Mass-media controls our lives more th a n ever before

1. Mass-media controls our lives more than ever before But we don‘t know more about it today then at the time it started to gain power!

2. technical details remain with a few • we don‘t know why certain report make the news • we don‘t know anything about the working process in news-agencies • we don‘t know how information is distributed on the internet

3. statistics • 300.000 newspapers worldwide • 30.000 radio-stations • 3.000 TV-stations • 400 Mio. people are surfing the internet – figures rising!

4. What does this mean? • we are controlled by media • without media we would have no information other than our very own proximity • media informs, entertains and controls all of us • „Out of TV, out of mind.“

5. All these so called facts are simply absorbed by us, nobody questions them • Who is the one to citicise? • The consumer!????? • We were never taught to! • society of mass-communication • all we know about the world ist what we get from the media

6. Media is an instrument of communication and power • elections are won by the media not the officials • society‘s most powerful instrument is TV • what role the internet will play in future

7. compare • radio needed 38 years • tv 13 years • internet only 4 years • to reach 50 Mio. people worldwide

8. The influence by media • Choose a different route if you happen to hear about a traffic jam • Put on a warm coat if the weather channel forecasts a chilly day • A politician owns illegal shares, or sexually harassed women, he will have a hard time during elections or exactly the opposite.

9. Without mass media this information would not influence our choices • To talk about public opinion today equals media opinion • Reality equals media reality • Media creates reality!

10. Are we really the victims of media? • Media educationalists think that we are hardly able to differentiate between reality and media reality • But why is there no fundamental media education in Austrian schools??? • There is a cry for competent media – consumer but not supported

11. This task is up to our schools • Point out the pros and cons of mass media • Make them aware of technical details • Teach them how to select, differentiate and structure their own needs concerning mass media • The most important task of media ecucation should be to make clear that media does not represent reality

12. This „reality“ does not exist • Media only represents a small part of it • Every media consumer should know that it is the journalist who chooses which part we receive

13. Example: September, 11th • The day the world trade center was target of a terror attack • A tragedy – but a feast for media! • Reality was constructed • Only 3 minutes after the first attack CNN was broadcasting live from NY • What is there to report objectively??? • Nothing but assumptions!!

14. CNN was reporting live only 15 minutes after the first attack and millions of people witnesses those horrid scenes which they thought to be reality. • Even the Austrian TV was on air for 48 hours to report, CNN for 4 days!

15. What followed this so called „reality“ were assumptions, „who is the blame“ possible culprits, speculations, threats of retaliation • We watched people jump out of the upper floor windows until they banned the scenes. • Too tragic, too brutal to show

16. Media does not represent reality – it can not – it doesn‘t want to!

17. The way of information • It takes 3 steps to create an article • First there is the idea • Followed by the research • Then the journalist writes the article and shapes it.

18. Research is fundamental for journalistic work • We distinguish • Active research: is about answering questions with the help of people or documents. Part of that are routine calls and interviews, for example with the police or fire-fighters,.. • Passive research: the editing office is being informed from the outside through calls or the supply with material or documents

19. Details • appointments: in most cases those are press-conferences • agency-reports: not all news will be part of the program, but in most cases they are the basis for further research • archive: is there for you to witness what happened to a story you did some time ago

20. informants: calls, letters, contacts, local editiors can be really useful sources of information

21. The choose • After research you have to choose, because not everything the journalist knows by now is fit to be printed or put on air • It depends on the time available and the broadcast medium

22. Journalistic selection-principle • proximity: not only describes the proximity of location, but also how it affects the listener or reader • benefit: how a report can be of service for society. News you can use! • news: is secondary to the above

23. Headline news in radio or TV don‘t leave a lot of possibilities to go on • you make an announcement • write an article • do a report

24. Very important for radio and TV • you have to create attention • the contents must be easily understandable

25. Basic ruling – media education • media education is not a subject on it‘s own • it should be integrated with other subjects like music, arts and German • Media education acts like a mediator in the lives of students. Life at school and life outside of school

26. The basic ruling „media education“ has set the foundation for that in Austrian schools • concerning the importance of media in areas such as profession, leisure and education • it analyses the contents and functions of media

27. The entire subject of media-education is subdivided in the following • media-didactics: is about functions and effects of media on learning and teaching processes -> it‘s all about education through media • media-education: how we use media in a critical and reflexive way -> this is education about media

28. The goal of media education is to use media maturely! • to be able to use all the technical opportunities • to be able to select, differentiate and structure • to be able to use all for the individual benefit

29. To be mature about media is also a way how to • deal with communication in general and the ability to use it as a tool • pupils also have to learn to see media as an economical factor and to comprehend mass media as an institution • and they have to learn how to create media by their own.

30. To sum it all up • the goal of media education is to educate people who are able to communicate and judge – to be exact to live in a society where people are critical towards media and are able to handle those tools positively

31. A critical consumer should be able to • understand • judge • distinguish between what media has to offer.

32. The future should be a society of people who do not uncriticaly think that what we hear and see in the media is reality.