Media Studies Related Websites
Newseum: The Newseum, the interactive museum of news, takes visitors behind the scenes to see and experience how and why news is made. Visitors can be reporters or television newscasters; relive the great news stories of all time through multimedia exhibits, artifacts and news memorabilia; and see today's news as it happens.
National Schools Film Week: What sort of history do feature films give us? Do they do no more than show us what the period depicted in the film would have looked like? Do they tell us more about the values of the current culture which produces them as opposed to the culture that they seem to represent? For the historian and the student of history, the feature film presents many challenges and offers lots of problems. But if we are looking at feature films as a possible source of evidence, then they pose no more difficult questions than, say, paintings, photographs etc., in fact any other historical source that historians might use. The history strand of National Schools Film Week offers a wide historical perspective and is supported by study notes.
Masters of Photography: A collection of articles on the world's leading photographers. This includes Ansel Adams, Berenice Abbott, Alvin L. Coburn, Imogen Cunningham, Walker Evans, Arthur Fellig, Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, Jacob Riis, W. Eugene Smith, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Timothy O'Sullivan, Edward Weston and Clarence White.
Women Photographers: A website produced by the California Museum of Photography that includes images by some of the best-known names in the history of the medium as well as significant or exemplary images by other less famous photographers. There are illustrated articles on Frances Johnson, Julia Margaret Cameron, Gertrude Kasebier, Alice Boughton, Berenice Abbott, Marion Palfi, Alma Lavenson, Imogen Cunningham, Susan Meisalas, Barbara Morgan, Mary Ellen Mark, Rosalind Solomon and Olivia Parker.
Film Education is a registered charity supported by the film industry and the BFI in the UK. The website's aim is to encourage and promote the study of film and other media within the Curriculum through online resources, CD ROMS, downloadable study guides and educational video packs. In addition to providing a range of free educational materials, the site also includes information on INSET courses, workshops, seminars, free screening events and television programmes. The Film Library section, currently one of the site's most visited areas is a comprehensive list of titles recommended by Film Education by Key Stage and subject area and includes downloadable study guides for many of the films listed.
Photo-Seminars: A website for image makers and those who teach image making. It offers free seminars on several photographers including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edward Weston, Eugene Atget, Matthew Brady, Robert Capa, Imogen Cunningham, W. Eugene Smith, Irving Penn, Lisette Model and Margaret Bourke-White. There are also sixteen workshops on subjects such as Photojournalism and Travel Photography.
Filcomedia: Filcomedia is a web site dedicated to Film, Communication & Media studies for the 16-19 year old. The site is particularly useful for students & teachers following the AQA Communication Studies syllabus with a number of extensive case studies for the 'Culture, Context & Communication' unit. There are also a large number of photo-copiable hand-outs for A/AS Media Studies (in PDF) The site is frequently updated and is produced by an experienced subject specialist at Filton College of F.E.
Media Studies: Steve Baker's website is an unofficial site containing materials suitable for all students of Media, but in particular those studying the OCR and AQA syllabuses. While the site is still very much under development, there are a large number of shorts pieces on the main conceptual areas as well as longer booklets. There are also research links to major media organizations and some limited advice for teachers. A small amount of material is password protected, but the majority is open to all.
Media Web: This is a media studies site intended for students and teachers and anyone interested in working on the AQA media studies A/AS course. There are sections on film, advertising, representation, genre, audience,news, documentary, wider issues, advice on exam coursework and marking criteria. It's been very popular and is widely used by both students and teachers alike. The resources can be copied, pasted and printed.
A Level Media Site: Mick Underwood's website provides reading materials, links for research and useful notes. Aimed primarily at students on the AQA syllabus, but also relevant to any student or teacher of Media Studies.
Christmas Commercialism: The Association for Media Literacy (AML) is a voluntary, non-profit organization, made up of teachers, librarians, consultants, media professionals, parents and cultural workers concerned about the impact of the mass media and popular culture on young people. This lesson on Christmas Commercialism originally appeared in the Media Literary Resource Guide published by the Ontario Ministry of Education.
