Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Experiencing the '60s via GCI - Malcolm X

Marshall McLulan said "The media is the message", but is it possible for the media to distort a message? Some historians might contest that Malcolm X's militant legacy is more of an invention of the media... 

Admittedly this point of view is on the opposite end of the spectrum of JFK's legacy--but it says something about the 1960s.

Perhaps at this great period of social change, people craved a basic storyline. When the figures of society are too complex to be summarized in 140 characters, the media will craft a message they deem suitable to print.



Malcolm X - Cultural Literacy Portal to GCI 
-Check out the archives of primary sources featuring Malcolm X & additional readings for independent exploration.


As we continue our exploration of primary sources from the 1960s Civil Rights Era, please consider the role that new forms of media have in shaping public opinion during the 1960s (tv, radio, increased print media publications across the country).

To help students form a nice historical comparison, you may want to also consider how social media and the immediacy of the 24/7 news cycle shapes our perspective today.

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