[kictanet] Fw: [COMO Alliance] Public Interest Media Activism and Advocacy as a Social Movement: A Review of the Literature

[Florence Etta]

FYI



Public Interest Media 
Activism and Advocacy as a Social Movement:

 
A Review of the 
Literature
 
  
 
  
 
Abstract
 
  
 
This report examines the academic 
literature focused on public interest media and communications activism and 
advocacy within the

 U.S. and abroad 
(labeled, in the name of brevity, the “media reform” movement throughout this 
report).  

                                                                


This report first seeks to 
outline the parameters of the movement under consideration, in terms of the 
primary conceptual frames employed, outcomes pursued, and strategic approaches. 
 As this section illustrates, the 
media reform movement is characterized by a diverse array of conceptual frames 
(ranging from “media reform” to “media justice” to “communication rights” to 
“media democracy”), and a hesitancy at this point to coalesce around a single 
unifying frame.  The movement is 
similarly diverse in terms of its outcome priorities and in terms of the 
strategic approaches employed by its various member organizations.  

  
 
The second section of the report 
charts the origins and evolution of the research in this field.  As this section illustrates, over time 
the analytical approach that scholars have brought to the topic increasingly has 
adopted a social movement theory perspective.  

  
 
The third section considers the 
media reform movement as a social movement, identifying key recurring themes in 
the literature related to the interaction between media reform and other social 
movements, to the relationship between social movements and the media, and to 
the organization and performance of the organizations driving the media reform 
movement.  As this section 
illustrates, media reform is unique in the extent to which its goals can 
facilitate the success of other social movements, but also is uniquely hampered 
by the extent to which traditional mainstream media are motivated to deny press 
coverage to media reform.  This 
section also highlights some of the most common critiques leveled at the media 
reform movement, ranging from a lack of coordination and collaboration between 
groups, to a lack of a strong nation-wide constituency, to a primarily reactive 
orientation toward policy issues.  


  
 
The concluding section summarizes 
the key findings of the report and offers a series of recommendations related to 
strategic approaches for the movement and to avenues for future 
research.




Key 
Findings
 
  
 
  
 
n      
The academic literature on the media reform movement is 
much more extensive than has previously been suggested, due in large part to 
tremendous growth in the literature in recent years, as well as due to the 
diverse terminology used to describe the movement (which can confound efforts to 
assemble an appropriately inclusive body of literature).

  
 
n      
A significant proportion of the literature is internally 
generated (i.e., produced by individuals involved in the movement).

  
 
n      
The tendency among scholars to conceptualize media reform 
as a social movement has become more common in recent years.

  
 
n      
The media reform movement frequently has been characterized 
as unique due to the extent to which the ends of the movement support key means 
by which other social movements achieve their goals.

  
 
n      
The media reform movement frequently has been characterized 
as subservient to broader social movements, given its tight linkages throughout 
its history to social movements such as civil rights, yet evidence of strong and 
systematic linkages between media reform and other social movements has been 
lacking.

  
 
n      
The media reform movement frequently has been characterized 
as highly fragmented, lacking substantial inter-group coordination, and lacking 
a sufficiently large constituency.

  
 
n      
The media reform movement frequently has been characterized 
as reaching its peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but also becoming highly 
rejuvenated within the past decade, in terms of public interest organization 
activity, citizen interest, and funding support.

  



_______________________________________________
COMO_Alliance mailing list
COMO_Alliance at lists.asc.upenn.edu
http://lists.asc.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/como_alliance







      ___________________________________________________________
Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Try it
now.
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/ 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20070426/5c012de2/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Public Interest Media Activism and Advocacy as	Social Movement.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 266848 bytes
Desc: Public Interest Media Activism and Advocacy as Social	Movement.pdf
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20070426/5c012de2/attachment.pdf>