1. NEWSCASTS AND REPORTS: Audiences negotiate meaning

2. KEY QUESTION What Rhetorical Devices (language techniques) do persuasive authors and speakers use to help convince viewers and readers? What Rhetorical Devices (language techniques) do persuasive authors and speakers use to help convince viewers and readers? Rhetorical Devices: language techniques used to enhance the message of a speaker and subtly convince the audience. Rhetorical Devices: language techniques used to enhance the message of a speaker and subtly convince the audience.

3. Critical thinking questions Who created/paid for the message? Who created/paid for the message? For what purpose was it made? For what purpose was it made? Who is the ‘target audience’? Who is the ‘target audience’? What techniques are used to attract my attention & increase believability ? What techniques are used to attract my attention & increase believability ? Who or what might be omitted and why? Who or what might be omitted and why? What do they want me to think or do? What do they want me to think or do? How do I know what it means? How do I know what it means? Where might I go to get more information? Where might I go to get more information?

4. Questions of images & texts: What characters, motifs, symbols, products, effects, and persuasive devices are used in this picture? What characters, motifs, symbols, products, effects, and persuasive devices are used in this picture? What values do these elements represent? What values do these elements represent? What is your interpretation of messages they are sending? What is your interpretation of messages they are sending? Who is pictured as a role model? Who is excluded? Who is pictured as a role model? Who is excluded? Who is being targeted as an audience? Who is being targeted as an audience? What are the creators really selling? What are the creators really selling?

5. What is propaganda?

6. Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation directly aimed at influencing the opinions of people, rather than impartially providing information. Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation directly aimed at influencing the opinions of people, rather than impartially providing information.

7. What is propaganda? "Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions [thoughts], and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist." "Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions [thoughts], and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist." Source: Propaganda and Persuasion, Garth Jowett/Victoria O'Donnell

8. What is bias?

9. "Bias is manifest in texts when authors present particular values as if they were universal. For example, bias can be conveyed in the media through the selection of stories, sequence, and slant in newscasts; the placement or omission of stories in newspapers; who is interviewed and left out in radio or television talk shows and news programs; the advertisements on webpages, television, magazines, radio shows targeted at specific audiences; the lyrics of commercial jingles and popular music, and the images displayed with them in broadcast commercials and music videos; the goals, procedures, and the rules of video games.“ Source: December 2002, readingonline.org "Bias is manifest in texts when authors present particular values as if they were universal. For example, bias can be conveyed in the media through the selection of stories, sequence, and slant in newscasts; the placement or omission of stories in newspapers; who is interviewed and left out in radio or television talk shows and news programs; the advertisements on webpages, television, magazines, radio shows targeted at specific audiences; the lyrics of commercial jingles and popular music, and the images displayed with them in broadcast commercials and music videos; the goals, procedures, and the rules of video games.“ Source: December 2002, readingonline.org

10. BIAS in the NEWS Media-Awareness: Bias in the News http://www.media- awareness.ca/english/resources/education al/lessons/secondary/broadcast_news/bw_ bias_in_the_news_lesson.cfm http://www.media- awareness.ca/english/resources/education al/lessons/secondary/broadcast_news/bw_ bias_in_the_news_lesson.cfm

11. Types of Bias Bias through selection or omission: Bias through selection or omission: –An editor can express a bias by choosing to use or not to use a specific news item. Within a given story, some details can be ignored, and others included, to give readers or viewers a different opinion about the events reported. Bias through placement Bias through placement –Readers of papers judge first page stories to be more significant than those buried in the back. Television and radio newscasts run the most important stories first and leave the less significant for later.

12. Types of Bias Bias by headline Bias by headline –Many people read only the headlines of a news item. Most people scan nearly all the headlines in a newspaper. Headlines are the most-read part of a paper. Bias by photos, captions and camera angles Bias by photos, captions and camera angles –On television, the choice of which visual images to display is extremely important. The captions newspapers run below photos are also potential sources of bias. Bias through use of names and titles Bias through use of names and titles –News media often use labels and titles to describe people, places, and events. A person can be called an "ex-con" or be referred to as someone who "served time twenty years ago for a minor offense." Whether a person is described as a "terrorist" or a "freedom fighter" is a clear indication of editorial bias.

13. Types of Bias Bias through statistics and crowd counts Bias through statistics and crowd counts –To make a disaster seem more spectacular (and therefore worthy of reading about), numbers can be inflated. "A hundred injured in aircrash" can be the same as "only minor injuries in air crash," reflecting the opinion of the person doing the counting. Bias by source control Bias by source control –To detect bias, always consider where the news item "comes from." Is the information supplied by a reporter, an eyewitness, police or fire officials, executives, or elected or appointed government officials?

