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Website
Other

Federal Communications Commission: Major Initiatives

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the FCC gives information on the main focus of the Federal Communication Commission. They are responsible for most forms of communication.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Exploring Media Messages

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Recognize negative aspects of advertising and how advertising exploits young people. Examine how the media tries to define a person's style, values and ideas, and take a stand against negative media images.
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Unit Plan
Other

Online Journalism

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Use this site for analyzing the effectiveness and techniques of several aspects of web news. Pop up windows guide viewers to important questions about what they will view.
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Website
Other

Union of Journalists: Memorandum on Digital Manipulation

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an article offering possible guidelines (and marking techniques) to avoid the unethical alteration of photos through digital manipulation or tampering.
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Article
Other

"Dirty Little Secrets" the Cnn Effect

For Students 9th - 10th
Article written that gives an opinion of the "CNN Effect," and it's effect on public opinion and politicians.
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Article
Other

H Net Online: The Media and the Movement

For Students 9th - 10th
Presented is a review of a book by Patricia Bradley that looks at the feminist movement in the 1960s and 1970s, and its relationship to the media. Read about how the media bolstered the ideas of the movement by way of the activism of its...
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Article
Other

Daily Source: Current Problems in the Media

For Students 9th - 10th
Points out problems that exist in mass media, including inaccuracies, sensationalism, errors in reporting, superficial coverage of issues, poor reporting compared to nonprofit media, and more.
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Article
Other

The Knight Reaction: Sociological Perspectives on Mass Media

For Students 9th - 10th
Examines the impact mass media is having on societies through the lenses of three sociological theories - Functionalism, Interactionism, and Conflict Theory. (Published: August 30, 2010)
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Unit Plan
Other

Study Blue: Chapter 2: Perspectives on Mass Communication?

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of a course called Mass Media 101. Includes flip cards, a quiz, and a review sheet for studying the definitions of terms related to different approaches to understanding mass media.
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Website
Other

Federal Communications Commission: Media Bureau

For Students 9th - 10th
The Federal Communications Commission provides an in-depth look at what the Mass Media Bureau is responsible for.
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Article
Other

Trinity P3: What Are the Biggest Issues and Challenges Facing Media Today?

For Students 9th - 10th
Lists some of the many major changes that the media industry is going through, at all levels and in all roles from producer to marketer to consumer. The results of an industry survey are described and a detailed summary is provided...
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Primary
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Woodrow Wilson Center: Digital Archive: Mass Media and Censorship

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a small collection of primary source documents discussing propaganda and media control in the Soviet Union. Most documents are from the 1970s and 80s, and they are varied in both type and source. In general, the documents discuss...
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Website
Oswego City School District

Regents Prep: Entertainment

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the impact of various forms of entertainment on the popular culture of the Jazz Age. The content is brief but informative.
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Website
Other

Ten Rhetoric of War Writing Projects

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Created by a teacher responding to the events in Kosovo, this list is a great start for a media literacy class project. Good discussion-starting questions are included with each item on the list. Requires some independent research to...
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Handout
Other

E Notes: Explain the Functions of Mass Media From the Sociological Perspective

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief explanation of the structuralist and conflict perspectives used by sociologists to understand mass media's role in modern society.
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Website
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Creating a New Media in the Arab World (Lesson Plan)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Explore the pros and cons of government-sponsored media in Arab states and determine whether the news conveyed by such sanctioned networks should be considered information or propaganda.
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Website
Other

Temple University Press: Gender Politics and Mtv

For Students 9th - 10th
A summary of Lisa Lewis's book on the careers of female musicians in which she "challenges the idea that MTV presents only negative and sexist images of women."