To the Reader

Topic Guide

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Unit 1 Living with Media Eight selections discuss the impact of mass media on daily living and on society.

Overview

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1. TV without Guilt: Group Portrait with Television, David Finkel presents a portrait of life in one American family--the Delmars--and the impact of television on the rhythms of its daily routines.

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David Finkel, The Washington Post Magazine, January 16, 1994.

2. Developmentally Appropriate Television: Putting Children First Using a developmental framework, Diane Levin and Nancy Carlsson-Paige present seven areas of concern about what children learn from their hours of viewing television content that is, from the authors' perspective, underregulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

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Diane E. Levin

Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Young Children, July 1994.

3. Battle for Your Brain Beavis and Butt-Head represent a new kind of rude, loser-hero popular in the media that are produced to attract teenage and young adult audiences. John Leland explores the extent to which their portrayals shape versus reflect social realities and attitudes.

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John Leland, Newsweek, October 11, 1993.

4. Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender, Julia Wood contends that media exert a powerful influence on how we view men and women, minorities, and the elderly. The effects of media's images on male/female roles and interactions, perceptions of our bodies, and abuse of and violence against women are explored.

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Julia T. Wood, from Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender, and Culture, Wadsworth, 1994.

5. Cause and Violent Effect: Media and Our Youth, Barbara Hattemer presents a cause-effect argument linking violent and sexually explicit media content to changes in social attitudes and behavior. Following a review of supportive evidence from media effects research, she concludes with a call for increased media self-regulation reminiscent of the Motion Picture Production Code that served as an industry standard from 1930 to 1966.

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Barbara Hattemer, The World & I, July 1994.

6. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed: Chasing the Monster of TV Violence, In this article, Brian Siano describes and critiques research by Leonard Eron and Rowell Huesmann and by George Gerbner, which was central to 1993 Senate hearings on legislating controls over television's violent content. Siano argues that we need to give children more credit for thinking and that legislating against violence will make us lose decent shows that use violence for good reason.

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Brian Siano, The Humanist, January/February 1994.

7. As the Dial Turns, Tracing the history of television and of society's concerns with its effects and its future, Douglas Gomery concludes that claims regarding television's cultural influence tend to be exaggerated.

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Douglas Gomery, The Wilson Quarterly, Autumn 1993.

8. The Age of Multimedia and Turbonews, Rapid technological change in mass communication systems is altering the way information is gathered, presented, and processed. Jim Willis discusses potential positive and negative effects on media consumers' access to information, shared knowledge, personal identities, values, and relationships and argues for electronic literacy as a requirement of education in the electronic age.

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Jim Willis, The Futurist, September/October 1995.

Overview

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Unit 2 Information and Influence Eight articles provide critical perspectives on mass media as a source of news and information.

9. Tuning Out the News, In recent years, more media outlets have been providing news and information than ever before; however, according to Howard Kurtz, little of it is getting through to a sizable segment of the population. Kurtz discusses reasons why much of the American public has little interest in news media.

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Howard Kurtz, Washington Post National Weekly Edition, May 29-June 4, 1995.

10. Political Correctness Has No Place in the Newsroom, Robert Novak takes the position that mainstream media reporters have trouble relating to issues of concern to ordinary people and share a uniformly liberal ideology that is reflected in the liberal bias of their gatekeeping choices and advocacy positions.

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Robert Novak, USA Today Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), March 1995.

11. Resisting Pressures on a Free Press, William Rentschler argues that most mainstream media are committed to giving a fair airing of countervailing points of view; however, lavishly financed conservative media are increasingly powerful sources of information that feel no obligation to provide balanced coverage of topical issues.

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William H. Rentschler, USA Today Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), July 1995.

12. VNRs: News or Advertising? A video news release (VNR) is a film clip, usually a minute or two in length, produced by a public relations firm and made available to television stations and networks by satellite feed. Robert Charles discusses how and why VNRs find their way into news broadcasts and the pros and cons of their being there.

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Robert B. Charles, The World & I, September 1994.

13. The Gospel of Public Journalism, The goal of public journalism is to reconnect citizens with their newspapers, their communities, and the political process. Attentive to public feedback, public journalism also takes a "feedforward" stance in its advocacy for community change.

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Alicia C. Shepard, American Journalism Review, September 1994

14. The O.J. Media Circus, Commentary on media coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial has generated as much copy as the trial itself. Jeremy Bloom argues that there are legitimate issues related to how this casen has been handled by the media but that the story's news appeal has driven its coverage more than its coverage has driven interest in the story.

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Jeremy Bloom, The World & I, October 1994.

15. Under Siege, Recently, the public has been having an ever-increasing level of contempt for mainstream media. Linda Fibich reviews some of the reasons for this hostility and offers a few responses from media people.

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Linda Fibich, American Journalism Review, September 1995.

16. Not All Tabloids Are Created Equal, but They're Sure to Sell, Edna Boone Johnson profiles the National Enquirer, contending that it and its sister tabloids are successful for a reason and undeserving of the carping attitude of the traditional press.

