Media Literacy Activity: Values in Magazine Articles

Introduction

Activity Objective

Our values are the foundation for what we think is important or unimportant, our preferences, the choices we make, and how we assess others. A culture’s values help determine that culture’s norms for everyday behavior. Magazine articles usually do not explicitly state specific values, however, each article implies that some things are more important than others. In this activity, you will apply the critical process to become aware of the value orientation of articles in two magazines by looking at one issue of each publication.

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Reviewing the Critical Process

Developing a media-literate critical perspective involves mastering five overlapping stages that build on one another. Let’s review the critical process you’ll be using below:

  1. 1. Description: paying close attention, taking notes, and researching the subject under study
  2. 2. Analysis: discovering and focusing on significant patterns that emerge from the description stage
  3. 3. Interpretation: asking and answering “What does that mean?” and “So what?” questions about one’s findings
  4. 4. Evaluation: arriving at a judgment about whether something is good, bad, or mediocre, which involves subordinating one’s personal taste to the critical “bigger picture” resulting from the first three stages
  5. 5. Engagement: taking some action that connects our critical perspective with our role as citizens to question our media institutions, adding our own voice to the process of shaping the cultural environment

Description

  1. Choose one magazine that was a finalist for a 2021 general excellence magazine award ("Ellie" award) in the "News, Sports and Entertainment" category. This includes the following: The Atlantic, The Marshall Project, New York, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker. (Source: Source: https://www.asme.media/the-american-society-of-magazine-editors-announce-finalists-for-2021-national-magazine-awards)
  2. Choose one 2021 finalist for a magazine “Ellie” award in the “Service and Lifestyle” category. This includes the following: Epicurious, SELF, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Vogue, WSJ. Magazine. (Source: https://www.asme.media/the-american-society-of-magazine-editors-announce-finalists-for-2021-national-magazine-awards)
  3. Make a list of all the articles in each magazine.
  4. As you read each article, write down the values that you detect in that article. Here are some examples of values that might be relevant: consumerism, capitalism, work, power, wealth, comfort, pleasure, freedom, justice, truth, honesty, trust, equality, individualism, independence, diversity, self-reliance, ambition, beauty, attractiveness, being fashionable, popularity, health, science, technology, efficiency, friendship, family, happiness, romance, love, religion, tradition, nostalgia. Add any other values you perceive.
  5. Also, note any special features of the article, such as a photograph, graphic, or illustration; placement (cover story? brief article “buried” in the publication); layout; proximity to an advertisement for a particular product, etc.

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Analysis

With your assessment in mind, let’s explore what patterns emerge regarding the underlying values of magazines.

Use the text boxes provided to answer the following questions.

Interpretation

Through the following questions, interpret how the two magazines promote values.

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Evaluation

Now, assess how magazine values connect with American society and culture.

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Engagement

Let’s take action! Notice how paying attention to underlying values affects your reading of magazine articles and make it a habit to pay attention to underlying values when you read magazines. Some suggestions for further engagement are as follows:

  • Point out values in magazine articles to friends who share links to articles with you.
  • Read a more diverse set of magazines than you currently read. Pay attention to the differences in the values promoted in different magazines.

Use the text box provided to answer the following question.