Bibliographic instruction and mass media news literacy: A theoretical background

This article suggests that bibliographic instruction (BI) librarians consid er integrating a mass media news literacy and awareness component into thei r teaching duties. As the concentration of media power in the hands of a sm all number of corporate entities increases and as market-driven management imperatives dominate publishing practices, students should possess the skil ls to evaluate effectively and critically mass media sources such as mainst ream newspapers and magazines. To this end, a theoretical framework for und erstanding mass media ne ws influence is offered. The concepts of agenda se tting, priming, framing, asymmetrical selection, binary oppositionalism, an d institutional hegemony are explored in a survey of relevant literature fr om the fields of journalism and communications. A teaching strategy incorpo rating these concepts is sketched out, The strategy highlights one news eve nt, and compares how different news sources report that event. Through such an exercise, students will be able to recognize how different news frames affect understanding of the topic in question. Ultimately, the successful B I program will be defined by the extent to which students move away from a passive reading of news media sources to a position where they are able to decode the social context of mainstream news production and develop informe d and negotiated reading practices.