Module 003 - Information Literacy and Types of Media

One of the previous modules introduced you to information literacy and its uses. For this
module, we will dig deep into the understanding of information found in most academic
materials.
In addition to information literacy, you will learn about the basic types of media and the
content they usually produce.
At the end of the module, you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate ethical use of information
2. Identify what information is needed, where information is located, where to access
information, how to assess organize and communication information
3. Classify contents of different media types
4. Define media convergence

Information Literacy
An information literate person possesses the skills and techniques for measuring the value of
information and molding this information to suit their needs. (Zukowski, 1974)
The image below is adapted from Lau's research, Conceptual Relationship of Information
Literacy and Media Literacy, that illustrates the six quality information principles from the
requirements of data quality by the Three Rivers District Council (2008).
What information is needed?
In researching for information that you need, it is important to filter the information from a
Large pool of sources. Referring to the image above, the necessary data, information and
Knowledge you need to acquire and use must have the following qualities:
1. Relevance – in searching for information with regards to a particular topic, it is
Important to consider what suits your needs. Will this information support your stand
In an issue? What is its target audience? Does it match what you need? Does it
respond To the purposes of your research?
2. Validity – Information must not merely be from anyone or anywhere.
According to the Three Rivers District Council (2008), “information needs to
be in compliance with Relevant requirements, including the correct application
of any rules or definitions.” Information from reliable sources are significantly
more valid than those from Questionable sources.
3. Reliability – The reliability of an information is measured by its consistency.
It must Have been verified and supported by collated facts to be considered
reliable.
4. Timeliness – Information must not only be reliable, but timely. In this
constantly Changing world, information may also evolve and expand through
the years. The Information must match the topic you’re researching in terms of
time span. You must Properly identify whether you need a current information
or if older sources may do.
5. Accuracy – Lau (2013) has stated that, “information ought to have the
condition or Quality of being true.” Just like measuring its reliability, accuracy
relies on the Information’s verification by other alike sources and supporting
evidence.
6. Completeness – Information must be complete. Partial information may be
considered Unreliable because of it being just a small part of a bigger picture.
It must suit what is Needed by the researcher.
Where is information located and where to access information?
Carroll Community College has identified the following criteria of selecting the best
Information sources:
1. An information literate individual knows that not all sources of information are the
Same. In selecting the best source for a particular topic, there might be various places
Where you can get source
2. Selecting the best information source is part of the evaluation of information.
3. The Internet is not always the best source for information, although it may contain a
lot.
4. It is best to know your topic first by its overview or background before you delve into
Any other resource material to understand what kind of specific information you are
Looking for.
5. No type of media source is better than other types. For example, electronic sources are
Not always the better source than print. The most important thing is the relevance, the
Timeliness, validity and accuracy of its content. Format does not really account for
Everything.
Furthermore, Carroll Community College also gave the following basic information sources
And its characteristics (or why you should use this particular source):
• Books - the most common and often most reliable source. This is the best source to Start
with in researching a topic. Books often contain organized information Collected from
various sources so it is wise to obtain the necessary background Information on the topic
from them. Experts on the topic spend a long time to Research and write a book. Unlike other
sources, books present additional sources of Information especially in the bibliography.
Skimming and scanning books are acceptable if you are looking for a specific type of
information as only one or a few Parts of the book may be relevant to your topic. Its
publication rights and Copyrighted information gives you an assurance that the information
has been Verified by editors, thus less time for evaluation. However, one must be careful
About the validity of information with regards to time.
• Scholarly articles – these are considered professional literature, as experts or Scholars of a
specific field composed it. These articles have been peer-reviewed. You May rely on this type
of source if you’re looking for specific statistics or data or Opinions on issues. These are
mostly focused on one topic only and is catered to People who have prior knowledge on the
topic, thus not making it viable for Background information. Some of its advantages are
references to additional Sources, and its copyright.
• Other periodicals – this type of source mainly includes popular magazines, and news
Sources like newspapers. Contributors, writers, editors, and reporters write Individual articles
on various and relevant topics regularly. These are typically Shorter than the previous types
and may give you background information on topics Or issues related to current events.
These are also reviewed before publishing and Protected by copyright, thus less evaluation is
necessary.
• Internet – this contains a wide variety of sources but also a known self-publishing Medium.
Unlike other types of sources, internet has paved the way for published but Not reviewed
information. Websites are difficult to cite as they contain multiple Titles and document types.
The hardest part of obtaining this source is the Evaluation which may take time.
Ethical Use of Information
Now that you have the necessary information to build a new idea using your topic, you Must
be aware of the ways to use information from various sources ethically without Plagiarizing.
Plagiarism is defined as using a source without credit. While it is unavoidable to use other
People’s information, it is no excuse to commit plagiarism.
This could be avoided by learning the following:
1. Citing Citation is needed for the acknowledgement of the original source of the
Information you used. This is to properly credit their contribution to the formation of
a New knowledge. Citing also provides evidence to support your research. Knowing
the Source of your information may or may not strengthen the validity of your
 material. Proper citation of your sources may also help your reader understand which
parts of The text are your own and which are from other’s ideas. Citation of sources
gives your text reliability and credibility with the wise use of References.
There are different citation styles that you may use. It is important that the style is Consistent
throughout the text so as not to cause confusion among the readers.
In citing, you should also know when you should do it in a text. The Dakota State
University's Karl Mundt Library and Learning Commons gave the following situations
when you could cite a source in your text:
- If you are stating the author's own words, put quotes to secure the statement
and then cite the source.
- When you paraphrase a statement, cite the source after it.
- When the idea is borrowed and not yours, cite your source.
- Include the list of sources in your bibliography.
2. Quoting is putting an exact or word-by-word copy of the original author's words. This is
used to preserve the intended context of a statement. In using this, you must properly
acknowledge the author, the resource, and the page, if necessary.
3. Paraphrasing - is rewriting the original statement from a source in your own words. After
paraphrasing, make sure that you give credit to the original author and the source.

