Global Journalism: Searching for Truth in the Age of Fake News

About

Most of what we learn about global news events comes to us from the mass media, an industry often described as being grounded in objectivity. But in this era of “alternative facts” even the concept of objectivity is highly subjective. Differences based on culture, language, politics, economics, power structures and a variety of other factors abound. Just what is fake news when one country’s “terrorist” bent on senseless destruction is another’s “martyr” sacrificing lives for a just cause?

These variations become all the more complicated in an industry facing a continuous state of flux, with governments, satellite transmissions, the Internet, mobile devices, social networks and citizen journalists all playing key roles. This course will examine current events and the way they are covered in a variety of media outlets around the world, looking at framing, bias, stereotypes, context, story structure and placement. Through lectures, discussions, a field trip and class presentations, students will study why news is reported as it is around the world and in the process become discerning media consumers better able to filter the noise and make decisions for themselves.

Course leader

Maxey Parrish

Target group

Prerequisites
None.

Course aim

Students will have a better understanding of international journalism systems and how they present stories, making them better able to seek the truth in media they consume.

Fee info