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The purpose of this blog is to evaluate the concept of "Truth vs. Truthiness" as it applies to the repeal of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The idea of "Truth vs. Truthiness" is described below:
Want to know more about truthiness? Watch Stephen Colbert's ground-breaking research on how the news should be.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The Word - Truthiness | ||||
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Definitions of satire:
Fox News has been repeatedly rated as the most watched cable news program, beating out both CNN and MSNBC. Click Here. This ironically coincides with the fact that Fox News viewers more likely than viewers of any other news outlet to have misconceptions about American politics. Click Here. It is therefore relatively safe to assume that these misconceptions are in some way related to the content the viewers digest while watching Fox News programming. And that's where we come in!
We will analyze the content of various Fox News programs compared to the Colbert Report and The Daily Show coverage of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" within the context of "Truth vs. Truthiness" and the critical media effects theories.
Below is our own satirical take on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
Please keep in mind that this is merely a humorous exercise and is in no way intended to offend anyone. It is simply a satirical look at ways "around" directly asking a persons sexual orientation in the recruitment process.
Media Ethics
While remembering to decipher between truth and truthiness, one should always be skeptical and strive for media literacy. Ethics sometimes are a fuzzy line, but are still important. Media ethics include telling the truth, never reporting anything known to be false, not manipulating images or sounds in ways that are misleading, not distorting important events or facts, and giving credit to the information and material being used.
An example of a reporter being unethical is the clip of Anne Coulter discussing DADT. In the clip, she mentions that no military personnel would want to serve with an openly gay member. This is very bold of her to say, especially without any proof to back it up.
This is another tool to help you find truth from truthiness.
Useful Terms
Selective Processes: The broad way we see the world is based on individual differences in upbringing, race, gender, socioeconomic status and other factors.
Selective Perception: How humans “see” the world based on the individual upbringing, race, gender, socioeconomic status and life experiences of each person. We all make sense of the world in different ways.
Selective Exposure: Each person is exposed to different experiences and influences based on outside factors and these help shape how we make sense of the world.
Selective Retention: Based on how we view the world, we remember or pay more attention to things that are more relevant or familiar to us personally.
Gatekeeping: Elements that contribute to the constant decision about what information is or is not “important” enough to be presented in the news. Gatekeepers can be found in any communication system.
Agenda Setting: The media has a successful way of telling the public what to think about and can shape our opinion of what is important. Agenda Setters in the media select what is considered news (through gatekeepers) and places a level of importance on it.
Framing: A media frame gives or omits context of a story and puts emphasis on what it feels is important (fits in with Agenda Setting). Frames help construct “reality” to the viewer.
Cultivation: Images and impressions are framed in a way as to portray certain impressions of topics to viewers. These cultivations can sometimes change our individual perception of the world we live in.
Third Person Effect: Examines the way our individual perceptions affect and shape our idea of the media. We tend to think that the media has a larger effect on other people than it does on us individually.
Definitions from http://getmediasmart2010.blogspot.com/p/readings.html
