Ethics lecture here.

Final study guide

Chapter 13 & lecture
Qualitative vs Quantitative research
Magic bullet theory
Minimalist effects theory (with two-step flow)
Media Research - survey's, experiments, panel studies - pro's and con's of each
Socialization
Narcotizing theory
Spiral of Silence
Third person effect
Cultivation/Gerbner
Stereotypes (with cultivation theory)
How has the Internet changed politics?
Bandura and Bobo doll research
Different approaches to violence in the mass media
Violence: Catharsis/Stimulation/Catalytic theories
Social effects of the Internet?
Agenda setting
Mainstreaming, resonance
Children and Advertising

Chapter 14 & lecture
First Amendment.. what are the five freedoms
What is Prior Restraint
Near vs. Minnesota case.. what did it conclude
Pentagon Papers and prior restraint
Shield laws protect reporters in cases of…?
Freedom of Information Act
Libel, slander, actual malice, NY Times v. Sullivan
Copyright & fair use
Food Lion case.. what was the ruling
Equal Time Rule
The FCC and its evolution
Fairness Doctrine
Does the FCC govern cable and broadcast TV the same way?
Telecommunications Act of 1996
Children's Television Act
Obscenity
Deceptive Advertising is monitored by whom?

Ethics lecture
How journalists make their decisions: Ethical Principles (know basic differences)

Chapter 15 & Global village lecture
Theories of the press (authoritarian, libertarian, social responsibility, developmental, communist) -- which is the U.S.?
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing
Digital divide - 4 main areas (economic equality, social mobility, democracy, economic growth)
What is Al Jazeera?
Role of media in elections
Polling, advertising, debates
Roll of Internet in politics
Push Poll


3 possible essays (I'll give all 3 as an option) -- remember, when you write your essay, err on the site of presenting more information than you think you might need -- show me that you know what you are talking about, not just simply answering the basic premise of the question. This could come down to giving examples, defining terms, or giving historical context.
1. What is the difference between indecent speech and obscenity, and how does the FCC regulate each?

2. Please describe how a media researcher would describe violence in the media and its effect on viewers according to these theories: socialization theory, catharsis theory, stimulation theory, and agenda setting theory.

3. Discuss the role of the mass media in our democracy. What are some of its positive and negative effects on the process, and how is the Internet changing things?

Global village lecture slides.

Law slides here (Chapter 14).

Final reaction paper! Due 12-10

Worth up to 20 points..

When a lawyer presents a case to the court, one way of creating a strong argument is citing precedent: past court cases that are similar to yours, where the outcome is in your favor.
Use your best skills of argument and finding past precedent in this paper:

A nuclear power plant located in Colorado Springs, CO. provides power to a 400-mile radius.

The plant is notable for being tied to the Defense Department's local network of "in-case-of-disaster" installations (the North American Aerospace Defense Command is located in Colorado Springs).

A journalist receives a tip from a source whose name they know but wishes to remain anonymous in print (or they won't give the journalist information). The tip concerns the lack of security at the plant, including sleeping guards and visibly broken security cameras.

The plant offers a tour to the public once a month. Of course, no cameras are allowed. The journalist goes undercover, posing as a regular citizen, and takes the tour. Once inside the journalist uses a special hidden camera to take still photographs.

The tipster was right. The journalist discovers many faults in the security at the plant.

The newspaper decides to go with it as a multi-part story, spanning five days. Different pictures and detailed notes from inside will be published.

After the first edition is released, the government immediately springs to action. The Defense Department launches an injunction against the paper, trying to stop further pictures and details from being published whatsoever and also to reveal the identity of the anonymous source. They also want to charge the journalist with trespassing.

The court will hear the opening arguments to decide if the paper has a right to publish this information and whether the journalist must reveal their source.

Take one side or the other. The side of the newspaper, arguing for the right to print it (and no trespassing), or the side of the Defense Department, arguing that it should not be allowed to go to print (and the journalist should be charged with trespassing).

**** Your best bet to win is to cite prior court cases that show that you are right. **** You can use court cases from your book (Chapter 14) or from the Internet (one idea, try Googling: reporter trespassing).

Here's a great roundup of the "Cablegate" and Wikileaks activities going on, which supplements our class discussion.

Reaction Paper #13 due Monday 12-6

Here's the article!

If it's making you register, try clicking the first link here.

In 600 words.. give me your summary and reaction. What implications does the story have for children now and in the future? Can you relate to any of the examples? Should anything be done?

Here's the post about sheet music copyright I was talking about. Here's a discussion about it.