14. Types of Bias Word choice and tone Word choice and tone –Showing the same kind of bias that appears in headlines, the use of positive or negative words or words with a particular connotation can strongly influence the reader or viewer. More than 900 people attended the event. More than 900 people attended the event. Fewer than 1,000 people showed up at the event. Fewer than 1,000 people showed up at the event.

15. Rhetorical Devices=Word Choice Language techniques used to enhance the message of a speaker and subtly convince the audience. Language techniques used to enhance the message of a speaker and subtly convince the audience. TYPES: TYPES: –Repetition –Rhetorical Questions –Parallel Structure –Hyperbole

16. Types of Rhetorical Devices Repetition Repetition –If something happens often enough, I will eventually be persuaded. –Advertisements repeated replay themselves when we see the product. Repetition creates a pattern, which consequently and naturally grabs our attention.

17. Types of Rhetorical Devices Rhetorical Questions Rhetorical Questions –Gaining agreement: Is the Pope a Catholic? These are intended to make the listener agree with the speaker as the answer is obviously yes. These are intended to make the listener agree with the speaker as the answer is obviously yes. –Hedging: The question format allows others to disagree but is not necessarily seeking argument. Isn’t that wonderful? Is it a shade of blue? Isn’t that wonderful? Is it a shade of blue? –Multiple Questions: Do not give the audience time/chance to answer.

18. Types of Rhetorical Devices Parallel Structure: Parallel Structure: –Swimming, hiking, biking Hyperbole: figure of speech that uses an exaggerated or extravagant statement to create a strong emotional response. Hyperbole: figure of speech that uses an exaggerated or extravagant statement to create a strong emotional response. –They ran like greased lightning.

19. Examples: What is the bias?? "Police said the suspect was described as a black man in his 20s..." "Indian Found Murdered in New Town" "Detectives are investigating the death of an Asian employee of a brokerage firm whose body was found by the company's owner yesterday...."

20. Questions to consider: What do these news stories have in common? When is race an appropriate element in a story? Are the racial identifications used in these stories relevant? Why or why not? What are the problems surrounding unwarranted use of racial identity in crime- related stories?

21. Identify the bias: Bias by photos, captions Bias by photos, captions

22. Identify the bias: FISHING FOR DONATIONS House Speaker Denny Hastert led 35 donors last Monday on a predawn flyfishing excursion in Valley Forge, Pa. Each donor got a personal guide from the local Trout Unlimited. Minimum dontation: $5,000; number of fish caught: 1. FISHING FOR DONATIONS House Speaker Denny Hastert led 35 donors last Monday on a predawn flyfishing excursion in Valley Forge, Pa. Each donor got a personal guide from the local Trout Unlimited. Minimum dontation: $5,000; number of fish caught: 1.

23. Identify the bias: Bias through placement Bias through placement

24. Identify the bias: In Bernard Goldberg’s book BIAS, he accuses CBS News of bias in reporting.

26. News Sites How are these different news sites geared for different audience: How are these different news sites geared for different audience: – –http://abcnews.go.com/abcnews4kids/kids/in dex.htmlhttp://abcnews.go.com/abcnews4kids/kids/in dex.html – –http://fyi.cnn.com/fyi/http://fyi.cnn.com/fyi/ – –http://www.newscurrents.com/intro/index.ht mlhttp://www.newscurrents.com/intro/index.ht ml

27. Newscasts: Watch each news report and complete the Analysis Form Watch each news report and complete the Analysis Form http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/02/obama-to- make-statment-tonight-subject-unknown/ http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/02/obama-to- make-statment-tonight-subject-unknown/ http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/02/obama-to- make-statment-tonight-subject-unknown/ http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/02/obama-to- make-statment-tonight-subject-unknown/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u_fWAqu0_4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u_fWAqu0_4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u_fWAqu0_4 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42852700/ns/world_ news-death_of_bin_laden/t/us-forces-kill-osama- bin-laden-pakistan/#.TlZFZltecrU http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42852700/ns/world_ news-death_of_bin_laden/t/us-forces-kill-osama- bin-laden-pakistan/#.TlZFZltecrU http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42852700/ns/world_ news-death_of_bin_laden/t/us-forces-kill-osama- bin-laden-pakistan/#.TlZFZltecrU http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42852700/ns/world_ news-death_of_bin_laden/t/us-forces-kill-osama- bin-laden-pakistan/#.TlZFZltecrU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJoEolK8bAg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJoEolK8bAg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJoEolK8bAg

28. How do these differ? How do the sources differ? How do the sources differ? What is the bias? What is the bias? What rhetorical devices are used? What rhetorical devices are used? Imagery, word choice, titles, visuals? Imagery, word choice, titles, visuals?