Carte-de-Visite Photographs: From 1859 onwards there were millions of small studio portrait photographs produced all over the world in a format known as Carte-de-visite. In the UK they were discontinued from about 1905. They were the first cheap, mass produced form of having an image of yourself, family and friends or even famous people! The were placed in albums made for them and now turn up in sales and are very collectable. They show how the Victorians looked in their Sunday best! This website, created by Roger Vaughan, contains a large section of these photographs.
American Photographers: Biographies of 42 photographers working in the United States between 1840 and 1980. There are also brief articles about Pictorialism, Documentary Photography, The Camera Club, Camera Work Magazine, Photo-Succession Group, Group f/64, Photo League, Surrealism, Farm Security Administration, Standard Oil Project, Photojournalism, Family of Man Exhibition, Life Magazine and Photomontage.
History of the BBC: Since it was first formed as a company in 1922, five years before it received its first Royal Charter and became the British Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC has been a world leader in programme production. It has pioneered communications in radio, television and online technologies. The BBC has proved a powerful force in the 20th century - providing entertainment, education and information, and captivating millions of viewers and listeners at home and abroad. This website gives a short history of the BBC, with highlights from radio and television from each decade.
Z MAGAZINE is an independent monthly of critical thinking on political, cultural, social, and economic life in the United States. Z Magazine is available in print and online. The online system, updated monthly, reproduces the print version of the magazine. The current edition includes articles on Corporate Globalization (Raymond Ker), The Next Arms Race (James John Bell) and Palestine: Ethnic Cleansing By Starvation (Rania Awwad).
FAIR is a United States media watch group and has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. The organization argues for greater diversity in the press and scrutinizes media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints. Fair is an anti-censorship organization that attempts to expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled.
Journal of Theory, Technology and Culture: Online journal published weekly. Recent articles include Language and Politics: Agonistic Discourse in West Wing (Samuel A. Chambers), Remediating Democracy: The Public Intellectual, Hypertext and the West Wing (Patrick Finn), Digital Democracy: When Culture Becomes News (Samuel A. Chambers and Patrick Finn), Culture Pessimism and Rock Criticism (Mike Grimshaw), Hyper-Heidegger (Arthur Krocker), Beyond Postmodernism? (John Armitage), Pleasure Island (Kenneth Chen), Sentencing Learners to Life (Cliff Falk), HTML as Needlepoint (Michael Dartnel) and Digital Ideology (Arthur and Marilouise Kroker).
Mediaknowall is designed as a starting point for students undertaking research into media projects. Created by Karina Wilson, Head of Media Studies at South Island School in Hong Kong, the website has sections for KS3, GCSE and A-level students, each containing notes and further links on a range of media topics - Audience, Production, Narrative, Genre etc as appropriate to each level. Students can also search for a particular topic or key word using the search page. The site has more than 150 pages and is constantly growing - especially as WJEC change the focus of the set papers each year. There is a comprehensive history of the horror film in a separate section, designed for those choosing Genre for their A2 coursework essay. Teachers can find also find simulations and suggestions for student tasks to go with key topics.
Media Literacy Clearinghouse: A website designed for educators who want to learn more about media literacy and to make their students more media aware. The material is organized under the headings: Advertising, Commercialism, Gender Representation, Motion Pictures, Propaganda, Political Advertising, Television, Recommended Articles, Role of Media in Politics, Analyzing for Bias, Media Literacy and Visual Literacy.
Pathe News: Seven years ago the publishers of the Daily Mail spent more than £10 million for the film library of British Pathe. The 3,500 hours of material covers news, sport, social history and entertainment from 1896 to 1970. The entire archive, including its pictures of the Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II, the explosion of the Hindenberg airship and the declaration of war in 1939, has been digitised, with the help of £1 million from the National Lottery's New Opportunities Fund. This material can now be searched online and downloaded from the Pathe News website.
