Comments, opinions and an occasional ramble
Why media literacy is important
With my wedding a week away, I’m not able to blog much this week. However, I’m going to say a couple of things about media literacy because with National Day coming, it is important to have a critical understand of media.
I was at a dinner with some bloggers a couple of days back and was answering the question of why the medium itself is the message. From a media literacy literacy standpoint, it’s not hard to see why. Let us look at three different newspapers, The New York Times, The Straits Times and Shin Ming Daily, as an example to illustrate my point.
Let’s assume that all these three newspaper are carrying the same story about Singapore’s ministers being underpaid. What would be the first impression that comes to the mind of a Singaporean who first read the story on New York Times? It would probably be viewed as being rather credible and believable. Someone who first reads the story on The Straits Times is probably going to think, “It’s government propaganda again”. Yet another person who first reads the story on Shin Ming Daily is probably going to think that it’s some piece of sensationalised thrash.
The kind of perception that we attached to a medium makes the medium able to convey a message by itself, regardless of the content that is being carried in the medium. This is where things get a little dangerous if one is not media literate. The stereotyping of a publication or medium can mistakenly lead to one drawing the wrong conclusions as a result of bias. A thoroughly well researched and written article might just be derided as propaganda just because it’s published by the Straits Times.
It is definitely important that one maintains a sense of skepticism on one’s assumption about a certain medium all the time. As a social scientist wannabe, I am of the opinion that there isn’t any black and white. Even the Straits Times isn’t government propaganda all the time. To hold certain assumptions and not question them will only blind-side us and turn us into extremists. Therefore, read the anticipated “cheer-leading” stories I expect the mainstream media to come up with over the next couple of weeks with a more critical eye.
| Print article | This entry was posted by Aaron Ng on 29/07/2007 at 10:33 pm, and is filed under Perspective. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
about 4 years ago
It is too little too late.
No matter what or who is trying to paint a different picture about the Straits Times, I will still continue to refuse to buy or read it, even if I have nothing else to read.
No Thanks for your good try, Aaron.
about 4 years ago
did someone say media literacy? i think it’s a multi-faceted thing. it may empower you, but also to the extent you become cynical and anti-authoritarian, especially when it combines with your deeper (political/religious/etc) predispositions.
as for straits times, they are NOT propaganda because they are a paper that contribute to civic society and nation-building. they strive to be objective, in the name of civic society and nation-building, from the looking glass of civic society and nation-building. it just happens our nation is almost effectively controlled by a one-party-state.
onto the media literacy, a lot depends on towards where you extend it, whether to media itself, text in media, people behind the text, philosophy/ideology of the said people, etc. etc.
i did a simple research on the straits times pictorial representation of lee hsien loong prior his becoming PM and the months around the GE 2006. i must say he’s often photographed as this (very) smiley man waving a hand high in the air, looking far into the distance. quite beautiful, honestly. excellent PR campaign for the leader.
about 4 years ago
Truly agree with you on this, but unless the ST stops being the mouth piece of the PAP (with articles and commentaries that are balanced and maybe have a few that are against the PAP’s policies) and hearing the oppositions as much as we hear about the PAP, maybe I’ll start taking it seriously, what’s the point of reading a “yes, sir” newspaper?
The ST tries it’s best to justify the PAP’s policies, even though they are justification that have been:
1) overused (we have not have an increase for xx years…, if we do not, we’ll not be competitive…, the conservative majority…)
2) so full of holes (e.g. comparing apples to oranges to say why Sg’s is better…)
Till that time arrives, I’m getting my news from sources that are not controlled by the PAP (like Reuters, BBC, Bloomberg)
about 4 years ago
Hi Aaron,
by and large I think most of the ST articles are factually correct. (although some readers may disagree with me). However, I think it is the selective inclusion/exclusion of articles that I think creates the bias that we talk about. Sensitive news are often not mentioned or given a short mention, whereas, pro-government messages are given too much too much exposure. It is like statistics, I can always use different reported numbers to support what I want to say. However, there is often no challenge or alternative views on it.
