In the 1960s, Marshall McCluhan predicted that modern media would overcome separations between people and create a global village. It's certainly easy enough for those of us in the developed world to get access to media from all over the world (and beyond: you can even check the weather on Mars. ) But at the moment the global situation is not exactly like the friendly village McCluhan had in mind.
Load two news websites into your browser at the same time, and compare and contrast their coverage of the Iraq conflict. Start with CNN's website . Now load in the English language website of Al Jazeera, a Qatar-based global television news network that bills itself as the Islamic world's CNN. Using your understanding of media that you have developed in this course, carefully compare how the different news websites present recent news about Iraq and/or Israel. Look for some significant differences. What stories are given prominence, and which downplayed or ignored? What kinds of connotations do the sites evoke with their language, style, and mode of presentation? Take some notes while you do this.
Post the results of your analysis by midnight, June 25.
Next, read MediaMaking, Chapter 14, "Normative Theories of the Media," pp. 375-395. The chapter discusses the history and character of different theories of what the media should be. Pay particular attention to these concepts:
- The "enlightenment heritage" that produced classical liberal theories of press freedom.
- The rise of social responsibility theories.
- Marxist and cultural critiques of the media.
What principles do you think should be used to organize the media? Using concepts from Chapter 14, post a brief description of something that could be done that you think would make the media function better by noon on June 28. Also, by 6:00 pm, June 28, post a response to someone else on the list with whom you disagree.