fourOne7

Objectives

Viewer Discretion Advised

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1 media awareness for all

  1. What is the goal(s)  of media literacy? (5)
  2. According to Jim Potter, University of California, what is the purpose of media literacy? (6)
  3. What are the factors which contribute to Americana’ low level of media literacy? (2-3)
  4. According to Potter, why should we enhance our level of media literacy? (6)
  5. According to Potter, what is the goal of media literacy? (6)

CHAPTER 2  getting to know the first amendment

  1. What freedoms are guaranteed in the First Amendment?  (12)
  2. What does research generally suggest about Americans’ understanding of the First Amendment? (12-13)
  3. What does McCall conclude from the Knight Foundation’s  study of high school students’ perceptions of the First Amendment? (11)
  4. What are some of the reasons freedom of the press was guaranteed in the constitution? (15, 17)
  5. What are some of the criteria commonly used to define obscenity? (15-17)
  6. Why are “fighting words”  not constitutionally protected speech? (17)
  7. What is the difference between libel and slander? (18-19)
  8. Why do people in the public eye have more difficulty winning a libel case? (19)
  9. What are the primary purposes or organization like The Free Speech Coalition and the Media Institute? (20-21)
  10. Why can  a company ban a foul-mouthed entertainer from future appearances on the Tonight Show? (22)
  11. What are some examples of speech which is constitutionally protected and speech which is not constitutionally protected? (22-25)

 

CHAPTER 3 sex, skin, and swearing

 

  1. What fundamental principle has indecency regulation been grounded in? (33-34)
  2. How does McCall characterize the media industries response to indecency legislation? (34)
  3. According to McCall, what does the media industry believe is the best way to safeguard first amendment freedoms? (39)
  4. According to McCall,  who would the media industry prefer assume the burden of maintaining societal standards for civility? (40)
  5. Why is the V-chip generally an ineffective way to protect children from indecent content on television?  (41)
  6. According to McCall what is the worst failure of media professionals’ campaign to control exposure to indecent content? (41)
  7. What was the pivotal moment that finally served a catalyst for indecency enforcement after a decade long period of lax enforcement by the FCC?  (42-43)
  8. According to McCall, what will the effectiveness of federal indecency regulation likely depend on? (44)
  9. How does McCall characterize public opinion toward enforcement of indecency laws? (47)

CHAPTER 4 this is not the news
 

  1. What is the essence of the news? (49)
  2. What should be the primary function of broadcast journalism (49)
  3. How does McCall characterized the sate of broadcast journalism (49)
  4. What does research from the Pew Internet Center and the Radio-Television News Directions Foundation suggests? (49-50)
  5. How does former FCC Commissioner characterized the nature of broadcast news (50)
  6. What is soft new? (50)
  7. What did research conducted by the Shorenstein Center for Press, Politics, and Public Policy suggest? (5))
  8. What two factors influence the credibility of the news (51)
  9. Why might a story broadcast on the news be accurate but not credible? (51)
  10. What might be one reason the story of our schools is not being told by our local news station? (52)
  11. According to Brian Wilson of Fox News, how might we enhance the quality of news? (52)
  12. What criteria have traditionally been used to define what news is? (53-54)
  13. What are some of the potential reasons for the warped news agenda? (55-57)
  14. According to Postman, why might television be biased toward shrill voices? (57)
  15. Why should listening to celebrities furnish their opinions on politics make us angry? (57)
  16. What voices are most likely to be heard in stories which public policy and legislative issues? (58)
  17. Which of the bias of television is most reflected in the media frenzy over the false confession of weirdo John Mark Karr.? (59)
  18. What is the discussion of the Debra La Five “affair” used to dramatize? (60)
  19. When is the only time when personal tragedy should count as news? ((61)
  20. How does McCall characterized stories about the problems of people like Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Rush Limbaugh? (66)
  21. Why is prominence alone seldom a sufficient condition for making a story newsworthy? (61)
  22. What are some of the reasons news producers focus on the cult of celebrity? (62)
  23. Why are stories from the “cop shop” likely to get coverage (63)
  24. When is the only time stories about routine crime, fries or traffic wrecks be show on the news? (63)
  25. According to McCall what is the primary function of stories about prime time entertainment sows, movies and concerts? (65)
  26. Without video a police chase in Peoria is suddenly not newsworthy? How might Postman explain this phenomenon? (66)
  27. How does Ted Koppel characterize the effects of the dummying down the news? (67)
 
