MMC 910 Journalism and Society

MMC 910 Journalism and SocietySession 7: What Have We Learned So Far Exam ReviewMMC and MIST ProgramsOfficial launch will be Wednesday, April 11, 6 9 pm

Everyone is expected to attend: guests will be VIPs and journalists; NO CLASS

Come to Auditorium in Block 15-Ground FloorReception followsMedia and Politics: Communicating the TransitionsConference at UOWD, May 16

Details to comeVolunteers neededChanges to SyllabusReadings only primary readings listedAdditional readings sent by anyone to www.mmc.twitbookclub.orgare not in syllabusAdditional readings are importantChanges in assignment datesDetails about exam, papers, and lectures

Letter from President AouadAcademic Writing and Research starts Tuesday evening,March 20, 6-9 pm, KV15-111

Subject was started for Ph.D. students last yearNo credit13 weeksNo cost to you this time ONLY

Letter from President AouadAcademic Writing and Research starts Tuesday evening,March 20, 6-9 pm, KV15-111

Offered to everyone in MMC and MISTRequires regular attendanceRequires hard workContinues after end of semesterEnds June 11 day after summer semester begins

Letter from President AouadAcademic Writing and Research starts Tuesday evening,March 20, 6-9 pm, KV15-111

If you take the subject and do the work, you can hold off on the final paper in MMC or MIST, receive an Incomplete, and hand in paper by June 15 with no penalty. Papers later than June 15 will receive one full grade lower A to B, B to C, etc.

Review for Midterm ExamKey TopicsWhat is Journalism and How is it connected to history?

Week 1Wikipedia + Deuze + Thompson + Lloyd + Zelizer

Journalism and HistoryRole of Journalism:Walter Lippman mediates between elites and publicJohn Dewey brings dialogue between members of the public; best ideas come forward

Bill Kovach & Tom Rosenthiel elements of journalismElements of JournalismTruthLoyalty to citizensVerificationIndependence from news sourcesIndependent monitor of power/powerfulForum for public criticism and compromiseNews is significant, interesting, and relevantNews is comprehensive and proportionalJournalists exercise personal conscienceRights and responsibilities of citizensJournalism and HistoryDeuze Journalists share occupational ideologypublic service, objectivity/fairness, autonomy,immediacy, ethicsMultimedia, new technologies may require team work, not individual Major issue for journalism is multiculturalismKnowledge of journalists about othersRepresentation (how many groups among journalists)Social responsibility of journalists involved or notMedia and Development of Modern SocietiesThompson mediazation of culture since 1450due to printing press

Church & State couldnt control move from handwritten manuscripts to multiple copiesBefore printing, news spread by church, trade, singers, poets at marketsPrinting led to postal services; spread of news; newspapers from 1600s corantos

Media & Modern Societies 2Freedom of the press linked to Development of modern constitutional stateBourgeois public sphere created by print limited to men and elite

Since 1800s, 3 media trendsMedia organizations become large companiesGlobalization of communicationsNew technologies telegraph, radio, TV, Internet

Journalism and HistoryLloyd interesting about early Australia but not relevant to usZelizer History and JournalismHistorians have argued about role of journalismHistorians of journalism have argued about its pastScholars differ on whose journalism, what kind of journalism, and which journalism to consider in writing history or a history of journalismJournalism and History 2Zelizer suggests:

Looking at journalism history writ small: Memoirs, Biographies, Histories of organizationsJournalism history writ midway:Periods, Themes, EventsJournalism history writ large: The Nation-State

Four Theories of the PressSiebert LibertarianDeveloped from beliefs in human rights, freedom to think, argue, challenge from 1500s

Doesnt work in authoritarian society press tries to challenge, spread ideas; government may not agree

Mass media has to supply information; readers can decide on their positionLibertarian TheoryHow to have free press and protect stateduring war, other major problems that threatenLaws and courts: in US history, press is free unlessclear and present danger existsAccess to information from government FOI Act often challengedBroadcasting, films have had special regulation, sometimes not; depends on governmentLibertarian Theory 2From Siebert on libertarian theory:Its greatest defect has been its failure to provide rigorous standards for the day-to-day operation of the mass media in other words, a stable formula to distinguish between liberty and abuse of liberty.Its greatest assets, however, are its flexibility, its adaptability to change, and above all its confidence in its ability to advance the interests and welfare of human beings by continuing to place its trust in individual self-direction.Social Responsibility TheoryComes from idea that press is not free to do what it wants; it has a responsibility to the public