Newsroom: The Newsroom, Archive and Visitor Centre at 60 Farringdon Road, London preserves and promotes the histories and values of the Guardian and the Observer through archive, education and exhibitions. School parties are invited to spend a day at the Newsroom to find out what it is like to be a reporter and editor. Students get the opportunity to get involved in everything from researching, writing, editing to creating headlines and selecting and captioning photographs.
Slip-Ups: The term "Slip-Up" means any amusing accidental blooper or mistake that wasn't caught, and made its way to the viewing public. They can be inconsistencies in movies, like an actor wearing something in one shot, and it's missing in the next shot. Or they can be funny errors in books. The website includes sections on Movies (9,052), TV (2,148), Books (266) and Quotes (181).
Internet Movie Database: The Internet Movie Database is the ultimate online movie database covering over 325,000 titles and over 1,000,000 people with facts, trivia, reviews plus multimedia links from the earliest films to the latest releases. The Movie database can be searched by Movie/TV Title, Cast/Crew Name, Character Name and Word Search.
News Corporation and the Iraq War: Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation owns more than 175 titles on three continents. He publishes 40 million newspapers a week and dominates the newspaper markets in Britain, Australia and New Zealand. In a recent interview in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Murdoch came out strongly in favour of the forthcoming war in Iraq: "We can't back down now, where you hand over the whole of the Middle East to Saddam... I think Bush is acting very morally, very correctly, and I think he is going to go on with it... I think Tony (Blair) is being extraordinary courageous and strong... It's not easy to do that living in a party which is largely composed of people who have a knee-jerk anti-Americanism and are sort of pacifist." In this article Roy Greenslade explores the reasons why Murdoch's 175 editors around the world are also backing the war with Iraq.
CNN International Network: Chris Cramer, president of CNN International Network, has recently pointed out that the US government is using the Internet to wage an "information warfare campaign" against Iraq. This has included sending messages calling them to defect to all people with Iraqi email addresses. Saddam Hussein has responded by closing down all internet service providers in Iraq. Cramer argues that the net will play a key role in the reporting of the war. He urges people to remember the quotation from Mark Twain: "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."
British Newspaper Library: The national archive collections in the United Kingdom of British and overseas newspapers is held at Colindale in London. It is the only large, integrated national newspaper service in the world, combining facilities for the collection, preservation, and use of newspapers all on one site. The library contains 52,000 newspaper and periodical titles. It is hoped that these newspapers will eventually be placed online. The British Library Online Newspaper Archive (pilot version only) currently includes searchable facsimile issues of London’s Daily News, The News of the World, The Weekly Dispatch, and The Manchester Guardian.
Propaganda War: In this article, Phillip Knightley, the author of the book The First Casualty: The War Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist and Myth Maker, discusses the media coverage of the Iraq War. Despite their superior resources, Knightley believes the coalition is losing the propaganda war with Iraq. He quotes from a leaked Psyops report that proposed: "bringing all Iraqi PoWs into impressively large groups and offering the world's media a photo opportunity; making more use of Iraqi opposition groups; and persuading Iraqis in 'liberated' areas to speak out against Saddam Hussein." Knightley agrees with this approach but warns: "that the media has become suspicious of stories handed to it on a plate. Even if some western correspondents might fall for such an operation, Arab and neutral reporters would expose it."
Paperboy: This website, created by Ian Duckworth, started out in November 1997 as a hobby to satisfy his own craving for easy access to quality news and has grown from there. The website now provides access to 5,635 newspapers. The "Newspaper Search" box is located at the top of the left column on the front page. This powerful search feature is the quickest way to track down the paper you're hunting for. Click on the appropriate newspaper name in the list of search results to visit the site.
Reporting the Iraq War: The Daily Mirror and the Daily Telegraph have reported the invasion of Iraq very differently. The editors of these newspapers, Piers Morgan and Charles Moore, hold very different views on the conflict. This website, hosted by the Guardian newspaper, includes a collection of interesting exchange of emails on the subject. In doing so, it provides a good resource for a project on how newspapers report a modern war.
