Exemplary Introductory Critical Media Literacy Documentaries

Teachers are often unsure about their critical position toward and knowledge about mass media. As a consequence, they are unsure about engaging their students in media analyses. To begin acquiring a new critical media literacy discourse and then introduce it to their students, teachers can read the many valuable accounts by other educators who have conceptualized, or engaged students in, critical media literacy projects. But teachers often do not have the time to read dozens of articles, book chapters, and books. The author of this column introduces another way into the discourse of critical media literacy—a way that involves learning and thinking about the media through critical documentaries that explain and critique them. Taking up such documentaries is not only less time consuming, but it is also as valuable an introductory experience as taking up printed texts on the subject.