Types of Media

Print Media
• Books
These are stiffly bound volumes of text, making it unique from magazines and newspapers.
According to Vivian (2009), the most useful definition for books is "long-form, word-driven,
media content." The earliest recorded existence of books is in the 1440s due to Johannes
Gutenberg's innovation that pioneered the mass production of written words. Human
existence has been reliant on printed words since then. The printing press has given
opportunities to spread learning to different people using books. The innovation has opened
the world to scientific progress as scientists could then contribute to previous discoveries and
researches.
Mass production of books has opened the masses to new ideas. This became a medium for
revolutionists to persuade people. This is similar to what Jose Rizal did using El
Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere that sparked revolutionary thoughts in many Filipinos.
Books have been the medium for literacy. Experts of various fields contribute to the youth's
literacy by researching and writing books. These materials are used by students as aides for
learning.
Books are mainly divided into two main categories: the trade books and the texts and
references books.
Trade books are widely distributed, general-interest titles that are either fiction or non-fiction.
When people say they read books, most of them refer to trade books. According to Vivian
(2009), trade books can be lucrative if it becomes popular, however, only a few can become
bestsellers. It is referred to as a "high-risk proposition."
Textbooks, on the other hand, may not be that profitable, but typically, it has a longer life
than trade books, meaning it can stay longer in shelves at bookstores. This type of book
includes reference and professional books, college textbooks, Elementary and high school
textbooks and learning materials. Some examples of Professional and reference books are
dictionaries, encyclopedias and atlases.
Textbooks are greatly beneficial in supporting students in their studies. The target audience
for textbooks is always its level of knowledge.

• Newspapers
In an online article in Inquirer by Quismundo (2014), she disputes the rumor that the
newspaper business is dying. According to her, “the newspaper business is very Much alive,
still with a steadily increasing number of people who make reading Newspapers part of their
day.” Taking the Philippine Daily Inquirer as an example, 500 to 600 copies are handled
every day while on weekdays, there are a thousand Copies for circulation.
Some department agencies in the Philippines, although making the shift to digital, Have
opted to stay using print because they have difficulty reading articles online. This is the
reason why some people, especially in the Philippines, still prefer their News paper.
According to Vivian (2009), in most communities, it is said that newspaper have More depth
in their coverage of news. This is because in one edition of a newspaper, It contains various
content such as news, advice, comics, opinion, puzzles and data. People have their selected
sections which they can browse at their own free will. Unlike in broadcast media, they have
the power to choose which information to Consume.
Newspapers have become a vital part of people’s lives. The contents of the Newspapers give
people a common ground, or common topics to tackle and talk About. But due to the
innovations of new media, newspapers have become Increasingly unpopular, especially for
the younger generation, who can access Various articles online.
There are two main formats of newspapers: the broadsheets and the tabloids. Broadsheets are
comparatively larger and plentiful. Most broadsheets before are Wide, with nine two-columns
of text filling the full-size page but now, they have Become more compact and reduced in
size.
Tabloids are most commonly known to contain eye-catching and sensationalized Headlines to
get people to read it. They’re the half the size of a broadsheet, typically Easier to carry.
• Magazines
Magazines were said to be the first publication in the Philippines if we are to base From the
definition that it appears less frequently than newspapers. According to Lent (1969), if
magazines were those that are published regularly in fixed intervals of more than a day with
specialized content, this type of media started around the Mid-1800s. Magazines typically
cater to a huge amount of audience. Vivian (2009) said that People have the “tremendous
appetite for magazines.” People who are more Educated and earn more than the average
consume the most magazines. This is a Widespread medium that can even provide
entertainment for the lesser privileged
For its mostly visual and colorful appearance. Magazines are divided into two major types:
the consumer magazines and the non- Newsrack magazines (Vivian, 2009). Consumer
magazines include newsmagazines, women’s magazines, men’s Magazines, and
intelligentsia.
News magazines contain summarized news stories which are grouped into Categories
according to its content. One notable example of this type of magazine is Time.
Women’s magazines, on the other hand, caters to a specific audience, particularly Women
which intends to uplift womanhood by covering topics ranging from fashion To cooking to
morals. One example of this type of consumer magazine is Good Housekeeping.
Men’s Magazines like Esquire and Playboy, also target a specific portion of the Population.
They focus on stereotypical men’s interests such as sports, outdoor life And women.
The Intelligentsia are magazines that encourage thinking and observation from its Audience
with topics including political, economic, social, artistic and cultural issues.
A famous example of this type of consumer magazine is The New Yorker. Non-newsrack
magazines are publications which organizations create their own
Published material for their members. Sponsored magazines are one such publication in
which they mainly contain Advertising and are self-sufficient. Most of this type of magazine
are not really Aiming for advertising at all. Some examples are university magazines, in-
house Publications for employees, among others.
Trade journals aim to have members of a profession or trade informed about the Latest news
in their field.
Newsletters are another type of non-newsrack magazines which thrive because of Their pure
journalistic form with little to no advertising in between its pages.

