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Local Issues, Local Voices
A Media Monitoring
& Education Project
LOCAL ISSUES, LOCAL VOICES: A Media Monitoring & Education
Project is focused on the relationship between the community
and the media here in Philadelphia. Through workshops, presentations,
and panel discussions, Media Tank aims to create a space for dialog
about the media landscape in the city and to start critically
examining the local news and its impact on the City.
Without city-wide public access television, publicly owned radio,
and affordable internet access, the people of Philadelphia depend
heavily on the information provided by our large daily newspapers,
broadcast TV& radio stations, as well as various independently
owned neighborhood media outlets. The news we are able to get
through these sources greatly affects our ability to make informed
decisions about critical issues impacting our lives and those
of our community.
Here are some of the questions the project will address:
• What is the role of local media
in disseminating information and framing important issues?
• Why do some issues receive major coverage when
others go virtually ignored?
• How are issues of importance to communities addressed?
• What are the best ways communities can communicate
and connect with media outlets?
• What kind of effects do commercialization and
ownership have on local news? |
There are two main components to this project
:
First, Media Tank is holding a series of educational
events meant to stimulate discussion and provide tools for
analysis around these important issues.
This will lead into a media monitoring project
that will include volunteers in monitoring and design of an organizing
project centered on Philadelphia’s local news and its affects
on our local media culture. The data collected in this project
will be used to promote more critical thinking and action on ways
to improve how the media serves the local community.
Scroll down to learn more about each of these
components.
Public
Events
Recent
Events |
All for the Taking
Film Screening
& Discussion: Eminent Domain and Gentrification
The kick-off event for this project
was a film screening of All for the Taking, a locally
produced, independent film about eminent domain abuse and
gentrification in Philadelphia. A panel made up of community
leaders, affected citizens, and the film’s producer
were eager to talk about their thoughts on the issue and the
media’s failure to cover all of its sides. The event
provided a great context to begin discussing the local news
media public responsibility.
Click
here for more information |
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Talking Back
Letter
to the Editor & Op-Ed Writing Workshop
On April 11th,
Media Tank held a very successful workshop entitled Talking
Back: LTE & Op-Ed Writing. The workshop, led
by Monique Frugier of Rapid
Response and David Love from the Progressive
Media Project, examined how to write successful letters
to the editor (LTE) and opinion-editorial (op-ed) articles.
Click
here for more information |
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Who
Makes the News?
A Panel
Discussion with Local News Directors & Newspaper Editors
On May 11th,
Media Tank held the third public event in our Local
Voices, Local Issues series. Representatives from
The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Tribune,
The Philadelphia Daily News and NBC-10 WCAU spoke
and fielded questions from the audience of about 100. The
event was a great success and pushed forward many of the questions
that the larger project is designed to address. It also received
coverage from in the City Paper (click
here for story).
Click
here for more information |
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Dissecting
Local News
A Presentation by Dr. Robin Andersen of Fordham University
On May 25th, Media Tank hosted
Fordham professor Robin Andersen to give a presentation about
the politics of local news. Andersen discussed the effects
of consolidation, the public relations industry and video
news releases on local news. Her presentation was followed
by a question and answer session with local Philadelphians.
Click
here for more information |
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Media Monitoring
Project
Calling community leaders,
concerned citizens and activists!
Help Media Tank launch a new media monitoring
project!
We are looking for volunteers to participate in this educational
project and take a more critical look at our local news media. Participants
will play an integral role in the monitoring process, data collection
and reporting, as well as shaping future work to improve local media
accountability.
Click
here to find out more and get involved! |
