DISCUSSION ESSAY

Search online and find a website for an organization that has a campaign promoting a core issue that interests you (for example: The Red Cross and need for blood donations. NOTE: You may not use the example assignment just named here.).

Start your essay with a short overview of the organization and the issue (just a few lines) and then consider the topics we have covered in this week’s readings and discuss how they are reflected in what you see on this website.

What clear messages do you see?

What audiences is the institution trying to reach?

How has technology affected the way this organization presents itself?

Consider issues of Media Ethics and how they are represented or manifested in the website. Draw on examples offered on that website to support your observations. Specifically consider the content of 21st Century Communication: A Reference Handbook: Chapter 77: “Theories and Effects of Public Relations,” under the section “Assumptions and Lay Theories.” Which of these theories does the content of your chosen site most closely align with? Why? Explain your answer.