2024 Media Final Exam (PDF)

Week 13 (November 27): In-class test (Final quiz) and Concluding remarks Date: 27th November 2024 Quiz Format: 2 Hours Close-book Quiz Three parts: Part One (20%) 10 multiple choice questions; Part Two (40%) Answer TWO out of five short questions; Part Three (40%) Answer ONE of fou...

Week 13 (November 27): In-class test (Final quiz) and Concluding remarks Date: 27th November 2024 Quiz Format: 2 Hours Close-book Quiz Three parts: Part One (20%) 10 multiple choice questions; Part Two (40%) Answer TWO out of five short questions; Part Three (40%) Answer ONE of four long questions. Some readings will be included in the final quiz. MC question Be familiarised with the following topics (I): Journalism and discipline of verification Monitoring elections Fusion of the social and political Research on social media in early 21st century Control and regulation of social media Intersectional functions and roles of social media Limits of social media Why did AI emerge? Tabloid press and politics How does AI apply to news media? \* emphasising applications and examples short questions Be familiarised with the following topics (II): Importance of news reporting Differences between journalism and social media Applicability of press theories in 21st century Benefits and disadvantages of AI Analysing Trump's victory speech (selected passage) \* emphasising applications and examples Be familiarised with the following topics (III): Bennett, W. Lance, Regina G. Lawrence, and Steven Livingston. 2007. When the Press Fails: Political Power and the News Media from Iraq to Katrina. Chicago: University of Chicago. (Read the Introduction) Scheufele, Dietram A., and David Tewksbury. 2007. \"Framing, Agenda Setting, and Priming: The Evolution of Three Media Effects Models.\" Journal of communication 57 (1): 9-20. Schudson, Michael. 2017. \"How to Think Normatively about News and Democracy.\" In The Oxford Handbook of Political Communication, edited by Kate Kenski and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, 95-106. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Vaca-Baqueiro, Maira T. 2017. Four Theories of the Press: 60 Years and Counting. New York: Routledge. (Read the Introduction) \* emphasising applications and examples 諗例子 Week 8 **THE IMPORTANCE OF NEWS REPORTING** -People crave news out of basic instinct -"awareness instinct," 'need to be aware of events beyond their direct experience.' -'Knowledge of the unknown gives them **security'** -it allows them to: plan and negotiate their lives -It provided a sense of **unity** and shared purpose' -exchange of this information is the basis for creating community, and makes human connections -news keeps us informed of the changing events, issues, and characters in the world outside. -people do still need journalists as source of accurate information. -the more democratic the society, the more news and information it tends to have. -journalism as a "democratic mission", is not just a modern idea. -but, even tyrannical (and so-called democratic) regimes \' control their people by binding them together around a common threat.' **JOURNALISM & JOURNALIST IN CONTEXT** -Journalism is essentially a 'discipline of verification.' -central purpose of journalism is to tell the truth so that people will have the information they need -the concept of creating sovereignty/autonomy has run through major statement and argument about the press for centuries: -not only from journalists but also from the revolutionaries who fought for democratic principles -modern journalism emerged in the early 17th century, literally out of conversation, especially in public places (e.g. "penny universities" and the Daily Courant). -journalism grew out of the Enlightenment period in the early 17th century -ex. but in US, journalism grew out of pubs, or public houses, hosted spirited conversations about information from travelers -there are strong consistencies in the essential values of journalists across countries -these are: cultures, values, political systems. -in elections, independent journalism is important **JOURNALISM: ELEMENTS,RATIONALE** **-What is journalism for?** -for building a sense of community that the government could not control. -for citizenship. -for democracy. -for taking back the language from a government that had subverted it with propaganda, undermined freedom of thought itself. -idea of editorial independence is given because newsrooms/editorial rooms were insulated from advertisement role -journalism is viewed as working for 'public interest.' -an independent source in society for monitoring power, spotting abuse, alerting the public to problems, and creating social connection. -a clear philosophy of journalism flows from the function of news and has remained consistent and enduring. -if journalism is to provide citizens with the information, they need to be free and self-governing, eg editorial independence **JOURNALISM VS. SOCIAL MEDIA** -if society lacks understanding of "discipline of verification," it cannot differentiate journalism/journalists from political advocacy, propaganda, or opinion