When we first received brief #4, I was a little apprehensive about the topic of ‘institutions’ as I knew very little about what a media institution actually is, let alone their function in society. It has turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Jack and I have learnt more and more about what we perceived to be the hardest topic.
Institutions are concerned with organising structures of society. In their organisation, there are certain principles values and rules that underlie the way they function; such as legal framework and regulations, cultural rules and expectations.
Media institutions, according to Branston & Stafford (1999)
- Are enduring
- They regulate and structure activities
- Are collectivists in that they restrain individuals to their goals (E.g. Channel 9 camera man and CEO share the institutions goals, morals etc.)
- Develop working practices
- Employees and people associated are expected to share values
- Public is aware of this status (issues of trust, and breaching said trust between audience and media institution can damage an institution’s reputation. Examples: Journalism scandals, in the New York Times with Bush admin and Iraq and also the Catholic Church and child sex offences.
Some examples of media institutions are:
- ABO
- The news
- Journalism
- Newscorp
- Cinema
- Broadcast television
- Community radio
- Public broadcasting
- RRR