MEDIA LITERACY

A BRIEF ABOUT THE CONFERENCE AND THE CONFERENCE BOOK ON
MEDIA LITERACY-2005-MARMARA UNIVERSITY-ISTANBUL-TURKEY


MEDIA LITERACY
(MEDYA OKURYAZARLIGI)

Proceedings: Media Literacy Conference (I)
May, 23-25, 2005


Proceedings: The articles published in this book were selected from the conference presentations at First Media Literacy Conference in 23-25 MAY 2005, Marmara University, Faculty of Communications, Nisantasi Campus, Istanbul, Turkey

Conference Committee: Prof. Dr. Melda Cinman Simsek (Dean), Prof. Dr. Nurcay Turkoglu (Editor), Prof. Dr. Yasemin G. Inceoglu, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cem Pekman, Assist. Prof. Dr. Bilge Gürsoy, Assist. Prof. Dr. Levent Eldeniz, Assistants: Rafet Aykut Akay, Sevilen Toprak Alayoglu

Venue: Marmara University, Faculty of Communications, Nisantasi Campus, 34365, Istanbul, Turkey

internet : http://www.marmara.edu.tr/, http://iletisim.marmara.edu.tr/
email: medyaokuryazar@gmail.com

Call for Conference: Media Literacy-2005: Faculty of Communications of Marmara University, call for your papers to the first of a series of “Media Literacy” conferences with an urge to improve the Turkish communication and mass media environment in a national and international frame. “Media and citizenship” in Turkey and in the world, “media education”, “the right for information access”, “illusion and reality”, “cultural codes”, “reading the audio-visual texts”, “critical citizenship” are some but not the only keywords for discussing “media literacy”.

Objective: Information access and the realisation of the knowledge are the basic rights of the citizens. Mass media are the main sources for information and knowledge today. Audiences are not only the consumers of media who are in need of new abilities of reading-listening-viewing, but are the Citizens who have rights for active “media literacy” and can analyse and criticize the mass media if in need.

Conference Date: MAY, 23-25, 2005
Deadline for abstracts: March, 30, 2005
Deadline for completed articles: September, 15, 2005

1st. Digital Edition: September 2006. Published by Marmara University, Faculty of Communications. (in Turkish). 1st. Paperback edition: 2007, Kalemus, ISBN: 978-975-01610-2-5 (in Turkish)

MEDYA OKURYAZARLIGI (MEDIA LITERACY)
1st. Paperback edition: 2007, publisher: Kalemus, Istanbul-Turkey, ISBN: 978-975-01610-2-5 (in Turkish) Editor: Nurcay Turkoglu
Compiled in English by Nurcay Turkoglu

Table of Contents:

1. Media Education, Education Aux Medias
Hifzi Topuz, ILAD (President, ILAD Association Of Communication Research In Turkey)

2. For a Better Understanding of Media
Yasemin Inceoglu (Galatasaray Un. Istanbul)

3. Media Literacy: Why it is Essential?
Gülden Treske, RTUK (delegate, Radio and Television Supreme Council)

4. Media Literacy in European Union,
Cem Pekman (Marmara Un. Istanbul)

5. The Right For Citizen Participation to EU Environment Policies: AARHUS Agreement; Cagdas Ceyhan (Anadolu Un. Eskisehir)

6. Theoretical And Practical Approaches To Media Literacy
Ece Algan, (Ohio Un. USA)

7. A Political Approach To Media Literacy: The Social Movement of Media Literacy
Zeliha Hepkon, Oya Sakı Aydin, (Istanbul Trade Un. Istanbul)

8. Media Literacy And Adult Learning
Bahire Efe Ozad (Eastern Mediterranean Un. Cyprus)

9. Media Literacy And Pedagogy
Ulfet Kutoğlu (Eastern Mediterranean Un. Cyprus)

10. The Contribution of BRT’s, Children’s Programmes On Citizenship Education
lm. Glp, (European Un. of Lefke, Cyprus)

11. Local Possibilities For An Active Media Literacy
Derya Nacaroglu (Gazi Un. Ankara)

12. Uses Of Local Media in Konya
Bunyamin Ayhan (Selcuk Un. Konya)

13. Monopolization in The Field of Media: The Assesment of The Reporters in Ankara
On The Outcomes of Monopolization
Omer Ozer (Anadolu Un. Eskisehir)

14. Media Literacy: The Issue of Access, Spectacularisation And Sensationalisation
Nilgun Tutal Cheviron (Galatasaray Un. Istanbul)

