Assignment task:
1. Read at least one mainstream print article from a newspaper or magazine. You may use online sources such as the nytimes.com, newsweek.com, time.com, and so on. Please be sure to provide me with a citation for your article so that I can look it up. [I prefer that you use online or print sources. Why? When watching television news, the images and language go by quickly. Thus, it's difficult to fully reflect on what you are viewing. I want you to critically and intentionally examine what you are reviewing.]
2. Next, investigate the same topic in at least two alternative print sources, ideally one on each side of the political spectrum. For example, you might choose articles from Mother Jones, The Nation, National Review, the American Conservative, BITCH magazine, or Z Magazine (in print or online). Again, please be sure to provide me with a citation.
Questions to Answer for Your Analysis (copy the questions and answer them in order):
1. What are the key themes in the coverage? Who is the intended audience?
2. What are the differing arguments that you have heard?
3. What are the recurring patterns in media coverage of this subject?
4. How have the producers/writers/editors shaped the message(s) through words, images, or other means? In other words, how did they package the message?
5. What is omitted from their message(s)? In your view, do the messages accurately represent the totality or every angle of the subject? Why or why not?
6. In what ways does messaging format matter? Explain making use of the CASE STUDY on page 166.
7. Does anything else strike you about the coverage that you read?