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Edna Boone Johnson, National Forum, Fall 1994.

Unit 3 Defining the Rules Eight selections explore how presenting newsworthy information can be complicated by considerations of what is ethically right and wrong.

Overview

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17. The Media and Truth: Is There a Moral Duty? Based on 40 years of experience working with media organizations, Paul Johnson explains "seven deadly sins of the media": distortion, worshiping false images, theft of privacy, murder of character, exploitation of sex, poisoning the minds of children, and abuse of power. He then proposes "ten commandments" for moral conduct by all those who exercise media power and influence.

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Paul Johnson, Current, December 1992.

18. "How Do You Feel?" When tragedies are covered, journalists must often make difficult decisions that balance getting the story against sensitivity to its subjects. Fawn Germer presents the techniques, and the ethical dilemmas, of chasing interviews.

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Fawn Germer, American Journalism Review, June 1995.

19. Gotcha! The use of hidden cameras by news reporters is not new; however, the recent development of relatively inexpensive cameras that are extremely small and silent has reopened the debate over when or if their use is ethical. Robert Lissit presents examples and repercussions of undercover photography.

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Robert Lissit, American Journalism Review, March 1995.

20. To "Out" or Not to "Out," The question considered by this article is whether or when it is appropriate to reveal the private lives of public officials.

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William A. Henry III, Time, August 19, 1991.

21. Anonymous Sources, Defenders of confidential sources argue that they bring to light important stories that would otherwise never surface; opponents contend that their use undermines journalism's credibility. Alicia Shepard describes past and present cases and attitudes toward reporting information from unnamed informants.

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Alicia C. Shepard, American Journalism Review, December 1994.

22. Buying News, Bruce Selcraig summarizes attitudes toward checkbook journalism and the dilemma it presents to traditional news media as they compete with the tabloid press.

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Bruce Selcraig, Columbia Journalism Review, July/August 1994

23. When Checkbook Journalism Does God's Work, Louise Mengelkoch describes a case that has convinced her that sensationalism, checkbook journalism, and the tabloid press have virtue in their willingness to empower the powerless.

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Louise Mengelkoch, Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 1994.

24. Are Quotes Sacred? Fawn Germer discusses perspectives on the degree to which it is and is not ethical to clean up, condense, or otherwise alter quotations.

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Fawn Germer, American Journalism Review, September 1995.

Unit 4 The Power of Images Four articles explore the power of visual images and raise questions of their effects--from engendering emotional responses to reinventing reality.

Overview

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25. CBS, 60 Minutes, and the Unseen Interview, In late 1995 the CBS show 60 Minutes elected to kill an interview with the highest-ranking executive ever to blow the whistle on the tobacco industry. How this impacts on the power of the media is examined by Lawrence Grossman.

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Lawrence K. Grossman, Columbia Journalism Review, January/February 1996.

26. What the Jury Saw: Does the Videotape Lie? This analysis of the Rodney King and Marion Barry trials, in which videotaped records were important components, includes a brief history of photography and commentary on the value of film as propaganda.

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Michael B. Rosen, Bostonia, Winter 1992-1993

27. Photographs That Lie: The Ethical Dilemma of Digital Retouching Digital technology has made it possible to retouch photographs in almost any manner without any evidence of tampering. Retouching photographs is not new, but the sophistication and ease of digital technology make it ever more prevalent. Where do you draw the line?

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J. D. Lasica, Washington Journalism Review, June 1989.

28. New Morphing Software Shapes the Future of Video Graphics, Mike Snider reviews special effects computer software available to anyone with a personal computer and a few extra dollars.

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Mike Snider, USA Today, June 20, 1995.

Unit 5 A Word from Our Sponsor Six selections explore relationships among advertising, media content, and popular culture.

Overview

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29. Ads R Us, Bob Garfield argues that advertising, for all its faults, has underwritten the finest moments of media history. Television commercials may infuriate us, but they also move us, entertain us, and ultimately define who we are.

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Bob Garfield, The Washington Post, February 26, 1995.

30. Sex, Lies, and Advertising, Writing in the first advertisement-free issue of Ms., Gloria Steinem discusses experiences with advertisers that led to the magazine's decision to increase subscription rates and sever its dependence on advertiser revenue. Dictated conditions by various manufacturers on the placement of company advertisements within articles are described.

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Gloria Steinem, Ms, July/August 1990.

31. Hollywood the Ad, While movies have not traditionally incorporated advertisements or depended on advertisers as a source of revenue, there is a current trend to cut deals for financial backing in exchange for placing product plugs within films. Mark Miller gives several examples of this trend and concludes that the art of film is becoming indistinguishable from the techniques of advertising.

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Mark Crispin Miller, from Seeing through Movies, Pantheon Books, 1990.