War Propaganda Bureau: In September, 1914, the British government established the War Propaganda Bureau. Over the next four years famous writers were paid by the government to produce a series of articles, pamphlets and books on the First World War. In May 1916 the War Propaganda Bureau began sending artists to record events on the Western Front. Overall, over ninety artists produced pictures for the government during the war. Many of the artists found the work very difficult. Paul Nash complained about the control over subject matter. Nash told a friend: "I am not allowed to put dead men into my pictures because apparently they don't exist". On another occasion he said: "I am no longer an artist. I am a messenger who will bring back word from the men who are fighting to those who want the war to go on for ever. Feeble, inarticulate will be my message, but it will have a bitter truth and may it burn their lousy souls."
International Education Media: This website provides an a-z listing of countries who are looking to recruit students from overseas as well as nationally. Click on the 'courses' button to browse the different study topics available worldwide. Click on the green button beside each topic to read articles and features about studying a particular course that is of interest to you. Alternatively use the site search to find all relevant information. If you do not find what you are looking for on the site you may contact International Education Media through its contact button on the navigation bar across the top. A directory listing is free of charge and can be done via the website.
History On The Radio: Beginning in the 1930's and into the early 1960's, radio was the dominant means of communication, featuring entertainment such as comedy, detective shows and tales of the Old West. It also provided a popular means of education. Shows such as "You are There," recreated historical events including the assassination of Julius Caesar, the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, the Battle of Plassey and the Battle of Gettysburg. These shows were particularly exciting as they developed a unique and dynamic method of presentation: they were structured as if they were being covered by embedded journalists at live events. Other shows such as "Frontier Fighters" recreated dramatic events in the history of the American West. Episodes featuring outstanding personalities such as Zebulon Pike, Kit Carson and Wild Bill Hickock, both entertained and informed students during this period. Other shows such as "Cavalcade of America" presented the life stories of Mark Twain, John Sutter and Tom Edison. Best of Western Radio is now broadcasting these shows over the internet to educate and to entertain a new generation.
Indymedia UK: The media organization provides an interactive platform for reports from the struggles for a world based on freedom, cooperation, justice and solidarity, and against environmental degradation, neoliberal exploitation, racism and patriarchy. The reports cover a wide range of issues and social movements - from neighbourhood campaigns to grassroots mobilisations, from critical analysis to direct action. The content of the Indymedia website is created through a system of open publishing: anyone can upload a written, audio and video report or a picture directly to the site through an openly accessible web interface. Through this system of 'Direct Media', Indymedia erodes the dividing line between reporters and reported, between active producers and passive audience: people are enabled to speak for themselves.
Moving History: The AHRB Centre for British Film and Television studies and the South East Film and Video Archive have launched Moving History - a new web resource on film archives aimed at the arts and humanities academic community. This new site provides an in depth guide to the United Kingdom's twelve public sector moving image archives, presenting detailed information on these fascinating and valuable collections, and illustrated with over 100 selected film and television clips. The site also offers guidelines on gaining access to these archives, and provides links and contact points for further information.
Stage and Screen: Notes & Queries began in 1989 as a weekly column in the Guardian, and rapidly acquired a cult following. Now, thanks to the Internet, it is reaching a worldwide electronic audience. The questions and answers are organised into different categories. This section deals with the theatre and includes questions such as Why is a matinee performance so called, if it takes place in the afternoon?" and "Why is the ''green room'' in theatres so called?".
Reach for the Sky: This BSkyB careers website covers four areas: TV & Moves, Journalism, Music and Sport. Each section has interviews with practitioners at various levels; from presenters to backroom workers (video clips with text transcripts). Students will also find the CV Builder useful. Other sections include On the Road, Work It, Clued Up and Chat n Chill.
Newspaper Education Trust is a registered charity based in the heart of London Docklands. Supported by the Newspaper Industry it provides courses for students and teachers. Each year nearly 2,000 Primary and Secondary pupils use the newsroom facility each year. Teachers can also apply for courses that cover the basics of Microsoft Publisher, the Internet, e-mail and web design.
