ABSTRACT
Being mindful of media messages is an important and intentional act of awareness that can inform us about our culture, provide a window into the American polity, and enable us to reflect on our own perceptions and ourselves. Media scholar Todd Gitlin (1986: 4) states: “Television bears special watching. It needs criticism and understanding, which cut beneath annoyance or apologia. To be seen properly, it has to be seen as the place where force-fields intersect: economic imperatives, cultural traditions, political impositions.” Yet, the act of “serious seeing,” (Gitlin, 1986: 8)
does not come naturally, it takes practice and study and dialogue with others.