I talked about Nate Silver a couple classes ago.. he did the FiveThirtyEight blog that did some groundbreaking work predicting the 2008 election results. Here is a recent article on TSA security: The hidden cost of extra security at airports.

Ch. 13 slides

Mass Media effects/theories lecture slides.

Reaction Paper #12 due 11-19 midnight

For this paper, I'd like you to come up with a hypothesis or theory about how we interact with the mass media or how the mass media affects us and how you would test it (experiment, survey, focus group, case study, etc.)

For example:

My hypothesis is that students who use Facebook for more than 2 hours a day will have lower grades than those who don't use Facbeook.

In my paper I would explain why I think this is so, then I would explain how I would use a survey to measure this.

Also explain any other factors that might affect my outcome (for example, those without access to a computer wouldn't use Facebook at all, but their grades might be lower because of less computer access, etc).

That said, please don't use Facebook in your experiment. :-)

Use these sites to help you decide on a qualitative study (case study, ethnography, etc.) or a quantitative study (survey, experiment, etc).

Qualitative vs Quantitative

Quantitative methods

Qualitative research

Remember, you don't have to do the experiment/case study/etc. only explain how you would do it.

Propaganda lecture.

Test #3 (Take-home)

Same rules as the previous -- open everything, must be written by you.

Remember to cite your sources!

DUE: Printed and handed in on class Thursday 11-18 (will only take a hard copy!) If you hand it in late, put it in my mailbox in Building 2 (near the dean's office). Late tests will be docked 15 points (out of 50).

LENGTH: About 700-800 words per answer (2-3 double spaced pages).

Questions (pick 2 of 3)

1. (Chapter 10) Choose and discuss what you believe are the top four most important or influential events in the history of American journalism. Explain why you believe each event is important and what effect it has had on journalism and our culture.

2. (Chapter 11) Choose three forms of entertainment discussed in Chapter 11 and discuss how the Internet (and the digitizing of information) has changed each one -- economically, socially, and technologically.

3. (Chapter 12) Pretend you have to explain to a friend the difference between advertising and public relations. How are they similar and different, why is each important to business, and what techniques are used for each?

Reaction Paper #10 due 11-12

Here's a fun one.

Visit this site that lists (according to them) the 100 Greatest Commercials.

Find 5 of them on YouTube and do a mini-review (a couple paragraphs) for each. What works with the commercial? Does it stand the test of time? Had you seen it before? How would you critique it?

Food blogger Monica Gaudio found out that Cooks Source published a piece that she wrote about apple pie, but did not get her permission to do so. Gaudio contacted the publication, half expecting it to be some kind of unfortunate mix-up, and asked for a nominal sum of money as compensation. That's when Griggs -- or someone using her e-mail address -- responded, blasting Gaudio for even raising the issue: "... honestly Monica, the web is considered 'public domain' and you should be happy we just didn't 'lift' your whole article and put someone else's name on it!"

Story here.

We were just starting to talk about propaganda (and we will more on Tuesday) but I thought this was interesting -- anti-sufferage propaganda posters.

Reaction Paper #10 due 11-4

Another video! This one on piracy.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6483543718966313073&hl=en#

According to the Matt Mason, speaker and author of The Pirate's Dilemma, how is copyright out of touch compared to the way that we are sharing and using information? Also, summarize his three main points: why piracy is important, how it works and how should we respond? What's your analysis of these points?

Interesting Internet usage factoids from Kottke.

Just a note

Hey folks,

As you're starting to think about your research paper due in a month, I'd like you to read this and this regarding plagiarism.

Any paper that isn't properly cited will be marked off. Any paper with plagiarism will be given a 0 and will be subject to academic dishonest as described in the student handbook.

Have a good day!

Reaction Paper #9 due 10-29

For reaction paper 9, I'd like you to write a review. It can be a review for a TV show, movie, album, video game or book.

Pretend you are writing for The Campus Chronicle. Your audience is DMACC students. You want to keep your writing somewhat formal, but it doesn't have to be too stiff. Be sure to proof read. Here are some good tips on how to write it. Please read:

http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a2206-how-to-write-a-movie-review.html

It will help if you review something that you are passionate about -- whether you love it or hate it.

Here are some readings for inspiration.

Roger Ebert hates the movie "North": http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940722/REVIEWS/407220302/1023

But he likes Pulp Fiction: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20010610%2FREVIEWS08%2F106100301%2F1023

Indiana Jones: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20000430%2FREVIEWS08%2F4300301%2F1023

This guy goes in-depth with "Armageddon":http://criterioncollection.blogspot.com/2005/09/40-armageddon.html

Mario Kart Wii Review:http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=185351

Remember to be as specific as possible. Don't just say "it had good acting." What made the acting good? What made the story interesting? What made the action scenes boring?

