MASS MEDIA FILTERS
Some of the first organized forms of filtration came in the form of broadcast media. According to Yale Law School Professor Jack M. Balkin:
“There is only so much time for individuals to assimilate information. And not only is there too much information, some of it is positively undesirable. As a result, all media give rise to filtering by their audience, or, more importantly, by people to whom the audience delegates the task of filtering.
Broadcast media offer limited practical means of filtering. This form of communication limits the ways one can filter information. There are basically only three: turning the receiver off completely, turning it on only at designated times, or changing the channel.” |
Government instigated filtration
In some instances, our government has changed the game by providing its own filtration. Balkin says that:
In some instances, our government has changed the game by providing its own filtration. Balkin says that:
“temporal filtering is ... a major method of FCC regulation. Examples are the Prime Time Access Rule and the safe harbor provisions. These regulations organize programming in sequences of time and require that some programs not appear at certain times. They act like blocking or organizing filters.”
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One self-imposed filter was introduced after Janet Jackson's famous "wardrobe malfunction" during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVIII. After this incident, the FCC fined the station hundreds of thousands of dollars, causing many stations to create a self-imposed delay on any live shows to allow time to "bleep" controversial material. We'll discuss an even more strict form of this in the CENSORSHIP section.
Physical forms of filtration
Broadcast has now became even more filtered through convenience items like VHS recording, DVR and telephone caller ID. For the first time, with DVR, viewers could fast forward through commercials, etc. With telephone answering machines and caller ID, people could see who was calling before choosing to answer the phone or not. A person’s world began to be more and more dependent on choices, no matter how small.
Filters in Public Relations
Filters also had a place in public relations. Press releases are a prime example – companies responded to problems and addressed issues by preparing a high filtered document from the company. Today, press releases are used only to prompt others to inquire more about a subject and supplement third-party information.
Physical forms of filtration
Broadcast has now became even more filtered through convenience items like VHS recording, DVR and telephone caller ID. For the first time, with DVR, viewers could fast forward through commercials, etc. With telephone answering machines and caller ID, people could see who was calling before choosing to answer the phone or not. A person’s world began to be more and more dependent on choices, no matter how small.
Filters in Public Relations
Filters also had a place in public relations. Press releases are a prime example – companies responded to problems and addressed issues by preparing a high filtered document from the company. Today, press releases are used only to prompt others to inquire more about a subject and supplement third-party information.
FIVE FILTERS OF MEDIA
Although the following filters were written from the perspective of traditional media - including television, radio, and newspapers - the same types of media filters are present in today's digital media, limiting the information that makes it to our screen.
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Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky described five 'filters' in their propaganda model to explain the output of the mass media. These filters affect what the end user sees or hears in traditional media.
Taken from Herman and Chomsky's "Five Filters" of Media
- FLAK – Negative responses to a media statement or [TV or radio] program
- OWNERSHIP - Corporate ownership of the media can - and does - shape editorial content.
- NEWS & SOURCING - The mass media are drawn into a symbiotic relationship with powerful sources of information by economic necessity and reciprocity of interest
- ADVERTISING - Newspapers have to attract and maintain a high proportion of advertising in order to cover the costs of production. This advertising can affect what media does - or does not - cover.
- IDEOLOGY - The customary western identification of 'the enemy' or an 'evil dictator.' Herman and Chomsky used the term “Anti-communism,” but this filter can also be seen as patriotism or home pride.
Taken from Herman and Chomsky's "Five Filters" of Media