Lesson Report:
### Class Summary Report
**Title:** Investigating Media and Political Beliefs – Understanding Media Bias, Framing, and Influence
**Synopsis:**
In this class, the students explored various aspects of how media shapes political beliefs and opinions, specifically focusing on media bias, framing, and different models of political influence in news reporting. Starting with an analysis of personal belief formation in relation to political events, the session progressed to a detailed exploration of how the media serves as a window through which citizens view politics, shaping not just what they know, but how they feel about it. Through discussion, examples, and an activity, students examined the role of bias in both intentional and unintentional reporting and engaged with theoretical models that help explain media’s impact on public opinion.
—
**Attendance:**
– Neelufar – Absent
– Rodion – Absent
– Aydai – Absent
– Erasil – Absent
—
**Topics Covered:**
1. **Introduction to the Day’s Focus: Beliefs and Political Events**
– The session began with a brief introduction, revisiting previous concepts and linking them to new topics about beliefs and their formation.
– **Initial Activity:** Students were asked to think about political events from the past six months to which they had a strong reaction. They reflected on why the events were political and how they heard about these events.
– Several students shared examples of political events including Afghan women’s restrictions, Kyrgyz laws on large families, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
– The focus shifted to where these beliefs come from and initial sources of information, highlighting the role of media and the community.
2. **Introduction to the Concept of Political Culture vs. Public Opinion**
– The class defined and contrasted **political culture** (the long-term values and ideologies of a population) and **public opinion** (short-term reactions to events).
– Examples discussed included the post-9/11 American political climate and how Americans shifted their views on government surveillance.
3. **Media’s Role in Shaping Beliefs and Understanding Bias**
– **Media Discussion: What is Media?** Media was defined as a bridge between the public and the government, and its role in shaping not just information but the public’s reaction to political events was emphasized.
– **Media Bias:** Media bias was introduced and discussed in detail. Students explored intentional and unintentional bias through examples, including a focus on Fox News’ conservative bias.
– The concept of “framing” was introduced, explaining how the use of language and information can direct public interpretations toward specific feelings. The class discussed the power of framing in pieces on terrorism and freedom versus fear.
4. **Models of Media Impact**
– **Four Media Impact Models** were introduced from the textbook, offering different theoretical frameworks for understanding why media outlets report information with bias:
– **Pluralist Model:** Media as a marketplace for a wide variety of views.
– **Dominant Ideology Model:** Media serves to maintain the dominant ideologies of those in power.
– **Elite Values Model:** Media reflects the personal biases of the journalists and editors.
– **Market Model:** Media reports and frames information in a way that maximizes profit.
– Examples included how Fox News markets to its audience and the relationship between profit and media type, focusing on the role of algorithms on platforms like Facebook and TikTok.
5. **Activity: Media Article Analysis**
– Partners were asked to select an article from a news source, identify its main argument, and determine how the article intended to make them feel.
– Articles spanned topics from Turkey’s political stance on Israel to immigration laws in Russia.
– The goal was to identify **bias** in the articles and assess how they aligned with the political models introduced.
– A brief group discussion followed, where a few examples were shared aloud.
6. **Homework Overview**
– Students were instructed to analyze their selected articles through the lens of the media impact models introduced in class. Each group member was assigned a model (pluralist, dominant ideology, elite values, or market model) under which they would interpret the article and submit individually.
—
**Actionable Items:**
**Homework Assignment (due next class):**
– Each student must complete an individual write-up analyzing the media article they selected with their partner.
– Interpret the article’s bias using the model (pluralist, dominant ideology, elite values, market model) assigned to their group.
– Refer to the textbook reading for definitions and explanations of each model.
– Detailed breakdown of the models and guiding questions will be posted on e-course.
**Follow-up on Media Bias and Framing:**
– Further discussions may be needed on framing in media coverage, especially tying current examples from local, regional, or international events to broader discussions on public opinion formation.
**Student Absences:**
– Ensure that students who missed the session (Neelufar, Rodion, Aydai, and Erasil) are brought up to speed on the homework assignment, and consider assigning a brief recap of today’s material to them.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK
Justification: Throughout the transcript, there was no explicit mention of any homework assignment. The lesson primarily focused on in-class discussion and activities centered on understanding media bias and its models. Although students engaged in an analytical activity, they were not given any homework to complete outside of class.