mongering from 'straight news reporting' -Journalism is so fundamental to societies that oppressive regimes would want to suppress freedom of the press first -journalism helps us understand how citizens behave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5WZMhS59Gc -journalism has always been more of a service, a means for providing social connection and knowledge -the rise of the internet, blogs, social media, and mobile devices provides space for citizens to create their own form of 'journalism' (Can you name any?) -the economic collapse in the advertising model that has financed news journalism for 120 years, these 'new forms of journalism' amount to a growing threat to journalism itself -but obviously makes indepdent/professional journalists and journalism even more important than ever. -in 21st century, the rise of despotism in the early 21st century coincides with a weakened journalistic ecosystem -digital media also coincides with the rise of social media platforms **Theme: monitoring election** -election monitoring emerge after the end of Cold War -important to countries in period of transition, the government is expected to be more susceptible to election monitoring. -'the surge of monitored elections coincides with regimes seeking to demonstrate their honest transition to democracy at the end of the Cold War.' -'monitored elections around that time demonstrated strong average gains in their democracy scores' -election monitoring in transitional states, -presence of international monitors is associated with improved election quality \- increased turnover in countries in the middle of the democracy range -countries that are no longer staunch single-party autocracies but are on the way to democracy, hold regular elections -monitoring is important in countries classified as less free, but this effect has also declined since mid-1990s. -monitored elections are better, as it shows improved election quality in multiparty elections in countries that are less free -thus, election monitoring may have significance in: post-coup elections, post- conflict elections -it improves subsequent multiparty elections, 'they may actually be more effective in first multiparty elections.' -monitoring also relies on the credibility of monitors, 'credible monitoring organizations are effective at improving electoral practices' -effect of election monitoring, -it deters cheating, then more critical monitors would have a greater deterrent effect. **Why** **monitor election** -'presence of monitors is positively associated with election quality -threat from government is no longer simply censorship -withholding information that is in the public interest -'journalism is a public service' -eg. journalists who are critical of the administration has already been labelled as "the enemy of the people.": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyIZz4KE8dg -weighty responsibility rests on the shoulders of those whose job is to provide information, eg. journalists, the protectors of news. -the goal of all this was not just to make people believe the fake claims that it (government) had invented. **APPLICABLE: Press theory** -Libertarian theory eg. woman/man is a rational being, capable of discerning to make choices, expects the press to provide information needed -and its sub-theory: Social Responsibility eg. while recognizing the woman/man\'s autonomy, journalist & journalism must also take responsibility for its actions -to ensure electorate makes well-informed choicesi, journalist must also be independent, uphold high moral & ethical standards -the electorate and journalists can make well-informed choices if journalists report & monitor electoral exercises responsibly. -both of these expectations are aligned with democratic values **ROLES:PUBLIC service ,interest** -role of the press, 'the press was to serve the governed, not the governors.' -'expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust by government, business, and other institutions' -out of a diversity of voices the people are more likely to know the truth and thus be able to self-govern. -journalism has broader social and moral obligations: ''use of moral force of investigative journalism' -provide journalism and civic engagement opportunities, enabling citizens and institutions to build a better city to live, work, and play -building community and promoting democracy remained a core value. -the idea of public service prevails even when dominated by 'yellow press' eg. eve of 20th century, tabloid sheets of the 1920s -even in contemporary societies where there are 'yellow presses' and 'tabloid press' or 'sensational press' \- e.g. Mods and Rockers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8\_0QQSTrvRk - e.g. True crime documentaries: \- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x41SMm-9-i4 JOURNALISM, SOCIAL media in election -journalist = independent, non-partisan, high standards of verification -social media = not independent, partisan, and low standards of verification -either journalists or social media can perform election monitoring but with different objectives -election monitoring, \'presence of monitors deters cheating and leads to a better quality of elections\' -but, unlike lawyers & doctors, journalists are not regulated by licensure. They may be members of journalist unions, associations, etc. -but, some journalists are reluctant to set themselves apart from 'social media journalism' (eg. influencers, youtubers, tiktokers, etc.) -thus, it blurs the distinction between journalists trained in the 'discipline of verification' as opposed to those who are not Compulsory Readings: Week 10 SOCIAL MEDIA: IMPACT ON POLITICAL Participation **What is social media?