Suggested media topics for presentations related to Chapters 1 to 5
Media companies:
1. How has the internet changed the way in which media organisations operate? You could examine and compare the websites of media companies or internet and non-internet versions of the same product.
2. How do different media forms promote each other's texts and what are
the implications of this cooperation? You could examine television and
cinema, television and/or radio and the music industry, or newspapers and
television.
Control of the media:
How is the media regulated? You could examine and compare the activities
of organizations that regulate the media, for example television (in the
UK this would be Ofcom); newspapers (in the UK this used to be the Press Complaints Commission* ); and advertising (in the UK this would be the Advertising Standards Authority).
*This has just been replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation, after a scandal about the involvement of newspapers in the hacking of mobile phones. However, it probably does not have much information yet.
The media and violence:
How much violence is there on television? Watch television for one evening,
or watch a variety of different programmes (for example, news bulletins,
animation, drama, movies, variety shows and documentaries) and count the
number of violent acts and the types of violence shown. (What types of
violence are there? Remember that it is possible to talk of "verbal
violence" as well as "physical violence".) Are some types of violence more shocking than others? (For example, does
it matter if the violence is real or fictional?) Do you think that there
are some types of violence that children should not be exposed to?
It would be possible to examine violence in other media, including, for
example, the lyrics of popular music, or a controversy linked to the portrayal
of violence in the media.
Stereotypes:
Choose one or two groups in society. What negative and positive stereotypes
exist for the group or groups? You could investigate the situation now
by keeping a diary for at least two days in which you list how members
of the group(s) are portrayed in as many different genres/media as you
can. Alternatively you could compare the situation in different countries
or find examples of how stereotypes change. Is there a link between media
stereotypes and the attitudes expressed in opinion polls? Is there a link
between media stereotypes and prejudice or actual discrimination?
The media and gender:
You could do the stereotype exercise for men and women. It would be particularly
interesting to compare the representation of women and/or men in the media
of two countries or at different periods. You could also examine the representation
of men and women/ the roles of men and women in one or more particular
genres.
The media and the audience:
1. How does your family use the media? For example, if there is a television
in a room used by all members of your family, who controls its use? Do
the media encourage or prevent communication in your family? What about
the families of your friends and relatives?
2. Choose several examples of audience participation in the media. (If
possible choose examples of audience participation in a variety of media.)
What is the nature of the participation? What is the appeal of the participation
for both producers of those media and members of the audience? 3. (Uses
and gratifications) Choose at least one media product that you enjoy but
which friends or family members do not, and one that is enjoyed both by
you and by friends or family members. Examine why you/they enjoy the products,
the conditions in which they are consumed (for example, when, where, who
with), what benefits they bring (for example, if you learn something from
them, if you talk about them with other people etc.)
The media and sport:
Various approaches are possible. You can survey the coverage of sport in different media, such as newspapers and television. (One issue is the amount of attention paid to different sports, including male and female sports, and the audience for different sports.) You can examine at the narrative and other techniques used in television broadcasts of matches or sporting events. (What is the difference between seeing a baseball match live, and seeing it on television? Which is preferable and why? Alternatively, you could compare the techniques used in reporting team sports, such as soccer, and individual sports, such as golf.) Another aspect mentioned in connection with sport in the book is that of viewpoint.
The links between media coverage of sport and the financing of sport/the
salaries of professional sports players and athletes are also worth examining.
What was the cost of television rights in the London Olympics? What about
previous Olympics, and events such as the Soccer World Cup? What about
the links between sports and advertising, including sponsorship?
Alternative media:
Choose a particular example of an alternative media. Compare it to similar
alternative media, including alternative media in other countries, and
to similar mainstream media. What are the major similarities and differences?
What is the attraction of your example compared to similar alternative
and mainstream media?