Exam 5: Communication and Mass Media

During a newscast about an ongoing transportation strike, Fred, a union representative, is interviewed. He explains why the union ceased negotiations and walked out on strike. What role does Fred play in the newscast?

A Japanese girl is sipping on a can of Coke and reading a US Weekly magazine. She is considering plastic surgery to change her eyes because she wants to look more like the girls in US Weekly magazine. Which of the following best characterizes this situation?

Hegemony promotes equality through the use of media.

What is the impact of the concentration of corporate ownership and control of media in Canadian society on the freedom of the press and the diversity of opinion?

Choose a news item and demonstrate how the mass media (you may choose only one medium) frame and define the news. Refer specifically to news values (immediacy, personalization, and extraordinariness).

A Canadian entrepreneur started a small publishing company that grew over the years. Eventually the publishing company bought up other publishers, newspaper chains, radio and television outlets, and a network of cellular services, becoming a Canadian corporate giant. How would you classify this company's trajectory?

Society has been described as having "amnesia" when it comes to understanding the long-term impacts of breaking news stories. For instance, most people support and encourage charities created from global tragedies such as the earthquake in Haiti; however, the impact of such tragedies is quickly forgotten. Which form of communication is used to describe the short-term media messages that hit global headlines but lose importance shortly after?

A roaming television journalist called a "storm-chaser" reports live from a roadside ditch as a tornado passes by. According to the text, why do journalists value this kind of reporting?

You have been hired by the Canadian government to provide advice on how to increase the content of Canadian culture on television programming in Canada. How would you describe the current situation to government officials and what solutions would you propose?

Allan, a 23-year-old male, is already prone to violence toward his wife. He is also aggressive and combative in the local bar scene. When he sits down to watch TV he likes to watch shows with violent content. If Allan were to be included in some research on the effect of television on violent behaviour, what term would be applied to his violent tendencies?

Contrast the technological and critical perspectives on mass media. Which perspective do you think is more valuable for understanding your own experiences with the media?

What is one critique or negative consequence of the consolidation of media properties?

Deviance and disorder tend to be framed in the media as social phenomena caused by social forces.

According to the text, which of the following best describes the hierarchy of access to the media?

Olivia believes that women should not be on the street alone after dark because they will likely be raped or killed. She draws this conclusion based on all of the police dramas she watches on television. What sociological term would Gerbner and his colleagues use to explain her fear?

Jeff watched a show on television last night about the relationship between religion and violence in Western society. He is now convinced that the solution to reduce violence will be found through religious teachings, although he personally has not been to church in 10 years. According to the text, what was likely the main contributing factor that explains why Jeff's opinion was swayed so profoundly?

The Mayan Calendar, which has survived hundreds of years, is best characterized as which of the following types of media?

According to the text, which of the following statements most accurately depicts current media consumption practices?

When British songwriter Adele became known worldwide, the world was brought together through her shared meanings and understandings of heartbreak and dating relationships. Which of the following terms best characterizes the sharing of information and cultural understandings of life experiences?

According to Marshall McLuhan, in which of the following ways did printing change our sense perceptions?