Full Description
Thinking Critically About Media is a textbook for self-defence against manipulation by politicians, the media and assorted propagandists. Its interdisciplinary application of principles of critical thinking and argumentative rhetoric can be incorporated in a variety of university courses including the social sciences, communication, journalism and media studies. The authors identify the precise political positions of a spectrum of American media and journalists from left to right, so as to point students toward sources representing opposed viewpoints, with their typical lines of argument, in order to reach a comparative analysis. Other important issues dealt with include the various influences on political bias as propagated by sources such as lobbies, public relations agencies, think tanks and political advertising agencies.
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Thinking Critically about Political Rhetoric; Chapter 3 Thinking Critically about Mass Media; Chapter 4 Special Interests and Propaganda; Chapter 5 Advertising and Hype; Chapter 6 Analyzing Economic Arguments and Statistical Trickery;