But who will decide what is good for the public

And who will enforce so that press shows responsibility to the public

Social Responsibility TheoryComes from idea that press is not free to do what it wants; it has a responsibility to the public

But who will decide what is good for the public

And who will enforce so that press shows responsibility to the public

Social Responsibility Theory 2Three possible solutions:

Conservative - Media polices itself, tries to be fairModerate Journalists isolated from business of journalism; they serve publicRadical Society has to transform so media must be active in promoting greater equality, change, etc.

Corporate Media, Global CapitalismMedia today is globalMajority of dominant companies are US owned, basedNext group is regional, national but also part of global media systemSince everyone prefers local content, big media opens offices around the worldGlobal media system supports neoliberal political economic orderReadings on China and Uzbekistan interesting examples to think aboutCensorship, Ethics, and Other Legal IssuesCurry-Jansen Censorship inherent in capitalismHistory of press in USA interesting, not to memorizeFocus on pp.167-178Knowledge becomes cultural capitalInformation capitalismMarket censorshipTest of marketplace not fair to developing countriesCensorship, Ethics, cont.Phillips et al. - Unanswered Questions of 9/11

Pollack Muscular Religion

Pullan The Mask

all interesting viewpoints, history, not on test

Censorship, Ethics, cont.Hoffner et al. Support for Censorship of TV ViolenceResults of survey in US Midwest in 1998, 1999Questions researched:Third person effect people think others more affected by what they see than themselvesNews coverage effect exposure to stories about TV violence issueExposure to TV violence results in less support for censorship

Censorship, Ethics, cont.Hoffner et al. Support for Censorship of TV Violence

Results varied and not entirely conclusiveResearch from freedom of the press angle Researchers dont like public desire for more censorship of TV violence and were surprised by some of the findingsOverall not conclusiveReality or Manufactured Reality and Interpreting InformationMarshall & Kingsbury News and Reality ConstructionNews has relation to reality but isnt entirely realityProducing news has its methodsManufacturing news Informational sports, weather, stocksEvent-driven things that happenMediated reporting, opion: related to media ownershipManaged created eventsReality or Manufactured Reality and Interpreting InformationMarshall & Kingsbury News and Reality Construction

Manufactured news cont.Media-coloured magnified, distorted, eventsMedia dominated major stories like wars, tsunamis, panics

Can you think of examples?Reality or Manufactured Reality and Interpreting InformationTuchman Making News by Doing Work

News people divide work intohard news, soft news, spot news, developing news, and continuing newsWork scheduled according to type of newsTypes depend also on HOW news happensReality or Manufactured Reality and Interpreting InformationFishman News and Nonevents. Making the Invisible VisibleNews beats and locationsBeats have typical eventsTypical events have phase structuresspecific points related to bureaucracydisposition creates news end point in processpolicy vs administrationnon events things that dont get coveredReality or Manufactured Reality and Interpreting InformationFishman News and Nonevents. Making the Invisible Visible

A massive bureaucratic apparatus mediates between happenings in the world and reports of these happening in the media

Nonevents are occurences that cannot be seen as legitimate events under the interpretive schemes of agency officialsMMC910 Journalism and SocietyThats it for tonight. Keep reading

See you Wednesday for MMC911: Block 5 121Field Trip Story due by email before 6pmMarked story returned to you by end of Saturday Form 3 teams for presentations: Local version of international storyWriting exercise in class 3

MMC 910Report to KV5 121 on Monday, March 26 for Midterm Exam: bring laptop or use PC in labAsk IT if any problems logging in or using PCExam arrives by email as Word documentBring notes and readings if you likeDo not use quotes longer than a few wordsExam must be emailed to me as Word attachment before 9 pm that evening

MMC 911NO CLASS on Wednesday, March 28

Field Trip Story #2 due by email by 6 pm, March 28

Use time to prepare presentations, meet with team, research, catch up on readings

MMC 910 and 911Dont forget to attend tomorrow evening:

KV15-111

Academic Writing and Research