Week 10 Public communication Flashcards
Need for public scholarship
- not enough is done to make academic knowledge ___________
- growing concerns about the (ir)relevance of ________ and _______
socially significant and impactful (to help societies understand and address a host of problems by tapping into accumulated knowledge)
academic disciplines and knowledge
Spaces of public scholarship:
Public scholarship is more than _________
media criticism
Where does public scholarship take place?
in “everyday spaces where social and political life and scholarship happen”
Reaching a wider public:
“I feel that debates often take place among scholars who already believe public scholarship matters: communities of knowledge defined by long-standing collaborations with governments and civic organizations, activist stands, and/or particular ideological and theoretical convictions. As important as they are, we need to reach a wider public within and outside communication studies. We need
to raise awareness, spark discussion, and promote changes among __________.”
Which 3 groups is the blank?
- the uninitiated
- the misinformed
- the skeptics
What can we do with communication studies?
- Spread civic knowledge
- Help people cope with personal and social challenges
- Foster citizenship and democratic communication practices
- Empower people
- Offer tools to live healthier lives
- Help organizations make better decisions and be more inclusive
- Give visibility to silenced voices
- Stimulate critical consciousness
- Tackle a host of social problems– from loneliness to inequality
Public scholarship:
“the engagement of scholars with non-academic publics. It entails the diversification of knowledge and the amplification of the reach of
intellectual production. It raises the ________ and produces ____________ […]. It results in increased exposure
of various forms of expression among various publics. Whereas scholarship is primarily concerned with making knowledge public
among scholars, public scholarship is making ideas public among myriad publics.”
visibility of ideas; different forms of knowledge
Communication “skills”
“Public scholarship demands skills beyond writing and speaking, which are central to academic scholarship. _________________ have many abilities: writing scripts; shooting, producing, and editing video; providing counsel; moderating conversations; collecting and analyzing data; developing curricula and teaching; fund-raising; offering recommendations. They inform, advocate, educate, discuss ideas, learn, lend expertise, agitate, criticize, and share their
research and views. They participate in several roles: researchers, expert witnesses, translators, trainers, facilitators.”
Communication researchers who work with various publics
Collective Knowledge Production:
“Public scholarship foregrounds collective, participatory forms of
knowledge production and sharing. It is not narrowly identified with
scholars who impart knowledge. Instead, scholars collaborate with _______ around _____________. There is no single blueprint, set of competencies, and set of expectations in the way one thinks about specific forms of public scholarship, such as “action research” and “committed.”
- Waisbord, A Communication Manifesto, 2020
multiple actors; specific problems and solutions
Challenges of public communication
- Censorship
- Propaganda and dis/misinformation
- Toxic rhetoric of demagogues (political leader who seeks support by appealing to desires and prejudices instead of using rational argument
- Uncontrolled power of media and industrial corporations
Contributions of Public Communication:
“Given the complexity and the magnitude of the communication
problems for public life, communication studies has much to contribute to help the public understand and act, individually and collectively. Regardless of the specific issue under scrutiny, communication scholarship should ______________ (what 3 things?) The guiding principle needs to be the promotion of democratic communication grounded in public ethics. It needs to foreground dialogue across difference, fact-based collective reasoning, empathy, tolerance, repressed voices, and inclusivity. Finding ways to make accumulated knowledge and interests relevant to society at large is imperative.”
- document problems
- Explain why the problems are important
- sketch out and test alternatives
“Decide what difference you want to make in society and why. Make yourself useful and relevant to non-academic publics.
Figure out what skills you need and why. Select a public problem, find partners, build trust, understand needs and expectations,
be clear about your interests and commitments. Think about how you can help various communities of belonging.
Document practices, experiences, and lessons. Nurture networks. […] Rethink scholarly questions on the basis of your practical experiences.”
What concept does this quote illustrate?
What Kind of Communicator Do you Want to Be?
What News Literacy Means?
- Media are constructed and construct reality
- The media have commercial implications
- Form and content are related in each medium, each of which has unique aesthetics, codes, and conventions
- Receivers negotiate meaning in media
Research on News Media Literacy:
Research and surveys generally find relatively (low/high) levels of knowledge about how news media work, how journalists do
their jobs, how media ownership and control influences news content, and how the digital environment shapes their
online experience
low
Research on News Media Literacy:
Teaching news media literacy can have an impact. Learning about news and how they are produced can have positive effects on people’s ____________ (what 3 things?) regarding news media
- knowledge
- attitudes
- behaviors
Why News Media Literacy Matters
- Positive outcomes: better informed, more motivated to consume the news, more knowledgeable about public affairs, more
politically active and involved, more discerning between real and fake. - Increases demand for good public information and journalism.
- Alleviate news literacy gap, creating more equity and equal opportunity.
- Being more informed is good for everyone.
