CIME 214 - The Social Production of News

HC ARHU

2 credits
How does an event become a news story? Who is responsible for turning whole classes of people (like migrants, sexual ‘deviants’, activists) into threats to society? And why do ‘fair and balanced’ journalists often end up promoting authoritarian responses to these so-called threats? These questions are at the heart of Stuart Hall’s 1978 study Policing the Crisis-and they have taken on renewed import for many today. In this module, we will use Hall’s research as our guide for an inquiry into the nature of the crises facing democracies worldwide and the future of anti-authoritarian media activism.

This course is appropriate for new students.