PART TWO: ANALYSIS
In chapter 9 of A Web-Linked Guide to Resources and Activities, Professor Rick Beach states that students should not only be taught how to and / or the value of following the news, but how to / the value of critically analyzing the news (90). To begin this critical analysis, Beach continues that it is important to begin critically analyzing what exactly constitutes "news" by asking if the content / event in question is significant, relevant, sensational, practical, and / or has an impact on the community (90). An additional concept that runs through each of these criteria is that the perception of whether or not something is "news" is largely dependent on the specific audience that is viewing it and / or it is intended for. For example, when dealing with the variable of relevancy, Beach states, "A group of high school students may perceive the passing of a school bond referendum as highly relevant to the education future, while perceiving the opening of a new business as irrelevant to their lives" (90). Similarly, although sports fans might perceive the bellow newscast's report on Brett Favre to be EXTREMELY relevant to their lives, I perceive absolutely NO relevance to this story as I could care less about sports in general. Throughout the remainder of this post, I'd like to practice what I preach by applying the above criteria (significant, relevant, sensational, practical, community impact, and audience) to several of the stories in the bellow viewing log to critically explore the question; is this particular content / event "news"?
Top / lead story: ~2 minutes, 30 seconds
Local man gets stuck in quicksand-like mud near White Bear Lake
As the anchors opened up the 10pm news, the sensational nature of this particular story immediately captured my attention by forcing me to ask questions such as "What in the world was the man doing in the mud? Is he O.K.? How exactly did he escape? Did anyone else get stuck in the process?" However, after sitting through the entire story, I realized that the answers to these questions were of no real significance or relevance to me. Other than gaining the potential practical knowledge of how to get out of quicksand-like mud (don't thrash, spread your body weight out, and so on) on the off chance that either myself or someone living near a lake finds themselves in a similarly idiotic predicament, the story of the man held virtually no significance, relevance, practicality, or otherwise impact on me and / or any other individuals / communities that I can think of off the top of my head (again, other than someone else living near a muddy lake, who I hope would have enough sense to stay the hell out of muddy looking bogs in the first place).
Other than this top / lead story succeeding in peaking my initial interest in the broadcast, this interest ended up being extremely superficial. As such, I don't perceive this story to be "news." However, I'd like to stress the observation that the sensational nature of this story did persuade me to plant my backside in the couch cushion and foster at least an initial interest in the newscast.
Local news story: ~20 seconds
The search is now on for a missing 10 year old boy from Beltrami County of Black Duck, MN
As opposed to the previous story, I perceived this story to have an EXTREMELY strong community impact. Although the city of Black Duck, MN, and its surrounding country are not my specific community, a helpless child has gone missing from the larger MN community. As such, residents of this community, as well as greater MN, would most likely find this information extremely significant and relevant because they would have the want / need to know where it happened, a description if available (kidnapper, child kidnapped, vehicle, and so on), and a possible motive if available, to 1.) stay alert to keep their families safe, and 2.) help find the missing child. Furthermore, if some of this information was not available, the reporters could have explicitly said so vs. leaving the information out entirely and generating so many questions.
However, I perceive this story to have a relatively small degree of practicality as the reporters did not go into ANY detail at all. As anecdotal evidence of this lack of detail, look at this story's approximate run time - a meager 20 seconds to a missing child vs. the nearly 2.5 minutes devoted to an idiot who got himself stuck in the mud and burned up MN tax dollars to be rescued. Although a simple description was given, instructions informing the public exactly what to do in case of a sighting were not provided. As a result, I was left asking myself questions including "What if I think I spot this child? Should I alert any authorities? If so, what specifically authority do I alert? What is the contact information?" As soon as these questions popped into my mind, the reporters already moved on to another story. Although I cannot be certain, this lack of detail might have a degree of intentionality to it. Aside from the fact that the reporters might simply not have the specific information that I'm looking for, they could be making the conscious choice to leave it out, strategically using my desire / need to find out more details to keep me glued to their particular newscast. Also, although this was not specifically stated during the broadcast, the reporters could be operating on a "when I know, you'll know" attitude. Because I am trusting that they simply don't yet have the information I'm looking for (again, perhaps an incorrect assumption), I'm encouraged to continue viewing to make sure I'm tuned in as soon as they get it.
