Watching America February 27, 2011

How do we "watch" our own country? For most of us, most of the time, we watch it by consuming the output of our media. But how do we "consume media"? Indeed, what are the systematic biases (not necessarily political) in the production of news content? Are news stories really about the facts they purport to convey, or are they more reflective of something else? What goes on inside our heads when we hear the news, and are there more effective ways of listening to it? Often they reflect prevailing paradigms, common to both the producers and consumers of "news". Those paradigms include our ideas of America itself, of political left and right and plenty else, and determine not only how we interpret the facts that the media provide, but also the very facts that we - and they - are capable of perceiving. That fact has huge consequences. Synthesizing some philosophy, politics, psychology and media studies, we'll have fun trying to answer some of these questions.

Watching America is a website on which articles about the USA from all over the world are translated into English, allowing Americans to read how they and their government are perceived globally. Its tag line is "Discover what the world thinks of U.S.". It has been online for nearly six years, and in that time, it been discussed extensively in the mainstream press. Its founder, Robin Koerner, is a 30-something Brit who is a permanent resident of the USA. He holds degrees in physics and philosophy from Cambridge University (UK) and has experience in the fields of business consulting, real estate investment, teaching and technical editing, among other things.

Made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities Fund of The Library Foundation.
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Official Website: http://www.watchingamerica.com/