the educational technology journal

These stories were featured at http://cnn.com:

• Execution was botched, medical examiner says
• Rumsfeld praised on final day at Pentagon
• Climbers' kin cling to hope as storm rages
• Ford: No way we'll make four-door Mustang
• Bush 'happy' for pregnant Mary Cheney
• Prince William graduates as Kate, queen watch
• Paternity test ordered for Duke accuser's baby
• Dr. Gupta: Breast cancer drop, hormones linked
• Folks try to adopt pup that ate baby's toes
• Is the Brangelina baby cuter than a panda cub?
• Atlanta panda cub named
• Miss USA 'issues' have her in trouble
• CNN Wire: Latest updates on world's top stories

• Hamas, Fatah clash in deepening violence
• Johnson shows signs of surgery recovery
• 4 dead as storm batters Northwest
• Somali leader: Peace talks not an option
• Paternity test ordered in Duke rape case
• Pope's preacher calls for abuse penance
• Ousted tenor blames low blood sugar
• Nintendo to replace 3.2M Wii straps
• Astros' Bagwell retires after 15 years
• Immigration raids may affect meat prices
• Miss USA's 'personal issues' scrutinized
• Smith grows up as 49ers beat Seahawks
• Army moves to reduce strain on troops
• Polygamist leader ordered to stand trial
• FBI: Cleric's illness may spark attack
• Chertoff defends rail security plan
• NASA tries to fix station's solar panel
• Report finds Diana's death wasn't murder
• World's first cloned cat has kittens
• Investment banks post record earnings
• Matsuzaka's the toast of Beantown
• Breast cancer drop tied to hormones
• Group not satisfied with Rosie's apology
• Official says Fla. execution was botched
• Cuban group said to include 7 deported
• W.Va. school board to pay $2.2M in death
• Pilot recalls shoot-down during escort

What portion of the articles above was made up of basic news stories and what portion was devoted to entertainment, sports, celebrity lives, scandals, weird events and stories with shock value?

Judge for yourself.

• Folks try to adopt pup that ate baby's toes
• Is the Brangelina baby cuter than a panda cub?
• Paternity test ordered for Duke accuser's baby
• Atlanta panda cub named
• Miss USA 'issues' have her in trouble
• Paternity test ordered for Duke accuser's baby

In what ways is this like the Roman circus?

Photoshopping

Thanks to new technologies, we can adjust our public images, hiding pounds, ankle bracelets and other burdens of truth that might conflict with the message we hope to sell.

"No pain, no gain!" is an outmoded saying when weight loss can is achieved with the click of a mouse.

The same can be done with news events. It is called "perception management." If a war is not going well, a government may control the flow of information to "spin" things positively. But those who live by the sword of spin may also fall on it as the media can turn on the spin meisters if carnage and bad news pulls a better audience than cheery messages of progress.

Photoshopping Reality?

• When the media focus on celebrity break-ups and scandals rather than the still suffering citizens of New Orleans, they are photoshopping reality.
• When government officials make false claims about progress, they are photoshopping reality.
• When critics focus on the negative and ignore the positive, they are photoshopping reality.

Photoshopping Reality?

• When pharmaceuticals push the use of pills while down playing side effects or hiding knowledge of dangers, they are photoshopping reality. Note NY Times article "Eli Lilly Said to Play Down Risk of Top Pill."
  
• When corporations like Enron cook their books, they are photoshopping reality.
• When states fail to count minority students and use easy tests to create the impression of progress for NCLB, they are photoshopping reality. Note No Child Left article "NCLB Loopholes."
• When publishers produce history texts that avoid controversy and leave out embarrassing moments, they are photoshopping reality.

It is evident that schools must equip all students with a dozen or more literacies, not just the simple and narrow numerical and text literacies now fashionable with right wing politicians and their minions. The well being of any democracy is threatened when young people can pass through school with little awareness of the issues properly addressed within the scope of media literacy. If they are not equipped to consider news critically and thoughtfully, how will they vote or plan their lives?

Media literacy deserves prominent placement in district curriculum documents, especially in language arts, social studies and science. It is all too often ignored or shoved aside onto a "library skills" track.

Far too much attention in schools is devoted to the gathering of information without showing students how to assess the reliability of sources. If we expect them to be media savvy, we must identify a repertoire of critical thinking skills that would sustain such savvy and then offer learning experiences that gradually nurture mastery of those skills as the students pass through our programs.

Students should be given ample opportunities to look critically at news coverage, sometimes in English class, sometimes in social studies, sometimes in math and sometimes in science.

For example, a class of high school English or social studies students might look at the USA edition of CNN and compare it with the international edition. Beginning with http://cnn.com, they could critique the focus of the USA edition and then open a second window for the international edition at http://edition.cnn.com/. The juxtaposition of the two should heighten their awareness of how news media focus their attentions.

National	International

Sample questions:

Consider the following questions as you read the articles.

• Does the article present enough information about how the study was carried out to reach a conclusion?
• Are you confident about the inference drawn?
• Was the sample size appropriate in your opinion?
• What questions would you ask the investigator and/or the reporter about the article?

In addition to these suggestions, there are many other activities that have been developed by good teachers and those committed to making media literacy an important part of the school experience. Some can be found by visiting the Web sites listed in the next section.

Note: FNO would welcome article queries by classroom teachers who have had success implementing such strategies.

• The Center for Media Literacy (CML) - a nonprofit educational organization that provides leadership, public education, professional development and educational resources nationally.
  http://www.medialit.org
• PBS TeacherSource - Media Literacy - Related PBS Sites and Programs
  http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/media_lit/related_sites.shtm
• Media Literacy - Key Facts - The Henry J. Kaiser
  Family Foundation
  http://www.kff.org/entmedia/Media-Literacy.cfm
• The Media Awareness Network A non-profit organization promoting media education. Their web site, one of the largest educational web sites in Canada, provides expansive media and web literacy resources for parents, educators and community leaders. Great lesson plans for teachers.
  http://www.media-awareness.ca
• The Media Literacy Clearinghouse - A web site designed for K-12 educators who want to:
  - learn more about media literacy
  - integrate it into classroom instruction
  - help students read the media
  - help students become more media aware
  http://www.frankwbaker.com/
• The Media Literacy Project — “Our mission is to advance education and advocacy for media justice. Our vision is a world where all people and communities have affordable access to utilize any and all media tools to ensure their self-determination and a healthy media landscape.”

Credits: The photographs were shot by Jamie McKenzie. The camera clip art is courtesy of Jay Boersma.

Copyright Policy: Materials published in From Now On may be duplicated in hard copy format if unchanged in format and content for educational, nonprofit school district and university use only and may also be sent from person to person by e-mail. This copyright statement must be included. All other uses, transmissions and duplications are prohibited unless permission is granted expressly. Showing these pages remotely through frames is not permitted.
FNO is applying for formal copyright registration for articles.