about 4 years ago
Sam,
As with social science, moderation is key. It’s good to be critical yet being overly critical leads to another form of extremism in itself. In fact, I think that the epitome of being critical is to be self-reflecting and be able to criticise one’s critique to have a sense of proportion. For that matter, critical reading is not just a one-off thing; it’s a cycle that never ends. When one criticises something, one too must be aware of the limitations of one’s critique.
about 4 years ago
Desmond,
I get the same feeling too sometimes that the ST (and most local media for that matter) tend to toe the government’s line very tightly. However, there is also the occasional pushing of boundaries (or maybe just poking lightly) which we should give them credit for. At the end of the day, I think that it’s between a rock and a hard place for the local media. If you go back and read the history of the mass media in Singapore and see how many of them were closed down and the editors/journalists placed under the ISA, you might be a little more sympathetic.
about 4 years ago
Superman,
Totally agreed. The news selection is what gives the ST the impression of bias. I do not know if this is a deliberate move by the ST but it is not healthy, not even for the government. I’ll elaborate more in another entry (if I can find the time this week).
about 4 years ago
Everyone,
Straits Times is the best because it makes sure information is consistent so as to not confuse Singaporeans. How can you expect the govt to be responsible for your happiness, if you go out and read all sort of unfiltered and unauthorised information.
In the end the logic goes like this:
“The Straits Times carries the truth, whatever contradicts the Straits Times is full of lies (e.g. FEER) and should be destroyed. Whatever agrees with the Straits Times is redundant, so it should also be destroyed” – Lucky Tan.
about 4 years ago
Aaron,
Did you just say “Even the Straits Times isn’t government propaganda all the time.”???
GASP! You pro-establishment, mouthpiece of the governement, thinkingless pig!!! How dare you turn your back on the Singaporean people!!
On a more serious note, our preconceived biases also shape our opinions not just of different newspapers, but also of different blogs and bloggers. For example, before you read an article by Xenoboy, you JUST KNOW that it is going to be some cheem thing which speaks of angst against the establishment. Or before you read an article by Lucky Tan or Mollymeek, you JUST KNOW it is going to be of a certain pattern. So the longer we stick around in the plogosphere, we each build up within ourselve conceptions of each other which perhaps may blind ourselves to the merits (or demerits) of other bloggers. Just food for thought.
Oh yeah, for those who care, FO is indeed planning a comeback. Soon. But after Aaron’s wedding lah.
about 4 years ago
I’m not a national hero or something remotely close. What are you talking about when you say that I turn my back on Singaporean people?
You are right that bias is everywhere. A huge part of media literacy (both online and offline) hinges on how well we can recognise these bias. It doesn’t mean that some writer or publication is right all the time, nor does it mean that the same writer or publication is wrong all the time.
But it’s just so darn tiring to always be aware of our own shortcomings. So much easier to be a zombie and either be totally pro or anti.
about 4 years ago
It all boils down to the individual. The onus is on the individual to distinguish between different and at times conflicting pieces of information and to make an informed judgment. But of course as Aaron says it is easier to be anti or pro; that way you do not need to come out with your own arguments, in fact you can just “cut and paste”.
about 4 years ago
Actually, it is not just media literacy that is important right. It is the ability to think for one’s self.
6 more days…all the best.
Anyway, we should have a score board lah. Everyone contribute to it. Everytime ST got any article on Singapore, we record it, and put it under one of these categories – pro-government, anti-government, balanced, pushing the boundaries.
about 4 years ago
Well, after national day, expect more price hikes and good news from gov (medical cost increment, mean testing, need more money to gain even more moral authority etc )
Happy ‘before’ national day to all of you.
Even Happier ‘after’ national day to our MIW because more money coming your ways !
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