Media Research 101

Learning Goal: I’m working on a writing multi-part question and need the explanation and answer to help me learn.

Idea: Glamour Ladies Magazine vs A Men’s Magazine

Hypothesis, which references losing weight more/changing yourself the men’s or lady’s magazine.

Step 1: Identify and Collect Data

Step 2: Determine Coding Categories

Step 3: Code the Content for frequency, direction, in

Frequency – the number of times a particular code occurs.( list of words that appear in both magazines) (words should be in the realm of weight loss, take this and lose weight try to find words that deal with weight loss or healthy exercise surgery or pharmaceuticals

The direction the way the content appears, positive, negative, opposite, support, etc.

Intensity denotes the amount of strength towards a particular direction.

Space refers to the amount of space assigned to the text or the size of the message.

Step 4: Check Validity and Reliability

Step 5: Analyze and Present Results: (in a note-taking-styled MLA report with lists, breakdowns, and clear explanations.) (VERY Detailed!)

MLA

12 point font

double space

times new roman

clear, concise grammar/punctuation

In-text and work references

Assignment in simple Terms

Log advertisements in two magazines, and review for initial keyword list. Hone the list. Survey the magazines by counting the keywords you find. Perform content analysis for the ads and report results. Discuss who the target audience is.

CONTENT ANALYSIS – EXAMPLES

Gerth and Siegert (2012) selected 24 different newspapers and 5 TV news programs that targeted the population for the campaign and then coded 3,570 arguments made in them about the campaign during its 14 week.

Dill and Thill (2007) presented percentages and other statistics that showed that, among other differences, female characters were much more likely to be portrayed in sexualized ways in video game images than were male characters.