The Top Ten!

Media Literacy and the Environment Top Ten List

10. Number ten is a quote from Michael Moore at the end of the documentary "The Corporation." He says, "a greedy man would hang himself if he could make a profit from it." This sums up the attitude of people who are single mindedly trying to make more money and it describes the nature of how some CEO’s have no regard for people or the environment.

9. Also from "The Corporation" number nine is about the statistics on the cheap labor conditions in countries where the United States has exported jobs. Nike for example pays their workers in China a very small percentage of the retail value of the product they make. I could not remember the exact amount but the numbers were staggering.

8. Number eight is learning about the beneficial program Democracy Now and how there are alternative and non-biased sources for attaining news. Amy Goodman’s coverage and knowledge about the media cover-up during the beginning of the Iraq war is insightful, as is the rest of her news coverage.

7. "Consuming Kids" the documentary on how children are targets for advertisers is my pick for number seven. There were several disturbing facts I learned from the film, however the one in particular is how companies infiltrate and sponsor personal lives of kids. For example, the sponsored birthday party or advertising in schools and textbooks.

6. Disney takes the number six spot because the company along with its mergers is gigantic and very influential. With all of these popular animated movies it is easy to take advantage of this control and push racist, imperialistic and violent ideas. With Pocahontas, The Jungle Book, and, Tarzan; Disney has basically re-written history and with more success and influence than textbooks in Texas.

5. Number five is learning about the big five media companies, and dissecting their media programs, revenue, and the influence they have. My group investigated Viacom but it was amazing to learn all of the TV stations and radio are controlled by only a few companies. All of the smaller media programs answer to the big five so any message has to be congruent with donors and advertisers.

4. Speaking of the influence advertising and corporations have, the story about the whistle-blowers and the case about hormones and cows was shocking. Fox news completely stopped a story investigating the effects of BGH, a Monsanto hormone and illness in cows. This shows how new stations report the news how ‘they’ want it, or basically how their sponsors and advertisers want it.

3. Bringing the countdown to number three is the statistics on how real journalism and investigative reporting is non-existent. The numbers were unexpected, and it is scary to think about but almost every news publication and television and radio news programs has ties to corporations. There is a spin in which the media communicates, and it is not a trustworthy one.

2. Number two is being media literate and being able to critique and analyze advertising and point out its goals. I learned a lot from "Making of a Literate Mind" along with "Still Killing us Softly 3" from production techniques to the effect certain visuals have on humans limbic system. I viewed hundreds of unacceptable ads with stereotypes about race, gender, affluence, and body type.

1. The number one educational moment in this class was learning about public relations, in particular the information in "Toxic Sludge is Good for you!" I always thought I was being hard on the corporations because they can do some good after all. After reading this I was back on my hate bandwagon. The is infiltration in government by corporations is more than I thought. Even the EPA is an organization compromised by the pr industry and lobbying by corporations.

Three Questions

When is media literacy going to be broadcasted on the airwaves and in mainstream television? I know this would go against profit motives and what media corporations do to protect themselves. Yet, I think this can still happen, people have the right to real news and information without any bias or slant. The public also has the right for a voice in media, like democracy this is something we have created, and we cannot leave the power in the hands only a few.

Why are those protesting an unhealthy lifestyle and large corporate influences not given a voice in media? In this class there was mention of several organizations to fight corporate power and influence such as Adbusters or Project Censored. The readings mentioned several examples of activism from changing McDonalds signs to creating violation tickets for SUVs.

Are middle and high schools going to start teaching media literacy classes? The entire semester I thought about how good it would be for everyone in the public school system to learn what I have. I always want to advocate for environmental studies courses to be offered in high school. Although it is getting worse the public school is one of the more free places from corporate influence and advertising.