The media is an integral part of modern society. Think of what would happen to the world if there were no news streaming in from different parts of the globe. Media is an ideological power of communication that delivers facts and offers insight to allow understanding and giving significance to them. In this article, we will look at tips on how to write a media analysis essay. Through journalism, the media can convey social realities to its audience. News provokes a member(s) of a community to pay attention to the problems at hand simultaneously and mostly form the same perspective.
The greatest responsibility of media research is to critique whether a public sphere is safely created, which rouses interest in diverse groups of people. Establishing this requires the study of the content of media materials (newspapers, radio shows, television shows, etc.)
Media analysis refers to evaluating the various types of media and establishes the most appropriate channel to promote a campaign, product, or service. An analysis of how certain messages will be received and how they will be perceived by the public also constitutes media analysis.
The media disseminates information obtained via credible sources in ethical ways to a multitude of people. The functions of media analysis in an organization are to:
Media analysis is used by journalism professionals to frame a story and finally publish it, by establishing the specific terms and rhetorical approaches to use. Many media students are tasked with writing a media analysis essay, here is a step by step guide to get you started:
1. Create a list of all media outlets within your reach
Media outlets could consist of TV shows, radio shows, newspapers, news websites, and social media huddles. You should keep in mind the depth of the story you want to analyze and widen your scope to national and international media outlets.
2. Create a list of search terms suitable for your topic
Search and identify the key terms relating to your topic. This will help you in structuring your research by addressing terms that correlate to the media channels you are investigating. For example, say you are doing a media analysis on a breach of private consumer data in a company. Your key terms would be privacy violations, data breaches, customer compensation, etc.
3. Go through research databases and gather news stories within the last 6 months
To find articles in scholarly databases, use your list of key terms. Some useful resources include Google Scholar (free), Ebsco Host, and Lexis Nexis (subscription-based). For a professional media analysis, you may collect between 120-200 articles. You may stretch your cover of study for up to 12 months allowing you to do more in-depth research.
4. Group the stories in genres and exclude irrelevant data
The three main types of stories are a feature, opinion, and news. Separating data into categories helps to establish what to expect when reading a story.
Be careful to note important information within your readings. Things to look out for include:
2. Critique and question the articles you read
A significant part of media analysis is questioning your readings and finding evidence-based answers. Some important questions you need to ask yourself include:
After finalizing your media analysis, write in brief a summary of key takeaways about how the media is covering your subject. Include all your evidence-based answers to the question you had asked yourself earlier.
3. Identify opportunities for you to introduce a new story
A media analysis provides you with an exceptional opportunity to introduce your own story. During your analysis, you might identify some information gaps, identified issues, or chance to gain a wider audience. You can fulfill all those gaps by writing your own story.
1. Come up with an executive summary as the introductory part of your analysis
The executive summary is highlighted by an introduction to your topic, the purpose of your analysis, and an outline of your findings. In this part, you should provide any background information on the subject that may be important for your readers. In addition, include why you chose to study this particular subject and make a brief statement on the nature of your findings.
2. Define your methodology
This is the part where you define your research process, from describing the search terms used, the media outlets you got your information, your sample size, period of research, and databases used. As you describe your methodology ensure you employ a lot of detail and clarity.
3. Analyze the topic to figure out how the issue is being investigated
You need to do a comparative analysis of your findings on how media channels are covering your topic. This presents an opportunity to answer some of your earlier questions.
4. Observe the view of spokespeople
You may need to highlight the contribution of certain individuals including professionals, members of the public, members of academia, advocates, business leaders, etc. A simple trick would be to tally the number of times a spokesperson appears on an article of your topic of study. This would help identify the most quoted persons in certain fields.
5. Identify patterns
Stories rely on one or more archetypes to frame it and pass their intended message. Identifying archetypes in the stories you are analyzing. This may help you establish the least used archetypes and figure out what works best for you.
6. Provide a conclusion and recommendations
As you conclude your media analysis paper, you need to summarize your most significant findings. Remember to explain how they are beneficial to your audience. Include recommendations on ways of framing a story, which media channel to place it on, and who is the best to quote. Cite detailed examples to support your recommendations.
