MEDIA and INFORMATION LITERACY

Quarter 1
Module 3 – Sources and Dissemination of
Information through Media

Target

Information can come from virtually anywhere such sources include: the internet,
newspapers, journals, books, magazines, encyclopedias, transcripts from radio or TV
programmes, leaflets, photographs and other artefacts/ artifacts (man-made objects). The
type of information you need will change depending on the question you are trying to answer.

After going through this alternative instructional resource learning

material, you are expected to:
 Contrast indigenous media to the more common sources of information such as
library, internet, etc.
 Present an issue in varied ways to disseminate information using the codes,
convention, and language of media

Before going on, check how much you know about this topic. Answer
the jumpstart activity on the next page.

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 Jumpstart

Comparison of Information Sources

Directions: Compare and contrast the following sources of information by answering the guide
question below.

What similarities and differences will you notice if same information will be published in
various sources?

Newspaper :
_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Magazine :
_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Social media :
_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Television :
_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

The internet :
_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Discover

Media and Information Sources

In general, there are three types of resources or sources of information: primary,

secondary, and tertiary.  It is important to understand these types and to know what type is
appropriate for your coursework prior to searching for information.

Three Types of Resources or Sources of Information:

Primary sources are original materials on which other research is based, including:

original written works – poems, diaries, court records, interviews, surveys, and original
research/fieldwork, and research published in scholarly/academic journals.
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Secondary sources are those that describe or analyze primary sources, including:
reference materials – dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, and books and articles that
interpret, review, or synthesize original research/fieldwork.

Tertiary sources are those used to organize and locate secondary and primary sources.
Indexes – provide citations that fully identify a work with information such as author, titles of
a book, article, and/or journal, publisher and publication date, volume and issue number
and page numbers.
Abstracts – summarize the primary or secondary sources.
Databases – are online indexes that usually include abstracts for each primary or secondary
resource, and may also include a digital copy of the resource.

Things to Remember about an Information

Reliability of Information. Information is said to be reliable if it can be

verified and evaluated. It also refers to the trustworthiness of the source in
evaluating the reliability of information.
 Accuracy of Information. Accuracy refers to the closeness of the report to the
actual data. Measurement of accuracy varies, depending on the type of
information being evaluated. Forecasts are said to be accurate if the report is
similar to the actual data. Financial information is considered accurate if the
values are correct, properly classified, and presented
 Value of Information. Information is said to be of value if it aids the user in
making or improving decisions.
 Authority of the Source. Much of the information we gather daily do not come
from a primary source but are passed on through secondary sources such as
writers, reporters and the like. Sources with an established expertise on the
subject matter is considered as having sound authority on the subject.
 Timeliness. Reliability, accuracy and value of information may vary based on the time it
was produced or acquired. While a piece of information may have
been found accurate, reliable and valuable during the time it was produced, it
may become irrelevant and inaccurate with the passing of time (making it less
valuable). Other information may be timeless, proven to be the same in
reliability, accuracy and value throughout history.

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Contrasting Indigenous Media to More Common Sources of Information

Libraries
a. Types of libraries - Libraries are often classified in 4 groups, namely: academic,
public, school and special. These libraries may be either digital or physical in
form.
b. Skills in accessing information from libraries - Due to the wealth of information
in a library, it is important to know the following:
• the access tool to use
• how the information being accessed may be classified
• the depth of details required (i.e. some libraries provide only an abstract of the
topic)
• more detailed information requiring membership or some conformity to set
rules of the source (e.g. databases)
c. Characteristics of libraries in terms of reliability, accuracy and value
Libraries of published books are often considered highly reliable, accurate,
and valuable. Books and documents from dominant sources are often peer
reviewed. ISSN or ISBN registration ensures that standards were followed in
producing these materials.
The Internet
a. Information found on the internet
b. Characteristics of internet information in terms of reliability, accuracy, value,
timeliness and authority of the source
c. Realities of the Internet
d. Information found on the Internet may be quite varied in form and content.
Thus, it is more difficult to determine its reliability and accuracy. Accessing
information on the internet is easy but requires more discipline to check and
validate. Factual and fictitious data are often merged together. Sources always
have to be validated.
Skills in Determining the Reliability of Information
a. Check the author. The author’s willingness to be identified is a good indication
of reliability.
b. Check the date of publication or of update. While the information may be true,
it may not be reliable if it is outdated and may have lost relevance.
c. Check for citations. Reliable authors have the discipline of citing sources of
their information.
d. Check the domain or owner of the site or page. The domains .edu and .gov are
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reserved for academic institutions and the government, respectively.
Information from such sites are presented with caution and are usually
well-grounded. Site owners may have an agenda that affects the manner by
which information is presented.
e. Check the site design and the writing style. Credible sources take time to make
their information accessible and easy to comprehend.
Skills in Determining Accurate Information
a. Look for facts.
b. Cross-reference with other sources to check for consistency.
c. Determine the reason for writing and publishing the information. Check if the
author is objective or leaning heavily on a certain point of view.
d. Check for advertising. Advertisers may use related information to market their
product.
Alternative Media
a. Current popular alternative media
b. Rise of alternative media and information
c. Other alternative forms of communication and distribution have become
popular. These include social media, blogs and flash mob performances. These
alternative forms provide greater freedom and power to ordinary individuals and
are a quicker way of distributing information. The downside is that a lot of
information being passed around is biased and inaccurate.

