9027: Media, technology and society - Australian Vice - Assessment Answer

Media & Technology Assignment

Assignment Task

The purpose of this assessment is for you to analyse news media representations of academic research using Unit concepts, the differences between quantitative and qualitative research methods and assess the news representation against values of accuracy, objectivity and balance.

The assessment is carried out in a number of stages:

1. Choose one of the 3 news media articles available on the Unit's Moodle site at Week 8.
2. From information contained in the news report on the academic research create a set of keywords to help you guide your search for the research article. Article and database searching will be presented in lectures.
3. Using your set of keywords search the journal databases to which the library university has access. Find the original research article and use Ulrichsweb to ascertain if the academic journal is peer-reviewed.
4. Critically analyse (compare/contrast & evaluate) the representation of the research in the news article. Examine whether there are news frames, narratives, ideologies and/or hegemonic ideas/values present in the news article representation of the academic research and/or particular news frames evident and critically reflect upon the presence/use of these. Argue whether or not the research has been represented accurately, objectively and in a balanced manner in the news article. Discuss whether qualitative and quantitative research methods were used and whether this is represented in the newspaper/magazine/online article. Indicate whether the academic research is peer-reviewed or not.
5. Include a minimum of 3 additional references from the Unit's readings in addition to the academic research and news media pieces in your analysis.References are not included in the word count. Use either the Harvard or APA referencing systems. NB: no footnotes or endnotes. Here is the link to the referencing guides made available by the UC Library

At the end of your piece include a list of Referencesonlyof material cited in your essay. Do not include in your list of References material not cited in your essay.

Ensure your student number, title of assessment, tutorial day/time, referencing system used and word count are included at the beginning of your assignment before submitting it via the assignment dropbox on Moodle.

Introduction

Media is composed of communication channels via which entertainment, education, news, promotional messages or data are conveyed. Media also incorporates every narrowcasting and broadcasting medium like, magazines, direct mail, TV, internet, radio, billboards, telephone and fax. Mass media is technology intended to be conveyed to a broad audience. It is one of the easiest methods if one wants to reach a vast audience. Technology, on the other hand, is the constant application of production, utilisation of services and goods and organising human activities (Brusse et al., 2014).

Discussion

Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative research methods

Qualitative and quantitative research methods are often confused as terms with similar meaning by many researchers. However, these terms have different meanings. Qualitative research methods are majorly based on exploratory research, by helping the researcher understand underlying reasons, motivation and opinion in a problem or matter to be solved. Qualitative research aids in hypothesis development to pave way for quantitative research methods (Punch, 2013). Qualitative research plays a vital role in uncovering trends in opinions and thoughts, in order to get a deeper understanding of the matter under research. Methods used to collect qualitative data are grouped into semi structured or unstructured methods. Some of these methods include interviews, focus groups and observation. One of the notable characteristic of using qualitative research method is that, the size of the sample used is small. On the other hand quantitative research method involves quantifies a challenge by generating data numerically or by data that can be converted into useable statistics. It quantifies opinions, attitude, and behaviours among other variables. Unlike qualitative research method, the size of sample used in quantitative research method is large. Quantitative research employs data that is measurable to come up with facts by uncovering research patterns (Vaismoradi, Turunen, & Bondas, 2013). Methods used to collect data quantitatively are more structured, these include range of surveys [online surveys, mobile surveys, paper surveys, face to face interviews, longitudinal studies, online polls and systematic observation. The media text paper used data collected both qualitatively and quantitatively. The numerical data of number of percentage of people in Australia, UK and US that have a drinking problem have been collected quantitatively compared to the four areas main areas of focus gambling, alcohol, smoking and illicit drugs which were arrived at via qualitative means.

Analyses of the media text using Framing, narrative and Ideology /hegemony

Framing is a term used in the media technology discipline to refer to setting an agenda, it also focuses on the most important part of a topic. The core of framing is to focus on certain occurrences and categorise them inside a field of meaning. In the framing theory, the audience or recipient of the information is considered as the ‘frame’, how the frame interprets the information presented to them is largely affected by the how the information was presented to them (Crow & Lawlor, 2016). Frames deal with ideas rather events in order to structure or organize the meaning of a message. Frames play a major role in trying to define how the ‘frame’ are supposed to interpret information relayed to them. The framing of the media text is Australian vice, however, the media text focuses mostly on addiction among many other vices. The media text goes ahead to explain the forms of addiction that the Australian are suffering from as compared to other countries. This is an attempt to make the “frame” understand the topic deeply. Narrative is a method that media employs to arrange events in an orderly manner in order to present it to their audience. The media text employs this technique by combining text from different sources, puts it in an orderly manner in order to give it meaning and make it simple to comprehend. It is therefore easy to relate and engage with the information presented (Vorderer, Wulff & Friedrichsen, 2013). Ideology on the other hand is a structure of values, beliefs, worldview and attitudes, which a society or group or even an individual perceives to be crucial. These values dictate how a society or culture should function (Fowler, 2013). This technique is employed by the author of the media text throughout the paper. The author asserts that, a group of people are compulsively addicted to shopping, use of mobile phones, use of the internet and computer gaming among the young generations. These are sets of ideologies used to emphasize on the effects of addiction to certain groups of people in the society.

News Media Representation of Accuracy, Balance and Objectivity

Balance, accuracy and objectivity are among one of the most crucial ethics in journalism, objective and balance ethics demands that the information to be reported should be provide both positive and negative aspects of a piece of information, the journalist should be fair while presenting the information by providing accurate information and not leading the reader to a certain point of view but at the same time maintaining the objective of the story (Dixon & Clarke, 2013). Accuracy on the other hand requires journalist to pay attention to how credible their source of information is. They should not present information based on rumours rather they should focus well-researched information. In case of a criticism a journalist should be able to defend the credibility of information they provided by availing the sources of their information. Over the years journalists have been accused of not being balanced and objective when reporting, they tend to lead their audience to a certain direction of seeing things. Sources to their information are not credible. The media text displays accuracy by quoting work done by other scholars, it also sticks to the objective of the topic by providing data related to addiction from other countries apart from Australia alone. The media text is also balanced in that it relays all the facts for the reader to draw conclusion on their own (Hujanen, 2012).

The media text lacks a few features of a peer reviewed article, it lacks an abstract, bibliography, and it is also based on personal opinion of the author. However, the media text bears a few characteristics of a peer reviewed article like, it has author’s credentials, citations. Moreover, the article is published on professional association, (https://thenewdaily.com.au/) online]. This qualifies the article as peer reviewed.

Conclusion

Journalists are tasked with making sure everyone globally receive the right information at the right time. However, many forces play part in ensuring the highest quality of information is provided. A credible journalist should strive to make sure they adhere to the qualities of a great piece of information as mentioned in the essay.