traditions of media research
Communication, Media and Public Relations MA
October 2013 Intake
Assignment 1, Option 1
Choose any two of the different traditions of media research which have been identified in
Module One of the course. Discuss their respective strengths and weaknesses, and critically compare their contributions – actual and potential – to any given media – related topic or issue of contemporary concern.
Student’s Name:
Tutor’s Name:
Holliger Joane
Tracy Simmons
Assignment handed in on the 23rd of December 2013, from Kinshasa, DRC.
“Television has a real problem. They have no page two. Consequently every big story gets the same play and comes across to the viewer as a really big, scary one. “ Art Buchwald, 1969.
The above quotation, stating that every TV story comes across to the viewer as a really big, scary one, seems to indicate that the viewers have no discerning capacity in regards to the news or stories that they see on television. Is that true? What importance does the viewer give to what he watches and what gratifications does he benefit from it? How does it impact on his social behaviour, opinions and perception of reality? Why does he decide to watch a specific programme in the first place? Since the beginning of Mass Media Research, these seemingly basic questions have interested and concerned the researches led in that field.
What answers, if any and what contributions or understanding did the Media Effects and the
Uses and Gratifications traditions bring or fail to bring? How do these two traditions of media research relate, differ, and what are their strengths and weaknesses? Which research questions appear to be guiding them? These are a few of the enquiries I will attempt to clarify. Mc Quail (2010) wrote that, “There is a widespread belief, that the mass media are a powerful instrument of influence on opinion and of effects on behaviour. At the same time, there is great difficulty in predicting effects, engineering them
October 2013 Intake
Assignment 1, Option 1
Choose any two of the different traditions of media research which have been identified in
Module One of the course. Discuss their respective strengths and weaknesses, and critically compare their contributions – actual and potential – to any given media – related topic or issue of contemporary concern.
Student’s Name:
Tutor’s Name:
Holliger Joane
Tracy Simmons
Assignment handed in on the 23rd of December 2013, from Kinshasa, DRC.
“Television has a real problem. They have no page two. Consequently every big story gets the same play and comes across to the viewer as a really big, scary one. “ Art Buchwald, 1969.
The above quotation, stating that every TV story comes across to the viewer as a really big, scary one, seems to indicate that the viewers have no discerning capacity in regards to the news or stories that they see on television. Is that true? What importance does the viewer give to what he watches and what gratifications does he benefit from it? How does it impact on his social behaviour, opinions and perception of reality? Why does he decide to watch a specific programme in the first place? Since the beginning of Mass Media Research, these seemingly basic questions have interested and concerned the researches led in that field.
What answers, if any and what contributions or understanding did the Media Effects and the
Uses and Gratifications traditions bring or fail to bring? How do these two traditions of media research relate, differ, and what are their strengths and weaknesses? Which research questions appear to be guiding them? These are a few of the enquiries I will attempt to clarify. Mc Quail (2010) wrote that, “There is a widespread belief, that the mass media are a powerful instrument of influence on opinion and of effects on behaviour. At the same time, there is great difficulty in predicting effects, engineering them
References: BOOKS Denis McQuail (2010) Oliver Boyd-Barrett & Chris Newbold (2010). Approaches to Media, A Reader. London: Bloomsbury Academic. James Curran (2010). Media and Society, 5th Edition. Shanto Iyengar, The state of media-effects, research Blumler, J.G. (1979). The role of theory in uses and gratifications studies. Communication Research, 6, pp Cantril, H & Allport G. (1935). “The psychology of radio”. New York: Harper. DeFleur, M.L., & Ball-Rokeach, S. (1982). “Theories of mass communication”, 4th Edition. New York: Longman. (accessed 24 November, 2013). http://www.dr4ward.com/dr4ward/2013/11/how-does-media-consolidation-limit-your-mediachoices-infographic.html ANC submission on Media to the TRC (1997) 14 December, 2013). Research”. Publication (pdf file) at the International Journal of Communication 7 (2013), Feature 197215. (accessed 5 December, 2013). 20, 2013). Opinion Research Vol. 13 N°3. Pdf file. (accessed 12 December, 2013).