"There’s a vast amount of media illiteracy," says John Jennings, Washington and Lee Prof. Emeritus. "We tend to lump all forms of communication into this monolith that we call ‘the media,’ which runs the gamut from the late, non-lamented, National Enquirer, to the Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor, from Howard Stern to Bob Edwards, and from Britney Spears to Madeline Albright." Jennings says citizens need to realize that within this broad media landscape different segments serve different purposes that meet different needs.  And people are not being educated on how to access what they need. 

Another problem is the focus on image over ideas, according to Louis Hodges, Washington and Lee Prof. Emeritus. "And that seems to me to be a disaster," says Hodges. "Now, it’s image over rational idea that runs the world.  People react rather than reflect in the modern world.  And that, of course, means that we do not have a solid base for determining what our polices out to be, because we rely more on emotion than on thought."

Both experts suggest that schools should play a role in improving this situation. “If we’re going to do anything about the performance of the media, we’ve got to have something to do with the audience by way of providing in our school system something more than we’re providing now."

And for those of us who have long since finished our formal education, other resources can help improve our media literacy.  Find more information below.

Listen to Jennings and Hodges discuss the state of the media on Seniors Sounding Off with David Reynolds (30 minute program)
 
Get the Media Literacy Kit from the Center for Media Literacy