Perspectives On Issues

PerspectivesOn Issues

Global Media • Information Highway • Credibility of Resources • Perspective • Bias in Maps • Bias in the Media • Measuring YOUR Perspective • Propaganda • The Global Media • Manufacturing Consent and The Assault on Reason • Doublespeak

Credibility of Resources • Paradigm • Facts • Opinions • Bias • Ethnocentricity • Propaganda • Doublespeak • Perspective

Paradigm • A framework, or overall worldview, on which knowledge claims are made • Paradigms are the rules and conditions we use to understand those things we perceive • If the paradigm changes it is called a paradigm shift (i.e. a geocentric view of the universe shifted to a heliocentric view of the universe)

Facts • Unbiased information about reality • Are OBJECTIVE and unarguable

Opinions • Are judgments and views about reality • Are SUBJECTIVE and arguable

Bias • Is the presentation of an issue from a single point of view • Biased words have greater power to persuade the unwary towards opinions they might not other wise hold

Ethnocentricity • Whenever the behaviour of another society or ethnic group is judged by the standards of one’s own society or group • The risk faced by those who hold an ethnocentric point of view is that they may consider any other way of life but their own to be somewhat abnormal • These people believe their cultural to be superior

Propaganda • Systematic efforts to spread opinions and beliefs, especially by distortion and deception • Ideas, facts or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause

Doublespeak • A language clouding our understanding of public issues to protect the people • Restricts personal thoughts and lets words become the spoken truths • “Doublespeak smuggles uncomfortable thoughts into comfortable minds”

Perspective • To become aware of something or an understanding thought through ones own senses

A Matter of Perspective • What do YOU see?

Bias in Maps • The Earth is a sphere (three-dimensional) and a map is flat (two-dimensional), so it is impossible to produce a map which combines the true shape, bearing, and distance. • ALL map projections misrepresent the surface of the Earth is some way. There are errors in distance and distortions in shapes.

Bias in Maps • Cartographers try to preserve four things on a map. • Shape – an area’s shape is directly related to the actual shape in the real world • Area – an area’s size is proportional to its actual size in the real world • Direction – the lines of constant direction remain constant anywhere on a map • Distance – distance measured on a map are accurate

Bias in Maps “A knowledgeable map reader, recognizing that a map is both a simplification and a distortion of reality, will look for clues to the cartographer’s purposes and biases.”

Bias in Maps • Mercator Projection • Used for navigation since 1569, is most common • Compass direction along a straight line between 2 points on the map are accurate • Distortion in shape & size of regions (north is larger, tropics are smaller) • Polar regions are larger, equatorial regions are smaller • Still used by ships & pilots, in many atlases for school use

Bias in Maps • Robinson Projection • In use from 1988 - 1998 by National Geographic • Minimizes the distortion of size & shape of most regions • Badly compresses & distorts the shape of countries in polar region

Bias in Maps • Winkel Tripel Projection • Created by Oswald Winkel in 1921 • Prime Meridian & Equator are straight lines while all other parallels & meridians are curved • Adopted by National Geographic in 1998, replacing Robinson as it better represents the size & shape of Earth features, especially in the polar regions

Bias in Maps • Gall Projection • Used in many textbooks • Shows area-accurate view of the world • Land mass size accurate, shape distorted

Bias in Maps • Which one is “reality”?

Bias in the Media • Every media story we see, hear, or read is the product of reporters, editors, camera crews, TV anchormen and women – people who hold points of view which may be different from our own; people who choose what events to cover, who to interview, and what words and pictures to use. • In other words, the media story which is presented to you is not necessarily “the truth,” but rather one person’s or a group of people’s idea about the truth.

Bias in the Media • Our news is brought to us by a surprisingly small number of organizations. • 3 major TV news services use microwave and satellite to relay their camera footage to TV networks all over the world. • Viznews (British) • UPIIN (British-US) • CBS Newsfilm (owned by VIACOM)

Bias in the Media Broadcast International • Think you’ve never heard of VIACOM? • VIACOM owns: CBS Productions Blockbuster Paramount Pictures CBS Entertainment CBS Television Network MTV Infinity Broadcasting Viacom Television StationsGroup BET Paramount Television Viacom Outdoor Paramount Home Entertainment King World Productions Inc. United International Pictures (UIP) Famous Players Showtime Networks Inc.(SNI) CBS Enterprises Simon & Schuster United Paramount Network(UPN) King World International Productions

Bias in the Media • Okay, but Canadians get their information from the Canadian Press, right? • Canadian Press (CP) gathers up news from across Canada to be used in Canadian newspapers. But for its international coverage, CP relies on its agreements with foreign companies which allow it to “Canadianize” wire stories – changing the American spelling and adjusting other minor points – and print them as CP stories.

Bias in the Media • This means most of our international news is reported from an American or European viewpoint. • Here is the emphasis on “international” news that we see in Canada: • US 34% • Europe 28% • Asia / Australia 17% • Latin America 11% • Middle East 6% • Africa 4%

Bias in the Media • September 1, 1983: A Soviet interceptor plane blows up a Korean passenger jet. The New York Times Editorial, “Murder in the Air”: • “There is no conceivable excuse for any nation shooting down a harmless airliner… no circumstance whatever justifies attacking an innocent plane.” • July 3, 1988: US forces blow up an Iranian passenger get. The New York Times Editorial? • “While horrifying, it was nonetheless an accident… the onus for avoiding such accidents in the future rests on civilian aircraft: avoid combat zones, fly high, acknowledge warnings.”

Bias in the Media • In each of these examples, what factors could have caused the difference in media coverage? • Which government involved is a friend of the United States? • Which isn’t? • Would you expect to see a similar lack of balance in the Canadian media? • Why or why not?

Bias in the Media • Some people are trying to undo the effect that media has on us, such as “Adbusters” Magazine. • On the next few slides are a few examples of their advertizements. www.adbusters.org/spoofads

Nearly 50% of automobile fatalities are linked to alcohol. • 10% of North Americans are alcoholics. • A teenager sees 100,000 alcohol ads before reaching the legal drinking age.

Measuring YOUR Perspective • Complete the questionnaire • Record your answers in the appropriate column on the answer sheet • Map your score on the chart

The Global Media • Exposure to media has become a major factor in shaping the economic, political, social, cultural and environmental make-up of the world. • Not everyone has equal access to media and an information gap exists between rich and poor, and between the more powerful groups in society and those who are marginalized individuals cannot address serious issues if they are unaware of their underlying causes and interconnections.

Perspectives On Issues