Chapter 4

Question 1

What does media do

Answer 1

The media defines boundaries between groups and communities within those groups, thereby affecting our understanding of “us” and “them”.

Question 2

What is the media

Answer 2

¬ defines social problems and shapes public debates, indicating which people and issues we should be concerned about and why.
o A key site of social inclusion and exclusion
o Media teaches us who the “other” we should be concerned about is
o Morality and ethics in action in the media—the general principles that define good or bad and the application of those principles in action.

Question 3

Stigmatized others

Answer 3

presented as threats to the way of life of decent people (ex, single mothers, those on social assistance, or those engaged in moderately deviant behaviour).

Question 4

Absolute others

Answer 4

¬ presented inherently evil and include those who commit exceptional crimes, such as suicide bombers, pedophiles who kill children, and children who commit acts of murder.
o Where specific others are located on this continuum (stigmatized vs. absolute) is constantly changing in response to shifting public concerns and cultural sensibilities.

Question 5

Administrative research

Answer 5

Approaches to media studies focus on the effect of media messages on individuals. Findings from this type of research can be of value to media itself, such as in creating more effective ads. Findings can also be of value to groups who’re concerned about the potential role played by the media in creating social problems, such as violence.

Question 6

Critical approaches to media

Answer 6

analyze processes of social control, structures of power, and the relationship between the media and hegemony (domination, contradiction, and struggle).
Subjective end of the continuum.

Question 7

Why is media framing of social groups important

Answer 7

It is central to the social typing process

Question 8

Media framing

Answer 8

the way that the media “select some aspects of a perceived reality and make them more salient in a communication text in such a way as to promote a problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation”
-Overall way that an issue is depicted in the media, and therefore what we notice about reality

Question 9

3 generic media frames

Answer 9

♣ Conflict frame: emphasizes conflicts between nations, institutions, groups, or individuals
♣ Human interest frame: focuses on human life stories and emotions
♣ Economic consequences frame: highlights material costs and benefits for countries, regions, groups, or individuals.