I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
This year in the New Mexico Legislature, lawmakers plan to introduce a “media literacy in schools” bill.
Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, D-Albuquerque, is the sponsor of House Bill 342, which states that all public middle and high schools must offer a media literacy elective. With the passage of such a bill, students can learn to think critically about the media they listen to, watch, read and create.
Young people spend an average of six and a half hours per day with some form of media, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report. This research is evidence of the critical need to empower people to negotiate the media messages in their lives.
One solution is media literacy education. Just as literacy refers to the skills related to reading and writing, media literacy refers to accessing, analyzing, evaluating and creating media.
Critically examining media messages in the classroom allows for an authentic learning experience. Students learn to be media literate by answering questions such as, Who is the target audience? What information is left out of this message? And who does this message benefit?
Once people begin to deconstruct these messages, they can begin to discover the “untold stories” in reality shows, music videos, Web sites, advertisements, news stories and video games.
Exploring media helps learners recognize how promoting consumer values of spending money and “needing” the newest products sometimes trump personal values. Or how people of color, women and the poor are misrepresented through stereotypes.
Media literacy education allows students to be independent thinkers. Over time, young people will recognize product placement in movies. And aspects of fantasy in reality television. They’ll be able to identify gender stereotypes in a TV commercial. And answer the question, Who does this message benefit?
Perhaps even online commentaries like this one.
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Christie McAuley is the director of curriculum development with the New Mexico Media Literacy Project.
