After a long semester of researching and posting, we have learned a lot about how magazines, newspapers and books represent archaeology. Through our individual posts we explored different perspectives and examined the ways in which different readers interpret literature about archaeology. Though we had our struggles and at times frustrations, we worked as a cohesive team to unearth some skeletons about National Geographic and other publications. As an archaeological team, we dug into the pages from Smithsonian to the New York Times to discover the treasures hidden in the print. Dusting off our magnifying glasses, we examined and analyzed, fitting the pieces together to construct a blog.
- Jessie, Xue, Ariel, and Alana
I think one of the most powerful aspects that this blog showcases is that of individual perspectives. It has become clear that after reading an article, we all take away something different. Some people focus on the imagery, others on the title or content. This is important as it shows us that there are many facets to archaeological articles that need to be examined and critiqued. Some articles are full of archaeological stereotypes, perpetuating the idea that archaeologists are all really treasure hunters. Others, clearly reference primary sources, research their topic and adequately present an archaeological story to the public. It is like Gugliotta said in "Communicating Archaeology to the Public," "[it is] both exciting and exasperating...covering and writing about archaeology" (13). While many enjoy reading about archaeology, it seems like a challenging field to communicate with the public about as few know a lot about archaeology. Therefore, after doing this project I have learned a lot about what makes a good archaeological article and have much more respect for the authors who put the time and effort into writing those articles.
- Jessie
Before I started the blog, I never really questioned the absolutely authority of magazines, newspapers, and books. In the former two media, the articles are generally concise, reporting on specific events or discoveries, and provide bare background to give context to a story. The sway of the articles can be drastically different and even can change based on where they are. A magazine and news group can report separate takes on the same piece. The most valuable lesson I learned from the blog project was simply how fluid and swayed news can be. The same finding can be reported from the human perspective in the magazine and a technical view online. Beyond that, magazines and newspapers are assumed by many to truthfully educate readers about certain topics. They serve different functions even in the way people read them. Books, as a contrast, are more interpretive and especially in the childrens' books examined, they present archaeology as a discovery. How readers perceive each article or book depends on so many external factors and can influence reactions in tremendous ways. The most important take-away from this blog project is simply how media must be seen with a grain of rice, looked at from all perspectives and are an individual interpretive experience.
- Ariel
Honestly, when we started this class, my archaeological knowledge went about as deep as National Geographic's cover page. While I appreciated the discipline in general, I really didn't know much about it–and especially how it was perceived in the media. Magazines and newspapers practically control how archaeology is seen by the general public, with the exception of the internet. Most people have no small notion about what archaeology is really about, and the role of these publications is crucial to widening understanding about the field itself. In order for us to continue learning about our past, archaeology needs to continue.
At first, I thought this assignment was going to be, well, a bit hokey. I didn't know a thing about blogging or twitter, but as the semester progressed, I realized just how much information can be transferred via the internet (a whole lot), and how ideas grow instantaneously. This project opened my eyes to being more aware of what information I take in. Just because something is in print does not necessarily make it true. Illegitimate citations and false stories are everywhere. Bias cannot be avoided. Not only will I take these lessons with me when I read on about scientific, historical, and archaeological discoveries, but in the current world around us. When I watch the news, I have no plans to be a blind believer. I want to know where my information is coming from, how factual it is, and the kind of bias affecting it. In truth, I just want to be informed.
-Alana
I believe that we were provided a difficult task-- to create a blog critiquing newspapers, magazines, and books-- but as a group, we did a good job of touching upon different aspects. Although it was not our original goal, we found different areas of each type of media to analyze and discuss. It was hard to find a direction at first but as we got further into the blog project, we found a good balance of analysis and personality in our posts. In the short amount of time allotted us, we had the opportunity to show the class, and whomever else reads this blog, different aspects of what make certain types of media effective or not useful. It was a long process, but we worked hard to inform the public about authorship, how certain books are useful in capturing the attention of children, some articles are almost identical to others etc. We had a lot of critiques for all the media but I think we can agree that any exposure to archaeology is good. I, personally, do not know how many people are archaeologists or aspire to be, but it seems that there is a small community of them. The more people that can be encouraged or swayed to becoming an archaeologist, the better.