15. Image And Ethnographic Narration
Erol Nezih Orhon (Anadolu Un. Eskisehir)

16. “May 1st, Labour Day” In News Media: An Analysis Of Media Literacy
Yurdagül Bezirgan Arar (Ege Un. Izmir)
17. A Change In Social Identity: Young Parents And The TV Commercials
Kubra Karaosmanoglu, Oya Dincer Durmus (Muğla Un. Muğla)

18. Internet Literacy And Digital Divide
Selva Ersoz, Pınar Seden Meral (Kadir Has Un. Istanbul)

19. Public Health Education And Media Literacy
Inci Cinarlı, Elgiz Yılmaz (Galatasaray Un. Istanbul)

20. From Literacy to Media Literacy: Searching For the Common Codes of Knowledge
Nurcay Turkoglu (Marmara Un. Istanbul)

21. Transformation of Media in Turkey and the Circumstances of Media Literacy
D. Beybin Kejanlioglu (Ankara Un. Ankara)

22. Manipulation And Disinformation In Turkish Media
Serdar Karakaya (Muğla Un. Muğla)

23. The Study On The Effect Of The Violence Displayed On Television To The Subconscious In The Framework Of Cultivation Theory
Omer Ozer (Anadolu Un. Eskisehir)

24. Social Reality And The Fiction Of The Power In Mass Media
Baris Coban (Beykent Un. Istanbul)

25. Are Journalists Professionaly Media Literate?
Sevilen Toprak Alayoglu (Marmara Un. Istanbul)

26. Commercials of Credit Cards: A Convincing Power of The Market
Gülcan Seckin (Gazi Un. Ankara)

27. The Needs And Importance of The Education of Media Literacy
Abdulrezak Altun (Ankara Un. Ankara)



ABSTRACTS IN ENGLISH

Media Education, Education aux Medias; Hifzi Topuz, President ILAD
Delegate of UNESCO in Black Africa for many years, Mr. Topuz told us about the conferences of UNESCO concerning “media and education”, indicating that “media for education”, “education with media”, “education of media” “media education” are different concepts. Media were to support the education once, now is a barrier for it.

For A Better Understanding of Media, Yasemin Inceoglu
The world represented on media is not a real but a fictional one. The audience must perceive the media messages through media literacy. The concern of this article is the conceptual and historical development of the definition of media literacy (referring to European Center for Media Literacy project as well) and the urge for a specialised course for media literacy in the curriculum in every country.

Media Literacy: Why it is Essential, Gulden Treske: As a presentation of Radio and Television Supreme Council’s (regulatory authority of media sector in Turkey) views about the media literacy; the work has focused on the crucial importance of the media literacy for fully informed citizens to make the necessary choices in democracy. As a main common source of information, television has deep impact on society, and all around the world some legal measures has been taken to regulate the area. However, in this highly competitive and growing sector, especially considering today’s highly developed information technologies, it is almost impossible to keep the content quality high only by law. In order to have citizens who can “access”, “analyze” and “evaluate” the messages which they are exposed through media channels, all related actors of the society should be committed to promote the media literacy education.

Media Literacy in European Union, Cem Pekman: This paper is to find the internet use of “media literacy” in the popular search engine of Google. By May 2005, we have found more than 1.880.000 entities in English, 250.000 entities for “media literacy” + Europe, 49.000 entities for “media literacy”+EU. In Turkish (“medya okuryazarligi”)the entities were just 4. According to our internet research, it was shown that “media literacy” in European Union was a term in discussion in an institutional way after 2000’s, although its use in media and education went through 1970’s. “Information literacy”, “digital literacy”, “computer literacy”, “information technology literacy”, “electronic literacy, “electronic information literacy” were the terms used instead of “media literacy” in Europe until 2000’s. By the writing process of this article after the conference, it was evident that 157 entities in Turkish appeared on webs.

The Right for Citizen Participation in EU Environment Policies: AARHUS Agreement; Çağdaş Ceyhan : In this paper, I will discuss the citizens’rights for participation in EU Environment Policies in the frame of the AARHUS Agreement

Theoretical and Practical Approaches to Media Literacy: Ece Algan In this paper, the development of the media literacy both as a term and its education will be examined in a comparison between western societies and Turkey. The questions of media literacy projects summarised in Hobbs (1998) will be analysed with examples from USA and Turkey. Questions and Answers: should media literacy aim to preserve the teenagers and children from the negative effects of media? It is an elitist approach for it lacks the understanding of the popularity of media among teenagers and children, which are mostly awared of the fictional characteristics of the media. The main aim of the ML projects must be to prepare the young audience to become more critical and analytical, reverse of being rote learning students. The ability of practicing different media tools, i.e. taking photos, shooting films, writing articles, editing school newspaper will help young audience to become media literate. Should media literacy projects consider popular texts? Yes, with a consideration of good examples of classical texts side by side the popular ones. Should media literacy projects aim at a certain political or ideological point of view? Not for the media literacy education planning control but to decode the politics and ideological backgrounds of any media text. Should media literacy projects address the undergraduates and the primary schools? Yes, university students are too busy and grown up for such an attitude change. Should media literacy programmes taken into the yearplanning schedule as a course? Yes, media literacy must be a specialised course. Should media literacy projects sponsored by the media companies? Need a search for “goodwill”, otherwise the media companies tend to increase their consumers.

