Values And Ideology in Media Studies

Britishness• Make a list of the qualities and characteristics of the British.• How are these qualities and characteristics reflected in the media?Values and IdeologyIt’s not under the surface - it is the surfaceValues• Values often goes to the heart of a media product.• Almost every newspaper story is written with a set of values in mind.• E.g., according to the Daily Mail, society is falling apart, people don’t have enough respect, the teaching profession is useless...If something is wrong...• …then somebody has an idea of what would be right• You could call this underlying values, but actually these values are usually in plain sight!The problem is...We’re all wearing ideological glasses and don’t know it!Values vs. Ideology• What’s the difference?• Put simply: WE have values; THEY have an ideology.• In other words, ideology tends to be a pejorative term, aimed at those whose values differ from our own.POWEROWNERSHIP• Who are the people who own everything?• How are power and wealth distributed through society?• How do these people maintain control in spite of the fact that they are a tiny minority?HEGEMONY• They convince you to allow them to exercise power using subtle (and unsubtle) cultural messages• Ideas about the world and the way it works are presented as normal, natural or common sense.• It’s just the way things are...Higher? Or Lower?• Does our quality of life tend to improve overall, or get worse?• Who gets the benefit of new breakthroughs in technology and healthcare?• Is this a country where people want to live?