Test #3

Intro to Mass Media
Test III (Take-home) • Due end of the day Friday 10/29 (midnight)

Rules:

1. Your main source for this test is the book, but you are free to use outside sources or our lecture. Please cite any outside sources at the end of the paper (you can choose the citation style: MLA, APA, etc.)

2. You can use fellow classmates.

3. The test must be written 100% by yourself. That means you can talk about the answers with a classmate, but when you sit down to write it has to be all yours. If it is too similar to another classmate's, I either won't take them or make both students redo it with new questions, depending on how similar they are.

Pick TWO questions to answer.

You should write about 2-3 double spaced pages for each answer.

1. (Chapter 7) Smart phones (Android, iPhone, Blackberry, etc.) are a relatively young invention. How do storage technology, user interface, and interactivity differ on smart phones compared to regular telephones or cell phones? Why are these three aspects important to smart phone designers?

2. (Chapter 8) How has the evolution of networks created a shift in the power from traditional mass media companies to consumers? What important legal issues come into play?

3. (Chapter 9) How (and why) should marketers take advantage of social media when trying to promote their products? What examples have you seen? What ethical issues should they be aware of?

Map of online communities from xkcd.

Reaction Paper #8 due midnight 10-21

Here's the link to the video we watched in class:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/?utm_campaign=viewpage&utm_medium=grid&utm_source=grid

For your paper, please discuss the issues raised in the video -- parental control, digital tools in education, cyber-bullying, suicide, social networks and eating disorders. You don't have to touch on all of them -- but relate them to chapter 7 and/or 9 in your book. In the case of some of the problems -- what can be done? What should parents be doing? Is the internet actually increasing teen suicide and eating disorders, or just giving it a new home? If you can link it to any research (trends in suicide rates/eating disorders in the past 30-40 years?) I would be impressed.

Reaction Paper #7 due 10-14 (midnight)

Here is the video (it's 5 parts..if it doesn't work in Chrome, try Firefox or Safari... it starts 30 seconds in)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjt77lBNjwM&feature=PlayList&p=F35C52CC41B4DC24&index=0&playnext=1

It's a video, called Killing Us Softly. It has to do with how women are portrayed in advertising. (It does have some adult language and images)

I'd simply like you to:

1. Summarize the the problem the presenter identifies. Do you agree with the presenter, or are the problems exaggerated?

2. What are the effects on women & girls (and boys)?

3. Does the speaker bring up any points you hadn't noticed or thought about before? Why do you think this was?

4. What is your response? What should be done, if anything?

Reaction Paper #6 due 10-8

This one is worth 20 points and includes two parts:

First, watch about the first 25 minutes of this video (you can watch it all if you want, it's about 50 minutes)

http://infosthetics.com/archives/2010/09/journalism_in_the_age_of_data_visualization_as_a_storytelling_medium.html

In the length of about 3/4 of a page (or more -- single spaced), summarize a few of the main points in the video.

Next, head over to this site:

http://vizlab.nytimes.com/

And find some interesting visualizations (note there is a "browse all" button). Find a few to talk about. What makes them interesting? What did you learn from the visual presentation and does it work better (or worse) than if it were simply text? Paste links to the illustrations in your paper... (try to put them on their own line as opposed to in the middle of a big block of text). Length for part 2, 3/4 of a page (or more).

P.S. -- if you want to watch The Social Network and write a 2-page review and relate it to material in the class, you can get up to 10 points E.C. Due... Nov. 30.

Study Guide Test 2

STUDY GUIDE

Disclosure: All material in chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 (and lecture) is fair game.

How to use this guide: for terms listed below (e.g., "Wikis"), it would be good to know the general definition and maybe an example or two. For other topics to study, I may have a longer question ("Benefits and problems of newspaper chains?")

Material from the test may include, but is not limited to the following…

• Names associated with the invention of Film, TV, Radio, Photography, Penny Press, and the World Wide Web

• What is a bit?

• Analog media examples

• Table 3-1 on p.71

• Wikis

• Digital Divide

• History of the Internet

• Books in the digital age

• HTTP

• Technological determinism

• WWW inventor, year

• First web browser

• Open source

• Gutenberg's printing press

• John Peter Zenger

• Payola

• Current challenges of magazines

• First sound film?

• What is muckraking?

• Advantages of digital information over analog?

• Benefits and problems of newspaper chains?