A Political Approach to Media literacy: The Movement of Media Literacy, Zeliha Hepkon, Oya Sakı Aydın: The presence of different approaches to media literacy makes it difficult to agree on a certain definition. We may classify these approches in two groups; First group which is mostly of U.S.A. origin, considers media literacy as a problem of education. The second group regards media literacy as a political and ideological preference. The approaches which do not consider media literacy as an educational issue but consider it as a component of the social opposition, discuss the matter from the angle of activism. Activist groups like Independent Media Attempts and Cultural Environment Movement or intellectual efforts like Media Watch Global Organisation have activism-centered objectives. Media literacy which is one of the components of social opposition can be classified in the category of new social movements. The “citizen” identity and media literacy concept may lead to the creation of a new political subject.

Media Literacy And Adult Learning, Bahire Efe Ozad: Developments in technology and particularly communication technologies not only provided means for but also facilitated lifelong learning for the adults after formal education. Despite the fact that, the extent to which the media is aware of the influnece of the messages on the audience has been a debatable issue, its influence on the adults cannot be denied. In the formal education system, information is divided into parts and pieces according to the curriculum, the media gives it within a context if not more wholistically. What is more, that there is not exam stress or any other pressure, contributes to learning. Also the media provide opportunities for the audience to choose. On the contrary, in education the priori syllabus prepared by the experts is put into action. However, as far as the media is concerned, the audience make their preference among those that are presented to them. Hence, the audience should take a critical stance. Shortly, learning from the media should be taken into consideration more. Particularly the Social Learning Theory is one of theories that shed light to learning of adults from the media. The aim of this study is to explore media literacy and to explain how adults learn according to Social Learning Theory, which is one of the theories related to the learning of adults and shed light to the duties of the media and formal education which will lead the individuals to become more conscious about media literacy and learn more sensibly from media and take upon a more critical look.


Media Literacy And Pedagogy, Ulfet Kutoglu: In the contemporary world, media has a great effect on us. It is as if we live in two different worlds. One of them is the “real world” and the other one is the “media world”. (Potter, 2001, p.vii) The “real world” is one in which we come together with our friends and the people around us to talk and to share our experiences and the “media world” is the world we enter to get more information and experiences. Media world is surrounded by tools of mass communication. This study aims at presenting guidance and practical experiences to help primary, secondary and high school teachers to achieve higher levels of media literacy and to transfer this knowledge to their students. Being media literate will help individuals to use their own judgements and to interpret media messages in deeper dimensions. Hence, they will have more control over the media.

The Contribution Of BRT’s, Children’s Programmes On Citizenship Education, zl Sn Glp: TV Programmes are intensively viwed by small societies like Turkish Cypriots, and affected by their contents much more than the people of mass populated countries. Even Children’s Programmes are viewed massively by the people who are related to each other with kinship or neighbourhood. And such heavy viewing affects the course of children’s education an the relations between education and media. Long time politicial struggle and isolation from the rest of the world have greatly effected the citizenship counsciousness of Turkish Cypriots. But after Annan Plan of 2002 conditions started to be changed and people of Northern Cyprus became counscious of their new citizenship rather than to be loyal to the motherland. The aim of this paper is to observe this dramatic changes in the democratic and particatory contents of BRT’s (Bayrak Radyo-TV Corporation) Children’s Programmes.

Local Possibilities for an Active Media Literacy, Derya Nacaroglu: A theoretical approach to emphasis the importance of local media for Turkish audience. Citizenship besides city identity need the support of the local media, environment, traffic, health problems, etc.

Uses of Local Media in Konya, Bunyamin Ayhan: Two surveys, including a total of 600 in an around Konya were held. The results show that: Local television is more popular for local news than the national televisions. The religious programms are also popular on local TV in Konya where two of third of population declare themselves as devoted muslims. Local newspapers are mostly read by the tradesmen for the economical news and publicities.