32. Come On, Calvin, Light My Fire: Pyro-Marketing Burns Us All, Reviewing recent advertising campaigns for such companies as Calvin Klein and Benetton, Bob Garfield traces a trend from advertisers' going to extreme lengths not to offend to their creating advertisements designed to provoke controversy.

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Bob Garfield, The Washington Post, September 10, 1995.

33. Why Won't Television Grow Up? Vicki Thomas and David Wolfe explain how the absence of television programming that appeals to older consumers is influenced by advertisers' interest in reaching a youthful target audience. The authors contend that few media or advertising executives understand demographic trends or consumer habits and that dividing a market by age is a dated and narrow perspective.

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Vicki Thomas

David B. Wolfe, American Demographics, May 1995.

34. Selling to School Kids, In an effort to reach children with commercial messages, advertising has reached into the nation's schools with posters, teaching kits, videos, and Channel One. While commercially sponsored teaching aids are a boon for financially strapped school districts, Consumer Reports argues that they often bring with them highly biased and manipulative messages.

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Consumer Reports, May 1995.

Unit 6 The State of the Nation Five articles examine how mass media have influenced the way American political leaders are elected and how they govern.

Overview

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35. Reshaping the World of Politics, Lee Edwards discusses the impact of both traditional media and newer information technologies on political parties, campaign strategies, political rhetoric, and the way that public officials communicate.

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Lee Edwards, The World & 1, November 1994.

36. The Press in Campaignland, In this article, Howard Kurtz provides a voter's guide to the conventions of writing, shaping, and spinning candidate profiles. Reporters, he notes, are "part of a codependent relationship" with the candidates about whom they write. "They need a certain amount of drama, manufactured or otherwise, to make their stories come alive."

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Howard Kurtz, The Washington Post Magazine, July 16, 1995.

37. There They Go Again: Presidential Ad Companies Get Early Jump, For 1996, presidential candidates and consumer product companies face the same marketing challenge: How to reach the greatest audience in one shot when the number of media options has exploded. Dottie Enrico discusses historically memorable political advertisements and the special challenges of selling a candidate.

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Dottie Enrico, USA Today, September 5, 1995.

38. The Power of Talk, The 1992 presidential campaign brought with it a new twist: talk-show politics. Larry King, Rush Limbaugh, and call-in show hosts around the country are finding an increasing market for political commentary. Howard Fineman notes the power of such programs in initiating grassroots activism, and he wonders whether they misdirect government priorities by forcing responses to the angry minority who use this forum.

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Howard Fineman, Newsweek, February 8, 1993.

39. The Art of Leaks, Lou Prato notes that leaking information to the press is an accepted strategy at all levels of politics. Leaks might be designed to create controversy, further a program or policy, boost a career, or weaken a rival's career. Prato discusses leaker strategies and journalists' perspectives on using leaked information.

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Lou Prato, The World & I, December 1994.

Unit 7 The Shape of Things to Come Six selections explore new media technologies and the changing landscape of mass media forms, consumption, and regulation.

Overview

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40. The Age of Convergence, The convergence of computers, fiber optics, and cable has led to high-profile research and development efforts to determine what consumers want and how they will use new media technology. Philip Moeller examines the future of news media organizations in an interactive media environment.

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Philip Moeller, American Journalism Review, January/February 1994.

41. Change Leaders and the New Media, Change leaders are consumer explorers who embrace and popularize innovative new products. By tracking their reactions, businesses explore how to use new media to reach a more general audience. Bruce MacEvoy profiles this group, their preferences, and their influence on shaping new media.

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Bruce MacEvoy, American Demographics, January 1994.

42. The Amazing Video Game Boom, For 20 years leaders in the entertainment industry have dismissed video gaming as removed from the mainstream of American media. Recently, however, telemedia giants have spent millions of dollars developing partnerships that are aimed at redefining the future of television and movie entertainment media through video game technology.

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Philip Elmer-Dewitt, Time, September 27, 1993.

43. Rock Goes Interactive, Richard Corliss journeys into the world of interactive rock, where listening to music is no longer a passive activity. The marriage of musicians and computers allows listeners to create their own blends, change the tempo, the mix, and the mood of the music, choose desired video images, go backstage, or play Elvis Presley's hits on his personal virtual phonograph.

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Richard Corliss, Time, January 17, 1994.

44. Interactive TV's Unclear Picture, Philip Chalk takes a more tentative perspective regarding the future of interactive media. In this article, he summarizes the scope of the vision and the status of mergers and buyouts that are setting the stage for its realization. But he questions whether, in the end, popular interest will support radical change.

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Philip Chalk, Insight, December 20, 1993.

45. Revolution in Cyberia, As new media are proposed and tested, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) grapples with issues of regulating cost, access, and ownership. Neil Hickey explains the controversial climate surrounding current regulatory debates: How will these new technologies be used? By whom? Under what conditions? With how much government input? How will the public's interest best be served--if at all?

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Neil Hickey, Columbia Journalism Review, July/August 1995.

Index

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Article Review Form

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Article Rating Form

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