2011-2012 YEAR THREE - Cardiff University

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MC3596 at 50) Spin Un-spun: Public Relations and the News Media (capped Autumn TUTOR: Dr Andrew Williams 20 Credits Aims of the Module: This module addresses the multifaceted and widespread influence of the public relations industry on the news media and explores the wider effects of this influence on society. It will invite students to engage with: the history of propaganda and the rise of PR throughout the 20 th and 21 st centuries; a wide range of theories of news sources and public relations (including liberal pluralist and critical Marxian perspectives, as well as studies which focus on the activities of both journalists and source groups); work which attends to the growing importance of spin, political strategic communication, and the work of corporate lobbyists; and a number of illustrative case studies of both media content and distinct kinds of media management campaigns (including the source battles around climate change, the management of information during war, and the rise of celebrity and promotional culture). Learning Outcomes On completion of the module a student should be able to: Critically examine the relationship between news texts, journalism practice, the practice of source groups and PR professionals; Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the influence of public relations on the quality and independence of the news, and reflect on the consequences of this influence for the functioning of political, economic, and social life in Western capitalist democracies; Develop an understanding of the history and rise of public relations from the early 20 th century to the present day; Understand how different varieties of PR practice have contributed to the construction of important contemporary debates around issues such as the environment, war, and celebrity culture; and Be able to test, and to critically apply, the theoretical and empirical models they have encountered in completing their own studies on PR and the news. Methods of Teaching: This module will be taught as a combination of interactive lectures, seminar discussions, and investigative media-monitoring workshops. Lectures will primarily aim to disseminate knowledge. Seminars will be used to encourage discussion of key texts and films by relevant academics, commentators, and practitioners, and to provide them spaces to use, test, and generate relevant ideas and theories. Workshops will primarily be used in order to train students in critical media monitoring of news source activity and PR influence. 20 YEAR 3
In addition to these formal learning settings students will be expected to carry out their own independent studies and enquiries using the syllabus/module outline as a guide as well as the physical and electronic library resources available to them. Method of Assessment The module is assessed on the basis of two pieces of coursework: 1) Each student will be asked to develop critical ―Media Watch‖ portfolios which include one news story per teaching week, evidence of source- and/or public relations influences behind that story, and brief explanatory notes which reflect on each example 2) Each student will be asked to write an academic essay addressing and engaging with key theoretical and empirical components of the module Syllabus Content Week 1 The Pre-history of PR: Propaganda and the media in the early 20 th century Week 2: PR Nation: The rise of public relations in the 20 th and 21 st centuries Week 3: Spin, Spin, Spin: Democracy and political communication Week 4: Watchdog or lapdog? Journalists and news sources Week 5: Flat Earth News? PR and news sources in the British media Week 6: The Passive Journalist: Public relations and UK local and regional news Week 7: Beyond the News: PR, corporate power, and lobbying Week 8: Climate Wars: Source struggles and PR battles over global warming Week 9: From WWI to Iraq II: PR, propaganda, and war Week 10: Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster: Celebrity PR in the news Week 11: Revision and assessment guidance Suggested Reading: Anderson, A. et al (2005) ‗Communication or Spin? Source-Media Relations in Science Journalism‘, in Allen, S. (ed), Journalism: Critical Issues, Berkshire and New York: Open University Press, 188-198 Anderson, A. (1993) ‗Source-Media relations: the production of the environmental agenda‘ (Chapter 3) in Hansen, A. (ed.) The mass media and environmental issues, Leicester: Leicester University Press Baskin, O., & Aronoff, C. (1992), Public relations: The professional and the practice, Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Bernays, Edward (2005) Propaganda, New York, NY: IG Publishing Blumler, J. G., and Gurevitch, M. (1995), The Crisis of Public Communication, New York: Routledge Boorstin, D. (1962) The Image, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolon Cottle, Simon (2003) News, Public Relations, and Power, London: Sage 21 YEAR 3
Page 1 and 2: ` CARDIFF SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM, MED
Page 3 and 4: DISCLAIMER All students are notifie
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Page 7 and 8: A Student who has failed to obtain
Page 9 and 10: MC3103 Dissertation Autumn & Spring
Page 11 and 12: 7. Media Regulation 8. Copyright Su
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Page 17 and 18: 7. Television and its evolution 8.
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Page 25 and 26: MC3512 Horror, Fantasy & the Media
Page 27 and 28: MC3585 Mediating Childhood (capped
Page 29 and 30: MC3587 Cultural Agency: Theory and
Page 31 and 32: MC3592 Writing for the Media Today:
Page 33 and 34: MC3589 The Making and Shaping of Ne
Page 35 and 36: MC3598 Global Postcolonial Culture
Page 37 and 38: Rey Chow (2006), The Age of the Wor
Page 39 and 40: Hills, Matt (2007) ‗From the Box
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2011-2012 YEAR THREE - Cardiff University

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