MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY

TYPES OF INFORMATION
The types of information can be categorized based on their purpose, audience, and
level of depth. Here’s an overview of each type:
1. Scholarly Information: This type of information is produced by experts in a
specific field and is typically peer-reviewed. Scholarly articles are often published in
academic journals and contain original research, methodology, and extensive
references. They are intended for an academic audience, including researchers,
scholars, and students, and they emphasize rigor and critical analysis. Examples
include journal articles, dissertations, and conference papers.
2. Professional/Trade Information: This category includes information intended
for professionals in a specific industry. It often appears in trade journals, industry
reports, and professional associations’ publications. The content typically focuses on
practical applications, trends, innovations, and issues relevant to practitioners. This
information is less formal than scholarly work but is still credible, as it is often
written by industry experts. Examples include newsletters, trade magazines, and
white papers.
3. Entertainment/Popular Information: This type of information is designed for
the general public and is often found in magazines, blogs, television shows, and
online content. It aims to entertain, inform, or engage a wide audience and often
uses a more casual and accessible writing style. While it may include factual
content, the emphasis is on storytelling, celebrity news, lifestyle topics, and human
interest stories. Examples include popular magazines, movies, and social media
posts.
4. Opinion: Opinion pieces express personal viewpoints or interpretations on
various topics. These can be found in editorials, commentaries, blogs, and opinion
columns in newspapers and magazines. The goal is to persuade or provoke thought
rather than to provide factual information. Opinion pieces can be based on personal
experiences, beliefs, or interpretations of current events, and they often invite
discussion or debate. Examples include op-eds, personal essays, and public
speeches. Each of these types serves a distinct purpose and caters to different
audiences, highlighting the diversity of information available in various contexts.

Providers of Information
1. Academic Institutions. Academic institutions are schools, colleges, and
universities that confer academic degrees. They are dedicated to education and
research. Students and faculty members of academic institutions continually seek
knowledge for themselves and for their community. The wealth of information they
hold can be harnessed from their classrooms, libraries, research and training
centers, museums and performance halls, publications, and websites.
2. Government Agencies. A government agency is an organization under the
government which is responsible for the administration of a specific function.
Examples: PAGASA- informs us about the weather
PHIVOLCS- monitors the volcanoes and earthquake faults
BIR – collects the taxes
3. Private Sector. The private sector includes businesses, organizations, and other
players in the economy that are not owned or operated by the government. They
provide goods and services for profit. Competition for the consumers' support
pushes them to continually improve the products and information that they provide.
4. Private Individuals. Considered private individuals are those who do not
represent another person, corporation, or group. A private individual must be
motivated to tell the truth, to help, and to do the right thing when giving
information.
Sources of Information
1. Primary Sources. Primary sources are, simply put, firsthand accounts These bring
us as close as possible to the event, the subject, the original idea, or the findings of
a scientific study. Some examples of primary sources are Theses & dissertations,
Diaries, Interviews, Letters, Speeches, Photographs Original works of art & literature
2. Secondary Sources. A secondary source is anything that comments on, analyzes,
or tackles a primary source. The information from the primary source is reviewed,
organized, or interpreted, often with the help of other secondary sources. Some
examples of secondary sources are: • Textbooks, Biographies, Critical reviews
3. Tertiary Sources. Tertiary sources are sources that refer to a primary or secondary
source. It gives an overview of the topic, but rarely contains original material. Some
examples are: Dictionaries, Handbooks, Tables, Encyclopedias

ROLES OF INFORMATION PROVIDERS

The information serves different purposes. Proper use of information depends on
how well you can identify the information you need and your ability to locate,
understand, and evaluate available information. Media and other providers of
information play different roles to meet at different information needs. We often
hear that the role of media is to inform and to educate. In fact, there is a difference
between the two:
1. To inform is to provide relevant data on a specific subject. Sometimes, this
data is limited to a specific group of people.
2. To educate is to go beyond providing relevant information by helping people
gain a deeper knowledge through additional data, context, and analysis of
information.
Other roles of media/information providers are:
 to facilitate teaching and learning processes
 to provide access to all types of information
 to serve as a gateway to information
 to promote universal values and civil rights such as freedom of expression,
speech, and of the press to serve as society's collective memory
 to gather more information to preserve cultural heritage
 to entertain

