1. Explain the potential goals for media content analysis. What can be achieved with a content analysis? What cannot be achieved with a content analysis?
One of the potential goal of media content analysis is to try to understand the effect media content has on people. For example, as discussed in class lecture, in the use of public relations, content analysis can be used to “measure the success in public relation programs and assessment of media profiles. Additionally, content analysis could help view the circulation, readership and number of viewers/listeners and the frequency of a publication, which would help PR people when they create campaigns. Another potential goal for media content analysis is to understand the possible …show more content…
For example, the relationship between television content about the election and the perceptions people have about the election because through examining the manifest meaning and latent meaning of media content, coders would be able to analyze whether or not there is relationship. Content analysis cannot be used for underlying motives for the observed pattern, it can answer the question ‘what’ but not the ‘why’ question. Additionally, the analysis is limited by the availability of material, observed trends in media may not be an accurate reflection of reality. (UC Davis)
2. Abstract: As stated in the abstract, what were the goals for the two studies (Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media and Social Behavior & Personality)? How was each study conducted and what were the results (if any are stated)? Do you see any potential problems with the claims made in one or both abstracts?
The goals for the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media study was to “analyze employment of women behind the scenes and more equitable portrayals of female and male characters.” The goal of the Social Behavior & Personality study was to determine the effects of [child] programs in terms of gender and race representations and stereotypes” from two television channels, “the Kuwait national channel and the Egyptian satellite …show more content…
The sample size was 60 segments. This study does not state who did the coding nor does the study state how the coders were trained. The study also does not state whether the study used double coding. The intercoder reliabilities were not stated in this study, so there is no way to know if the quality of the intercoder reliabilities were high or low.
It is important to know the intercoder reliability because it helps us determine the percentage of times coders agreed with each other about the nature of the content they coded. It is important also to know the percentage of times coders agreed with each other because they are assessing the “characteristics inherent in a sample of television programming, movies, web pages or newspaper or magazine content,” so it is important to know that the “classification procedure” is reliable in the sense of being consistent, by making sure “different people”, “code the same text