Response to "The Making of a Media Literate Mind"

1. Americans spend 10-12 hours a day consuming media? If that's an average, somebody out there never sleeps. This is one of those statistics that my gut tells me is exaggerated. How was this reported?

2. I saw a student-produced video once about the mega-corporation ownership of the six media giants, and reading this article and watching the Frontline episode also mentioned 6 holding companies owning the vast majority of ad/marketing agencies.

3. "Whoever is telling the stories within a culture has enormous power to shape how people think, act, and buy." Why else did Stalin and Pol Pot come after the teachers and intelligentsia first?

4. "Asking questions helps demystify media's power." Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain never got Dorothy anywhere.

5. "Is Celebrity X's marriage more newsworthy than the school play?" Somebody must buy this crap, or we wouldn't be subjected to it in every checkout line.

Question: What are the ethics of using these manipulative techniques to tell the stories we in education think are relevant, beneficial and important for society? For example, if I want to sell reading to an audience of disaffected boys.