Access+To+Information

Here is the most recent powerpoint. (Tues. 8:07 pm) Evan, it needs your lesson title added into one of the slides.

Dan

and essay.

Access to Information The importance of access to information is enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. (“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights”) The interpretation of Article 19 generally involves several related issues. There is the issue of censorship; the issue of media manipulation, or propaganda and influence by corporations and governments; the issue of journalistic freedom; the issue of impartiality; and the issue of coverage, or which stories get told and which do not. Les Predateurs [Countries of Concern with Respect to Journalistic Freedom] (“Les Predateurs”) When impartial information is unavailable, it severely undermines the ability of citizens to play an informed role in democratic society. It is crucial that the distortion of information be prevented and also that each individual is taught to be capable of critically analyzing the information he or she receives (or does not receive!) in order to facilitate informed and reasoned opinions and actions. The coverage of international news in the mainstream media has been declining. A study of the 2007 American media showed that 64% of newspapers reduced the space allotted to international news (Sonenshine, 2008). Sonenshine elaborated to explain the negative effects of this reduced coverage: The irony, of course, is that never in our history have we needed good overseas reporting more than now. President-elect Obama enters the world stage with a sense of hunger for new U.S. leadership around the world. America has a chance to re-introduce itself after eight years of disengagement and fixation on Iraq. Expectations and hopes are high that other countries and cultures will get attention now. We cannot afford to squander the opportunity to hear the stories of those who live outside our borders and have them understand our story. (Sonenshine, 2008) The Glasgow University Media Group undertook a study in cooperation with Save the Children, the Overseas Development Institute, and the Department for International Development (UK) and found that: ( **Shah, 2009b) ** Many of our beliefs are informed and influenced by the media. We need to be capable of proactively searching out good sources of information and critically assessing the information we receive in order to make informed opinions and take informed action.
 * the limited nature of media coverage of the developing world and the focus on disaster and conflict produces negative attitudes and a very partial understanding amongst audiences of the wider world **.


 * Key Concepts Defined**

Propaganda - The spread of information or ideas that is intended to help or harm a particular idea, movement or cause

Censorship - The deliberate removal of ideas or information within a greater source or in its entirety for the purpose of controlling what is being understood

Media Manipulation - Promoting certain information or ideas through various media to favour a particular agenda

Bias - A partiality that presents an argument in an unfair way

Audience - The people observing a particular medium

Globalization and Media - The international interconnectedness of communication and the ability to broadcast a story simultaneously across the world

Media Infrastructure - The available sources of information provided within a society

Learning Outcomes Students need to be able to

•understand a variety of media texts •identify media forms and understand how the conventions and techniques used create meaning. •reflect on their own strengths, areas of improvement, and strategies for understanding media texts •differentiate between fact and opinion •evaluate the credibility of sources •recognize bias •be attuned to discriminatory portrayals •interpret messages received via media forms

Students must be critical of the information they consume and proactive in the search for information. They must be empathetic and aware of varying points of view that are and are not reflected in the media. These skills should be exercised with familiar media forms at the students’ level of literacy. Common examples may include: children’s books, websites, magazines, movies, television shows, logos, clothing, posters, public service announcements, toys, and/or games.

Primary Learning Outcomes By the end of the primary years, it is hoped that students will be able to:

•identify the purpose and intended audience of some media texts •draw inferences and make meaning from simple media texts •express opinions about ideas presented in media texts •describe how different audiences might respond to specific media texts •identify whose point of view is presented in the media and suggest how the text might change if a different point of view were used •identify who produces texts and why the texts are produced •demonstrate an awareness that there are many sides to any story •demonstrate an awareness that there are many stories that we do not hear in the media

By the end of the junior years, it is hoped that students will be able to:

•explain how texts address their intended purpose and audience •interpret media texts •evaluate the effectiveness of a presentation or treatment of ideas, information, themes, opinions, issues, and/or experiences in media texts •explain why different audiences might have different responses to texts •identify whose point of view is represented and whose is missing from texts. •propose alternative points of view to those in texts •identify who produces texts, the reason for their production, how they are produced, and how they are funded •identify conventions/techniques used in media forms and explain how they help create/convey meaning and influence or engage the audience. •demonstrate an attempt to search for a variety of sources of information on any given topic that reflect different points of view.

By the end of the senior years, it is hoped that students will be able to:


 * Understanding and responding to media texts
 * Deconstructing Media texts
 * Understanding media perspectives (analyse and critique media prepresentations of people, issues, values, and behaviour)
 * Understanding the impact of media on society (analyse and evaluate the impact)
 * demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which the creators of media texts target and attract audiences
 * Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of regulation, ownership, and control on access, choice, and range of expression
 * create a variety ofo media texts for different audiences and purposes, using effective forms, codes conventions and techniques
 * demonstrate an understanding of their growth as media consumers, media analysts, and media producers

References “Les Predateurs.” __Reporters Sans Frontieres__. [] Accessed April 10, 2010. “Maxwell, Christine. “Global Trends that will Impact Universal Access to Information Resources” __The Internet Society__. [|http://www.isoc.org/isoc/unesco-paper.shtml]July 15, 2000. Accessed April 10, 2010. Our Work.” __Article 19.__ 2009 [] Accessed April 10, 2010. Shah, Anup. “Mainstream Media.” __Global Issues__. [] October 29, 2009. Accessed April 10, 2010. Shah, Anup. “Mainstream Media Introduction.” __Global Issues__. [] January 2, 2009. Accessed April 10, 2010. Sonenshine, Tara. “Foreign Policy and the Fourth Estate. “ __Media Channel 2.0–Blog__. Media Channel. [|http://mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/12/30/foreign-policy-and-the-fourth-estate/]December 30, 2008. Accessed April 10, 2010. “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” United Nation Human Rights Home Page. United Nations Publications. [] Accessed April 10, 2010.