Broadcast Media

• Radio and Sound Recording

Radio and sound recording go hand in hand. Sound recording products often rely on Radios
for distribution. Radios, on the other hand, are everywhere. Their scope is Controlled by
electromagnetic spectrum that covers every corner of the world. However, like most
traditional media, there have been cracks in the system that Makes it easy for new media to
penetrate into.
Radio can cover a lot to provide entertainment and leisure. It has its own format of News
delivery, in the form of breaking news, headline services and even news Packages. There are
also talk shows in the radio that paved the way for more Listeners to use the media. However,
with the continuously evolving medium, technology has provided ways For people to satisfy
leisure for the ears. MP3 devices and even mobile phones play Music of your choice which
was only possible in the early times to be done by radio.
Podcasting also moved to replace talk shows on radio, as it gives chance for people To make
their own listening show, focusing on a topic they’re passionate about.

• Television and Motion Pictures

Television has been a breakthrough that transformed mass media. It will be quite Impossible
to find someone in most parts of the world without a television set. Out Of all the traditional
media thriving in this age, television might be the farthest from Dying. Visual products tend
to have lasting impacts than most media.
Although new media has introduced people to streaming websites which you can Control
what you can watch and when you can watch, the television industry has Been thriving and is
not predicted to die soon.

New Media
With the internet’s emergence in the mid-1990s, it has become a widely used powerful
Medium in the world. Currently, the world’s dependence on the internet has become
Widespread and grew more significant. It was Tim Berners-Lee, an English engineer who
invented an addressing system that Would connect a computer to the world. This is what he
called, the world wide web. His Invention was built on the following components (Vivian,
2009):
- Universal resource locators (URL) – this is a unique identifier that allows
Computers to connect to a network and exchange messages. This is the
Foundation of the world wide web.
- Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) – this is the coding that would allow
Computers to read internet files.
- Hypertext markup language (HTML) – a simple computer language which is
used To create messages through the internet which the user can click and be
Redirected to a related image/article. Internet has made it possible to upgrade
video and audio quality. It also became an Indispensable vehicle for
exchanging, sending and receiving messages from anyone around the world.
But despite these innovations, internet remains to be a place filled with junk
and unveils a person's privacy, even if unwanted.
Media Convergence
Media convergence is defined by Flew as the "phenomenon involving the interconnection of
information and communications technologies, computer networks and media content."
This has been brought by the continuously evolving internet and the digitization of media
content. Technological convergence is the most basic element of media convergence as it
depicts the easy access of billions of people to media content, once only available in
traditional media types (print and broadcast), through the use of technology.
Connected to technological convergence is industrial convergence wherein big media
companies use a diverse number of media platforms to widen their reach. Social convergence
is brought about by social media, which enables users from different parts of the world to
engage in discussions globally, whether one on one, one to many or many.

Glossary
Media Convergence: the overlapping and connection between information and technologies
used for communication.
Non-newsrack magazines: magazines specializing on a wide variety of topics made by an
organization/company for its members/employees.
Consumer magazines: magazines intended for public consumption.