Overall, given the community impact, significance, and relevance to not only myself, but the entire state of MN, I perceive this story as "news."
The last story I want to take a detailed look at:
Lifestyle news story:
Food you should be eating for healthier looking skin
As this story was alluded to in not one, but two "teasers" before commercial breaks, I initially perceived it to have a relatively high degree of significance, relevance, and practicality as I thought to myself "Hmm... a healthy lifestyle is important, and if they're going to actually tell me specifically what I can eat to not only stay healthy, but look damn good in the process, I'll sit through the rest of the newscast and wait for it!" However, at the end of the story, I feel as though I was not supplied with any information that I didn't already know / haven't already heard before.
In short, the story consisted of Dr. Nicholas Periton, dermatologist and author, arguing that the road to healthy looking skin is as simple as committing to a consistent diet. Dr. Periton then described the types of food that promote tight, wrinkle-free, healthy looking skin including fruit, vegetables, small amounts of meat, minimal sweets, and plenty of water. As Dr. Periton discussed each of these foods and the chemical properties found in them that promote healthy looking skin, the screen cut to images of the specific food being described.
So what you're telling me is that if I eat healthy fruits, vegetables, meat, drink plenty of water, and watch my intake of sweets that I will both feel and look healthier? NO WAY! Just like the purely sensational top / lead story of the newscast, I perceived this story to hold little significance, relevance, and practicality as I, presumably along with many other viewers, where not surprised to hear that an overall healthy diet promotes an overall healthy body. However, looking outside of myself and viewers like me, I can imagine a particular audience that might find this story significant, relevant, and practical - individuals trying to diet. Even though this very same information may come as "old news" to people working hard, and potentially struggling, to change their diets, this report may be perceived as a "motivator / motivation" to stay on track. Furthermore, this report contains extreme close-up shots of women scrutinizing their faces in the mirror, as well as extreme close-ups of people measuring their waist lines, potentially working to reinforce the stereotypes / assumptions associated with being beautiful and / or overweight. After viewing these stereotypes, individuals could be further motivated by their desire to not be associated with negative stereotypes concerning their weight. "Ugh, look at that ugly / disgusting person, I don't want to look like that!"
Lastly, another important rhetorical strategy that this particular story uses is an appeal to authority by having Dr. Periton endorse the diet with his "expert" opinion. Because we generally invest Doctors with a high degree of authority and integrity, viewers are similarly encouraged to assume 1.) that the Dr. knows what he's talking about, as well as 2.) that he intends to use this knowledge and authority to help others. As such, viewers are more inclined to make the assumption that this story must be important, personally helpful news as a Doctor is endorsing it. The random shots of scientists doing labword then works to reinforce this perception of the Doctor and news station as "knowing their stuff," therefore further working to legitimize the story.
Other than dieters perhaps finding this story as significant, relevant, and practical due to its fulfilling of their desire / need for positive reinforcement / motivation to stay on track with their diets, I don't perceive this story as "news." However, again notice that the initial degree of significance, relevancy, and practicality that I perceived during the first "teaser" for this story motivated me to stay glued to my T.V., and patiently wait through all of the other stories and ads until I finally could hear Dr. Periton's absolutely genius diet.
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PART THREE: TEACHING TECHNIQUES
IDEA #1
I would like to discuss and modify an activity that I used during my student teaching experience to teach the 6 criteria for identifying if something is "news" or not; significance, relevance, sensational, practicality, community impact, AND audience.
During my media unit, I led my students through a series of lessons and activities where they evaluated an article's overall effectiveness as based on its potential uses of logos, ethos, and / or pathos, and how those uses either "fit" or did not "fit" with the article's intended audience.
In class, I first handed out a packet that gave definitions, descriptions, and examples of our vocabulary; logos, pathos, ethos, intended purpose, and intended audience. I then distrubuted an article to the entire class (because we were talking about environmental issues, an article on the issue of overpopulation from the Taking Sides series), walking the students through the type of analysis that I was looking for. From there, I put the students in groups, handed out a selection of articles that I found the night before (1 article per group covering various aspects of a particular issue), and had the students use the bellow worksheet to help them answer "How effective is this article?" NOTE: This activity could be constructed around any issue that you're currently discussing in class. For example, if you're discussing issues of earth sustainability like my class was, find several articles on overpopulation, global warming, alternative energy sources, alternative fuels, and so on.
