Ithaca College

This is a followup to the presentation on "Media & War" given by Chris Sperry of Project Look Sharp on Sunday night. That presentation is now available on video from the multimedia center at the College library (call number PLS 001).

Project Look Sharp is also developing materials and classroom lessons for teaching about media coverage of the war in Iraq. Contact them if you want more information or would like to arrange a guest lecture or presentation in your course-- phone 274-3471; e-mail Project Look Sharp

Here is some basic information from Chris's presentation:

Proposals

• The news media will be the primary institution that constructs our national understanding of the war in Iraq.
• In order to seek the truth about the war we must critically analyze and evaluate media constructions about the war

The truth about this war
-- must be informed by credible sources
-- must be open to many perspectives
-- must be grounded in core values
-- must be self-reflective and critical

Recommendations

• Diversify your media sources and voices by getting information that reflects:
• different perspectives (political, cultural, national)
• different types of media (Web, radio, TV, newspapers, magazines)
• Engage in critical analysis of the information and images presented in the media.

Key media literacy questions to ask about any media construction:

• Who produced or sponsored this construction?
• Where did they get their information?
• Is the information credible, current and complete?
• What is the intent of the construction?
• What messages are communicated?
• What is left out?
• What bias or viewpoint is communicated ?

Important Web Links
To get English language versions of foreign newspapers
  Project Look Sharp
  Iraq Resources, a compilation by Prof. Chip Gagnon, Dept. of Politics, Ithaca College:
For general media literacy & critical analysis of news:
  Critical Media Literacy in Times of War
  FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Investigative Reporting)
  Media Channel (Danny Schechter)

Contributed by Peter Bardaglio