Studying media representations means looking at:
- Realism: Is this text intended to be realistic? Why do some texts seem more realistic than others?
- Telling the truth: How do media claim to tell the truth about the world?
- Presence and absence: What is included and excluded from the media world?
- Bias and objectivity: Do media texts support particular views about the world? Do they use moral or political values?
- Stereotyping: How do media represent particular social groups? Are those representations accurate?
- Interpretations: Why do audiences accept some media representations as true, or reject others as false?
- Influences: Do media representations affect our views of particular social groups or issues?
Media Education: Literacy, Learning and Contemporary Culture
by David Buckingham