Media and identity

• We don't need pointless subjects like 'Media studies' in our already crowded curriculum.

  • Media represents important new literacy for the 21st Century which contributes to students critical thinking skills, understanding and being an active global citizen. Students need skills to decode the media
  • Not all media is evil, challenging assumptions that the media is objective - media owners have particular agendas and education orientations.
• With the media you don't need to think, you just need to read and listen.

  • News media doesn't provide transparent, objective communication of facts to a unitary audience with shared perspective.
• The media doesn't create moral panics, even if it does, that doesn't effect education.

  • The media dominates particular groups to increase sales and deepen a sense of an 'us and 'them'
  • Poignant impacts for minorities ad their treatment in Australian schools
• Conservative approach:

  • News media is a tool to prepare students for fitting in with the status quo. Teachers authorise one key official status quo news source associated with the government or a religious body (White, male, straight. etc.)
  • Banning other news outlets, certain people not being newsworthy except as victims and a lack of critical (or any) news analysis
• Liberal approach:

  • News media as a tool of democracy for freedom of info and expression ideally by viewing more then one source and distinguishing fact from opinion. Slowly building up to 'adult news'
  • Promoting news outlets, direct identification of facts vs opinion, both sides are equally newsworthy and detailed analytical coverage
• Critical approach:

  • Recognise propaganda and critique fake news targeting marginalized groups. News is a tool for communicating social biases and alternative news media as a tool for disrupting biases.
  • Critiques conservative and mainstream news, dissects fake news, identifies biases and hidden agendas
• Postmodern approach:

  • The norms of a diverse range of media are challenged. All news is seen as partial; tools used by differing groups for communicating differing biases to differing groups for differing reasons not always immediately obvious. No authorisation of any media type.
  • Deconstruction of all news media, subversions of norms/narratives ideals and identification of news biases.