Due Tuesday Dec. 2: Chapter 14 quiz -- note the title on the printed quiz says "Chapter 13 - Media Law. " My error. The first question of the true Chapter 14 quiz is:
1. Ethics involve which of the
following?
No blog due Sunday night, no readings for Tuesday!
Today in class:
We discussed media ethics as it applies to journalism and advertising. If you pursue a degree in journalism or public relations, you will take an entire course in media ethics. Every job or career you will ever have will involve ethical decision-making.
Reading for Tuesday Nov. 25: Chapter 14 (Media Ethics) Last chapter!
Blog 8 Topic: Describe a media law or media ethics case from 2013-14 involving
one or more of the following: First Amendment/censorship, libel,
privacy/intrusion, copyright, Federal Communications Commission, misappropriation, sunshine laws, shield laws. Include a user-friendly link to a site about the
case. Add your brief comments.
Today in class, we discussed the First Amendment and many other laws that affect the media and journalism: Libel, invasion of privacy, copyright, etc. Most of these laws apply in some way to online content. We talked about false claims for First Amendment and free speech rights when people imagine that in the U.S. you can or should be able to say anything you want without repercussion. The First Amendment protects Americans from government censorship, but not from any other negative reactions to speaking one's mind.
We briefly discussed the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) which regulates over-the-air TV and radio broadcast. We did not view this clip from "Family Guy":
Reading for Thursday Nov. 20: Chapter 13 (Media Law)
Blog 8 Topic: Will be posted Thursday.
Today in class, we viewed a video about clinical psychologist Sherry Turkle's research into cellphones, texting and social media which you can view at http://vimeo.com/77192952
Bring to class Tuesday Nov. 18: Quiz 12 (Public Relations) take-home.
Reading: No reading due Tuesday. Reading for Thursday Nov. 20: Chapter 13 (Media Law)
Blog 7 Topic: -- Post three items for your Annotated Reference list. Use APA style. Include an annotation in which you briefly summarize the source (1-2 sentences) and explain how your will use it in your research paper. You will need to use at least four college-level sources in your paper. One must be from a scholarly journal (peer-reviewed). Most sources should be from 2010-2014. If you're using a website, it should have an About Us page that clearly explains what the organization is.
APA citation: Google "Diana Hacker" and APA. You can also use the Purdue OWL website. Son of Citation Machine has an auto-fill feature that will put together the APA style citation for you, but remember that you need to enter the information precisely. The "Cite" link on databases often does not comply with APA style.
In class, we discussed public relations -- history, functions, crisis management and controversial practices such as greenwashing, pinkwashing and Astroturfing (creating phony grass-roots movements).
Here's a video I didn't get to show in class. The founder of PR Watch talks about troubling aspects of public relations.
Note: Class will not meet on Tuesday Nov. 11, but I will be in my office and the lab in L41 will be open from noon to 4 p.m. so students can work on their research papers.
Bring to class Thursday: Quiz 11 (Advertising) take-home.
Reading: Chapter 12 (Public relations) for Thursday Nov. 13
Blog 6 Topic: -- Look up “Propaganda
techniques” on wikipedia.org, then find two advertisement online that each use at least
two propaganda techniques. Explain what the techniques are and how they are
used. Embed video ads; post images of print ads.
In class, I handed out our revised assignment calendar (linked on the toolbar above) and the Research Paper and Annotated References assignments. We discussed advertising, which manifests in and to some extent funds most of the mass media we are studying (all except books). We looked at the VALS Framework, on of the psychographic tools that advertisers use to target the consumers they want to reach. You can take a survey to find out your VALS type at http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/presurvey.shtml.
My result was: "Your primary VALS™ type is Innovator, and your secondary type is Achiever." I'm not sure if I agree.
Here's a video of Irish comedian Dylan Moran's take on the culture of consumerism.
