This article was downloaded by: [TÜBİTAK EKUAL]

On: 30 May 2011

Access details: Access Details: [subscription number 772815468]
Publisher Routledge
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-
41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas

Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t914957666

A Crash Course in Media Literacy

Patricia H. Hinchey

Online publication date: 03 April 2010

To cite this Article Hinchey, Patricia H.(2003) 'A Crash Course in Media Literacy', The Clearing House: A Journal of
Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 76: 6, 295 — 297
To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/00098650309602023
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00098650309602023

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.informaworld.com/terms-and-conditions-of-access.pdf

This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or
systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or
distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.

The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents
will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses
should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss,
actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly
or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
 A Crash Course
in Media Literacy
PATRICIA H. HINCHEY
M edia literacy, like so many other fields, is a com-
plex terrain. Scholars argue over appropriate
goals. Teachers, parents, librarians, and administrators
argue over suitable curricula, materials, and procedures.
Downloaded By: [TÜBTAK EKUAL] At: 09:27 30 May 2011
Web sites and journals overflow with advice. The
amount of information is enough to overwhelm novices
who need a concrete and concise overview of the terri-
tory before stepping into the classroom. Appropriately,
because media literacy hinges largely on the visual, an
easy and effective way to get some sense of essential
issues is by viewing some of the many excellent videos
on crucial topics including gender and race stereotyping,
violence, news, and rampant consumerism.
There are several ways to get a quick survey of the ter-
rain, all of which I have used with both undergraduate
and graduate classes. Watching the following half-
dozen videos would provide a sound introduction to
some core issues and require a total viewing time of less
than five-and-one-half hours. I have found that each
provokes a great deal of critical thought and discussion
among my students, no matter their age and experi-
ence. All are less than an hour long, and each is suitable
for classroom use at the middle- through high school
levels, as well as for a teacher’s personal professional
development. Many of the videos can be borrowed
from university libraries and other units offering
instructional resources to classroom teachers; or,
schools can obtain preview copies from distributors
without charge. These resources would be a suitable
addition to any school’s media library and can be pur-
chased from a variety of vendors, with discount prices
for high schools often as low as $125-$150. Online
previews and study guides are also available as noted.
~~~~~
Patricia H . Hinchey is an associate professor of
education at Pennsylvania State University.
295
For the over-achieving academic, I also list a few steps
to follow up on particular films.
Gender, Race, and Violence
Killing Us Softly ll): Advertising’s Imagine of Women.
2000. Created by and featuring Jean Kilbourne;
directed, edited, and produced by Sut Ihally.
34 minutes. Distributor: Foundation for
Media Education; preview and study guide
available at <http://www.mediaed.or videos/
MediaGenderAndDiversity/KillingUsSofty3>. K/
Researcher Jean Kilboume has pretty much ”written
the book” on media portrayal of women, which she has
been studying for years. As the title suggests, this is the
most recent version of her ongoing critiques of adver-
tising. Although many are already familiar with criti-
cisms of Barbie-like models, Kilboume takes a more
penetrating look at advertising and displays a growing
body of images that cast women as objects and as ani-
mals, as well as suitable subjects for male violence. In
this tape, Kilbourne, a lively and humorous speaker,
illustrates her points using numerous examples from
contemporary ads. Because follow-up discussion
almost always includes the question “But what about
male stereotyping?” this video is well paired with
Tough Guise.
Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in
Masculinity.
1999. Featuring lackson Katz; directed by Sut Jhal-
ly; produced by Susan Ericsson and Sanjay Talreja.
