Introduction
It should be noted that the orientation of an individual in the socio-political space is related to the effectiveness of the situation analysis. Media play a significant role in that matter. Mass media are one of the most important institutions since they have the potential for open (public) transmission of various information to any person through a set of special tools. Notably, history evidences that media can serve or pursue a variety of goals.
In particular, they can educate people, foster their adequate self-esteem and strive for freedom, equality, and social justice.1 Nevertheless, their activities can have the opposite effect and cause misinformation, incite mass hatred, instill fear and distrust. Due to the fact that the media play a crucial role in the harmonious life of society and form public consciousness, it is important to consider the way they have a potential to make a significant negative impact on the formation of people’s attitudes and distort events.
Topic for the Paper
The movie “The Central Park Five” is a vivid example of the way mass media have distorted the truth and led to the imprisonment of five innocent men. As mentioned above, mass media can influence people’s understanding of facts greatly and can contribute to the development of either positive, negative or neutral position regarding the particular occurrences.
Therefore, it would be important to review this movie from this point of view and analyze the way mass media have contributed to the emergence of mass hatred and wrongful conviction of five men who had to spend many years in jail because of injustice.2 The main issues of this movie that will be covered in the proposed research paper are social injustice and racial inequality encouraged by mass media, police brutality, the hype created by mass media, and the overall importance of them and their effects on the establishment of people’s representations.
Timeline
The timeframe for conducting the research and finalizing the paper is five weeks. Therefore, it is significant to carry out a consecutive analysis of the materials. The plan of the steps to take is as follows:
- Reading the background information about the case described in the film to gain an understanding of the setting (Week 1);
- Watching the movie “The Central Park Five” (Week 1);
- Carrying out research on the case materials, the news related to it, and taking notes about the occurrence (Week 2);
- Re-watching the movie to reflect and analyze the information obtained during the research and compiling it with an understanding that emerged from the movie (Week 3);
- Preparing the annotated references (Week 3 due date May 30);
- Preparing the draft of the research paper based on the notes from case materials, the movie, and the news (Week 4);
- Finalizing the paper and proofreading (Week 5).
Concluding Points
The role of the media cannot be overemphasized due to the fact that they affect not only the feelings and moods of people but also their social attitudes and values, as well as the forms of their distribution among various social groups and their manifestation in activities.3 Therefore, the research on the movie and the analysis of the role of mass media in that matter will allow drawing a conclusion about the importance of rational thinking and an adequate comprehension of the facts covered in the media. The research paper will help to navigate in the complicated case exhibited in the movie and assist in developing the correct attitude towards mass media and its role in the life of society.
Bibliography
Biagi, Shirley. Media/Impact. 12th edn. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2016.
Murray, Elizabeth. Overturning Wrongful Convictions. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2015.
Sokol, Jason. All Eyes Are Upon Us. London: Hachette UK, 2014.
Footnotes
- Shirley Biagi, Media/Impact, 12th edn. (Boston: Cengage Learning, 2016), 272.
- Jason Sokol, All Eyes Are Upon Us (London: Hachette UK, 2014), 103.
- Elizabeth Murray, Overturning Wrongful Convictions (Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2015), 7.