During the week, watch a national news broadcast of your choice and a half-hour or hour-long television situation comedy that contains a family or a neighborhood of people. While you are watching these programs, take notes of the messages these programs are giving you. For example, on the news program, what types of stories are reported? What kind of ideological messages can you detect? On the situation comedy, what types of values do these people hold? Are they similar to your values or to people you know? With both programs, don’t forget to include an analysis of the advertising during commercials. What types of products or services are being advertised? What is the message? In the ads, how was happiness defined? Your goal is to notice what audience members are being told about themselves and the values they should hold. Post your responses to these questions.