High school version, 57 minutes. Distributor:
 296 The Clearing House
Foundation for Media Education; preview and
study guide available at <http://www.mediaed.org/
videos/MediaGenderAndDiversity/ToughGuise>.
In this video laced with images from a range of
media, Jackson Katz presents the well-supported argu-
ment that popular culture promotes an image of mas-
culinity as ruggedly individualistic and violent, with
harmful effects for both women and men. Katz reviews
examples of negative portrayals of men and discusses
such topics as the school shootings in Littleton, Col-
orado, and Jonesboro, Arkansas. However, a particular
asset of this video is that it also offers alternative, more
healthful images of masculinity from such movies as
Good Will Hunting and Boyz ‘N the Hood and includes
such well-known figures as baseball great Mark
McGuire and country singer Garth Brooks.
Game Over: Gender, Race, and Violence in Video Games
2000. Produced and by Nina Huntemann;
Downloaded By: [TÜBTAK EKUAL] At: 09:27 30 May 2011
executive producer, Sut Jhall edited by Jeremy
F
Smith. 41 minutes. Distri utor: Foundation
for Media Education; preview and stud
available at chttp://www.rnediaed.org,&%$
MediaGenderAndDiversity/GameOver>.
The video and computer game industry consumes
billions of dollars annually, luring young people to
spend an average of ten hours a week playing electron-
ic games. This video explores such topics as how games
typically portray gender, race, and violence and what
impact they may have-especially on the males who
most often buy and use them. Educators with limited
firsthand knowledge of video games are likely to be in
for a shock when they see the extent and types of vio-
lence and the gendered and racial stereotypes that char-
acterize the games. One of the most powerful segments
includes the testimony of one of the world’s foremost
military experts in the field of human aggression, who
details the demonstrated effectiveness of simulation
games in training military and law enforcement per-
sonnel to overcome a natural inhibition to shoot other
human beings. This video can be counted on to spark
heated discussion among viewers who may want to
defend the games as harmless fun.
Dreamworlds 11: Desire, Sex and Power in Music Video
1995. Written, edited and produced b Sut
Jhally. 56 minutes. Distributor: Foun ation
for Media Education; preview and study . y d e
J A visit to the Project Censored Web site,
available at <http://www.mediaed.org vi eos/
MediaGenderAndDiversity/Dreamworlds2>.
Given that pop culture centers on music and music
videos, the close examination of gender images pre-
sented in this genre is crucial to any adult‘s under-
standing of this component of adolescent experience.
The video is powerful evidence that here too, males are
July/Augurt 2003
presented as dominant and violent, whereas women
are presented as passive, sexualized objects, often the
victims of violence. Although this is one of the most
powerful videos to show to a teenage audience, it is
important to note that scenes of graphic violence may
make the video unacceptable in some environments. It
would be wise to allow viewers to leave the room if
they become too disturbed by the material. It is this
segment of the video, however-where scenes from
music videos are interspersed with a gang rape scene
from a movie about an actual event-that most strong-
ly makes the case that young men are receiving harm-
ful messages from the media that are ultimately dan-
gerous to women. This presentation makes it clear
why, as renowned educator Maxine Greene once
argued, everyone in secondary classrooms must be
familiar with the genre of music video.
Corporate Control of Media
Fear and Favor in the Newsroom
1996. Narrated by Studs Terkel; directed and
produced by Beth Sanders in association with
ICTEH, San Jose. 57 minutes. Distributor: Founda-
tion for Media Education; preview and study
guide available at chttp://www.mediaed.org
videos/CommercialismPoliticsAndMedia/Fearan
FavorintheNewsroom>.
d
Despite the much vaunted freedom and tenacity of
the American press, many stories never make it into
print. Today, nearly every newspaper is a product of a
very few media giants with strong ties to corporations
and their wealthy and powerful leadership. Reporters
who have been censored, demoted, and even fired
because they pursued stories that might damage or
embarrass particular people or corporations can testify
that mainstream news is far more censored than the
public might imagine. Among those censored is a
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose column was
