Media Literacy by W. James Potter;

Author:W. James Potter; [Potter;, W. James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781071814482
Publisher: Sage
Published: 2021-01-25T07:52:11+00:00

Quality Matters

If we don’t periodically evaluate the quality of our news sources, we run the risk of believing that we are well informed when in reality we are not. Check out Table 11.2. Notice that most of the items in the table are concerned with accuracy and credibility, which can be evaluated by assessing the veracity of individual facts. But quality also refers to context (see the fifth item), which refers to whether the number of facts reported is complete enough to provide audiences with the context they need to accurately interpret the meaning underlying the pattern of facts. Because of selective exposure, we are likely to gravitate to stories that confirm our existing beliefs, so we are likely to be less vigilant in judging the value of news stories in terms of context. Instead, we are too quickly satisfied with news stories that only present information that reminds us that other people think the same way we do. We prefer to avoid the dissonance that typically arises when we are presented with evidence that our beliefs may be wrong.

Table 11.2

Interactivity with news has created a paradox. On the one hand, interactivity makes features available that draw people into news and make it more useful to them; these features include searchable archives, hyperlinks, discussion forums, and easy downloading of information. These things bring people closer to the news (Brown, 2000). But on the other hand, the interactive features require considerable cognitive and emotional costs by demanding more patience, expertise, and cognitive resources, which are likely to increase the likelihood of confusion and frustration (Bucy, 2004). Because we often get involved in interactive experiences with news, we think of the information we experience in these interactions as highly accurate, but this is not always the case.

Now, let’s see how well you can apply the insights you learned in this chapter. Begin with Exercise 11.2 and think about the skills and knowledge structures that help you process the meaning of news stories. Then move on to Exercise 11.3, which asks you to use those skills and knowledge structures to analyze and evaluate a news story. Then, if you are ready for a more advanced experience of analyzing the news, do Exercise 11.4 to see how well you can see beyond the elements of a news story and picture the practices used by the journalists to work around constraints.

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