Media Literacy

1. Media Literacy

2. 5 Key questions of Media Literacy • Who created this message? (invested interest?) • What creative techniques are used to attract my attention? (auditory and visual?) • How might different people understand this message differently than me? (Demographics and Target audience?) • What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in or omitted from this message? • Why is this message being sent?

3. The heart of media literacy is informed inquiry. • Awareness • Access information from a variety of sources. • Analysis • Analyze and explore how messages are "constructed" -- whether print, verbal, visual or multi-media. • Reflection • Evaluate media's explicit and implicit messages against one's own ethical, moral and/or democratic principles. • Action • Express or create your own messages using a variety of media tools.

4. Media, Mass Media, and Media text • Media: any tool or technology used for sending and/or receiving messages • Mass Media: any tool or technology used for sending messages from a central source to many receivers; usually only one-way communication is possible • Media Text: any message sent via media; could be words, pictures, sounds, or multimedia

5. How do we communicate? • Write down all of the modes of communication you can think of • What is the difference between one-way and two-way communication? • Which type of communication is most prevalent? • What are advantages of each?

6. No more blame… • Media literacy is an alternative to censoring, boycotting or blaming 'the media.’ • The power of media literacy is its ability to inspire independent thinking and foster critical analysis. .

7. Methods of news reporting and advertising • newspapers • radio • television • internet • billboards, posters and message signs • mass mailings of brochures, fliers, and newsletters • magazines

8. What is the Purpose of Mass Media? 1. To Inform • Certain strategies affect the public’s emotional and intellectual connection and reaction to information. • News networks are supposed to employ fair and neutralbroadcasting practices. • IS THE NEWS BIAS?

9. What is the Purpose of Mass Media? 2. To Entertain • television, movie, advertising, theatrical, and musical industries. • These industries are free to find techniques that appeal to diverse audiences and employ these techniques to sell their products. CAN ENTERTAINMENT BE HARMFUL?

10. Television: Drug of the Free • Television: The Drug of a Nation by Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy (Michael Franti, 1991 • Highlight or underline ALLUSIONS in the song • What is Michael Franti’s central assertion? • How does he use allusions to construct this message?

11. What is the Purpose of Mass Media? 3. To Transmit Culture • The media determines what the public hears, what the public sees, and what the public knows • The public depends on the media for information, but is also suceptable to manipulation and misinformation. • Popularity is based on exposure and the media determines who or what gets this exposure, thus molding American and International cultures.

12. Culture Transmission: Music • Do you believe people can be influenced by music (consciously or subliminally)? • What is conscious hip-hop? Any examples? • What is the difference between mainstream and underground artists?

13. What is the Purpose of Mass Media? 4. To Pursuade • Persuasion techniques are employed by entertainers, commentators, advertisers and politicians, etc. • People are persuaded to purchase products, to believe a certain view, or to vote for a certain individual. • Propoganda is the thoughts, ideas, and images used to sway the public.

14. THE ART OF RHETORIC • The art of speaking or writing effectively • “the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion”Aristotle • Aristotle’s persuasive strategies: • Ethos (credibility) • Pathos (Emotional) • Logos (logical)

15. The Shorthand Version: • Ethos: the source's credibility, the speaker's/author's authority • Logos: the logic used to support a claim (induction and deduction); can also be the facts and statistics used to help support the argument. • . • Pathos: the emotional or motivational appeals; vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details

16. ETHOS • Greek etymology: Character • Ethical Appeal based on credibility • Demonstrates authors reliability • Establishes respect for audience’s ideas and values • References expert opinions on the subject • Language appropriate to audience and subject • Restrained, sincere, fair minded • Appropriate level of vocabulary • Correct grammar

17. PATHOS • Greek etymology: Suffering or Experience • “Appeal to the audience’s sympathies and imagination” • Causes the audience to respond emotionally or identify with argument • The power with which a story can impact an audience • Vivid, concrete language • Emotionally loaded language • Connotative meanings • Emotional examples • Vivid descriptions • Narratives • Emotional tone

18. LOGOS • Greek etymology: Word • The use of reasoning: inductive and deductive • The use of support to substantiate a thesis • The clarity of a claim • Evokes cognitive, rational response • Theoretical, abstract language • Literal and historical analogies • Definitions • Factual data and statistics • Quotations • Citations from experts • Informed opinions