•Three major trends of the book industry

•Radio before, during, and after WWI

• Digital TV

• Matthew Brady

• Vint Cerf

Essay question topics (you will get a couple options and pick one)
• The Penny Press
• Digital Music, piracy and the effects
• Telecommunications Act of 1996
• History and description of the Hollywood Star System

Citizen Kane Extra Credit

First step: watch the movie Citizen Kane (the DMACC library has a copy)....

Then, write up why the movie is considered one of the best films ever made according to the experts (and if you agree). (you can easily do a Google search for Citizen Kane reviews)

Be sure to back your points up with examples from the movie. Don't just say, "it is considered the best because of the cinematography." Give me examples from the film that show why the cinematography was so great.

You might want to watch it with the commentary by Roger Ebert (but be sure to cite it if you reference it).

Remember to cite your sources ( "According Cinematography Today magazine, etc etc," ). You can cite a website but it must be credible. Books, magazine, film history texts, printed sources will be best. No Wikipedia!!

You can earn up to 20 points. 800-900 words. Due November 30th.

Reaction Paper #5

This one involves playing a video game. Here is the page:

http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/

Go to the "downloads" and you can get it for Mac or Windows.

AFTER you play the game (it takes 5 minutes or so), write a response and reaction of what you think the game means (or what it means to you). (Think about the title, too)

Ok, now wait until you've written your interpretation. Now move on..

Read this statement by the maker:

http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/statement.html

...how does this compare to what you thought the game was about? Was there an emotional response for you? If so, how can something so simple draw an emotional reaction? Do video games have as much potential for an emotional story as movies? If movies are considered art, what about video games?

Due by midnight on 9/30! If you get it done before class on 9/30 we can chat a little about it.

Radio slides

Found here!

Research Paper Info

Hey folks,

Here is some information about your research paper due Tuesday, November 30th.

Shoot for about 1200 words (5 pages double-spaced)

Pick a topic in the mass media that you are interested in.

It could be relating to a TV show, band, album, website, radio show, movie, video game, etc. It could also be a media law or a subject like photojournalism ethics (more examples down below).

Give me a history of your subject. Tell me why it matters. Put it in some historical context -- what came before it, what it compares to now, and what might came after it (or might come after it in in the future). Tell me something I don't know.

For example, you might pick to write about the show 24.

You might start off with a short history of the show and how it came to be. Tell me how many people watch it each week. Why is it so popular? What do critics say about it?
Then you could focus on what the show is known for: its portrayal of torture. How is it portrayed? As something good or bad? Has the way 24 shown torture influenced America's perception of torture? Not just what you think, but use evidence from any studies you can find.
You might finish by talking about how the show ended and its legacy.

There you have it. Try not to put any opinion in, and let research do the talking. Stay away from first person. No "I think..." or "My favorite episode.."

Remember, no Wikipedia! You can use it as a starting point and use the sources listed, but not Wikipedia itself.

Finally, remember to cite all the sources you use. You can cite your sources in your papers at the end, but also throughout, like this:

The New York Times states that "24" has 21 million viewers.

or

"24" has 21 million viewers (NY Times, 2005).

Use an APA or MLA style works cited page at the end. If it's not properly formatted, automatic 5 points off, if it's missing altogether, 10 points off (or I might ask you to write one and give it to me if I can't figure out what your sources are). Use this:

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm

Don't be afraid to venture to the library.

Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help brainstorm ideas for your subject.

It is due Tuesday, November 30. It is worth 50 points (as much as a test). 5 points off for every day late.

More possible topics:
Has "24" affected our views on torture?
How has the mass media changed after 9/11?
Subliminal advertising
Video game addiction
Video game cultures
Rap (or heavy metal or whatever) and its place in our culture
The many methods of advertising in MTV (music videos, commercials, product placement)
YouTube.. will it ever be profitable?
How the Internet has affected the music industry
Pirating music/software online
Colbert Report vs O'Reilly Factor
Can bands bypass record companies and be successful?
Influence of particular film director (or music producer)
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The FCC's influence on radio or broadcast
Philo Farnsworth .. inventor of the TV
How has the media covered the Iraq war?
How the media has changed the way it has covered war (you could compare Vietnam and Iraq)
Propaganda (especially the Nazi's Triumph of the Will)
Advertising and the Internet
History of the Internet
KDKA - the first radio station
Orson Welles
Is there a liberal bias in the media?
Compare MSNBC or CNN to Fox News
Future of home video (Blu-Ray... why is it slow to take off)
How media in another country compares to the U.S.
Apple vs. Microsoft
Analyze a particular advertising campaign
Ethics - photojournalism, news, advertising, etc.
Censorship of the Internet in China
History and affect of YouTube
Blogging... can you make money doing it?
The Daily Show affect
"The Mickey Mouse" copyright extension act of 1998
Cyber-bullying

Why it's not a great idea to use Wikipedia as a source!