CODES AND CONVENTIONS IN MEDIA

1. Technical Codes- These include techniques and methods like camera angle,
shot type, and lighting.
2. Written codes- Some examples of this are headlines, captions, titles, and
writing style.
3. Audio codes- this is related to sound. Background music, sound effects, and
voice overs.
4. Symbolic codes- these are codes that are used to convey a symbolic-rather
than a literal-meaning.
Sample scenarios under codes of media
1. A social media platform enforces community guidelines that dictate what content
is acceptable to post, including rules against hate speech and misinformation.
2. A news organization adheres to ethical standards that require journalists to fact-
check information before publishing to maintain credibility.
3. An online news outlet publishes a set of guidelines for journalists on how to report
on sensitive topics, including mental health and violence.
4. A podcast series discusses the ethical implications of data privacy and the
responsibilities of tech companies in protecting user information.

Media Conventions- referred to as the generally accepted ways of doing something.

Each genre in television, film, and literature follows certain conventions that
distinguish them from other genres.

MEDIA REPRESENTATION
- It is define as “the ways media portrays particular groups, communities,
experiences, ideas, or topics from a particular ideological or value
perspective” by the University of Minnesota.
- It tells that media reflect ideology, not reality.
- An awareness of how media “construct” or represent” reality and affect our
perception of ourselves and of our surroundings.
Key terms:
1. Construction: refers to the way a media material is “put together”.
2. Mediation : refers to the process that the media material undergoes before
reaching an audience.
3. Selection: refers to the process of selecting content for a media material.
4. Anchorage: refers to the words used to give images a certain meaning
5. Stereotypes: refers to the oversimplified representation of a person or
thing.
6. Ideology- refers to the set of opinions or beliefs expressed through a media
material.
Media representation is an interesting, multi-layered topic in media and
information literacy. It examines the influence and responsibility of media, as well as
the responsibility of those who receive and provide information. It also encourages
us to examine how our own values and beliefs, our sense of right and wrong, and
our definition of truth affect and shape these media representations.
Sample scenario of media representation:
 A television show portrays a character from a specific cultural background
using stereotypes that do not accurately reflect the diversity within that
culture.
 A documentary highlights the achievements of women in science but lacks
any interviews with women of color, leading to a narrow view of the subject.
 A film showcases various characters from different ethnicities, each with a
substantial and positive role in the storyline, promoting inclusivity.
 A music video depicts a lavish lifestyle that perpetuates materialism and
consumerism without any critique or context.
 A video game features a female protagonist who is portrayed as a strong,
independent leader, challenging traditional gender norms.
COPYRIGHT
 - It is a legal framework that grants the creator of original works exclusive
rights to their use and distribution, typically for a limited time, with the
intention of enabling creators to receive compensation for their intellectual
investment. Copyright applies to various forms of creative expression,
including literature, music, art, and software. Fair use is a legal doctrine that
allows limited use of copyrighted material without obtaining permission from
the copyright holder. It serves to balance the interests of copyright owners
with the public's interest in the dissemination of information.
- Example: An artist creates a painting and registers it with the copyright
office. Later, a company uses the image of this painting on its product
packaging without the artist's permission. The artist discovers this and files a
lawsuit for copyright infringement, claiming that the company has violated
her exclusive rights to the artwork.
FAIR USE
- It is determined based on several factors, including the purpose of use
(commercial or educational), the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount
of the work used, and the effect of the use on the market for the original
work.
- Example: A teacher incorporates a short excerpt from a novel into a lesson
plan to illustrate a literary concept. She photocopies a single page of the
book and distributes it to her students for educational purposes. In this case,
her use may qualify as fair use because it is for educational purposes,
involves only a small portion of the work, and does not negatively impact the
market for the book.
PLAGIARISM
- It is an ethical issue rather than a legal one. It involves taking someone else's
work, ideas, or expressions and presenting them as one's own without proper
attribution. Plagiarism can occur in academic settings, professional writing,
and various forms of creative work.
- Example: A student writes a research paper and copies several paragraphs
from an online article without citing the source. When the paper is submitted,
the instructor recognizes the text as being from a published article and
confronts the student about the plagiarism. The student is penalized for
failing to give proper credit to the original author.