Media Discourse Analysis - A True Story!

"This Erosion of 'reality' emphasises the need for an ability to analyze the media content we are mediated as 'real'." - Glenn Doyle

This week I had my first class in Media Discourse Analysis.
From my understanding this module is about questioning everything we read and hear about across news, current affairs, entertainment and sport. The only stories that we can treat as definite and accurate are, local, the ones we witness. 

Although a lot of news headlines in the media can be seen as genuine, it is important to understand that the media can turn a news story into a media event. A media event is where the media form an opinion on the story and this opinion is sometimes received as fact. This in-turn can manipulate public opinion. Sometimes the media will stage an event to break a story. This is known as a pseudo event.

Media Discourse Analysis is also about realising that there can often be two realities on the same issue depending on the area and demographic.

It is hard to distinguish what is genuine, a staged event or a pseudo event in the media. I always thought 'The Toppling of The Statue' in Iraq in 2003 was a genuine news event, I remember watching it live. However it was highlighted in class that this was a staged media event by the US forces to manipulate public opinion into thinking that there was a large Iraqi support for what the US soldiers were doing. In truth although many of the Iraqi population felt relieved Saddam Hussein was removed from power, they were in no mood for celebrating. The event enabled the then US President George Bush to give a 'Mission Accomplished' speech.

This will be an interesting module because I have questioned certain media events in the past. The Oprah Winfrey interview with Lance Armstrong last month was breaking news globally across all news networks. In my opinion the interview with Armstrong and Winfrey was a staged media event to keep the story in the headlines. The interview was pre-recorded, Armstrong didn't really reveal anything new and yet there was two days of persistent analysis on the event. Anyone who wasn't following the story could have been enticed in by the headlines. Very little new information was actually revealed in the interview.

The recent press conference where David Beckham was unveiled as a PSG player in Paris seemed to be a pseudo event to reveal that he was donating his salary to charity. 

I have even had my doubts surrounding the Andy Gray sexism storyline and how it was leaked. It would have been known to Gray's employers, 'Sky Sports', that this was not the first incident in which he used derogatory comments towards women. The leaked footage seemed to date back long before the incident in question occurred. What I find more interesting is that Andy Gray was in fact suing 'News of The World' At the time, a paper owned by Rupert Murdoch's 'Newscorp'. Murdoch also owns 'SkySports'. Was the Sian Massey incident the media event Murdoch needed to get rid of Andy Gray?

Gray's words in a Daily Mirror Article, 'I've been stitched up'.

Media Discourse Analysis, its good to be able to put a title to a growing skepticism I have for Media Reporting.