19. THE ART OF PERSUASION FALLACIES OF LOGIC

20. IDENTIFYING FALLACIES • Errors in reasoning and faulty arguments • Both formal and informal • Sometimes created unintentionally • More often created intentionally to deceive people or as a means to an end • Over 200 common fallacies • Many overlapping concepts and classifications • Deductively invalid • Inductively weak • Unjustified premise • Ignores relevant evidence • Fails to provide adequate proof • “Disguises” inadequate proof as valid

21. REASONING AND CRITICAL THINKING INDUCTIVE DEDUCTIVE Arguments based on laws, rules, and evidence Moves from general truths to specific conclusions Concerned with testing or confirming a hypothesis Logic is authority of deductive method • Arguments based on experience or observation • Open ended and exploratory • Inductive Method is the Scientific Method

22. APPEAL TO EMOTION • Using emotion-charged language to arouse an audience (potential fallacy) • Fallacy occurs when someone appeals to you to accept a claim merely because it arouses your emotion • “FOR THE CHILDREN” • Appeal to consequences • Appeal to fear • Appeal to flattery • Appeal to pity • Appeal to ridicule • Appeal to spite • Wishful thinking • Appeal to Ignorance* • Appeal to snobbery • Appeal to vanity

23. APPEAL TO IGNORANCE • If a proposition has not been disproven, then it cannot be considered FALSE and must be considered TRUE • If a proposition has not been proven, then it cannot be considered TRUE and must be considered FALSE • Argumentum ad ignorantiam • Absence of evidence=evidence of absence • Used to shift the burden of proof in debate • False dichotomy (false dilemma) • Inductive reasoning

24. FALSE DILEMMA (Either/Or Fallacy) • Black and White • Unfair presentation of too few choices • Implies a choice must be made based on choices presented • “If you are not with us, you are against us”

25. AVOIDING THE QUESTION and ISSUE • Straying off topic • Missing the point • Going off on a tangent • Digressing • Not sticking to the issue • Answering questions with other questions • Non Sequitur

26. FALSE CAUSE • Non Causa Pro Causa • Improperly concluding that one thing is the cause of another • 4 kinds of False Cause Fallacies • Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc • Cum Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc • Regression • Reversing Causation

27. SLIPPERY SLOPE • A leads to B • B leads to C • C leads to D • … • D leads to Z • Z leads to HELL • We don’t want to go to HELL so don’t take that first step A • Domino Theory • Patriot Act • Reichstag Decree

28. APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE • Argumentum Ad Novitatem • Often used in advertising • Giving credit to an idea or belief solely on the grounds of its popularity • Bandwagon • Appeal to the masses • Appeal to the mob • Appeal to the gallery • Appeal to past practice • Argument from popularity • Common practice

29. STRAW MAN • Twisting the words of an opponent • Misquoting or taking statements out of context • Misrepresentation on purpose • Undermining opponent’s actual position • Often used in political debates

30. AD HOMINEM • Attack on the person rather than the issue • Undermines credibility of opponent • Points out irrelevant circumstances in an attempt to distract or discredit • 5 kinds of Ad Hominem • Genetic Fallacy • Tu Quoque • Guilt by Association • Two Wrongs Make a Right • Circumstantial

31. CIRCULAR REASONING • Begging the Question: petitio principii • When an argument does not make progress • The argument is composed by repeating premises that presuppose the conclusion • All intentional acts of killing human beings are morally wrong. • The death penalty is an intentional act of killing a human being. • Therefore the death penalty is wrong.

32. Red Herring • Description of Red Herring • A Red Herring is a fallacy in which an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issue. The basic idea is to "win" an argument by leading attention away from the argument and to another topic. This sort of "reasoning" has the following form: • Topic A is under discussion. • Topic B is introduced under the guise of being relevant to topic A (when topic B is actually not relevant to topic A). • Topic A is abandoned. • This sort of "reasoning" is fallacious because merely changing the topic of discussion hardly counts as an argument against a claim

33. Resources • The IEP: The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy http://www.iep.utm.edu/fallacy/ • Purdue Owl: Establishing Arguments owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/01/ -