, for example, is my own personal selection out of resources that I've just happened to bump into here and there. It's not widely researched, and even if it were, it would still be a subjective selection.
HOW TO WATCH TV NEWS
Neil Postman and Steve Powers, "TV News is Not Enough," How to Watch TV News.
Penguin Books. Toronto and New York, 1992.
Both the authors are media analysts, though Postman is primarily an academic with an emphasis on the impact of media on society, while Powers is primarily a radio and television journalist. Together they have written a short, clear guide to interpreting television news. I recommend it as an easily read yet well informed introduction to media analysis, and include excerpts here.
AMERICAN MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE GULF WAR
Marin A Lee and Norman Solomon. "American Media Coverage of the Gulf War," Unreliable Sources: A Guide to Detecting Bias in News Media. Carol Publishing Group. New York, 1991.
library reference 302.230973
The Preface to the 1991 edition of Unreliable Sources is an excellent analysis of American media treatment of the Gulf War. The 1990 edition of this book dealing with media bias had just been printed when Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990. In mid-January 1991 the U.S. declared war on Iraq. The two authors apply their general approach to media analysis to the specific case of the ensuing Gulf War in their preface April 1991 to a new edition, and demonstrate the role of the media in support of the war. I include excerpts, but recommend the whole book.
TECHNIQUES OF PROPAGANDA
Randal Marlin. Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion. Broadview Press Ltd. Peterborough and New York, 2002.
library reference 303.3Mar
This book is a well researched, analytical, clearly written book examining the nature of propaganda.
Preface's Opening Comments: "A primary purpose of this book is to arouse a critical spirit among readers against being corralled by forces and emotions of the moment into supporting actions that in conscience they will or should later come to regret. There are many special interests skilful at manipulating circumstances and communication in such a way as to benefit their own ends and not necessarily the public good. " (9)
I include the chapter headings to give an idea of the book's approach, and summarize, with excerpts, a list of techniques of propaganda.
TV COMMERCIALS: TECHNIQUES OF PERSUASION
Neil Postman and Steve Powers. "The Commercial," How to Watch TV News. Penguin, 1992.
excerpts from pages 120 - 127.
While it is commonplace to recognize that commercials affect us, Postman and Powers give an interesting analysis here of some emotional appeals and suggest that the way we respond to TV news is affected by its context of commercials.
FOR SUGGESTIONS ON TAKING ACTION TOWARD BETTER MEDIA COVERAGE, GO TO "TAKING ACTION" IN THE MENU BAR AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.
PART II: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OTHERS ON CRITICAL READING ON MEDIA, FOLLOWED BY CONTRIBUTIONS ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF EVENTS NOW CURRENT.
ZMagazine: A Quick Guide to Understanding Mainstream Media. contributed by History teacher Robyn Tyner.
http://www.zmag.org/watching_mainstream_media.htm
pyschological warfare: persuasive broadcasts into Iraq. contributed by student Bruce d'Souza
http://www.cbc.ca/webone/psyop/index.html
What is not mentioned in the current news: the United States sold Saddam Hussein chemical and biological weapons.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-528574,00.html
pyschological warfare: persuasive broadcasts into Iraq. contributed by student Bruce d'Souza
http://www.cbc.ca/webone/psyop/index.html
What is not mentioned in the current news: the United States sold Saddam Hussein chemical and biological weapons.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-528574,00.html