cancelled by the New York Times after he investigated a
variety of issues related to New York City’s elite and an
Emmy Award-winner who shot footage of civilian
damage caused by U.S. bombing, which was personal-
ly vetoed by the president of NBC.
For those who find themselves worried by this
video-which would not be surprising-here are a few
terrific possibilities for learning more:
<http://www.projectcensored.org/>, might be in order.
This group, based at Sonoma State University in Cali-
fornia, tracks important stories ignored by the main-
stream media and makes many of them available on its
Web site. For example, articles from the group’s 2003
report include pieces on government/corporate support
for creating privatized, union-free public schools; the
health and environment dangers of fish farms; NAFTA’s
destructive impact on rural farming communities
 Vol. 76, No. 6 Crash Course
not only in Mexico and Haiti but also in Canada and
the United States. A video from the Foundation for
Media Education titled Project Censored: Is the Press
Really Free? (1996) is available at <http://www.
mediaed.org/videos/CommercialismPoliticsAndMedia/
Proj ectCensored>.
The video Rich Media, Poor Democracy (<http://
www.mediaed.org/videos/Commercia1ismPoliticsAnd-
Media/RichMediaPoorDemocracy>) is another re-
source that explores the impact of media consolida-
tion. A closer look-well worth the significant time
investment-is to read the book of the same name
(New Press 2000). Author Robert McChesney details
the contradiction between a democracy's need for
information and communication and the "for-profit,
highly concentrated, advertising-saturated, corporate
media system." McChesney tracks the evolution of the
communications industry, now dominated by a very
few giants, and uncovers the political and corporate
Downloaded By: [TÜBTAK EKUAL] At: 09:27 30 May 2011
complicity that has enabled the current dismal situa-
tion. His proposed remedy is a better-informed and
proactive citizenry-great material to explore in a
social studies class.
Consumerism
Afluenzu
1997. Hosted by NPR's Scott Simon; produced
by John de Graaf and Vivia Boe; a production of
KCTS/Seattle and Oregon Public Broadcasting.
56 minutes, in two se ments for classroom view-
. Distributor: Butfrog Films, <http://www.
bu Ifrogfilms.com/cataloglaffl.html>.Interdiscipli-
nary study guides available at <http://www.pbs.
htmb.
org/ kcts/affluenza/treat/tguide/tguide.
A humorous, engaging, and powerful examination of
rampant consumerism in American society, where the
name of the game is to achieve "the most extravagant
lifestyle the world has ever seen." Although Americans
make up only 5 percent of the world's population, they
297
consume nearly one-third of all resources and gener-
ate about half of all hazardous waste. Other costs asso-
ciated with the drive for more and more material
goods include "overwork, personal stress, the erosion
of family and community, skyrocketing debt, and the
growing gap between rich and poor." In addition to
offering a mountain of facts and figures and some
interesting vignettes-an interview with a man
explaining the need for a three-car garage to hold all
his "stuff" comes to mind-the film also offers a look
at the voluntary simplicity movement, a new interest
in pursuing less quantity and more quality in life. A
great discussion starter for adolescents addicted to the
local mall!
More from Kalle h s n , whose work and words are
included in the Aflluenza video, can be found on the
Adbusters Web site, <http://www.adbusters.org/
home>, which aims to undermine the effect of adver-
tising and consumerism. Lam's book, Culture lam
(Quill Press 2000),is a bit of a tirade but is still an easy
read and an insightful look at the impact of media and
other conglomerates, advertising, and branding. Many
readers will be surprised to learn that for years Lasn has
been trying-unsuccessfully-to buy network time to
air professionally produced "un-commercials" that
promote increased lifestyle responsibility.
Another good resource is the Frontline/PBS major
effort, Merchants of Cool (<http://www.pbs.
org/ wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/>), which ana-
lyzes in great detail the selling of "cool" culture to
adolescents. There is a wealth of material here, includ-
ing much of the material covered by McChesney
regarding the impact of media control by a very few
corporate giants and a wide variety of supplemental
information and other resources for teachers. The
entire 53-minute video of the original report is also
available online.
Key words: media literacy, pop culture, corporate control,
violence, adolescent expm'ence