CHAPTER 5   television news or mtv
 
  1. According to Daniel Schoor, how has the use of entertainment tools influenced contemporary journalism?  (69)
  2. What does it mean to say the “medium is the message.” (70)
  3. What are some of the consequences of allowing technology, staging and production values to exert a major influence eon the news? (70-71)
  4. In the context of understanding news what would be one aim of media literacy? (71)
  5. What does the content analytic research conducted by Tuggle and Hoffman suggest? (71)
  6. What does the research conducted by Rut Rey at Iowa State suggest? (72)
  7. How does McCall  characterize the overuse and misuse of live reporting? (73)
  8. According to McCall what is the primary function of a newscast? (74)
  9. What is the primary downside of the person-on-the-street interview for furnishing stimulus variation in the news? (74)
  10. What is a video news release?  (74)
  11. What does research about the VNR conducted by the Center for Media Democracy suggest? (75)
  12. How does FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein characterize the VNR? (75)
  13. According to McCall, why might stations not disclose to the public that they are using Video News Releases? (76)
  14. What did Bret Hume mean when he said “The problem with television is so much of what we do everyday is the translation of news into television form.” (76-77)
  15. What are some of the strategies television use to promote their newsreaders as personalities? (78)
  16. What strategies are often used to foster para-social interaction? (79)
  17. What may be one of the adverse consequences of para-social interaction? (79)
  18. What does the research suggest on individuals capacity to process multiple inputs (80)
  19. Why is one reason we can not take political reporting on television seriously? (81)
  20. What does the research by Maria Elizabeth Grabe suggest? (81)

CHAPTER 6  packaged politics

 

CHAPTER 7 media-saturated kids

  1.  What does television exert such a omnipresent influence in the home? (102)

  2.  What factors are related to or correlated with one's level of television viewing? (103

  3.  What is the most serious consequence of unmanaged television viewing? (104)

  4.  What is one general effect of a high level of electronic screen consumption in families? (104)

  5. What are some ways to develop healthy family television habits (105)

  6. How does McCall characterize many patents attempts to manage their children's television habits? (106)

  7. What do parents need to do to develop healthy family television habits? (106)

  8. How many American homes and rules regulating television consumption? (107)

  9. According to McCall, what is the tacit or explicit message of television commercials aimed at children?  (107)

  10. What does research conducted by Kristian Harrison at the University of Illinois suggests? (108)

  11. What highly credible sources suggest that advertising may be related to obesity and underage alcohol consumption? (109)

  12. What does it mean to say that television is a legitimizer of behavior and cultural standards? (109)

  13. According to McCall, why might verbal violence on television be more harmful than physical acts of aggressive behaviorr?  (110)

  14. What is the  key variable that parents should be most concerned about in trying to create an ecologically sound information environment in the home?   (111)

  15.  How does McCall characterize television aimed at infants and toddlers such as Baby-First TV?(112)

  16. Why is it unrealistic to expect that any type of legislation can ultimately protect children from the damaging effects of the media?(115)

  17. According to McCall, how can parents combat the potential adverse influences of television on their children? (115)

  18.    According to McCall,, in addressing the problem of heavy exposure to television, what should the major concern of society be? (116)

  19. What does Dimitri Christakis and Frederick Zimmerman suggest  about childhood exposure to television and video games(116)

CHAPTER 8 big media little responsiblity

  1. According to McCall, what is the primary effect of media concentration? (121)

  2. What does McCall, compares the actions of the FCC, particularly the Republican commissioners who helped to orchestrate deregulationn and the rise of media concentration to?. (122)

  3. What is vertical integration? (123)

  4. When is the public interest, convenience and necessity are best served? (124)

  5. What is one of the most definite risks of distant media ownership? (124)

  6. According to McCall, what does research which has looked at the impact of ownership structure on the impact of local news suggest? (125)

  7. What did a study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism conclude? (126)

  8. What did the report from the Lear Center as USC find? (126)

  9. What are some of the potential consequences of concentration and the nature of ownership? (127)

  10. What factors are related to the nature and type of media ownership? (127-130)

  11. Why should public interest be considered ahead of economy interests in developing rules governing media ownership?

 

CHAPTER 9  how can you fight back today

  1. What is the greatest element the public can use in exercising its voice in the definition of media content? (134)

  2. McCall uses a survey in Time Magazine in 2005 as evidence to support what conclusion? (134)

  3. How does McCall characterizes the attitude of most Americans toward the potential influence of media?  (135)

  4. In looking into potential violations of the law, what criteria is the FCC is required to use to evaluate each complaint? (135)

  5. According to McCall are executives in the media industry defenders of the First Amendment? (136)

  6. What should the public do if they want to provide input on media performance? (137-138)

  7.  According to McCall, why should activist media citizens make their concerns known to advertisers?   (139-140)

  8. If you want to file a complain about you cable television franchise what should you do? (141)

  9. What are the two keys to managing media consumption in the home? (143)

  10. What does it mean to say that the media has an agenda? (147)

  11. What metaphor does McCall use to describe the process of becoming media literate? (147)