WTTC Media Bias and Book Banning Discussion – Description
Do discussion replies:
COMM 202
1.) Cayla Lane
This article shows a video uploaded on social media in May that shows a woman walking through a Florida school. She claims the boxes of books lined up in the hallway are books that are being banned and thrown out of the school library. This video has made its rounds on social media after controversy with book censorship within the state.
link to the article: https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-school-library-book-ban-florida-541386478377
link to the video: https://www.tiktok.com/@nowweknownews/video/7236221647710113067?lang=en&q=banned%20books%20florida%20middle%20school&t=1688936315702
In my opinion, videos such as these only offer one side of the story. More often than not, if we see an associated topic that we feel passionate about, we are more likely to join in that effort. This causes a false narrative and pushes fake news agendas even further into the public eye. I believe this form of news, which happens to be a form of citizen journalism aids the concept of information distortion. To me, the most egregious part of this video happens to be the recorder of the video – if she is a school official, what is the purpose of the video? I would assume it is to exploit the censorship of books in Florida but it was simply a video that demonstrates explicit ignorance. The bias of the woman plays a key role in this video’s information distortion, she is using her preconceived notions about the book banning and applying them in this situation without any clear inspection or research of what was happening at the school. Her efforts and intentions were meant to show a circumstance of book banning in a school but the execution of that action did not use any research or application of the situation.
I am going to follow the same trend in the second part of this post. I am going to explore the topic of book banning through three media outlets.
Fox News–Conservative/Right
Link: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/desantis-blasts-media-lies-floridas-education-policies-book-ban-hoax
If you take a look at the titles of the news stories, it shows the blatant bias. This article starts out by addressing the media lies circling around DeSantis. It does start out similar to MSNBC by bashing the other political parties/media outlets. It does not stop at just the beginning, the entire article focuses on news reporters from MSNBC who have claimed DeSantis is trying to erase Black history from Flordia school curriculums. This article is on the other side of the spectrum in comparison to MSNBC, but ultimately it plays out the same way. The article stays true to its title but it tacks on additional perspectives to add fuel to the fire for the readers.
MSNBC–Liberal/Left
This video highlights Ron DeSantis’ motive in banning books in schools. It starts out by focusing on DeSantis and his initiative in Florida – his motive is to break all forms of power for African American individuals within the state. They begin by addressing the far-right extremists and their goals should they get power. They do get back on track by talking about book bans and how any individual off the street could submit a form and ban a book in a school setting. My biggest surprise from this video is that both speakers hardly spoke about the purpose of the video. It was targeting DeSantis and the right-wing body and their failure of catching Gen-Z votes. It kind of went off the rails and became something that was hardly informative.
Link: https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/rep-maxwell-frost-we-need-to-fight-against-ron-desantis-s-book-bans-176651333663
CNN–Moderate
Overall, this article seemed to be more cohesive and thorough compared to the previous two news agencies. This article was a combination of information from both articles but dives deeper into the questions that we covered in our reading resource this week. Brownstein makes an effort to cover the book ban, the book ban in public libraries, and the vital role of parents in their children’s education path. CNN’s approach in covering this topic was very well put and examined outlining factors that contribute to this story.
Link: https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/05/politics/republican-states-book-ban-race-lgbtq/index.html
NPR
NPR’s article was very different than the last three. This article played out as an interview and focused on first-hand descriptions of the event. First-hand experience in the subject makes the article more believable and reliable, in my opinion. I preferred this type of article versus the others because it briefed the reader on how the individuals within the school are reacting to the book ban. The author of the article, Sheridan felt more like a narrator on the subject rather than influencing or digging for information out of the students.
Link: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/09/1162390594/florida-students-protest-their-school-districts-book-ban
References:
Book bans move to center stage in the red-state education wars. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/05/politics/republican-states-book-ban-race-lgbtq/index.html
Frost, M. (2023, May 25). ‘We need to fight’ against Ron DeSantis’s book bans. [Video]. MSNBC.com. https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/rep-maxwell-frost-we-need-to-fight-against-ron-desantis-s-book-bans-176651333663
Nowweknownews [@nowweknownews]. (2023, May 22). Florida Educator shows bins and bins of books #politicaltok #bookbans #florida [Video]. Tiktok. https://www.tiktok.com/@nowweknownews/video/7236221647710113067?lang=en&q=banned%20books%20florida%20middle%20school&t=1688936315702
Spady, A. (2023, February 23). DeSantis blasts “media lies” about Florida’s education policies: “Book ban hoax.” Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/desantis-blasts-media-lies-floridas-education-policies-book-ban-hoax
Sheridan, K. (2023, March 9). Florida students protest their school district’s book ban. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/03/09/1162390594/florida-students-protest-their-school-districts-book-ban
Video doesn’t show banned books being removed from Florida school, officials say. (2023, May 25). AP News. https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-school-library-book-ban-florida-541386478377
2. ) Shadone Taylor
The example of misrepresentation in media discussed above focuses on CNN’s coverage of the Covington Catholic High School incident. CNN aired a selectively edited video clip that portrayed the students in a negative light, suggesting racial insensitivity and disrespect. This misrepresentation occurred due to the omission of crucial context and additional footage that would have provided a more accurate depiction of the events.
The misrepresentation in this case is egregious because it led to public condemnation, online harassment, and threats directed towards the Covington Catholic students. It highlights the real-life consequences that can arise from biased and distorted reporting.
Bias played a significant role in the misrepresentation. CNN’s coverage reflected a preconceived bias against the students based on their political affiliation and assumptions about their motivations. This bias influenced the selective editing of the video clip and the subsequent narrative presented to the viewers.
On the other hand, NPR’s coverage of the same incident aimed to provide a more balanced and nuanced view. NPR acknowledged the initial portrayal based on the edited video clip but also highlighted the release of additional footage that showed a more complex situation. Their reporting included statements from all parties involved and examined the broader context of political polarization and social media’s influence on public opinion.
This example emphasizes the importance of critical media literacy and the need to seek multiple perspectives when consuming news. It underscores the potential for misrepresentation and bias in media reporting, regardless of the political leanings of the outlet.
Reference:
Link to NPR’s coverage of the incident: https://shopnpr.org/npr-collections
CMIS 111
1.) Chris Bell
The biggest security tip that I will need to implement in the future, particularly after the military, is to regularly update my software and maintain a solid antivirus/firewall protection. This is something that I’ve never really had to worry about in the military, almost exclusively due to the fact that my equipment is maintained and monitored by a dedicated team of IT profssionals, which allows me to focus on my duties and responsibilities as the unit Paralegal or as a fellow Recruiter. Although this is great news for operational security and budgeting, this will not be very useful when it comes to personal/family devices. The lessons learned in this course will be beneficial at home, but that tip in particular will help mitigate and prevent some major headaches down the road.
2.) Caitlin Skoufis
One of the security tips that I learned that was most useful is creating strong passwords. I’m a culprit of using easy passwords and even repeating them. I learned that this is one of the most fundamental security measures that will keep my accounts safe and by creating a strong password my account will be harder to access. Another tip that I learned is keeping my software up to date. I have had a habit recently of saying “I’ll update my computer later, I’ll update my anti virus later.” and I never do it. This class has helped me learn the importance of updating my stuff so that it’s more effective.
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