1. Renee Hobbs
Professor of Communication Studies
Director, Media Education Lab
Harrington School of Communication and Media
University of Rhode Island USA
TWITTER: @reneehobbs
Mind Over Media:
Analyzing Contemporary
Propaganda
BRUSSELS 10-11 March 16

2. Media systems are expanding

3. Literacy is expanding

4. Media literacy is an expanded conceptualization of literacy
Listening
+
Speaking
Reading
+
Writing
Analyzing
Media
+
Creating
Media

5. Literacy is the sharing of meaning
through symbols

6. Key Concepts of Media Literacy

7. What happens when people learn to
critically analyze and create media?
ResearchEvidence

8. Increases learner motivation
& engagement
ResearchEvidence

9. Promotes collaboration
and creativity
ResearchEvidence

10. Develops language skills
ResearchEvidence

11. Inspires confidence to ask
questions & share ideas
ResearchEvidence

12. Improves content knowledge
across the curriculum
ResearchEvidence

13. How Do How Attitudes towards News Media,
Media Literacy and Video Production
Contribute to Adolescent Civic Engagement?
Promotes intercultural
communication
ResearchEvidence

14. Promotes reflective thinking about
communication ethics
ResearchEvidence

15. Connects classroom and community
ResearchEvidence

16. AUTHORSHIP
Creative skills
Collaboration skills
Technical skills
MEDIA ANALYSIS
SKILLS
Comprehension
Identify Purpose
Recognize
Point of View
ATTITUDES
Giving & Receiving
Feedback
Intellectual
Curiosity
CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT
Sign an online
petition
Express an
opinion to news
media
Blog about an
issue
Write an opinion
letter
QUALITY OF
MEDIA CHOICES
Increases civic engagement
ResearchEvidence

17. Prepares learners for an
unknowable future

18. Media Literacy as a Civic Competency
Media education is an essential step
in the long march towards a truly
participatory democracy, and the
democratization of our institutions.
Widespread media literacy is
essential if all citizens are to wield
power, make rational decisions,
become effective change agents,
and have an effective involvement
with the media.
-Len Masterman, 1985

19. Questioning All Forms of Authority
Media literacy, because it emphasizes a
critique of textual authority, invites
students to identify the cultural codes that
structure an author’s work, understand
how these codes function as part
of a social system, and disrupt the text
through alternative interpretations. In
learning to critically read media messages,
citizens are developing the abilities to
gather accurate, relevant information
about their society and to question
authority (both textual and, by
implication, institutional).
- Renee Hobbs, 1998

20. Agents of Social Change
When people have digital and media
literacy competencies, they recognize
personal, corporate and political
agendas and are empowered to speak
out on behalf of the missing voices
and omitted perspectives in our
communities. By identifying and
attempting to solve problems, people
use their powerful voices and their
rights under law to improve the world
around them.
-Renee Hobbs, 2010

22. High levels of apathy and disengagement
are accompanied by increased political polarization

23. www.mindovermedia.tv

24. Propaganda Has an Image Problem

25. Propaganda’s Original Meaning

26. Where is Propaganda Found?
Journalism & Public Relations
Advertising
Government
Education
Entertainment
Advocacy

27. What is Propaganda?
• Propaganda appears in a variety of forms
• Propaganda is strategic and intentional
• Propaganda aims to influence attitudes, opinions and
behaviors
• Propaganda can be beneficial or harmful
• Propaganda may use truth, half-truths or lies
• To be successful, propaganda taps into our deepest
values, fears, hopes and dreams
• Propaganda uses any means to accomplish its goal

