Exam 1

Deception

The act of causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid

What has been the impact of deception?

Acts of deception have become mainstream behavior often amplified by social media, but they are eroding trust in our institutions and fostering a culture of contempt

What is deception the opposite of?

Journalism

Journalism is about seeking _____ and reporting based on a discipline of *______________*

truth; verification

What constitutional privilege does journalism possess?

First Amendment guarantees a free press

Too often in today’s news, media ___ _____ of the ideal

falls short

The news media ecosystem is polluted with what three things?

Misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation

Richard Stengel quote (former managing editor of Time)

There aren’t two sides to a lie. Yes, you should be non-partisan, but not neutral. Journalists must be biased in favor of the truth and facts

What is the objective of the class?

To provide context for you to understand news as a subset of media and its relationship to you as consumers

What will we glean from this class?

improve your news literacy and better understand the role of Journalism as an essential component of a functioning democracy

Four P’s of Success

Potential, purpose, perspective, perserverance

Which “P” is this class about?

Perspective: what? why?

Relationship between media and technology (Media truth #1)

Media and technology are inextricably linked

How has digital technology changed media? (Media truth #1)

digital technology has fundamentally changed media

Who controls the media market (Media truth #2)

Tech giants control the media market

How is media accessed (Media truth #3)

Media is mobile; accessed anywhere, anytime

Streaming media vs. established models (Media truth #4)

Streaming media is replacing established models

What is the current state of social networks (Media truth #5)

Social networks are important, but remain works in progress

What is the importance of truth and democracy (Media truth #6)

Truth matters; democracy as we know it dies if the onslaught of false information remains unchecked

How should we think about how we inform ourselves? (Key takeaway #1)

It is imperative to think deeply about how we inform ourselves on the critical events that shape us and our role in the world

How will we assess corruption from information? (Key takeaway #2)

We will critically assess the corruption caused by misinformation and disinformation to our marketplace of ideas.

True of false: media is a type of food (Key takeaway #3)

TRUE: We will consider media as a type of food we feed our brains and discuss healthy information diets.

How often will we hear the phrase “fake news” (Key takeaway #4)

You will rarely hear me use the phrase “fake news” because it is extremely troublesome within the context of the ideals of journalism

Can news be false? (Key takeaway #5)

NO: The very definition of news as you will glean from this course, is that it must be true. Therefore, if something is truthful, it cannot be fake

Are political attacks against the press new?

No:

* Political speech currying favor and legitimate reporting will often be at odds; it’s been part of our system since the beginning.
* The War Against the Press provides perspective from the1980s, for example.

Four steps of journalism process

* Gathering
* Assessing
* Creating
* Presenting

Is the process based on any specific tools or formats?

No

The process of journalism is essentially a ______________ exercise.

critical thinking

What is the essential attribute that allows us to identify specific types of media content as news?

Truth; the quest for accuracy of facts

What is journalism’s first obligation?

Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.

What is the foundation of news?

“Getting it right” is the foundation upon which news is built.

The objective is rooted in the _________________

discipline of verification

Standards of discipline of verification

* seeking out multiple witnesses
* disclosing as much as possible about sources
* asking various sides for comment

What is the effect of the discipline of verification?

It’s what separates journalism from other forms of communication such as propaganda, advertising, fiction, or entertainment.

Independence role of news

the construct of a watchdog role over government and other institutions.

Relevance role of news

avoiding sensationalism and false significance, which “trivializes civic dialogue and ultimately public policy.”

Seven principles that help define news:

* Timeliness
* Proximity
* Impact
* Prominence
* Unusualness
* Conflict
* Emotion

Because delivery is evolving, we must consider journalism ________________________________

separate from its delivery medium

Journalism is a process-- a series of steps to produce information that is __________________________________

done with the purpose of informing the public truthfully

The journalistic process trains you to become a ________________

critical thinker

How does the journalistic process train you to become a critical thinker?

* you use your ability to reason; to sort through competing options and make choices
* you process the links between ideas and explain them to your audience
* you determine the importance and relevance of arguments and ideas
* you identify inconsistencies and errors in reasoning
* you become consistent and systematic over time

The journalistic process is defined by attempts to answer questions (5Ws and H)

* Who
* What
* When
* Where
* Why
* How

Mass communication

Sending the same message, often from a large organization, to many varied people at the same time through a technological medium

Where does journalism appear in mass media?

TV, radio, newspapers, magazine, books, websites, and apps

Journalism delivery is evolving to include niche audiences in formats as varied as _________ and _________.

newsletters; podcasts

______________ is a key distributor of news, increasingly intentional.

Social media

Hard news

Crime, the economy, politics and government, international events

Features

Give us insights into things of personal interest and adds balance to the news; entertainment and lifestyle

Investigative stories

True investigative reporting delivers significant new information about matters of public importance

Journalism has its own forms of _________

storytelling

Broadcast arc

a narrative approach with an entrancing beginning, a middle, and an ending

Inverted pyramid

story narratives begin with the most important information first, and then work down to less important information

_________ depends on an independent account of how the government is doing its job

democracy

The _________ must be able to report on the actions of those in power without fear of retribution

press (news media)

What is the only profession provided protection by the Constitution?

the press

Most journalists….