** -Definition: web-based platforms that enable us to produce, share, engage and interact in virtual communities \- fusion of the social and political -social networking, eg. from reconnecting with friends to networking new friends -political networking, eg. framing, influencing and shaping political opinions on contentious social and political issues -the birth of digital media give rise to social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, and YouTube -content creation varies from one creator to another, including their purpose, intention and motivation for doing so -as previously discussed, journalism/journalist differ from social media/influencers/content creators -users can create content, share, distribute, and get feedback from on digital space -social media and its users impact social and political participation, and development differently \- examples: -Twitter helps mobilise collective action in Arab Spring **PARTICIPATION & political in new media** -diffusion and democratisation of various forms of media in early 21st century -participation through: -speedy access to information, shortened feedback and response, opened up communication lines, etc. -forms of participation: either political or apolitical (nothing about politics) -political participation relies on how much democratic space there is in a country -research on social media in early 21st century have been more optimistic -previously, it was assumed that states lacks capacity to control and censor content in digital media -but, states have also learned and developed sophisticated forms of control and censorship -this includes taking over social media previously a platform used by the opposition **Control and regulation** -worldwide national internet filtering is a growing norm -blurring of media control due to digital technologies, eg. rules on digital crimes -state either regulates or they pressures private firms -private firms controls and regulates unless prohibited by the state's regulations -modes of control varies: in democratic, nondemocratic and authoritarian regimes -objectives: ensure state control and domination, pro-state discourses, framing and shaping public opinion and discourse to state's & political actor's favour **Can any of four theory explain?** -state-centered theories: libertarian, authoritarian and soviet communist -social responsibility: from journalist's point of view -but, social media creators are not journalists -limits of applying social responsibility theory in the new media -lack of self-restraint, regulation, etc. -the four theories could hardly capture theoretical explanations on social media as a new media -understandably, the four theories were formulated before the digital age **INTERSECTIONAL functions & roles** \- journalist vs social media personality -content, reports undergoes verification, -journalist/editorial independence/trained on verification = print and broadcast -content, reports may or may not be verified, -social media/news-publicity-marketing/lack of training on verification = content created online -social media is more on individual and social networking, not about state governance, state-society relations \- individual creators can monetize their content -the difference between state and journalists use social media platforms -depending on the regime types, states informs, disseminates information, generate public opinion, or controls it -in libertarian tradition, journalist exercise press freedom to check on their government and leaders on public interests -social media and content creators can either support or oppose the state and its government -but dissenting groups using social media are often targeted for censorship by states and private actors -thus, oppositional and political social media are marginal **LIMITS, CONSTRAINTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA** -lack of editorial independence, accountability \- especially for individual content creators -non-state actors with criminal intent also used social media platforms to advance its interests. eg. terrorist groups -the kind of "public service" and "public interest" shifts from common good to individual/corporate interest -while it can be easily accessed by individual citizens, it also opened up access to criminal groups, etc. -regulation social media content is either self-imposed or by private corporation unless dictated by states **Impact of these constraints** -the rise of false information, disinformation, and 'fake news' of different types