Part 1. LaunchPad for Media and Culture 12e Media Literacy Activity: Tracking Recent Developments in Media Ownership
Introduction
Activity Objective:
In this activity, you will apply the critical process to help you discover the most recent developments in media ownership and become familiar with the Benton Foundation’s new aggregation site.
Let’s get started! Click the forward and backward arrows to navigate through the slides. You may also click the above outline button to skip to certain slides.
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:
Description: paying close attention, taking notes, and researching the subject under study
Analysis: discovering and focusing on significant patterns that emerge from the description stage
Interpretation: asking and answering “What does that mean?” and “So what?” questions about one’s findings
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
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
Read about recent developments on media ownership at Benton Foundation's Web site: https://www.benton.org/benton-weekly-digest. Take notes on topics that have multiple stories or mentions in the current year.
Use the space below to answer the following question.
What issues or developments have received a lot of recent attention, discussion, or commentary? (Focus only on information from the current year.)
Analysis
Now, focus on one development or pattern that has received significant attention in the current year and research this trend further.
Use the space below to answer the following question.
What information did you discover about the trend you identified? Provide a brief synopsis.
Interpretation
Through the following questions, let’s dig deeper into that trend you identified to interpret your findings.
Use the space below to answer the following question.
1. What does the trend mean for the state of media ownership?
2. Is the trend evolving? If so, how?
3. What does it tell you about media in general at the present?
4. What might it say about our culture or our society?
5. Can this information help you interpret the role of media ownership industry in our lives?
Evaluation
Now, you’ll assess whether the trends in media ownership are good, bad, or both.
Use the space below to answer the following question.
1. Is the trend “good” or “bad”? For the public relations industry? society? culture? democracy? us?
2. What do you think might happen in the future?
Engagement
Let’s take action! Use what you have learned to engage with media ownership moving forward. Below are a few suggestions on ways to get involved:
- Post your views on social media, create a petition.
- Contact people in media to see what they think of your interpretation and evaluation.
Use the space below to answer the following question.
What are three actions you can take to engage with media ownership?