* view themselves as public servants
* embrace healthy skepticism
* are truth-seekers, not sensationalists
* are curious

Information

the raw material of communication

Communication

the process of placing information into action

Media

the systems and structures for facilitating the communication process

Media is often defined by a type of content including

* movies
* music
* TV/video
* advertising
* photography
* text-based material
* audio-based material
* social media
* video games

Sometimes we define media by how the content is distributed. Platforms for distributing content include:

* broadcast TV and radio
* cable TV
* streaming services
* internet/social networks
* newspapers, magazines, books
* gaming devices
* cell phone carriers

Segments of media

* Educational and training media
* Traditional marketing
* Traditional consumer ad media
* Entertainment and leisure media
* Business professional information and services
* Targeted media

Education and training media

* not-for-profit college instructional media
* K-12 instructional media
* for-profit educational services
* outsourced corporate training

Traditional marketing

* consumer promotion
* business-to-business promotion
* public relations and word-of-mouth marketing

Traditional consumer ad media

* broadcast TV
* newspaper publishing
* consumer magazine publishing
* broadcast and satellite radio
* out-of-home media
* yellow pages directories

Entertainment and leisure media

* subscription TV
* entertainment media
* TV programming
* home video
* recorded music
* videogames
* box office
* consumer book publishing

Business professional information and services

* business and professional information
* business information
* professional information
* business and professional services
* business and professional processing services
* business and professional technology services

Targeted Media

* direct marketing
* direct mail
* branded entertainment
* outsourced custom publishing
* pure-play consumer internet and mobile services
* business-to-business media

How much is the global media market projected to grow between 2022 and 2027?

\+480 billion (>20%) (2022: $2.32 trillion --→ 2027: $2.8 trillion)

How did the pandemic affect media growth?

The pace of E&M has declined from before the pandemic began

How large is the U.S. share of the media market?

1/3 (approx. $726 billion in 2022)

How large is the gaming industry?

Its value exceeds $300 billion, larger than the combined markets of movies and music (driven by a surge in mobile gaming)

Why do people play video games?

* connecting with others of similar interests (84%)
* meet new people (80%)
* stay in touch with friends (77%)
* find the right community (67%)
* provide a safe outlet for trash talk (44%)

Labor trends

* print media employment is in free fall (-54,700)
* traditional TV and radio are weak (-16,500)
* film and digital media hiring is on fire (+109,100)

Legacy vs film and digital media hiring

\-71,200 (legacy) vs. +109,100 (film/digital)

What was a tipping point year?

2019

Why was 2019 a tipping point year?

average time spent in the US on mobile devices exceeded average time spent on TV

What is the next tipping point year and why?

Next year- digital video will surpass traditional TV

What are the macro trends driving media change?

* streaming
* fragmentation
* immersion

Streaming

* faster networks, devices
* 5G, improved Wi-Fi

Fragmentation

* Massive content investment
* Social media uncertainty

Immersion

* Metaverse
* AR, VR, and AI

Media literacy

an educational approach that empowers people to use critical thinking skills when consuming media

What are the goals of media literacy?

* creating an awareness of the characteristics of the media
* the intent of its messages
* the technique used
* and its impact on society

What can a media literate person do?

* has the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce media
* discerning about the content they consume and understands the harm that can come from misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation

Where does media literacy have its roots?

in media theory- studying media theory can help media professionals go beyond the “how” and dig deeper into the “why” of consumer media behavior

How many people used social media globally in 2023?

4\.9 billion

How many people are projected to use social media in 2027?

5\.85 billion

How many platforms does the average user utilize?

6-7 (in U.S. average is 7)

How much time does the average user spend on social media a day?

145 minutes

What are two key trends to watch

* Facebook remains the largest U.S. social media platform with 53% of traffic, but its audience is aging
* Twitter rebranded to X: faces stiffening competition and is suffering through a 50% decline in advertising support

Facebook audience is generationally oppsoite

* 35 million Gen Z
* 33 million boomers
* but there 132+ million GenXers and Millenials

Misinformation

* “Information that is false, but not created with the intention of causing harm.”
* People who share misinformation often believe the information they are sharing is true
* Misinformation often involves breaking news and the rapid fire release of information before it is checked for accuracy

Disinformation

“Information that is false and deliberately created to harm or mislead a person, social group, organization or country.”

Malinformation

“Information that is based on reality, but used to inflict harm on a person, organization or country.”

Examples of malinformation

* Phishing (web deception to get someone to reveal private information)
* Doxing (revealing private information to harass or embarrass)
* Catfishing (deceiving someone by using a fake identity or fictional persona)
* Revenge media (also called revenge porn – distribution of explicit media without consent)

Media literacy is an __________________ where people are taught skills to recognize artistry, persuasion, bias, and censorship

investigative process

How does media literacy create awareness to look beyond the surface of a message?

* ask further questions
* identify what isn’t being addressed
* look for answers or other points of view from a variety of sources

Four principles of media literacy

* Access
* Analyze
* Evaluate
* Produce

Access

* in learning how to access media, one can gain entry to new forms of information and not rely on single or limited sources
* by learning to access a greater variety of sources, one can piece together information to achieve greater understanding and insight