Archaeology is an important subject. It teaches us about our history, where we came from, who are ancestors are, how life has been evolving and such. Without knowledge about the past, we cannot move forward or progress. Archaeology digs into the mysteries of the past. They reveal to us history that is not written in books, newspapers, or magazines.
From this blog project, I have learned how to look at news stories with a more critical eye. I am not as easily convinced by stories. I think that authors do the best with what they have, and in many cases write well, but a lot of them do not seem qualified to be writing about archaeology based on the same-ness of their material, the recycling of materials, and the fact that many are not actually archaeologists. But this does not mean I will stop reading said articles. Any form of news is good to know about whether it is true or not. Readers just have to be cautious and wary about what they are reading, which is basically what we have tried to stress in this blog.
-Xue
Before I started the blog, I never really questioned the absolutely authority of magazines, newspapers, and books. In the former two media, the articles are generally concise, reporting on specific events or discoveries, and provide bare background to give context to a story. The sway of the articles can be drastically different and even can change based on where they are. A magazine and news group can report separate takes on the same piece. The most valuable lesson I learned from the blog project was simply how fluid and swayed news can be. The same finding can be reported from the human perspective in the magazine and a technical view online. Beyond that, magazines and newspapers are assumed by many to truthfully educate readers about certain topics. They serve different functions even in the way people read them. Books, as a contrast, are more interpretive and especially in the childrens' books examined, they present archaeology as a discovery. How readers perceive each article or book depends on so many external factors and can influence reactions in tremendous ways. The most important take-away from this blog project is simply how media must be seen with a grain of rice, looked at from all perspectives and are an individual interpretive experience.
- Ariel
Honestly, when we started this class, my archaeological knowledge went about as deep as National Geographic's cover page. While I appreciated the discipline in general, I really didn't know much about it–and especially how it was perceived in the media. Magazines and newspapers practically control how archaeology is seen by the general public, with the exception of the internet. Most people have no small notion about what archaeology is really about, and the role of these publications is crucial to widening understanding about the field itself. In order for us to continue learning about our past, archaeology needs to continue.
At first, I thought this assignment was going to be, well, a bit hokey. I didn't know a thing about blogging or twitter, but as the semester progressed, I realized just how much information can be transferred via the internet (a whole lot), and how ideas grow instantaneously. This project opened my eyes to being more aware of what information I take in. Just because something is in print does not necessarily make it true. Illegitimate citations and false stories are everywhere. Bias cannot be avoided. Not only will I take these lessons with me when I read on about scientific, historical, and archaeological discoveries, but in the current world around us. When I watch the news, I have no plans to be a blind believer. I want to know where my information is coming from, how factual it is, and the kind of bias affecting it. In truth, I just want to be informed.
-Alana
I believe that we were provided a difficult task-- to create a blog critiquing newspapers, magazines, and books-- but as a group, we did a good job of touching upon different aspects. Although it was not our original goal, we found different areas of each type of media to analyze and discuss. It was hard to find a direction at first but as we got further into the blog project, we found a good balance of analysis and personality in our posts. In the short amount of time allotted us, we had the opportunity to show the class, and whomever else reads this blog, different aspects of what make certain types of media effective or not useful. It was a long process, but we worked hard to inform the public about authorship, how certain books are useful in capturing the attention of children, some articles are almost identical to others etc. We had a lot of critiques for all the media but I think we can agree that any exposure to archaeology is good. I, personally, do not know how many people are archaeologists or aspire to be, but it seems that there is a small community of them. The more people that can be encouraged or swayed to becoming an archaeologist, the better.
Archaeology is an important subject. It teaches us about our history, where we came from, who are ancestors are, how life has been evolving and such. Without knowledge about the past, we cannot move forward or progress. Archaeology digs into the mysteries of the past. They reveal to us history that is not written in books, newspapers, or magazines.
From this blog project, I have learned how to look at news stories with a more critical eye. I am not as easily convinced by stories. I think that authors do the best with what they have, and in many cases write well, but a lot of them do not seem qualified to be writing about archaeology based on the same-ness of their material, the recycling of materials, and the fact that many are not actually archaeologists. But this does not mean I will stop reading said articles. Any form of news is good to know about whether it is true or not. Readers just have to be cautious and wary about what they are reading, which is basically what we have tried to stress in this blog.
-Xue
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