Each group then got up in front of the class, displayed / read through their article on the LCD projector for everyone else to hear / see, and stated why or why not they felt that the ad was effective as based on specific instances of the article's use of logos, pathos, and / or ethos, as well as how these uses "fit" with the article's intended audiences. NOTE: Due time time contraints, you might want to take exerpts from several articles, or exerpts from a single artile. It totally depends on your needs and the nature of the task you're trying to do.
For homework, students were tasked with finding an article based on our issue on their own, using the worksheet as a template for their analysis, and writing a short paper discussing how effective their article was as based on our vocabulary. Similar to another activity I have posted, this activity provided students with plenty of scaffolding as they 1.) heard my discussion / analysis, 2.) worked with the vocabulary in small groups, and 3.) heard the discussion, analysis, and overall process of their peers. Students then shared their articles and analysis in small groups the next day.
LOGOS, PATHOS, ETHOS HANDOUT
Modified from (http://www.public.asu.edu/~macalla/logosethospathos.html)
WORKSHEET
Created by Rick Lee Filipkowski
Now, in addition to hoping that you found this activity useful, I feel as though it could easily be modified to begin to teach critical analysis of the news, specifically the above criteria of significance, relevance, sensational, practicality, community impact, and audience.
In class, first hand out a packet that gives definitions, descriptions, and examples of our vocabulary; significance, relevance, sensational, practicality, community impact, and audience. Then, project / hand out a news story to the entire class on the LCD projector, walking the students through the type of analysis that you're looking for. From there, put the students in groups, hand out a selection of varying stories that you find before (1 ad per group), and have the students use the bellow worksheet to help them answer "Is this article 'news'"? NOTE: As similar to my modified activty, you could center the stories you select around a specific complex issue relevent to the school and / or community in which you teach. In addition to reducing overall ambiguity by centering inquiry around one complex issue, student and engagement may also be increased if they perceive the particular issue that you pick to be personaly meaningful. Also, why not get your students' input? Ask them what they'd like to look further into!
Each group then gets up in front of the class, reads / displays their story on the LCD projector for everyone else to hear / see, and states why or why not they felt that the story was "news" as based on the criteria of significance, relevance, sensational, practicality, community impact, and audience. For homework, students find a story on their own based on the issue of focus, use the worksheet as a template for their analysis, and write a short paper discussing if the story is "news" or not as based on the criteria. The modified worksheet might look something like this:
WORKSHEET
Created by Rick Lee Filipkowski
The next day, students could present their articles and analysis in small / large groups, and work to synthesize the knowledge gained during their separate pieces of analysis into a single, well-informed statement and / or course of action about the issue. This issue could then be turned into a letter that could actually be sent (a letter to a factory urging them to look into their pollution control policies, a presentation to the school about the dangers and drinking and driving, and so on). The possibilities are truly endless.
IDEA #2
A second teaching idea that I thought of would to be took look at the strategies that newscasts across mediums (television, radio, paper, internet) use to capture AND maintain our interests and viewership.
First, you might select a pool of strategies to focus on throughout the lesson (for example, appeal to fear / scare tactics, need reinforcement, sensationalism, "teasers," and whatever else you could think of and that comes up along the way). Then, you could really take the lesson into whatever sort of direction you'd like. Considering Professor Beach's argument that students learn best when actively producing texts of their own, perhaps students working either individually and / or in groups could produce scripts or real "newscasts" of their own through iMovie utilizing class concepts. Then, you could hold a class viewing day where students could either act out and / or view each others' newscast, discus what / which specific strategies each group used, how exactly they used them, and how effective the story is at capturing and maintaining audience interest and viewership.
Also, what could make this type of activity really cool is that you could task different groups with different mediums (for example, one group could do print news, one group do radio, one group TV, and so on). As a result, students could get a large sample of strategies across mediums and explore how the nature of certain mediums (radio vs. TV) afford certain strategies. Lastly, what could make such an activity really cool is to center the types of student produced newscasts around a central, complex issue relevant to the school / community that you are in. To do so, you could get the students' input and pick something that is truly important to the group. From there, students could consider multiple perspectives as they write their newscasts (for example, community leaders, parents, student administrators, law enforcement, and so on), as well as consider how different strategies may be more or less effective based on the particular viewing audience.
Thanks for reading!
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