Television criticism

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Television criticism (also called TV criticism or TV reviewing) is the act of writing or speaking about television programming to subjectively evaluate its worth, meaning, and other aspects. [1] It is often found in newspapers, television programs, radio broadcasts, Internet and specialist periodicals and books.

Contents

While originally developed to critique content for children, it has been used to critique how various issues and topics are presented on television, including race and feminity. [2] [3] Relations with audiences and networks are important to critics, but problems can arise with both. [4]

Overview

Television criticism originally began as a way to analyze the shows children were watching, and to make sure they were getting quality educational content. Originally being defined as visual literacy , the term changed in the 1990s to media literacy . [2] The purpose of television criticism is to evaluate the content of television and make a judgement about shows' messages and/or quality. Television criticism often includes interpretation and the creation of an argument to support the interpretation given. Television criticism often recommends or condemns programs in critics' writings. [1]

Broadcast networks often provide forums for television criticism. Examples of this include The Review Show on BBC Four in the United Kingdom, which hosts a monthly discussion on the arts, often including a television series. [1] Television criticism is also often spread via the internet and media.

Television can be criticized in a variety of ways, including quality evaluation and content interpretation. [2] [3]

Perspective-based criticism

Viewing television from specific viewpoints can impact how it is interpreted. Authors of such perspective-based criticism may feel that such viewpoints are underrepresented in mainstream television criticism. Perspective-based television criticism focuses on viewing programs with the explicit purpose of critiquing by specifically analyzing the perspectives of female characters from a feminist perspective, or by critically analyzing representations of racial diversity from a racially diverse perspective. [2] This [3] may involve analysis of character portrayals, messages/purposes, and themes explored in the program. Perspective-based criticism seeks to discuss issues specific to groups within society. A prominent perspective-based television critic is Herman Grey, who has discussed racially diverse television criticism at length and categorized it at length, including assimilation and multiculturalism.

Issues in criticism

Television criticism is sometimes regarded as a mode of advertising for television networks. [4] This is because critics can be seen as authorities and their opinions can form audience opinions on programs.

Additionally, critics and networks have sometimes been in conflict over the content of shows. [4]

Relationship with readers

Most critics admit that they take in industrial factors, such as commercial viability, when reviewing a show, but also consider they may not be the target audience of the show. [4] Critics often take into consideration audience views and balance it with their knowledge of the television industry and their own views. [4]

Modern television criticism

The rise of the internet has allowed television critics to publish their work in a cheaper manner that is easy to distribute. [4] Multiple websites dedicated to critiquing television have sprung up over the years, with wide diversity in their writing. [4] Some examples of this are the website Television Without Pity providing that provide "more creative and interactive commentary" and FLOW displaying a "more academic, yet still generally accessible discussion of television." [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

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In common usage, evaluation is a systematic determination and assessment of a subject's merit, worth and significance, using criteria governed by a set of standards. It can assist an organization, program, design, project or any other intervention or initiative to assess any aim, realisable concept/proposal, or any alternative, to help in decision-making; or to ascertain the degree of achievement or value in regard to the aim and objectives and results of any such action that has been completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Critic</span> A person who offers reasoned judgment

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Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. Criticism falls into several overlapping types including "theoretical, practical, impressionistic, affective, prescriptive, or descriptive".

Media literacy is an expanded conceptualization of literacy that includes the ability to access and analyze media messages as well as create, reflect and take action, using the power of information and communication to make a difference in the world. Media literacy is not restricted to one medium and is understood as a set of competencies that are essential for work, life, and citizenship. Media literacy education is the process used to advance media literacy competencies, and it is intended to promote awareness of media influence and create an active stance towards both consuming and creating media. Media literacy education is part of the curriculum in the United States and some European Union countries, and an interdisciplinary global community of media scholars and educators engages in knowledge and scholarly and professional journals and national membership associations.

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Visual rhetoric is the art of effective communication through visual elements such as images, typography, and texts. Visual rhetoric encompasses the skill of visual literacy and the ability to analyze images for their form and meaning. Drawing on techniques from semiotics and rhetorical analysis, visual rhetoric expands on visual literacy as it examines the structure of an image with the focus on its persuasive effects on an audience.

A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indicate its relative merit.

Alternative media are media sources that differ from established or dominant types of media in terms of their content, production, or distribution. Sometimes the term independent media is used as a synonym, indicating independence from large media corporations, but this term is also used to indicate media enjoying freedom of the press and independence from government control. Alternative media does not refer to a specific format and may be inclusive of print, audio, film/video, online/digital and street art, among others. Some examples include the counter-culture zines of the 1960s, ethnic and indigenous media such as the First People's television network in Canada, and more recently online open publishing journalism sites such as Indymedia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audience</span> People who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature, theatre, music or academics

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Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as television shows and films, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable television, and/or satellite television systems.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social media and television</span>

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References

  1. 1 2 3 O'Donnell, Victoria (2017). Television criticism (Third ed.). Los Angeles. ISBN   978-1-4833-7769-8. OCLC   1124590352.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 Vande Berg, Leah R.; Wenner, Lawrence A.; Gronbeck, Bruce E. (October 2004). "Media Literacy and Television Criticism". American Behavioral Scientist. 48 (2): 219–228. doi:10.1177/0002764204267266. ISSN   0002-7642. S2CID   146670539.
  3. 1 2 3 "Multichannel Television and TV Criticism", TV Critics and Popular Culture, I.B.Tauris, pp. 163–196, 2011, doi:10.5040/9780755698028.ch-006, ISBN   978-1-8488-5319-5 , retrieved 2021-11-15
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lotz, Amanda D. (2008-01-23). "On "Television Criticism": The Pursuit of the Critical Examination of a Popular Art". Popular Communication. 6 (1): 20–36. doi:10.1080/15405700701746509. ISSN   1540-5702. S2CID   35739447.
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