About This OER

Compiled and written by Dave Bostwick and Alyssa Riley

Edited by Dominique Andrea Montiel Valle

The Mass Media Landscape is a compilation of lessons to help readers understand the evolution of U.S. mass media and disruptive media technologies, including overviews of media law, media ethics and media literacy.  Following are four points of emphasis:

• Media literacy extends beyond the ability to identify misinformation and disinformation or follow reliable news sources.
• A crucial part of media literacy is understanding mass media history.
• Media literacy skills help both consumers and professionals create and publish reliable content, including on social media, in an ethical manner and with an understanding of long-term effects and potential consequences.
• All students, not just those who seek careers in the industry, benefit from learning about media history, media law, media ethics, and media literacy.

Because this Open Educational Resource  (OER) is presented in a book-like structure, the interactive elements may be more convenient on a standard screen, such as a laptop or tablet computer. However, the display will automatically reformat for reading on a smaller screens, such as a smartphone.

With the Creative Commons by attribution license, others can adopt, customize, modify, adapt, or remix this text. If you adopt the this guidebook for a class or rewrite and remix it with your own refinements, please let me know. Just send an email:

Dave Bostwick
bostwick@uark.edu

A Note About First-Person Content – Several chapters in this OER text begin with first-person narratives as a means of using authentic storytelling to engage, inform and educate audiences. While it may seem odd to read brief first-person accounts in a text focused on a specific curriculum, I hope this gives audiences a chance to reflect on their own personal stories about the evolution of media as it has affected their lives. In a classroom setting, this may facilitate students or faculty sharing their own stories. Within Blackboard, online faculty will have the option to tell their own brief first-person narratives related to chapter topics.

A Note About External Content – This online guidebook includes embedded multimedia content and links to external articles. These were verified as functioning upon initial publication of this text and may be periodically checked and updated during the lifespan of this OER text. Occasionally, website addresses may change or content may no longer be available. Please email bostwick@uark.edu if you encounter any problems.