The general topic for this seminar is media and international affairs. In reality we focus heavily on “news media” and professional journalism, though we also explore film, blog, “new” and social media as well. Some of the course materials do not focus solely or even primarily on international (non-domestic, comparative) dimensions of media and politics, yet analysis of specific domestic cases involving US journalism or local political economies of media offer clarifying case-study inflected insights into media systems and their ways of making meaning.

In the final paper for the course you should examine non-US based media coverage of an issue-area, topic or “story” (usually involving a set of related events) of international significance and published (possibly broadcast) from a country that produces journalism in your non-native, “target” language. In most cases it will be easiest to obtain examples of the print media’s coverage in the target language, although television and radio coverage might also be valid research areas, IF full transcripts are available. In difficult cases, you can look to DePaul library staff for help accessing necessary foreign language newspapers, journals and newsweeklies.

Note that the research base for your paper should comprise non-US based sources. So, for example, if your target language is Spanish, you will need to access sources from outside the US, not Spanish-language sources produced, published or broadcast in the United States. Note also that some electronic versions of international newspapers and news journals become unavailable to the general public after a short time. Locating archives with electronic or printed versions of papers and journals will be necessary for many research projects. In any case your data sources should be locked in ASAP, at the latest by around week 4.

I can identify two main learning objectives for the seminar. First, you will use and develop your second language skills in a way not typically emphasized in foreign language courses. For those of you who are at the intermediate or early advanced stages with your target language engaging journalistic materials will provide a formidable challenge, requiring nonfiction current event and formal written language competencies. Also, you will be encouraged to engage the media of your target country critically and comparatively, providing a useful foil against which to assess perhaps more familiar US-based international affairs reporting and analysis. Second, you will learn more about the function and institutionalized practices of news media and political communication theory generally. Themes here include: professionalization and journalism; the regulatory environment, news content and visual framing as studied in political and mass communication research; political economy and “policy economics” of news media. We also look at the effects of “new media” under internet commercialization as they relate to society’s perhaps always shifting public communication function.

The readings approach media from roughly two different analytical perspectives. The first focuses on content analysis and introduces framing theory and techniques as a way to understand how news content and meaning are conveyed. Aside from any overt reporting or editorial bias in presenting news stories, frames operate somewhat more subtly to induce politically and cognitively significant effects among the viewing, listening and reading public. Such frames “convey” news through interpretive content presentation, while priming reception outcomes. You will probably be using framing analysis in your final project. We’ll read case studies dealing with the reporting of relatively recent overseas projections of power.

The second perspective is organizational/institutional and derives from comparative and critical media studies and the disciplinary subfields of communications studies known as political economy of media and media economics and policy. Among other things, this perspective emphasizes the nature of media as contested but power-inflected societal institution, increasingly submerged in market dynamics. Here the readings look at the political, cultural and economic significance of corporate ownership, for-profit commercialization, advertising, professionalization of journalism, governmental (de)regulation, etc. Viewed in these ways information media may appear as something other than a straightforward ideological tool of dominant political forces but, yet, perhaps also quite “instrumental” in the way that commercial imperatives have shaped the industry and its cultural DNA.

Even before the recent economic collapse (2008-??) and a number of related high profile newspaper bankruptcies, closings and sales (including the Tribune company, owner of the main Chicago daily) critics and many professional journalists themselves felt strongly that US media were failing to fulfill an important democratic function in reporting effectively on international affairs. In the aftermath of the 2000s Afghanistan and Iraq invasions, and aided by information obtained, in part, through groups like Wikileaks casting doubt on government accounts of the wars and their rationalizations, such criticisms have become even more pointed and poignant. Such concerns have again arisen in reporting on the recent conflicts in Ukraine and Syria/Iraq. Complex ethical and political (normative, strategic) considerations necessarily attend such evaluations and, therefore, become part of the discussion.

What should be the mission of a democratic media, if anything, beyond profitability? Is it to serve “national interests” (defined how), or some other value such as truth, fairness, accuracy, balance, or social justice/equity, which might also be potentially more universal in conception? What is objectivity, balance or neutrality, and how do these relate to truth, accuracy or democracy? How are responsible members of modern democratic societies best advised to approach media reporting on international affairs?

the final paper should be a full write up of your research findings in light of comments you received and additional research you have completed through the small group vetting process. Generally, you should try to use the course learning where it makes sense in your paper. You should include an annotated bibliography (in English) of the main 5-10 target language sources you rely upon in the paper. Also, please append printed copies of all pertinent target language sources you have used in non-trivial ways in writing the paper. The main body of the paper should be substantial, non-verbose, non-repetitive, approximately 6000 words.

The primary research target for most of the papers will be news reporting on an issue area, topic or story from non-US, target-language sources. You should provide a brief description of the media sources you rely upon (e.g., are they known to be right- or left-leaning, corporate owned, convey something about their founding and institutional history, etc.), wherever possible also discussing the dominant model of journalism in the target country (see Hallin & Mancini reading). Secondarily, you may look at relevant news analysis or commentary (generally, though not always, contained in separate columns, opinion editorials, editorials, etc.). Each participant in the seminar bears final and full responsibility for obtaining the necessary target-language sources. Getting started immediately will lower your risk of ineffective, stressful scrambling for sources at the end of the quarter.

The final paper should also present a comparative analysis of US and foreign news media performance. However, the US side of the comparison should make up no more than 25% of the text of the final paper. The bulk of the data presented and analyzed should come from the foreign language source(s). US coverage is to be presented and assessed only in summary fashion and should be used primarily as a foil against which to analyze your non-US source(s).

You should, in any case, choose a US-based, English language newspaper or other serious news source to read regularly during the quarter, as we may be discussing contemporary coverage in class. To the extent possible, use your daily news gathering to track domestic US coverage of your international topic or story.

An additional comparative dimension to your analysis may be developed by examining the media coverage from a relevant third country. So, for example, you could focus your study on French media coverage of immigration/minority issues in Europe, using the relevant US coverage as a point of comparison. You could also add some comparative analysis that looks at (even possibly English-language) press coverage from another country on the same issues. In any case, the entire comparative part of the project should not exceed 25% of the total final submission.

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