Do Media and

Information speak in

Codes? How can I

understand them?
By: Sheida Minga-as, Xean Coral
Introduction
Information serves different purposes.

Proper use of information depends on how

well you can identify the information you

need and your ability to locate, understand,

and evaluate available information.

The word information is not limited to

"serious news". All forms of content in media

are considered information and all

information is a message.
Roles of Media Providers:
to facilitate teaching and learning processes
to provide access to all types of information
to serve as a gateway to information
to promote universal values and civil rights such as freedom of

expression, speech, and of the press

to serve as society's collective memory
to gather more information
to preserve cultural heritage
to entertain
Media and other providers of information play different roles

to meet our different information needs. We often hear that

the role of media is to inform and to educate. In fact there is

a difference between the two:

To educate is to go beyond

To inform is to provide relevant data

providing relevant information by

on a specific subject. Sometimes,

helping people gain a deeper

this data is limited to a specifc group

knowledge through additional data,

of people
context, and analysis of information.
 "The medium is

message"

Marshall McLuhan, 1964

he was a Canadian philosopher whose work laid

the foundation of media theory

 Technical Codes
These include techniques and method like

Types of
camera angle, shot type, and lighting.
Codes in

Written Codes
Media
Use of language style and textual layout

Audio Codes
These include codes related to sounds.
Codes are systems of

signs, which create

meaning.
Symbolic Codes
These are codes that are used to convey a

symbolic rather than a literal meaning

The University of Minnesota defines media

representation as "the ways media portrays

particular groups, communities, experience, ideas,

or topics from a particular ideological or value

perspective."
According to BBC,
Construction

these key term will help

Mediation
us grasp media

representation in a
Selection
more critical manner.
Anchorage

Stereotypes

Ideology
Media Representation

Construction Mediation Selection

refers to the
refers to the refers to the

way a media
process that a
process of

material is
media material
selecting

"put together" undergoes

content for a

before reaching
media

an audience. material
Media Representation

Anchorage Stereotypes Ideology

refers to the refers to the
refers to the

words used to oversimplified

set of opinions

give images a representatio

or beliefs

certain n of a person
expressed

meaning or thing through a

media material