Nov 29
The media and Everyman Joe…
The situation in Sudan is ongoing and unfolding and there are developments not yet covered in the media which I can’t/won’t talk about but, obviously, it is occupying my mind. My day has been filled with hurried IM conversations and emails, and alerts on every piece of news that is published on the web. There is a lot I would like to say but, in the end, a blog is media and I just can’t find it in myself to capitalise on it.
The thing is, if I wanted lots of traffic right now all I would have to do is repeat the conversations I’ve had, disclose the information I know and add a couple of meta keywords to this post. But I’m not going to. I realise that is kind of sucky for readers. Who wants to read, “I know something you don’t know and I’m not going to tell you”? Really, to be perfectly strict I shouldn’t mention it at all. But it’s on my mind. And it raises an interesting question so I’m going to move away from the specifics of this situation altogether and throw the question to the floor.
Have you ever given any thought to handling the media?
This may seem left of field. It may seem like something that people don’t need to consider. The media is other. The news is what happens to other people. But is it? Really, all it takes is a car accident, or being in a particular place at a particular time, or being related to someone who’s friend who went to school with someone else. The media has successfully invaded all our lives. It is pervasive. And it could easily come for you next. What will you say to it?
Everyman Joe is not blessed with media consultants. Perhaps Joe has the savvy to understand how his words might be used, the context they will be placed in or taken out of, the repercussions they will have. But I don’t think he does. I don’t think he knows how to manage his public relations, and I don’t think he realises that all media is public relations. Does he understand the way his words will be squeezed through filters and fed into huge databases and mixed with other people’s words until they fit into the meta narratives the media creates, even in this post-modern world? Does he realise that his words will never go away? I don’t think he does. Or, at least, not consciously enough.
Don’t we, at a minimum, need to consider whether or not this is essential knowledge? We all have a basic idea of media ethics. If by some accident of fate someone asks you to speak, will you hold yourself to those same standards? Will you have time, then and there, to figure out how those ethics relate to you? Do you know whether or not saying something even as simple as, “The best team won on the day,” or, “He was a quiet neighbour,” is really that simple? Can you weigh up all the privacy issues, the political issues, the implications, the ramifications? Do you know what narrative you will be slotted in to? Do you know which beast you are feeding?
Don’t get me wrong: I love the media. I think that we have the media to thank for a lot of the knowledge and freedom that we have. (Not as the creator of it, necessarily, but certainly as its vehicle.) But it isn’t an unmixed blessing and it isn’t tame. If it crosses your path, will you know what to do? Because you cannot call the dog-whisperer. You’re on your own. And it’s salivating.
Today, is having a clear understanding of the way the media works a social responsibility?
November 30th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
I feel a responsiblity to teach my students as much as I can about the media from all perspectives, yet haven’t yet considered teaching them about dealing with it as you have mentioned. That’s a really good point you raise. Thanks for making me think.
November 30th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
I was actually wondering when I wrote this how the education system incorporated it, knowing that it would to a certain extent. Ten year olds these days understand the media far more than many of their parents. I used to think my generation were pretty savvy because of what we grew up with but it has evolved so fast.
Completely ignorant of curriculum, I can just imagine a class creating a situation with the kids playing different roles for various interviews before writing articles on the “event” with different angles. I can even see limiting some of the student’s access to information, as though they were just grabbing the news from the wires etc. It would be an interesting experiment.
I still remember playing Chinese Whispers (or “Telephone” as it is called more politically correctly in the States) as a child. There was a lesson in that.
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:44 am
I think it is, because until they talk about something you know a lot about you cannot know how terribly wrong they can get it. For example I know a lot about planes and whenever there is an accident or an incident I can see how journalists don’t research properly, and how badly wrong they can get their stories.
Such elemental things as calling a Boeing 747 an “Airbus” - Boeing is an American company who build planes. Airbus is a French company who build planes. If something happened to a plane from either company, getting the name and type of the aircraft wrong is akin to defamation in many ways, because if some people read a story which says an Airbus crashed when it was really a Boeing they are likely to try and avoid flying on an Airbus - and fly on a Boeing instead!
Most people would be wise to keep well away from the media if possible. I do think having a knowledge of how it works is important though.
Cheers,
Snoskred
December 4th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Yup. The media drives me crazy sometimes. Especially TV. It’s amazing I’ve made it this far without throwing it out the window. When I was about 14, I rejected it altogether and stopped watching for years. I especially loathed Derryn Hinch, “That’s life. Goodnight” and the “Shame Files”. Years later he was a regular where I worked and quite a nice customer. But still. I read an news article recently about what may happen to all the shock jocks in this new political climate. That will be interesting to see.
But definitely very wise to stay away from the media if possible. If you can’t, you really need to know how to make it work for you. I feel bad for Gill. She’s going to be bombarded back in the UK when all she wants is to go back to work. And she can’t do that either. Thanks to the media.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:55 am
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