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MediaSTORMWATCH

A nonprofit educational media studies project


"Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press."


About MediaStormwatch

  I have established MediaStormwatch to study the bias, imbalance and agenda-setting of today's concentrated media market.  

  The filtering and blatant manipulation of what consumers receive through the traditional channels of communciation: television, newspapers and newsweekies -- is giving Americans a view of the world shaped more by perception than reality. 

  MediaStormwatch is a nonprofit, educational media studies project looking at available academic research, industry analysis and popular opinion of the state of the mass media today. 

--Paul J. Elliott
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
May 2007

Disaster Relief

Managing the New Closed Captioning Rules

CCTelevision station managers and news directors are facing new closed captioning requirements that will quicken the pace of technological development and move broadcasting ever closer to the digital era. Congress and the Federal Communications Commissionon are committed to imposing regulations that will ensure that closed captioning requirements will apply to digital broadcasting. However, the National Association of Broadcasters and other industry groups have been reluctant to embrace the technological possibilities that have the potential effect on one in 12 Americans.

All new non-exempt television programming was required to be closed-captioned beginning January 1, 2006. This applies to both digital and current analog televisions produced in English. Over the next six years, these rules will extend to Spanish-language programming. These closed captioning requirements are being adopted to coincide with the proposed transition to digital broadcasting.

In August 2006, the FCC issued a public notice* that it will ease up on television broadcasters who are unable to provide full closed-captioning services during an emergency, such as severe weather, as long as the broadcasters make a good faith effort to provide the information in some visual form.
Read the Full Report*
*Must have Acrobat Reader to view pdf file

Read a Special Statement on Closed Captioning
from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters

The Medium and The Messenger

Trudeau This exciting new project takes an exciting new look at the life and career of Pierre Elliott Trudeau and the role the media played in his rise to power to become the top newsmaker in Canada of the 20th century. This proposed documentary examines the influences on Trudeau, especially that of communications guru Marshall McLuhan.

The Medium and the Messenger promises to be a fascinating look at how politics and media work together to transform both the man and the message.  Due out in 2008, this project will be the culmination of my graduate career.
Read the Prospectus*
*Must have Acrobat Reader to view pdf file
Top media stories
 

My Current Media Studies


A Special Report:
News Bias and Unbalanced Reporting
Read Critique

Remembering the News:
Applying the Science of Cognitive Learning in Making the News More “Memorable”
Media Handling of Baseball's Steroid Controversy
Read Critique

Cognitive Processing and Visual Centers:
Rethinking Information Overload


©Copyright 2007, Paul J. Elliott and MediaStormwatch