Issues in Mass Media and Society

PART 1. Mass Media's Role in Society ISSUE 1. Are American Values Shaped by the Mass Media? YES: Herbert Schiller, from "The Mind Managers," (Beacon Press, 1973) NO: Horace Newcomb and Paul M. Hirsch, from "Television as a Cultural Forum: Implications for Research," Quarterly Review of Film Studies (Summer 1983) Critical scholar of modern mass media Professor Schiller argues that mass media institutions are key elements of the modern capitalistic world order. Media, he argues, produce economic profits and the ideology necessary to sustain a world system of exploitative divisions of social and financial resources. It is the job of the citizenry to understand the myths which act to sustain this existing state of power relationships. Professors of communication Horace Newcomb and Paul M. Hirsch counter that television serves as a site of negotiation for cultural issues, images, and ideas. Viewer selection from among institutional choices is a negotiation process as viewers select from a wide set of approaches to issues and ideas. ISSUE 2. Is Television Harmful for Children? YES: W. James Potter, from On Media Violence (Sage Publications, 1999) NO: Jib Fowles, from The Case for Television Violence (Sage Publications, 1999) W. James Potter, a professor of communication, examines existing research in the area of children and television violence. Such research is extensive and covers a variety of theoretical and methodological areas. He examines the nature of the impact of television on children and concludes that strong evidence exists for harmful effects. Jib Fowles, a professor of communication, finds the research on children and television violence less convincing. Despite the number of studies, he believes that the overall conclusions are unwarranted. Fowles finds that the influence is small, lab results are artificial, and fieldwork is inconclusive. In short, he finds television violence research flawed and unable to prove a linkage between violent images and harm to children. ISSUE 3. Is Emphasis on Body Image in the Media Harmful to Females Only? YES: Mary C. Martin and James W. Gentry, from "Stuck in the Model Trap: The Effects of Beautiful Models in Ads on Female Pre-Adolescents and Adolescents," Journal of Advertising (Summer 1997) NO: Michelle Cottle, from "Turning Boys Into Girls," The Washington Monthly (May 1998) Marketing professors Mary C. Martin and James W. Gentry address the literature dealing with advertising images and the formation of body identity for preadolescent and adolescent females. They report a study to explore how social comparison theory influences young women. Washington Monthly editor Michelle Cottle takes the perspective that females are not the only ones influenced by media image. She cites polls and magazine advertising that indicate that males are exposed to images of idealized body type as well, and she argues that these images also have an impact on the male psyche. ISSUE 4. Do African American Stereotypes Still Dominate Entertainment Television? YES: Donald Bogle, from Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001) NO: John McWhorter, from "Gimme a Break!" The New Republic (March 5, 2001) Professor and author Donald Bogle offers a comprehensive analysis of African Americans on network series. He traces their role on prime time from the negative stereotypes of the 1950s to the current more subtle stereotypes of the 1990s. Bogle tackles the shows of the 1990s, particularly the popular and controversial Martin. Professor and author John McWhorter counters that stereotypes are diminishing in America. In his review of Bogle's book, McWhorter asserts that Bogle has donned an ideological straitjacket, which blinds him to theAlexander, Alison is the author of 'Issues in Mass Media and Society', published 0013 under ISBN 9780073044026 and ISBN 0073044024.