my Executive Summary

Mini-Project #2 – Book Club for the 21st Century

Executive Summary of “Media Mythmakers: how journalists, activists, and advertisers mislead us” by Benjamin Radford, released in 2003

The intention of Benjamin Radford in Media Mythmakers is stated as soon as the title. Radford intends to show ways that journalists, activists, and advertisers have misled us in the past and how they are able to continue to do so. The structure of the book is appropriately divided into four sections. The first is concerned with advertising and how the only concern of an advertisement is promoting the product. Advertisers will tamper with the consumers’ emotions, often even resorting to fear, in order to push the product. The book provides numerous examples of this.
One particularly striking example is about Philip Morris, the cigarette company. Tobacco products have been proven to kill about five million people per year, yet Philip Morris advertises itself as a humanitarian organization that is constructive to our civilization. For decades, Philip Morris and other major tobacco brands have been raking in billions of dollars selling their dangerous products to the consumers without properly revealing these dangers, which they were well aware of. In order to repair their image, the companies organize these humanitarian campaigns which can cost upwards of 150 million dollars per year. Corporations will resort to deceitful packaging and advertisements in order to push the product, even if it is detrimental to society as are cigarettes.
The second part of Media Mythmakers is all about the media: how the media is so powerful in dictating the opinions of their audience and how they never use this power properly. Radford describes misuse of media influence in terms of political bias, which is common during important events in which there are varying opinions, such as wars, elections, and disasters. Journalists can choose which stories to emphasize in their reports, and which stories not to report at all. Since the goal of a media corporation is to maximize their audience size, they will select and emphasize stories that will earn the highest ratings. Be it newspapers, magazines, television, radio, internet, or otherwise, the highest rated stories turn out to be those describing bad news as well as minor fears and risks. Modern media has progressed to the point that they are capable of creating the illusion of providing content and information that is proportional to actual global happenings.
The reality is that this is never true, and that the media corporation thinks about its own success first and the audience second. Media organizations will stoop to the point that they will attempt to put ideas in the audiences’ heads while inducing the illusion that it wasn’t their idea. They will also often exploit the emotions of the audience by profiting in reporting tragedies incorrectly. Reporters will make use of loaded words to spin their stories completely out of context.
These concepts provide an appropriate lead-in to the third section of Radford’s’ book, which is based on a deeper insight as to the media’s constant exploitation of fear, myths, and tragedy, notably the tragedy at Columbine High School, a particularly striking example.
The fourth and final section of Media Mythmakers is undeniably the most important in that it describes the permanent damage done by myths developed up to now. The chapter describes all the consequences of the way the media has conducted its operations on society. These side effects are monumental and need to be addressed sooner rather than later. Radford makes suggestions involving large scale media literacy education in which the audience is encouraged to question every aspect of the media and to scrutinize what they are being instructed to feel and believe.
The format of the book is quite unique. The writing style is informal, the author tells many stories, some of which are quite humorous, and there are numerous captioned illustrations that provide excellent examples as to the topics at hand.
Depth of knowledge of this subject is not only significant, but is nearly essential for everyone entering the 21st century. With innovation bringing new exciting ways of delivering media and advertising, society needs to be prepared to react appropriately in order to be able to make intelligent decisions in a world of uncertainty. Managers and leaders can attempt to gain a comprehensive understanding what goes on behind the world of media and advertising. Radford’s implications in his conclusion are directed at managers and leaders with lots of influence, since they will ultimately decide whether or not society is willing and able to change. A significant concept in this book that is universally relevant is that a problem addressed is not a problem solved and that action must be taken by those with the power to do so in order to make a change.
Another important concept to take away is that with influence comes responsibility, and even though the consumer now knows to be very critical of what the media instructs it to believe, the media is very much responsible to be non-detrimental to society as well.
A third significant notion to draw from Media Mythmakers is the concept of a myth. Radford says that the world is shaped by myths. Myths are created and modified by people interested in controlling your values and beliefs for their benefit. The bottom line of this book is that the author has made an effort to increase awareness about this issue and hopes to “domino” this effect onto others in order to make progress in society in terms of media and advertising filtering. A myth is just words and Radford’s innovative opinion is that only facts should dictate the opinion of the consumer and not unexamined half-truths or assumptions. Managers or leaders are encouraged by Radford to educate and motivate society to look past the bells and whistles orchestrated by the media and to see the true intention of the media’s actions, which will usually tend to be negative anyway. In this ideal society, the consumer would decide whether or not they will invest in the product or service, or join the group, based solely on its qualities and nothing else, which may seem farfetched but is actually an attainable reality.