A critical analysis is not a normal type of document; it is the outcome of intensive research. After learning the structure of a media analysis essay, the next step is learning the outline of such an essay. Here is a brief overview of a media analysis essay:
The introduction offers insight into the main purpose of writing the essay. It gives an opening to what the audience should expect in the rest of the paper. Here is an introductory sample of a media analysis essay:
“For a long time, mass media has refused to give enough coverage to the LGBTQ community, despite the evolution in society. Consequently, a large part of the population is left unaware of the issues members of this community face. Additionally, most people are ignorant of how to treat and engage with members of the LGBTQ society. There is however an interest by most people to make LGBTQ members feel included and accepted. This essay talks about how mainstream media can help in giving a voice to the LGBTQ community and help to sensitize the rest of the people. ”
Since a media analysis is a type of essay, it requires a thesis statement. It is a part of the introduction that makes a statement to verify or contradict a theory within the essay. This statement appears at the end of the introduction. Here is a sample thesis statement for your media analysis paper:
“It is important to analyze how the media portrays and addresses members of the LGBTQ community. The media heavily influences acceptance and discrimination against members of this community. ”
You should organize your content into different paragraphs. Each theme should be introduced, proven, and provided for an example in its paragraph. A persuasive style appeal is a great element to employ in organizing your body, that is, ethos, pathos, and logos. Organizing your body into paragraphs has the following effect:
The conclusion offers an opportunity for you to review your analysis. It recaps the important parts of your essay and reinforces the thesis statement. Additionally, the conclusion could offer insight into additional research into your essay. Example conclusion:
“The fact that members of the LGBTQ community do not get sufficient and positive media coverage shows a flaw in society. Inclusivity and respect should be accorded to all members of the society regardless of their sexual orientation and affiliation. Media outlets should be channels of encouraging liberated sexual affiliation. This will not only educate other members of society on how to engage members of the LGBTQ but help reduce stigmatization and discrimination towards them.”
There are a few basic concepts of conducting media analysis, here they are:
Great skill in titling your essays comes in handy to define what your paper is about. The advantages of formulating an effective title for your essay include:
Here are the features of a good media analysis essay title:
The subject can be the author and/or the literary work of the subject of your essay. The focus on the other hand is the particular center of interest of your media analysis essay.
A simple formula to use is:
As a student, you need up-to-date media analysis paper topics to make effective arguments for your papers. Ensure that the topics you go for enable you to come up with proper points and suitable arguments. Here is a list of great topics suitable for media analysis:
A media target audience is the specific group of people you want to reach with your social channels. These are individuals who are most likely to consume your products, services, or content. They are likely to have some common characteristics. You may ask yourself, what are two possible audiences I can write an analysis essay for on social media? Well here are a few tips on how to find your social media target.
You may need to write a critical analysis essay on how to detect media bias and propaganda. The first step is to find a trending event or social problem that is extensively covered by the media (both mainstream and social media). Next, choose two different news pieces from different media outlets and write an essay comparing and contrasting the two news pieces.
Clearly define the particulars of your article, that is, the author, title, and publication. Do not ignore the type of article it is, say, international, national, local news story, a column, or an editorial.
Ascertain the main supporting arguments of your articles and make sure the points are valid. Analyze of the article concerning the logical flow of the article including any rhetorical devices or fallacies. Evaluate any omitted information that could provide a different or better insight to the audience it was intended. Be careful to determine whether inconclusive or deceptive evidence exists within the articles.
Remember, a critical essay on media bias is like any other type of academic writing. It needs proper paper formatting (APA/MLA), citation, references, and essay-length (4-5 pages).
A media analysis report is meant to help you evaluate whether you are maximizing your media channels to reach your audience. A great media report complements your organizational goals and strategies by:
There are three main categories of reporting:
A snippet of a media analysis report example could be as below:
“Toyota has been the leading automobile manufacturer in the world. The company motto is ‘ensuring the car in front of you is always a Toyota’. Toyota has gained loyal customers and fans all over the motor world. A silent and stealth takeover is however happening. A new company thought to make boring cars but slowly gaining the attention of car owners and enthusiasts. Tesla Motors has had more media mentions in print, mainstream media, and social media than any other car manufacturer in recent history. Huge interest is developing for electric cars. Whether it’s due to the innovative technology they use or having a charismatic C.E.O. Tesla Motors is the new motor world darling.”
Media is a formidable power of communication in modern society. Media conveys social realities and issues to its audience. Media analysis is used for story framing by journalists who finally publish these stories. The structure and outline of a media analysis essay form the backbone of writing one. Titling a media analysis essay may be hectic; however, you may choose a topic from the ones available in academic databases. In case you are stuck while writing your media analysis essay, follow the contents of this article or ask for media analysis assignment help.
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