How does this message portray people and events?
The Thanksgiving Meme
Source: Media Education Lab. Mind Over Media www.mindovermedia.tv. Used with permission.
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for the refugees from the Middle East war zones. This appeal to tradition is harmful and ignorant of the changing times. The Pilgrims were colonists while the migrants today are refugees under very different circumstances. It should be noted that the colonists caused mass genocide as well, so com- paring the migrants of today to the colonists of the past does not exactly paint a pretty picture.”
Another student saw the Thanks- giving meme as somewhat beneficial, writing, “The pilgrims were once migrants searching for a home, and now the world is faced by a new chal- lenge of greater proportion but the same ethical question. The creator of this piece wants the viewers to compare the two situations at hand and have the [United States] apply the same hospitality to the refugees from the Middle East. Yet, that same hospitality didn’t work out all that well for the Native Americans that showed kindness to the pilgrims.”
Although their interpretations differ widely, both students are considering the potential intentions and motives of the author, wondering, “Who is the author, and what is his or her purpose?” Two major theoretical ideas of media literacy education that have been articulated by the National Asso- ciation for Media Literacy Education (2009) are activated in this lesson: (1) all media messages are constructed and (2) people interpret messages dif- ferently based on their background,
life experience, and culture. When students recognize the constructed nature of information, they begin to identify the different points of view that are embodied in the choices authors make. They recognize that meanings are in people, not in texts. Through classroom dialogue and dis- cussion, students learn to appreciate
the many different ways that media messages can be interpreted. This helps them activate critical thinking skills and cultivate respect for diverse interpretations.
Updating the Tradition The critical examination of propa- ganda is not new. As far back as 1938, high school teachers were using instructional strategies to help build critical thinking about the propaganda of the time, which was disseminated through radio, newspapers, newsreels, and popular movies. The Institute for Propaganda Analysis (1937–1942) developed curriculum resources and activities that demonstrated how high school students could take a close look at the content of a media message and search for evidence, verification, and the communicator’s motives (Hobbs & McGee, 2014).
Now it’s time to update the tra- dition of propaganda education for the 21st century. With social media sites and news outlets making it easy to “select” our exposure and create echo chambers and filter bubbles, people today may actually get less access to diverse points of view than in previous eras. Often, the true funder of fake news or propaganda is disguised or hidden, as in the use of sock puppets (organizations that deliver messages without revealing the funding sources that support them) or bots and trolls (social media users who amplify their voices by using computer programs or multiple accounts).
The quality of civic education and civic learning in public education must be continually responsive to the lived experience of the students we serve. If schools are to fulfill their social purpose of preparing students for life in a democratic society, education leaders will need to get creative about how to ensure students are thoughtful
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Critically
Analyzing Media Here’s what students should ask every time they engage with con- temporary propaganda.
Message: What key information and ideas are being expressed?
Techniques: What symbols and rhetorical strategies are used to attract attention and activate an emotional response? What makes them effective?
Means of communication and format: How does the message reach people, and what form does it take?
Representation: How does this message portray people and events? What points of view and values are activated?
Audience receptivity: How may people think and feel about the message? How free are they to accept or reject it?
“Young people are exposed to so much information that it is a struggle for them to be able to form their own opinions about major topics that impact their world.”