Debunking the Elderly Mystique in News Media

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Module 4 Assessment
Debunking the Elderly Mystique in News Media

Ageism involves both negative attitudes and behaviour toward groups of people based on chronological age (Funk, 2016). Attitudes and beliefs about older persons are reinforced by stereotypes which are commonly reflected in the media. For example, images of the elderly and aging often depict older persons as forgetful, resistant to change, bad drivers, and unhappy. Negative attitudes toward older persons can be detrimental as they can lead to negative behaviour or discrimination. In this assessment you will apply academic research to debunk how older persons are often falsely portrayed in the media.     

Learning Objectives:
    Identify ageism in news media.
    Describe how older persons are portrayed in the news in relation to stereotypes.
    Analyze the news media portrayal with academic peer reviewed research.
    Apply a theoretical perspective to explain why ageism persists in Canadian society.

Instructions:
Find 1 news story that falsely portrays older persons. That is, find a news item that depicts a stereotype of older persons that is not supported by academic research. Then respond to the following questions:

1.    Describe the news story in terms of its content and how older persons or aging is presented. What is the underlining stereotype communicated in the message of the news story? How does this relate to ageism?

2.    Using the Bow Valley College RGO Library Database, search for 1 academic peer reviewed journal article that debunks the stereotype (2010 to present). Present evidence from the research that suggests the news story is not supported by academic research.

3.    Reflecting on the news story, use one of the theoretical perspectives explaining ageism outlined in Chapter 2 of the textbook (p. 40-45) to discuss why ageism persists. Based on the theoretical analysis, how could ageism be reduced?

To help you with this assessment read the following resources:

A. Textbook Reading: Chapter 2 (p.36-50) Population Aging, Ageism, and Intergenerational Relations (Funk, 2016)

B. Find Scholarly Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles.

C. Search SocINDEX with Full Text.

Guidelines:
    Responses should not exceed 1 page in length (not including title and reference page).
    Include and define all relevant sociological concepts and sociological theory from the textbook and course material in your discussions.
    APA formatting, citing, and referencing guidelines must be followed.
    Assessments missing a reference list or in-text citations will not be graded. All assignments will be checked to ensure academic honesty.

 

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