Media Literacy Conference: In a democracy the right to express oneself freely and the right of access to information are the indispensable rights of a citizen. In order to guarantee these rights we need independent, pluralistic and responsibly-minded media. Freedom of the press, free exchange of information and ideas and an open discussion without the influence of government are of great significance for the development of a free, stable and democratic society in a united Europe. This subject will be considered in greater depth during the conference 'Learning Democracy'. The presentation of media-literacy projects from different European countries offer information and the chance to collect ideas and take first steps in cooperation across national borders. The conference language is English.
Global Gang: Run by Christian Aid the website features a hot news section, which provides stories from around the world. The stories are illustrated and designed to provoke interest and discussion. Current news stories include Liberia (imagine living in a massive sports stadium with thousands of other people); Join the global gang! (a new project that links up children from around the world); Wrestling in London (Lisa from Colchester wrestled with a giant figure called 'I can't be bothered'); We can all be heroes! (find out about TV star Kwame's hero, and how you can be a hero); Gun Violence in Jamaica; Life in Afghanistan (how has life for children in Afghanistan changed since September 11th?) and Hunger in Southern Africa.
Today's Front Pages is an online version of a popular exhibit at Washington DC's Museum of Virtual News. Every morning, more than 100 newspapers from around the world submit their front pages to the Newseum via the Internet. Front pages are chosen to represent each of the 50 states as well as a selection of international newspapers. The main page of the website is a gallery of thumbnail images of newspaper front pages from around the world. You can click on a thumbnail to read a larger version of that front page. Updated daily it provides an excellent at-a-glance snapshot of global news.
Newsround: This BBC website provides news stories on interest to young people. The three main stories today are Apes are in danger of extinction, Non-green schools waste millions and last night's Champions League games. All news stories appear in categories such as UK News, World News, Sport, Music, TV/Film, Animals, Science and Technology. The website also has a section that explains how the stories gets online.
Screen Online: This British Film Institute website brings to life Britain's big and small screen histories from the 1890s to the present. Popular classics, little-known gems and many hard-to-find films and television programmes are represented by thousands of video extracts, thousands of still images, publicity materials and specially-written analyses by expert writers, supported by comprehensive filmographic information. Screen Online is a vital resource for anyone with either an academic or casual interest in British film or television.
Picture Library: The Museum of London Picture Library holds over 20,000 images illustrating the history of London and the life of its people from prehistoric times to the present. These include images of the Museum's collections of paintings, prints, drawings, historic photographs and 3D objects. The 1400 images that you can view on this website represent a selection of material available to order from the picture library. You can search through them by keywords, theme, date or type (colour or black and white).
First Day on the Somme: This CD-ROM, produced by Film Education, contains downloadable pdf's which take students through the process of constructing their own documentary on these historical events. Rushes from the period as well as contemporary footage allow students to discover ways in which propaganda can be created as well as the ways in which images can be manipulated. It also asks them to question the veracity of the moving image as used within documentary programmes on television. Full details can be found at the Film Education website.
Lobster Magazine: Robin Ramsay publishes the Lobster magazine twice a year. A collection of these articles can be found on the website. This includes: The Influence of Intelligence services on the British Left, Compromised Reporting, Conspiracy Theories and Clandestine Politics, Enemies Within? Recent JFK Literature, Who were they Travelling With? UFOs and the Governments of the USA and UK and Getting it Right: the Security Agencies in Modern Society.
Wizard of Oz: Since its publication in September 1900, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has become America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale. The first totally American fantasy for children, it is one of the most-read children's books. It has also engendered a long series of sequels, stage plays and musicals, movies and television shows, biographies of Baum, scholarly studies of the significance of the book and film, advertisements, and toys, games, and other Oz-related products. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of this timeless American classic, the Library of Congress has supplemented its unparalleled collections with costumes and other memorabilia borrowed from museums, other libraries, and private collectors.
PBS Frontline: When Frontline was launched in 1983, the prospects for television news documentaries looked grim. Pressure was on the network news departments to become profitable, and the spirit of outspoken journalistic inquiry established by programs like Edward R. Murrow's "See It Now" and "Harvest of Shame" had given way to entertainment values and feature-filled magazine shows. Therefore, it fell to public television to pick up the torch of public affairs and continue this well-established broadcast news tradition. This PBS website previews future shows as well as providing an archive of past shows, which can be browsed chronologically or by subject.
