Media Literacy: Get the News?

Imminent war, terrorism, anthrax, snipers…these days, the news seems to offer a steady litany of threatened violence. While teens are experiencing a raised global awareness in the wake of events on and after September 11, 2001, they're also struggling with increased fear and paranoia, heightened by a combination of excessive hype and rumor reported in the news and their own lack of critical analysis tools. Media Literacy: Get the News?, the second episode in a special post-9/11 series called The New Normal from the PBS series In the Mix, features two teen hosts who interview celebrity journalists such as ABC's Peter Jennings and Fox's Bill O'Reilly, as well as others from MTV, CNN, and the New York Post, on topics such as ratings, bias, and primary sources, while also offering some basic questions teens should ask themselves when evaluating any news report. While In the Mix programs usually sport solid production values and coherent storylines, this particular program is plagued by mediocre camera, sound, and editing work, as well as a jumpy script that often does not follow through on subjects raised. A better choice, from the same producers, might be Media Literacy: TV--What You Don't See! (VL-9/97), although it lacks the more current context of this program. Optional. Also available, at the same price, Dealing with Differences and Living with Change. Aud: J, H. (E. Gieschen)