How do people decide to read and/or receive the news? Their choice contributes to their view of the world. The development of International Communications (IC) as a field has allowed scholars to frame questions about these kinds of decisions and how they may impact policy decisions and social interactions.
In the article, “A Cultural Approach to Communication”, Carey argues that reading newspapers is a ritual form of communication as opposed to simply a transmission of information.
“News reading, and writing, is a ritual act and moreover a dramatic one. What is arrayed before the reader is not pure information but a portrayal of the contending forces of the world” (p.20, “A Cultural Approach to Communication, Carey)
When families, colleagues, or friends discuss the news, many times they have all read similar versions of the same stories. There is a comfort zone in these conversations, where a certain shared worldview is assumed. It is a form of cultural currency to compare notes on articles by noted journalists on current events. If people are only reading the NY Times and the Washington Post (or watching Fox News), there is not much contrast. Even if the journalism is done well, certain paradigms are always being perpetuated based on the structure of the news tradition. From the years I spent in West Africa, watching the way news was presented on TV and published in local papers there, I can see how differently the American press covers issues from that region. Because of this exposure, I have the ability to read beyond what journalists present in US papers about that area.
Perspective can be gained through not only experience, but also through developing critical thinking skills and studying the culture and art of other places. Carey brings attention to the way that art puts familiar sounds or images into new spaces or juxtapositions in order to bring attention to aspects of our daily life and interactions that we may not normally notice. In terms of the history of the field of IC, he relates how social sciences “can take the most obvious yet background facts of social life and force them into the foreground of wonderment.” (p. 24)
This comes back to looking at how we get our information on a daily basis, which relates to our education system and whether or not people are taught to think critically. Weaver outlines some of these big picture issues in his talk, “The Evolution of International Communication as a Field of Study: A Personal Reflection”, given in May 2007 at Aoyama Gakuin University. He addresses the necessity of the interdisciplinary nature of IC as issues of education, international relations, psychology, and socialization have to be examined together to problem solve issue of cross-cultural communication and formation of world-view. If people are not taught to examine their own backgrounds, it can be difficult to form effective cross- cultural communication, both nationally and internationally.
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