ABSTRACT
The history of media literacy education in the United States (US) is a cautionary tale for proponents of other literacies who are attempting to insinuate their approaches into formal educational practices. In typical technological determinist fashion, US media education has focused on the media of media education. United States exports more cultural products than any other nation on earth. Media are the third largest contributors to the US economy, running slightly behind weapons and aircraft in gross national product revenues generated. In fact, the dominance of US cultural products on the international market may help to explain the relative strength of media education as a required competency in public school curricula in England, Canada, Australia, and other English-speaking countries. The US Office of Education (USOE) framed the issue of critical viewing in a way that excluded the historical, economic, and additional cultural contexts of media representation.