Conspiracy Planet: A collection of newspaper and magazine articles that provides an alternative view of the world. Titles include Moon Landing Scam, Princess Diana: Murder-Coverup, New World Order, Anthrax Fear Scam, Suppressed Science, Dyncorp Crimes, Cheney/Halliburton Fraud, CIA Drug Trafficking, Federal Reserve Scam, Globalism, Genetic Engineering, Vote Fraud, Vaccination Scam, Voodoo Science, Solari Action Network, PsyOps, Biowarfare, Chemtrails, Bilderbergers, Media Whores, Military Guinea Pigs and Harvard Hijacked.
Truth and Propaganda: The use of propaganda campaigns has been a crucial aspect of modern warfare. Various techniques and media have been employed by governments to attempt to modify their citizens' behaviour and outlook: to encourage recruitment for the armed service, bolster home morale and undermine the enemy. The diverse collections of the Imperial War Museum illustrate many aspects of the history of propaganda in the era of modern conflict. The material is organized under the headings: De-humanising The Enemy (the subtle employment of propaganda strategy), Myths And Heroes (icons, heroes and martryrs) and Machinery Of Delivery (media technology at war).
Great War Photographs: This Dutch website claims to have one of the largest collections of First World War photographs. The material is organized in galleries such as: Tinted War (more than 150 colour photographs of the war), They Die Young (40 photographs of underage soldiers), Shooting-Match (pictures of the Gallipoli campaign), Bloody Picnic (explicit photographs of the death and destruction caused by the war), The Americans are Coming (photographs of the American Expeditionary Force), Unforeseen Epidemic (shellshock victims) and Love & War (romantic postcards from the war).
Media History Project: This site is hosted by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, College of Liberal Arts and the University of Minnesota. The Media History site is organized under the following sections: Early Media (oral & scribal culture), Print Media (printing & publishing, journalism, photography, advertising, comics), Electrical Media (telegraphy, telephony, recorded music, video games), Mass Media (radio, film, television) and Digital Media (computing).
Media Smart: Children are exposed to a variety of media every day, some of which contain complex messages. Media plays an important role in children’s lives today; they watch programmes and advertising via satellite and terrestrial television, the Internet, billboards, magazines and newspapers, mobile phones, videos and DVDs. Although not all messages are aimed at children, a child must nevertheless interpret and make informed choices in response. As a child develops and grows, these skills are fine-tuned and used both as an individual and as a consumer. Media Smart is a media literacy programme, initially focused on advertising and is designed for primary school children aged 6-11 years old. It is the first UK media literacy programme to run inside the classroom and the home using broadcast and written educational materials.
Private Eye: This amazing websites contains more than 1,100 Private Eye front covers. Each cover is indexed by date and subject. The collection starts with the first issue on 25th October, 1961 (price 6d.) to the present day. The website is run by someone calling himself "Idi" and he is appealing for help to track down the 117 covers he is missing. Idi is obviously breaking copyright law with this website and it is hoped that Private Eye will appreciate the great service that these enthusiasts are providing.
The Onion: Every week, three million readers turn to the world's most popular humour publication for a much-needed dose of Onion satire and entertainment coverage. In a history spanning 15 years, six popular books, and 10 Webby Awards, The Onion has attracted legions of loyal fans drawn to its scathingly funny commentary on world events, human behavior, and journalistic convention. It is now available in a "new, non-free form". In other words it now has a premium service offering extra content and no ads.
Press Freedom: Freedom House has just published a report on press freedoms. As one would expect, European countries dominate the top rankings (Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Norway, Switzerland). However, one disturbing aspect is the position of Italy. It is ranked 74th (just below Benin and Mali). The report condemns Italy for “unbalanced” coverage of political events and says that it no better than Albania and Mongolia in terms of media independence. The report the decline in the quality of media coverage is linked to the rule of Silvio Berlusconi.
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