Mass Media And Controversy

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II. Five Features of Media and Argument:

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a. Media may distract from public engagement
b. Media may be a topic of debate
c. Media may host public debates
d. Media may facilitate public discussion
e. Media may present arguments to audiences

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II. Five Features of Media and Argument:a. Media may distract from public engagement

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i. People will spend time watching TV instead of talking
ii. Can make the public passive and disengaged from public issues

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II. Five Features of Media and Argument: b. Media may be a topic of debate

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i. When controversy arises, what is the role of the media, is it doing its job?
ii. Debate whether the media is biased
iii. Should the media influence public opinion
iv. Debates over specific programs and their content

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II. Five Features of Media and Argument:c. Media may host public debates

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i. We look to the media to provide the debates (i.e. presidential debate)
ii. Campaign ads are another means of debate, lets two sides engage with each other
iii. Unofficial debates in conversation with each other

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II. Five Features of Media and Argument:d. Media may facilitate public discussion

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i. Gives the public an output to engage with others
ii. Message boards, blogs
iii. Provides facts and information
iv. Media has the capacity to provide in-depth coverage

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II. Five Features of Media and Argument:e. Media may present arguments to audiences

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i. Makes opinions public and gives us a chance to hear why they think that
ii. Gives us a chance to evaluate what they think

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III. Deliberation and the Media

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i. Deliberation: reasoning and discussion about the merits of public policy
ii. Argumentation through conversation
iii. Deliberation (ideal is face-to-face)
b. Deliberation is largely mediated

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d. Possible problems

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. Problems with this:
i. Representation
1. The media cannot actually let everybody participate
ii. Bias/Misinformation
1. Makes the public apathetic and cynical
iii. Access
1. Not everybody has universal access to television and internet

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d. Possible Solutions (Page Article):

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i. A combination of “opinion leaders” and “professional communicators”
1. Opinion Leaders: members of the community, pastors, educators, movement leaders, commentators
ii. A combination of media and conversation
1. Potentially a way to get around the problems

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I. Controversy broad definitions

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e. Some broad definitions (Oxford-English Dictionary)
i. The action of disputing or contending one another; dispute, debate, contention
ii. Discussion in which opposite views are advanced and maintained by opponents (can mean the same thing as a debate)
iii. A debate or dispute on a matter of opinion

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f. More precise definitions

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i. Controversy appears as ubiquitous, temporally pluralistic, extended argumentative engagements constituted in the full range of communicative actions, practices, and systems (G. Thomas Goodnight, “Controversy,” in Argument & Controversy)
1. Ubiquitous = everywhere, about anything
2. Temporally = any place in time, or duration, but not necessarily all the time (active and dormant)
3. Controversy encourages a wide range of expression
ii. Social Controversy is an extended rhetorical engagement that critiques, resituates, and develops communication practices bridging public and personal spheres (Kathryn M. Olsen and G. Thomas Goodnight, “Entanglements of Consumption, Cruelty, Privacy, and Fashion: The Social Controversy Over Fur,” Quarterly Journal of Speech)
1. Makes us consider things that we wouldn’t normally consider, and also consider the way that we talk about them
2. Public and personal spheres coming together = social

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II. Problems with Controversy

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a. Makes us believe that the issue is so large that is practically unsolvable
b. Signals mistakes in reasoning
i. Failure to Communicate: We don’t know how to reason and communicate properly
ii. Public ineptitude
c. Turns people into adversaries
i. Not just Side A vs. Side B, but we assume this format
d. Inhibits action
i. Irresolvable disagreement stalls action

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III. The Six Benefits of Controversy

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a. Exposes errors and untruths
b. Enables us to better understand our own beliefs
c. Values different opinions
d. Draws attention to how we communicate
e. Contests social conventions
f. Promotes new forms of democratic communication

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a. Exposes errors and untruths

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i. Challenges participants
ii. Holds people accountable
iii. Encourages people to investigate the facts
iv. Encourages a heightened critical evaluation
v. Testing propositions (a particular statement that inspires controversy)

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b. Enables us to better understand our own beliefs

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i. Makes us question ourselves and encourages us to take a side
ii. Makes you choose what you think, and why you think that

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c. Values different opinions

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i. Differing opinions are what fuel controversy
ii. Value pluralism: where controversy can arise more easily
iii. Controversy puts multiple views in conversation with one another

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d. Draws attention to how we communicate

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i. Makes us question what makes communication positive or negative
ii. Makes us question who speaks, who isn’t allowed to speak, what kind of expression is appropriate, and what type of communication works/doesn’t work

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e. Contests social conventions

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i. By engaging them in new ways

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f. Promotes new forms of democratic communication

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i. Using television and comedic shows as a means of political discussion
ii. Invention of new modes of discourse