coincides with digital media -use of the platform is shaped by user's objectives, than a matter of public interests -while social media democratise use of platform away from established mass media institutions, it also trustworthiness is also called into question -dilemma in "press freedom" as we know it -the lack of self-regulation and restraint on matters of public interest makes social media unreliable Week 11 exam may have deep face question WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL intelligence? -a branch of computer science that focuses on building systems and processes -it is capable of performing tasks that typically require human cognitive abilities -Why did AI emerge? -the need for human-like brain who can process information arise because we have too much information. -AI is built for the need of new industries in the commercial sector -mainly to reduce production cost, increase productivity, improve customer satisfaction, etc. -AI is more than 6 0 years old, but in the last decade of its development,it has changed allcommunications in the digitalworld eg. voice-activated machines. -in the new media, AI has also adopted similar approach of using AI for commercial purposes: -built to tailor consumer's need, consumer-oriented and targeted communication eg. your personalized Spotify, Netflix & Amazon profiles -new media has to be \"responsive to individual users" -as AI is being used, the machine is "learning" its human communication partner, adjust the way it interacts -unlike other forms of mass communication, AI is in the \"middle category when it comes to usability. -AI's function, operates and accumulate data based on its communication, exchange and interactions with humans who used its technology. -as AI technology is being used, it transforms mass media platforms into a 'personalised,' fast-performing and more useful -it relies on user's extensive use for its own development **FUNCTIONS,role of ai** -it is meant to provide intelligent outputs based on inputs from human interactions -AI and human shares role as 'communication partner' -in other words, AI's usage transforms both humans and machine to function as a new type of 'communicator' -as it is meant for commercial use, it is also market-driven, market- oriented, and aimed at personal user satisfaction eg. If you're using Spotify, Amazon, etc., it makes your interaction of their media, content, audiences, operations faster and better, and personalized -on media entertainment, such as Spotify and Netflix, it enables playlist recommendation based on user's behaviour -any information that the users/humans fed into the AI technology makes its more dynamic -as a result, it generates more demand for better matching of content with users/audience preference. Eg. you create content, provides clues of preferences for AI, etc. -through use of AI technology the this new media also hones its capability. -AI-enabled devices and programmes are dynamic, contingent upon messages being fed into its system -In news media, AI is already been used for editing, news presentation, and many more -but, unlike human generated content, the limitations of AI- generated news in writing is that it still relies on existing raw data produced by humans **Ai in news reporting** How has the media been using AI? eg. Associated Press use AI-enabled technologies in the production and distribution of their news content -on production of news content, the percentage of some media institution's AI usage has been: -59% content recommendations -39% workflow automation -39% commercial optimization (e.g. ad targeting, and dynamic pricing) -35% intelligent agents to help reporters find stories -but, the rate of acceptability and use will depend on AI's 'compatibility, perceived ease, usefulness, performance, and internal support of its intention' -also, in writing news story, AI technology would rely on existing raw data alongside human-produced stories -this type of new media is already interwoven into consumers' daily lives, technology bundles; thus, media companies ought to deliver experiences engaging for individuals -social media platforms, such as Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google, have adopted this type of medium -what news media should do: respond faster and better to audience expectations, satisfy direct-to-consumer world, and meet consumer needs based on data -must acquire insights from large data sets and act on it in real time -the new media can provide better services day by day with innovation and update of their features -Media approach should be, to 'always analyse the media environment with foresight' -to obtain accurate information on leading trends, changes so that they can plan to adapt media policies and strategies BENEFITS & DISADVANTAGES -AI elevated expectations in every aspect of our digital lives -unlike the traditional media, 'AI has more than just conveying the message, it automates it -What positive impact AI has, \"enhance the industry value, reinventing business platforms and expanding the power of data, makes workflow more efficient\" -cloud computing has the