MM 3503 - Austin Adair

As the 2025 NBA Playoffs reach their peak, fans are not only glued to the games but also to how those games are being framed by the media. From TNT and ESPN to Bleacher Report and TikTok, coverage of the postseason is less about unbiased reporting and more about crafting stories that fuel engagement, controversy, and virality. This dynamic creates a perfect lens through which to examine how media narratives shape sports culture and public opinion. One of the most noticeable patterns in this year’s playoff coverage is the heavy emphasis on individual stars. Networks like ESPN and sports influencers on social media have centered much of their content around household names like LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Luka Dončić, regardless of their team’s overall performance. While individual excellence is part of the NBA’s appeal, this framing can overshadow rising teams or balanced rosters such as the Oklahoma City Thunder or Minnesota Timberwolves, who are making deep and impressive playoff runs...

In today's society where global crises are reported immediately across platforms, the role of international media in shaping public perception has never been more influential, or more scrutinized. One such case is the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict, a deeply complex issue covered by newsrooms around the world. Analyzing how various international media outlets report on this conflict reveals not just political leanings, but also strategic framing, language choices, and audience targeting. This blog post examines how BBC World News (UK), Al Jazeera English (Qatar), and CNN International (USA)cover the Israel-Gaza conflict, with an eye toward framing, sources, and visual storytelling. Each of these outlets brings a unique editorial lens shaped by cultural, political, and institutional factors. BBC World News strives for impartiality, often quoting both Israeli and Palestinian sources and offering balanced headlines such as “Dozens Killed in Gaza as Israel Responds to Hamas Attacks.” The...

In just a few years, TikTok has grown from a small lip-syncing app into one of the most influential media platforms on the planet. With over 1 billion monthly active users globally, TikTok has not only reshaped the way we consume short-form video content but has also disrupted traditional media stereotypes by empowering everyday users to become influential creators. As a tool for both entertainment and information, TikTok offers a compelling lens through which to analyze the effects of social media on mass communication, credibility, and digital culture. One of the platform’s most controversial aspects is its role in spreading misinformation. From COVID-19 conspiracies to political propaganda, TikTok, similar to other apps, has struggled to balance freedom of expression with the need for content moderation. A 2023 report by NewsGuard stated that TikTok’s search function often leads to misinformation faster than Google or YouTube, raising concerns about the app’s influence on younger au...

          In the world of media criticism, few voices have had the cultural and political impact of Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily Show . Known for blending satire with sharp media analysis, Stewart spent 16 years exposing hypocrisy, spin, and misinformation across the mainstream media landscape. His work is often praised by scholars, journalists, and comedians alike for reshaping political discourse and raising media literacy among younger viewers. But as we study media critics in depth, it's important not just to admire Stewart’s influence, but to interrogate the methods and limits of his criticism as well.           This blog post critiques the critiques—specifically, how Jon Stewart himself became a powerful media critic, and how his style has been analyzed by others. For reference, I examine several secondary analyses, including Stephen Farnsworth and Robert Lichter’s work in The Nightly News Nightmare and a key es...

David Mickey Evans’ The Sandlot remains a beloved piece of American cinema and is still my favorite movie of all time. And it’s not just for its baseball nostalgia, but for how it portrays themes of identity, friendship, and social belonging throughout the 1960s suburban America. While often classified as a coming-of-age sports movie, The Sandlot serves as a subtle reflection of how media reinforces cultural ideals like masculinity and growing up.  Set during the summer of 1962, the film follows shy newcomer Scotty Smalls as he tries to make friends in his new neighborhood by learning to play baseball with a tight-knit group of boys. The story unfolds through childhood memories filled with exaggerated adventures, comic legends (“The Beast”), and sun-soaked memories narrated by an adult version of Smalls himself. This narrative framing aligns the film with media tropes of nostalgic storytelling, idealizing a simpler past and, in doing so, reinforcing selective memory that often om...

In an era where speed and personalization dominate media consumption, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force in journalism and news production. From automating breaking news alerts to generating personalized content feeds, AI is reshaping how media organizations gather, produce, and distribute information. While the technology offers efficiency and innovation, it also raises ethical concerns that warrant closer examination by media critics, editors, and future journalists. One of the most notable implementations of AI in journalism is its use in automating routine reporting tasks. Major outlets like The Washington Post and Reuters use AI programs to generate reports on different things like sports, finance, and even political results. These tools can process massive data sets in real time and deliver instant reports with minimal human intervention. This automation frees up human reporters to focus on deeper investigative work and analysis. However, it also...