Information Neighborhoods Overview

Information Neighborhoods

• Comprises six categories: News, Propaganda, Advertising, Publicity, Entertainment, and Raw Information.
• Each category serves unique purposes and targets different clients.

Media "Text"

• Includes various formats like advertisements, magazines, newspaper articles, television broadcasts, and video games.

Goals of Communication Types

• Propaganda: Aims to persuade.
• Entertainment: Intended to divert, arouse, or move emotions.
• Raw Information: Offers entertainment, personal expression, and bypasses verification.
• Advertising: Focused on selling products.
• News: Designed to inform.
• Publicity: Enhances the image of clients.

News Characteristics

• Clients: The Public.
• Practitioners: Journalists.
• Methods: Emphasizes verification, independence, and accountability.
• Outcome: Creates reliable and actionable information, fostering an informed society.

Propaganda Overview

• Clients: Governments and political parties.
• Definition: Spread of information, ideas, or rumors to influence perceptions or actions.
• Methods involve manipulation of information through various techniques such as Assertion, Bandwagon, and Card stacking.

Techniques of Propaganda

• Assertion: Statements presented as facts without evidence.
• Bandwagon: Encourages following the majority for perceived success.
• Card Stacking: Selective omission of negative information about an idea.
• Glittering Generalities: Uses vague words that elicit positive associations.
• Lesser of Two Evils: Presents a choice as the least harmful option.
• Name Calling: Employs derogatory terms to discredit opponents.
• Pinpointing the Enemy: Simplifies situations by identifying a clear antagonist.
• Plain Folks: Conveys a sense of camaraderie with the average person.
• Simplification: Reduces complex issues to binary choices.
• Testimonials: Endorsements linking respected figures to products or ideas.
• Transfer: Associates positive or negative feelings from one entity to another.

Clients and Practitioners of Other Communication Types

• Advertising: Client is Businesses; practitioners include agencies and ad directors.
• Publicity: Clients are celebrities and public officials; practitioners are public relations agencies.
• Entertainment: Clients are the public; practitioners include entertainers and creatives.
• Raw Information: Available to anyone, with no filtration or added context.

Newsworthiness Factors

• Impact, Immediacy, Proximity, Prominence, Novelty, Conflict, and Emotions determine a story's appeal.

Media and Political Spectrums

• Conservative is associated with right-wing politics; associated parties include Republicans.
• Liberal aligns with left-wing politics; associated parties include Democrats.
• Media outlets span a spectrum from MSNBC (far left) to FOX News (far right), with networks like NPR in the moderate category.

Media Bias Factors

• Political correctness, institutional bias, and audience bias contribute to perceived leanings in news coverage.

Understanding Fake News

• Defined as misinformation published as news to mislead consumers, often propagated through circular reporting.

Key Questions for Media Literacy

• Essential inquiries include: What do I know? How do I know? What don't I know?

Political Socialization

• A lifelong process influenced by family, education, peers, and media, shaping individuals' political views.

News Literacy Principle

• Recognizing the neighborhood of the information source is crucial for navigating media content effectively.