Interpreting Media Information

Prepare: One of the primary functions of media is to inform. Journalist do not only deliver the news to us, they help us to make sense of the information by interpreting it in their media reports. While the factual information that we receive may be the same across different media, the interpretation can be different depending on which media outlet and journalist is delivering the news.

Read Chapter 9 in the textbook to get an better understanding of various functions of news media.

Reflect: The textbook reinforces the idea that news is a construction of reality like other forms of mediated messages. It also suggests that there are three key influences on the construction of news: Unavoidable constraints, business environment, and operating conventions. Think about these three things in the context of one of your local news media outlets (print, digital, or broadcast).

Write: After critical reflection on the local media outlet of your choice, select one of the constraints (available constraints, business environment, or operating conventions) and write a 250- to 300- word response that discusses your views about two of the areas associated with your chosen constraint. For instance, you may decide to talk about resource limitations and geographical focus. In your initial post, you may include at least one in-text citation from the reading material and an additional in-text citation from a scholarly source or from another credible source. At the end of your post, include your name and a full reference for all sources cited in the body of your post. All citations and reference s must adhere to APA style guidelines.

Answer Preview-Interpreting Media Information-JRN 101