28. www.mindovermedia.tv

30. Rate Examples

40. Explain Your
Reasoning

41. CrowdsourcedContent

42. Custom
Classroom
Galleries
http://propaganda.mediaeducationlab.com/browse/terrorism

43. 1. Defining Propaganda. Students examine different definitions of propaganda and
explore how to find propaganda in news, advertising, public relations, entertainment,
advocacy and education.
2. Propaganda Techniques. Students identify four different techniques of propaganda
found in advocacy and entertainment by analyzing the “KONY 2012” and “The
Interview” films.
3. Propaganda in Context. Students learn about Voice of America’s global video news
releases and use role-playing and research activities to explore the importance of
context in critically analyzing contemporary propaganda.
4. Understanding Viral Media. Students learn about viral media and marketing and
consider how audiences participate in the marketing process by deciding what to share
through social media.
5. Sponsored Content as Propaganda. Students learn about sponsored content to
consider conditions under which it may be fair or unfair.
6. The Ethics of Propaganda. Students analyze case studies of controversial advertising
and Hollywood entertainment, considering the potential short and long-term
consequences from the point of view of creators, audiences, and society.

44. ActiveInterpretation

46. PointofView

49. Propaganda can be Beneficial
Activists create
propaganda to raise
awareness, evoke
strong emotions, and
inspire people to
action.

50. Propaganda can be Harmful
By activating strong
emotion, activists can
simplify complex issues
in ways that encourage
people to act without
critical thinking.

51. Techniques of Propaganda
ACTIVATE STRONG EMOTIONS
ATTACK OPPONENTS
SIMPLIFY INFORMATION & IDEAS
RESPOND TO AUDIENCE NEEDS

52. P

53. Techniques of Propaganda
ACTIVATE STRONG EMOTIONS
ATTACK OPPONENTS
SIMPLIFY INFORMATION & IDEAS
RESPOND TO AUDIENCE NEEDS

56. In Considering Whether Propaganda is
Beneficial or Harmful, Consider:
Message: What is the nature of the information and ideas being
expressed?
Point of View: Whose perspectives do we value in assessing
benefits, risks or harms?
Techniques: What symbols and rhetorical strategies are used to
attract attention and activate emotional response? What makes
them effective?
Means of Communication & Format: How did the message
reach people and what form does it take?
Environment: Where, when and how may people have
encountered the message?
Audience Receptivity: How may people think and feel about
the message and how free they are to accept or reject it?
CONTEXT

57. Digital Media Literacy Smartphone

60. REFLECTION
 Why is it important for everyone to learn about
contemporary propaganda?
 What new forms of propaganda have emerged in your
lifetime?
 How did you learn about propaganda when you were in
school?
 What factors have contributed to the decline of teaching
and learning about propaganda?

64. HYPOTHESIS 1: Analyzing
contemporary propaganda
cultivates intellectual
curiosity

65. HYPOTHESIS 2: Cross
cultural dialogue about
contemporary propaganda
deepens students
understanding of how
context shapes meaning

66. Strong Feelings
Taking Action

67. Strong Feelings
Taking Action
THINKING
& REASONING

68. High levels of apathy and disengagement
are accompanied by increased political polarization

69. High levels of engagement, critical thinking and empathy
inspire collaborative and creative efforts
to reduce inequalities

70. We are all stakeholders in
digital and media literacy

71. Get Involved
Become a Member
It’s free! www.namle.net
Save the Date
October 31st – November 4th
www.medialiteracy.us
Share Knowledge
www.jmle.org

72. Summer Institute in Digital Literacy
July 24 – 29, 2016
Providence RI
www.MediaEducationLab.com

73. www.MediaEducationLab.com

74. CONTACT INFORMATION:
Renee Hobbs
Professor of Communication Studies
Director, Media Education Lab
Harrington School of Communication & Media
University of Rhode Island USA
Email: hobbs@uri.edu
Twitter: @reneehobbs
LEARN MORE
Web: www.mediaeducationlab.com
REFERENCES
Hobbs, R. & McGee, S. (2014).
Teaching about propaganda: An examination of the
historical roots of media literacy. Journal of Media
Literacy Education 6(2), 56 - 67.
Hobbs, R. (2013). The blurring of art, journalism and
advocacy: Confronting 21st century propaganda in a
world of online journalism. I/S: A Journal of Law and
Policy for the Information Society 8(3), 625 - 638.