Reaction Paper #4

Here is the article:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/04/26/100426fa_fact_auletta

1. In as much detail as you can with info from the article, how are Apple, Amazon and Google changing the book industry?
2. What challenges may lie ahead for books/ebooks/iBooks in the digital world?


This one is due by the end of the day Thursday (midnight) 9/23.

New Yorker article about Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) I mentioned in class.

Everything is a remix!

Reaction Paper #3 due 9/16 (midnight)

1. Pick a show that you'd expect would have product placement (aka not a nature show!).
2. Take out a piece of paper and make two columns. One for regular commercials and one for product placement.
3. Keep careful track of each product mention or visual within the show. Sometimes the mentions are pretty subtle. Keep your eye out for any brands. Keep track of each commercial during the break.
4. List some of the product placement examples you witnessed in your paper and how they worked the product in.
5. Analyze the findings. How much product placement was there? Did the products overlap with any of the regular commercials? Was the product placement seamless or awkward? Did the target audience for the products seem to make sense for the typical audience who might be watching the show?
6. What are your thoughts on product placement? Are you ok with it? Why would some people not be ok with it? Does it bug you that shows have to integrate the products into their shows? Would it be better if it were kept out of shows? Do you think it works?

Test #1

....due via email by the end of the day (midnight), Friday Sept. 10. Might be a good idea to get a jump start on it this weekend if you have time.

Remember, pick 2 of the 4 questions to answer...

Intro to Mass Media
Test I (Take-home)

Rules:

1. Your main source for this test is the book, but you are free to use outside sources or our lecture. Please cite any outside sources at the end of the paper (you can choose the citation style: MLA, APA, etc.)

2. You can use fellow classmates.

3. The test must be written 100% by yourself. That means you can talk about the answers with a classmate, but when you sit down to write it has to be all yours. If it is too similar to another classmate's, I either won't take them or make both students redo it with new questions, depending on how similar they are.

Pick TWO questions to answer.

You should write about 2-3 double spaced pages for each answer.

1. (Chapter 1) Please discuss the functions of the mass media how how these functions are changing in the digital age.

2. (Chapter 1) Please define convergence and discuss some of the positive and negative aspects of the phenomenon.

3. (Chapter 1 & 2) What does it mean to be "media literate," and why is it important? What are some key areas of understanding one should have to be considered media literate?

4. (Chapter 2) You are the editor of the campus newspaper. One of your reporters has just written a series of articles describing apparent health-code violations in a popular off-campus restaurant. This particular restaurant regularly buys full-page ads in your paper. After you run the first story in the series, the restaurant owner calls and threatens to cancel all her ads unless you stop printing the series. The ads are a significant part of your paper's budget.
What is the ethical dilemma here? Use the ethical principals on pp. 53-55 to analyze the situation and pick the best course of action.

Reaction Paper #2 due 9-10

Here is the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/education/20wired.html

If you can't get to it from there, try this link:

http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=if+your+kids+are+awake

And click the first story.

Now, I'd like you to argue both sides of this issue: For half a page, talk about why it is a BAD thing that kids are online all the time. What are the dysfunctions here? For the second half, take the other side. Why is it a GOOD thing that kids are always online? How does it make them a better person, smarter, etc.? Remember to quote the article.

One tip... read the article. Then read the questions again. Let it soak in for a day or two. Then sit down to write. You'll find you'll have more to say than if you try to write it right after reading. Your brain will work on it even if you don't realize it. (It does work!)

Today...

From today:

If you want to read a book from the library (about the media) and do a 1-page (single spaced) report/summary/response/critique, you can get up to 10 points extra credit.

I'll be sending out the first test (take-home) soon.

Reaction Paper #1 due 9-2

Reaction papers should be about 1 page single spaced/2 pages double spaced: Aim for 700 words.

Let's dive right in with one that will make your brain work a little and shake off those summer cobwebs:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/business/08consume.html?_r=3&ref=homepage&src=me&pagewanted=all

The article makes you think about why we buy "things" and what really makes us happy.

1. Please summarize the article in a paragraph or two.
2. Briefly, what is your reaction to this trend?
3. Tell me how the relates to the mass media and advertising. Try to use examples you've seen in the mass media.

It's due in a week. Please email me your paper (andylangager at gmail dot com).