Monopolization in the Field of Media: the Assesment of the Reporters in Ankara on the Outcomes of Monopolization, Omer Ozer: In this study, it was aimed to reveal the opinions of the reporters working in Ankara about some premises developed for the monopolization confronted in the media, whether there is pressure on reporters working in a monopolostic environment in the process of gathering news and writing, and their opinions about the professional satisfaction in a such environment. In order to reach this aim, a study group of 120 reporters was formed and data were gathered in July, 2004. The mean, median and the mode of the questions were calculated in a way appropriate for the study. However, the evaluation was done comparing it with the mode taking only the median into consideration. At the end of the study, it became clear that the negative outcomes of the monopolization were accepted by the reporters. The reporters think that the existing media system will continue and there will be no improvement in this aspect. They also worry about the decrese in their job security, distortion of the working conditions, increase in popularism in terms of gathering news and decrese in the quality of the news. Another point to be emphasized is that the reporters do not have any idea about whether the monopolization will regress or not.

Media literacy: the issue of access, spectacularisation and sensationalisation, Nilgun Tutal Cheviron: Media literacy has become one of the most controversial subjects these days. In this paper, I will try to show the importance of the current discussions on this topic by giving an account of the two dimensions of the modern mass communication activity. The first dimension relates to the creation of a link between the new communication technologies and the evolution of society, the foundation of a democratic and participative society. Along with the assumption of this link comes the question of access, central in the relationship between the communication technologies and their users. İn this context, we will have to question wether the access to the communication means and their contents indeed contributes to the realization of the utopia of a democratic communicationnal society. The second dimension is about the primary meaning of literacy. We will have here to assert how far the comprehension of the world through literacy practice has been affected by mass communication means. İn this process of transformation and of general increase of literacy rates, some issues such as how medias determine the contents of their news and how they tend to emphasize on spectacularisation and sensationalisation rather than on what might help reinforcing people’s literacy will be discussed here.

Image and Ethnographic Narration, Erol Nezih Orhon: Image itself is the source for presence of film and television. Either in film or television, it is a unique tool for us to convey the surrounding which we try to convey. It may be considered as real or constructed. The power of image and its representation of reality are under consideration because of its mentioned power. They both carry importance. The purpose of this study is to examine the capabilities and strength of image in terms of reflecting the real world or leaving things in absence on purpose. In terms of the study’s methodology, ethnographic viewpoint in relation to critical approach towards image is used. In relation to the conclusion of the study, the pieces shown and not shown in images are tools and narration. Content of images are examined. Absences in images are also expressions. They carry information and they are also tools for examining. Certain viewpoints are also investigated in images. Lack of certain viewpoints are also criterias for investigations. Their influences depend on these factors. Different readings can be made by images. At the same time, ethnographic method as part of qualitative research has to be considered as a tool for reading image in film and television.

“May 1st, Labour Day” in news media: An analysis of media literacy, Yurdagul Bezirgan Arar:This study is an example for analysing media text which is one of the steps of
media literacy. It has been analized news of “1th of May Labour Day” that is a case study, and how to reflect to in four TV channels (ATV, Show TV, STV ve TRT) and four journals (Sabah, Akşam, Zaman, Cumhuriyet). That the problematical nature of knowledge that is transformed into news, through TV channels and journals have different political point of view, has been analized with qualitative analysis methods. In respect of findings, that have been conducted by political positions or the other inclinations of media instutions, knowledge and news reaching us from news media, that especcially are about social evidences, has been destroyed, transformed sensation and drama or constructed on secondary subjects. Thus, our knowledge about social events is not enough to be a conscious citizen. Media literacy process,
concidered as a solution, has some dilemmas. Therefore, media literacy is regarded as a popular conception in the communication literature rather than a solution.

A Change in Social Identity: Young Parents and the TV Commercials, Kubra Karaosmanoglu, Oya Dincer Durmus: By the recent innovations in technology and with better slogans, the consumer behaviour is changing. Thus technical equipments that are more coherent for the individual surround our daily life. Young parents that are a piece of this commercialised siege display a radical manner that directly effects the typical attitude and influences the learning process of consumers. In this study we'll be mainly focusing on how the slogans of commercials have changed annually and how this change formed consumer behaviour year by year.


Internet Literacy And Digital Divide, Selva Ersöz, Pınar Seden Meral: In this paper, by analiyzing the history and development of the internet, the internet literacy and digital divide concept is discussed. The dimensions of the digital divide in Turkey is considered and statistical datas are commented (Only 1/10 of households have computers; 7/100 have internet connection in Turkey-2004). In the last part of the paper some solution suggestions are discussed for preventing the digital divide.

