Part 1-

http://lirne.net/resources/netknowledge/meier.pdf

Please share what you learn about U.S. media ownership patterns and what you think its implications are in your response to this prompt. Don't think about this discussion just in terms of news, please. Think about it in terms of music, movies and TV shows as well. Which media sectors are struggling the most to make money in the 21st century? Why is that?

How do you think economics will affect the kinds of music and programming it receives? What the public knows about important issues and news? How the public gains access to culture? Will there be a difference between what wealthy people know / can afford to be entertained by and what poor people know about current issues and news / can afford to be entertained by?

Part 2

To understand what's happening now, you need to look back at how PR was used to shape the last time gun controls were hotly debated in Congress. It was 2004 and the assault weapons ban was expiring. Many of the same elected politicians and interest groups that tried to use the media to influence public opinion in 2004 are involved again in this new debate. What are the PR tactics that were used then which are reappearing now?

For example, how is President Obama using the media to frame the debate? How are his opponents using the media? Please be specific in describing the groups/players and the PR tactics that they're using! Provide examples of press releases, commercials, interviews, town hall meeting statements, etc.! Are there similarities in the tactics used between the two debates? What are the players trying to accomplish with each of the specific tactics that you've discovered they're using? How is Web 2.0 changing the way politicians, particularly the president, and advocacy groups are seeking to influence the American public?

You'll need to do some research to identify some of the many different competing interest groups and individuals that were engaged in the debate and who are engaged in the emerging debate. You will also need to think deeply on how the different groups and individuals are interacting with the media and how that may be affecting politics and policy.

You can take this discussion in many directions! I hope that delving into these questions will help you to understand a bit more the complex relationship between the media and public policy/government operations -- and how political communication works. Dig in! Just keep in mind: I am not interested in you discussing who is "right" or "wrong" in this debate. You are supposed to be apply your media literacy skills to understanding the media forced behind oursemiotic democracy.