HCRHS Media Lit

"Consumers have difficulty distinguishing between native advertising and editorial content, according to a new study by researchers at Grady College in Georgia, published in the December issue of the Journal of Advertising."

"Sell them their dreams. Sell them what they longed for and hoped for and almost despaired of having. Sell them hats by splashing sunlight across them. Sell them dreams-dreams of country clubs and proms and visions of what might happen if only. After all, people don't buy things to have things. They buy things to work for them. They buy hope-hope of what your merchandise will do for them. Sell them this hope and you won't have to worry about selling them goods. -Helen Landon Cass"

"The teachable moments blog features timely commentary from NLP staff and participants that turns current events into news literacy learning opportunities."

"The most innovative commercials this year surpassed the usual branded gimmicks and contrived viral stunts with clever or moving conceits that sometimes packed a powerful punch. Here are our subjective picks for the ten most inventive commercials of the year, in no particular order:"

"ty of agencies combined beautiful craft and compelling storytelling to create gorgeous, hilarious, fascinating and even unsettling visions for their clients in 2015. And Adweek's picks for the 10 best might be the most varied we've ever chos"

"Over the past few years, French Revolution-inspired imagery has crept into ads for products as diverse as breakfast cereal, perfume, airlines, and, now, energy drinks. Though usually tempered by humor, these images play on fears as much as fantasies, alternately inviting consumers to identify with the angry peasants and the pampered aristocrats. The result is often advertisements that fetishize luxury and royalty, while also playing up the spirit of rebellion."

"This is the first part of a four-part series on native advertising. Part 2: "Publishers become content producers." Part 3: "How ethical is native advertising?" Part 4: "Future of native advertising""

"Sometimes, you just want to hear the truth-and that's where the Honest Slogans Tumblr comes in. Created by Nashville-based graphic designer Clif Dickens, the blog uses well-known slogans, editing them to say what we're all really thinking. Gone are the industry's claims of health and well-being, and in their place are some honest takes on the foods we're buying and eating. "

"Here's her take on the nominees for this year's prizes: The Golden Radiator (for videos that avoid stereotypes) and The Rusty Radiator (for the ones that rely on them)."

"One solution to the problem of cross-media ownership dominating an entire media landscape in Britain and across the world is incorporating a one media owner per one media outlet policy. I have continued to support this idea for media reform but it was fascinating to hear other solutions discussed at an all-day event called the Media Democracy Festival in London last month. "The problem is independent voices are rarely heard. It is essential that we protect journalists working with big corporations - who are put under editorial pressures - if we are to reach media freedom". Natalie Fenton, founder of Media Reform Coalition (MRC) and -professor of media and communications made this point in her speech at the event hosted by the MRC and Goldsmiths University. Her speech was one amongst many made by campaigners, academics and journalists, all there to answer the event's central question: How can we create a more democratic media?"

"The 1st Annual U.S. Media Literacy Week will be observed November 2nd through 6th. You can help spread the word using the hashtag #MediaLitWk. Here, noted author and consultant Frank W. Baker (@fbaker) offers clear evidence for the need to raise awareness about media literacy in a world saturated by media messages."

"We shop because we're bored, anxious, depressed or angry, and we make the mistake of buying material goods and thinking they are treats which will fill the hole, soothe the wound, make us feel better. The problem is, they're not treats, they're responsibilities and what we own very quickly begins to own us."

"A diverse cast of models shows how the standard of beauty for women has changed dramatically over time. BuzzFeed posted an amazing video this week to illustrate justhow much the "perfect" female body type has shape-shifted throughout the centuries, from the voluptuous curves of the Renaissance to '90s heroin-chic"

"Social Data and Ideas from the NewsWhip Team"

"The rise of the internet means advertisers have a new set of channels to reach children such as through 'advergames' and social media, but regulation is lacking"

"Hobbs approached the educators at the Holocaust Museum about acquiring the same "Mind Over Media" title and expanding the content. She was successful and has created a new resource where she invites educators, students and others to contribute examples of contemporary propaganda. (Full disclosure, I reviewed the site prior to its unveiling and contributed examples.) In an introductory video posted on the website the narrator says "in a world saturated by media messages, propaganda can be found in information, news, advertising or entertainment." The website uses crowdsourcing to create a gallery of propaganda examples. Users upload content they've located, share their own interpretations, and then evaluate the impact of the images, web pages or videos. "

"At this year's Aspen Ideas Festival, we asked a group of professors, psychologists, and journalists how people's definitions of happiness could be evolving. "I do think there's been a rise in materialistic sorts of values," says Eli Finkel, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University. "Those tend to be hard to reconcile with happiness." Other panelists include Tim Kasser, Susan Greenfield, Paul Bloom, and Suleika Jaouad. "

"But with it has come controversy, with many debating whether native advertising is fundamentally misleading readers by cloaking an advertisement in the guise of a story. Publishers have attempted to address this concern by using different labeling, fonts, colors, and other tactics to make the ads look different. But our findings show that no matter what steps publishers have taken, there is still significant confusion on the part of readers as to what constitutes an article and what constitutes an ad."