COM-340

Marisa Hinderaker
Application Log 12- Cultural Studies
According to Stuart Halls Cultural Studies theory, the mass media function to
maintain the ideology of those already in power. They use framing to lead audiences
to a particular interpretation of an event, as well as to further the influence of preexisting power controllers. For many years, the local newspaper that covered my
high school was very biased toward athletics. Any and every sporting event, no
matter how small, received ample coverage in the paper. However, academic
achievements received little to no attention. Some attributed this to the lack of an
audience for the accomplishment, but the same paper covered local group
luncheons and gave plenty of attention to other community events.
In recent years, the academic coverage has improved. Students and groups
who accomplished academic feats and attended school-related activities like speech
competitions and math tournaments earned articles in the newspaper, just like the
athletes. Of course, they dont get as much attention. My cynical side thinks it might
be because theres not much going on in my area and everything is newsworthy. But
I do hope that the paper will continue to recognize more than just athletics.