Indigenous Media
• Indigenous means native, local, originating or produced naturally in a particular
region
• Indigenous knowledge is unique to a specific culture or society; it is not written
down.
 Indigenous communication is the transmission of information through local
channels or forms. It is a means by which culture is preserved, handed down
and adapted.
 Indigenous media and information refers to the original information created
by a local group of people. This also refers to content about indigenous peoples
that may be distributed through dominant forms of media or through forms of
communication unique to their people group.
Importance of Indigenous Media and Information
• Popular media cannot reach some rural areas. While print, broadcast and new
media have a wide reach, there are still areas that these forms of media have not
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reached.
• Indigenous media and information are highly credible because they are near the
source and are seldom circulated for profit.
• Indigenous media are channels for change, education and development because
of its direct access to local channels.
• Ignoring indigenous media and information can result in development and
education programs that are irrelevant and ineffective.
• Forms of indigenous media and their local examples:
a. folk or traditional media
b. gatherings and social organizations
c. direct observation
d. records (may be written, carved or oral)
e. oral instruction

Explore
Here is an enrichment activity for you to work on to master and strengthen the basic
learned from this lesson.

My Favorite Movies

Direction: Accomplish the table below. Write five (5) movies that you have watched and
provide clear and specific descriptions about them based on content, theme and genre.

MOVIE TITLE DESCRIPTION

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Disseminating Information

Media, in its broadest sense, exist for consumption and interpretation. Any form of
media aims to send messages regardless of the purpose. It is crucial for media people to
accurately consider how people understand and interpret concepts so their ideas also go
along with the audience’s expectations.
It is important for the audience to establish standardization in terms of what to
expect from the media. If expectations are unclear, then it is difficult for both parties to
meet halfway. This lesson focuses on how to deal with this circumstance. For media and
audience to be effectively bridged, the right knowledge on codes and conventions must be
properly understood.
In understanding media, there are codes and conventions that you have to
know. See this like building blocks of all media around you. Generally, media already
possess a default in itself.
Shown in the table below are three types of media codes, namely: symbolic codes,
technical codes and written codes. Conventions, on the other hand, are expected ways in
which codes are organized in a product.

Media Codes and Conventions

Symbolic Codes
These are codes that are social in nature. This only means that these codes exist outside
media product themselves, but would be understood in by audience in general. For
example, seeing somebody receive a red rose in a film would mean that there is a romantic
relationship going between the main characters. This is exactly similar to giving someone a
red rose in real life. Some examples of symbolic codes in media are the following: setting,
mise en scene, acting and color.

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Setting
Known as the time and place of the narrative, the setting describes where the story or a
specific scene took place. It can be as big as an open space or as small as a room. It can
even be a created atmosphere or frame of mind.

Mise en scene
In the world of media, mise en scene is a French term that means ‘everything within the
frame’. It also refers to all the objects within a frame the way they are arranged. To analyze
this, you should look into the media’s set design, costume, props, staging and composition.

Acting
In media, actors portray a variety of characters that contribute to character
development, creating tension or interpreting the narrative. An actor portrays his/
her assigned character through the following elements: facial expression, body
language, vocal qualities, movement and body contact.

Color
In media, color has strong cultural connotations. As a student, analyzing the use of
color in media and its various aspects, you have to look at the following:
dominant color, contrasting foils and color symbolism.

Technical Codes
The second kind of codes are specific to a media form and do not live as a
separate entity. To help you analyze this, look at different camera shots and their
connotations in films and photographs. You have to remember that these may
mean nothing to you or the general audience outside of those forms. These codes
include camerawork, editing, audio and lighting.

Camerawork
How the camera is operated, positioned and moved to achieve certain effects is also
important in analyzing media. These include positioning, movement, framing, exposure
and choice of lens.

Editing
Another important consideration in studying media is editing. It is the process of
choosing, manipulating, and arranging images and sound. Generally, it is done for graphic
edits, rhythmic edits, spatial edits and temporal edits.

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Audio
Using sound expressively or naturalistically also plays a role in media. Its three aspects
include dialogue, sound effects and music.

Lighting
Manipulating light, either natural or artificial, to selectively highlight specific elements of
certain scenes, is also one of the important elements of media. These elements of lighting
include: quality, direction, source and color.

Written Codes
A type of code that is written usually includes formal written language used
in media. Similar to technical and symbolic codes, written codes can be used to
interpret a narrative and communicate information regarding a character. Also, it
can convey issues and themes emergent within the media product. Examples of
this code are printed and spoken languages.

Conventions
To use media codes in some sort of a norm where it is accepted by everybody, there has to be
a convention. These are closely connected to what the audience expects from media.
Examples are form, story and genre.

Form Conventions
Form conventions are the distinct ways that audiences expect codes to be arranged in media.
Examples of these expectations are the title of the film at the beginning or the credits at the
end. In printed media, it is expected that newspapers will have a masthead or a banner story
as the most important news, then the sports news usually at the back. Mobile games usually
begin with a stepby-step with help texts on how the game works.

Story Conventions
These story conventions are common narrative structures and expectations from media.
Examples of these are narrative structures, cause and effect, character construction and
point of view (POV).

Genre Conventions
Genre conventions include the common use of tropes, characters, settings or themes in a
certain media. These are closely linked with how the audience expects from the media
product. They can be formal or thematic.
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 Gauge

Signs and Symbols

Direction: Enumerate five (5) signs and symbols in your community that are used to
convey information (e.g. road signage, road paintings, directions, locations of attractions,
etc). You may draw if feasible. Discuss briefly the meaning they convey then answer the
question that follows.

Sign/ Symbol Description/ Meaning it Conveys

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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