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Per our final class, I promised I'd post the Ferguson-etc.-related discussion materials here ... The two explainers I sent out provide good basic background on the situation in Ferguson, Mo., and the case of Eric Garner in New York. Here are the New York Times videos reporting from Ferguson after Michael Brown's shooting. As you watch, experience the videos as objects of communication — pay attention to the information being reported, of course, but also what information is highlighted, what is left out, what frames are being selected (both literal, in terms of camera positioning, and theoretical, in terms of Gitlin and Schudson), the music being used, etc. Participation! Consider: No reporter is seen or speaks in the above video. Does that mean it is unbiased? What factors does Schudson outline that contribute to bias, and where might they be present here? Participation! Toward the beginning, the man with the sign reading "Propaganda: It Won’t Be Televised — Pay Attention" — he looks at the reporter filming him and adds, "I know you seen it, tell the truth, tell the truth!" What truth, and why does he believe it is not getting out by other means? Relate his expression about propaganda to the readings that addressed earlier propaganda fears. Participation! — Pay attention to the discussion here about the original choice of Michael Brown photo used and picked up by the news media. What frames are at work there, and how? How does this relate to Schudson's explanation of selection? — Think about the reporter's final comments. What photos of you or other information about you is out there on social media that could be similarly misconstrued? Of course, I have to end things with some pop music ... Consider these two songs. The first is related to the protest sign above and deals with a similar message. The second relates a story remarkably similar to that which caused the death of Eric Garner. In other words, these issues are not exactly new in America. 1. "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron, 1970
2. "Graffiti Limbo" by Michelle Shocked, 1988 (unavailable for embedding, click link)
6 Comments
Janice K Yu
12/16/2014 05:36:09 pm
Just because no reporter is seen or heard does not mean that there is no bias. Schudson's idea of framing is very much present in this video through what the reporter decides to film. The reported focuses a lot of the filming on interviews with the people of Ferguson, giving them the chance to explain what they are mad about, the injustice that has been done to them, and how unreasonable the police are being in terms of communication. The filming focuses on the emotion that is present in the Ferguson community, making the viewer feel a connection and understanding of the injustice that has been done to Michael Brown and the people of Ferguson. Additionally, in the night time riots filmed, the reporter films him/herself running with the people of Ferguson, away from the police, framing the scene to make it look like the police are the bad guys. The last scene shown is of a police officer rudely telling the reporter that is filming to stop filming, and leave immediately. This is also used to make the police look bad, like they are the cause of all this rioting and violence. As you can see, framing can definitely show a lot of bias, even when the reporters aren't present.
Eleanor Chen
12/16/2014 06:44:27 pm
In the first video, even though there is no reporter, bias still exists. Schudson discusses bias that may stem from journalists who are well-intentioned, but who lack the training necessary to provide accurate, news-centered reports. This is seen also through omission of certain aspects in the news. In the video, we only see the situation from the view of the protestors. It includes interviews with protestors and highlights scenes that are easy to sympathize with. Though framed very well to invoke sympathy for the protestors, the video is biased nevertheless in that it does not provide views from different perspectives.
Jessica Rumsey
12/17/2014 04:18:13 am
What he means by "tell the truth" is that the news/media is known for changing how things are in real life to make them seem more exciting or change it to make someone look bad. He believes that this won't be shown in the media because it's real and is actually happening and shows that our society isn't perfect. Propaganda has always been used in our society for a number of things. But propaganda can change the minds of how people see things making it easy to paint people or an event in a bad light, because this happens often this man is afraid they are being shown as the 'bad guys' on the news instead of what is really happening.
Kuan Liu
12/17/2014 04:23:07 am
The first video is biased, even though there is no reporter. According to "Media Biased," Schudson introduces that journalists can be biased through framing. This means that reports are not always presenting objectively because news can be understood differently based on what editors want to present and what messages do they want to deliver. In the first video, the report was composed by interviewing protestors in Ferguson, and given a chance for the protestors to speak what they feel about the social injustice because the protestors felt that they cannot have a free speech in public if there was an armed police down there.The camera captured a series of scenes that illustrated the fear and the madness of the protestors. In the second video, the report focused on the protestors' reactions and the propaganda: "Don't shoot" because what the people believe was that police were supposed to serve and protect the people. What was shown in that situation was completely in an opposite way. The frame in the second video portrayed that the police were unreasonable people that they deprived the freedom to protest and also deported the reporter away from monitoring. The selection of information relates the Schudson's idea of frame work because the bias could be seen by the facts telling from one aspect. Moreover, a guy in the protest holding a board with the words, "the propaganda won't be televised" was yelling, "Say the truth! Say the truth!" His action demonstrated that some of the facts can be hidden if no one speaks out. The reason he spoked directly to the camera was a hope to get noticed and someone could speak for the protest. Social media can be misconstrued if media companies choose what the facts they want to present. According to Schudson's reading, todays media has been highly involved by economic and political powers. Therefore, the information people have sometimes are not reliable.
Jessica Rumsey
12/17/2014 04:23:37 am
Even when no reporter is shown in a video, there are still ways of making it biased. This can include the ways of filming certain things, the way they cut the video together, what kinds of things they show, and whether or not they are out of context. However, this still could be unbiased if they showed everything the way it happened without changing it to fit their needs.
Faith Garcia
12/17/2014 05:49:31 am
The fact that there are no reporters in this does not make it unbiased. I would argue that it actually makes it more biased. The man choking back tears brings out the pathos of the video. When watching it is hard not to feel for the protestors. I mean were they really doing anything wrong? The way in which this video is framed nearly forces one to be empathetic/sympathetic towards the protestors. Leave a Reply. |
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