advantage and capability of delivering complete service online; users do not have to be physically present. eg. dropbox -at workplace settings, employees working outside the actual physical office can still access the data -However, there is an issues about AI's trustworthiness -Market survey result, AI technology is least trusted by population -47% -less human control -55% -trustworthiness in sights, -these were the two biggest concerns on whether or not to adopt AI technology as a new media -also, privacy is another concern for using AI, as it can significantly affect intent to change(because it involves the collection and analysis of personal data, which can lead to potential misuse or breaches of sensitive information.) -lastly, it also does not mean that once people are trained to use AI technology, they will develop the habit of using it \- **The new media paradigm** -new paradigm: from 'people communicating with one another' to 'people exchanging messages\'. -Unlike the traditional form of communications, 'AI facilitates the automation of messages/communication' -shift in the forms of communication, it is now \"data-driven and direct-to-consumer world', thus, media has to respond faster, better to audience expectation -the user of AI \"perceive robots as communicative partners different from humans\" -the emergence of AI-enabled human and machines as a new type of communication partner -new paradigm, 'cloud computing is considered a new paradigm to host and provide services on the internet' -characteristics: 'a new horizon whereby technological resources are stored in a place for computing (i.e. processing, memory and storage)' -enables easy access from anywhere, on-demand to a repository of configurable computing resources -advantage: effective, cost-saving, ease of use, reliability, tools for collaboration and sharing, etc. **From conveying to exchanging message** -those using AI tools, 'people interacting with a digital assistant think of themselves as exchanging message with a technology' -thus, AI has opened up new space in the digital world, its profound impact has been quite evident in people's lives -more social media users, 'use social media for entertainment, web browsing, news awareness or just to spend time' -thus, data from social media has since been a potential source to mine where a new form of knowledge, \"intelligent knowledge,\" are beingcreated,harvested Adopting ai as new media -for new technology to be adopted and accepted, the developer should ensure it is user-friendly -Adoption rate of AI technology among news media organizations, - 4 4 % cable systems, had the highest adoption rate \- 3 0 % cable networks -25% broadcast networks \- 3 5 % intelligent agents to help reporters find stories -but, at the organizational infrastructure level, electronic learning has a very low acceptance scale -What media companies should promote is the AI's benefits to enhance adoptability, such as: \- 5 9 % content recommendations \- 3 9 % workflow automation \- 3 9 % commercial optimization targeting and dynamic pricing -among users of AI in Europe, they have agreed that: \- 8 0 % AI is already having significant impact in the commercial industry \- 6 2 % believes that AI could improve decision-making - 4 7 % thought it could improve productivity -But the other use of AI in which it is best for, -'effectiveness in data classification, metadata extraction,' also useful in the processes of converting speech to text, marking texts and so on.' -the preference to use AI is due to its cost-efficiency for users, 'users no longer have to worry about the heavy cost of maintaining, upgrading systems.' VERIFIABILITY, trustworthiness -but unlike humans who are conscious, AI technology run by machines, does not have capacity and is not trained for disciplined verification as journalist does -the lack of accountability or who should be accountable for the content and product it produces complicates the issue -Thus, these are reasonse that makes AI technology as a form of new media problematic. -AI has no capacity to make decisions similar to humans would do -eg. ethical and moral consideration in decision-making. -the AI's ability to correctly interpret the information it obtain from human interactions is also its limitations -thus, trustworthiness and verifiability issue arise because the decisions that are supposed to be for humans to make, AI only does it statistically -as a result, there has been an increase in ethical dilemmas, eg. labour force and regulators, 'question on truth, facts' -but, AI's data-driven and direct-to-consumer nature also improves expectations from the media to respond faster **Impact of ai in new media** -once people communicates with the AI, there is a shift is modalities of communication -the reason is: people direct their messages towards the device, not the programmer/human' -if news media were to survive, they ought to adopt to the consumer-oriented usage, 'media companies must deliver engaging individual experiences to every consumer' -AI has limits but it can: 'enhance new forms of participation and new products for media use'