Public Health Education and Media Literacy, Inci Cınarlı, Elgiz Yılmaz: The paradox of both positive and negative health behaviour reflecting from the media and also the contradiction of public health efforts of social change and media adherence to status quo, in addition to health literacy, necessitates media literacy as well. Low media literacy level indicates low health literacy level and also promotes individuals’ likely unhealthy behaviour. Health literacy which can be defined as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” provides individuals, the opportunity of accurate decoding and efficient health decision making, particularly against the “commercialized” health messages of the mainstream media. In this descriptive study, the importance of media literacy in health literacy and also the necessity of recognizing the media system, media culture / habits and media institutions’ structure in order to design effective health communication campaigns will be analyzed with examples.

From Literacy to Media Literacy: Searching for the Common Codes of Knowledge, Nurcay Turkoglu: It has been the necessity for the endurance of the knowledge that led the availability of the common language shared in the written form. The coded knowledge once on the stones, clay, leather, papyrus, cloth, later on the paper, books, newspapers, electrical waves, electronical media and digital media are all for encoding. Coding and encoding have always been issues of power. I will suggest to search for the “nature” and “change” as the most occupied terms in social communication in the process of media literacy rooted in modern literacy. Audience are not just consumers but mainly the citizens (an example of characteristics of Turkish entertainment TV: Studio live programs located in the heart of Istanbul media are simulated to village settings, while Drama serials of rural stories which are located in villages are simulated to urbanized settings).

Transformation of Media in Turkey and the Circumstances of Media Literacy, D. Beybin Kejanlıoglu: Much more academical discussion need to be done on “media literacy”; there have been a few definitions and conceptual findings on the term but still insufficient for a social theoretical frame. As for the Turkish media is concerned, there are three main types of popular formats: First: Turkish hammam style entertainment programmes (with too much sweat, soap and gossip); second: economy and politics just in numbers-numerical programmes; and the third: newspaper columnists swinging between sensationalisation and the “reel politics” on vital problems such as Iraqi war.

Manipulation and disinformation in Turkish media Serdar Karakaya some examples of using media as propaganda tools with a comparative approach

The Study on the Effect of the Violence Displayed on Television to the Subconscious in the Framework of Cultivation Theory, Omer Ozer: In this study, television’s cultivation role is questioned. The components of Message System and Cultivation Analysis of Culturel Indicator Project by George Gerbner were utilized. The study was carried out in the Faculty of Law of Gazi University, Ankara. Twenty per cent was the basis to be sample. According to this, 133 students filled in questionnaires. 6 per cent (75) of these students were female and 44 per cent (58) were male. In the study, tests on Cultivation and Mainstreaming were applied yet the expected role of television was not found. However, these results are valid only for this study.

Social Reality and the Fiction of the Power in Mass Media; Baris Coban: There is a break between social reality and “fictional” reality of power and this is the curicial point of power struggle. The contradiction between the capacity of power and the critique of social structure overlaps fiction and real relationship. In this respect, to produce the reality of social classes and to use mass media for this purpose could be regarded as to produce and reproduce power as well. Power has to create “fictional reality” in order to reproduce itself and transfer it to the society by using mass media. Analysing communication process in the context of fiction –illusion- and reality gives the opportunity of analysing social communication from a different point of view.

Are Jurnalists Professionaly Media Literate? Sevilen Toprak Alayoglu: discussing the definition of the jurnalism: is it a professional activity? Does it need a professional education? What are the relations between the media education and the media market?

Commercials of Credit Cards: a Convincing Power of the Market, Gulcan Seckin: After the economical crises of 2001 in Turkey, a sharp increase in credit card commercials increasingly forced all people to buy things easily with various cards. Advertising advocates consumption as the main, primary value in life and glamorizing and mormalizing credit cards that is a premier symbol broke down the barriers of debt. The narcissistic metaforic ads messages says that it is not important class differences and persuades people to buy almost all products and services, and also creates dissatisfactions in order to exploit them for profit and to place them in constant dependence. The banks and firms collective ads encourages consuming because of it is almost a unique way or satisfaction for us to be a real, valuable person, to behave confidentially. This article explores the political economy of cards ads carried by the mass media after the economical crises and is analising ads industry and the credit card advertisements to criticize the role of its in creating consumer lust and a dependent, fragile, depolitize, homogeneous consumerist individual.

The Needs And Importance of The Education of Media Literacy, Abdulrezak Altun: This presentation is to announce that the Communication Graduates can now get a chance to teach “media literacy” courses at primary schools. Those who wish to teach media literacy courses, can apply for the post graduate/masters programme of Ankara University for “Field teaching Journalism, Public Relations, Radio-Television-Cinema”.