Global Research Website: Media Ethics and Lay Theories
This paper examines the Global Research website (GlobalResearch.ca), the online platform of the Centre for Research on Globalization, through the lens of public relations lay theories and media ethics frameworks. The analysis identifies the site's alignment with the Court of Public Opinion theory and the Silver Bullet theory, both of which underpin its mission to challenge mainstream media narratives on geopolitical events. The paper also considers the organization's target audience, its use of internet technology to disseminate alternative viewpoints, and its adoption of a technician-level approach to media ethics, whereby sourcing and footnoting serve as the primary ethical standard.
- Introduction to Global Research: Overview of the Centre for Research on Globalization
- Lay Theories and the Website's Ideological Alignment: Silver Bullet and Court of Public Opinion theories applied
- Target Audience and the Role of Digital Technology: Anti-establishment audience and internet distribution strategy
- Media Ethics and the Technician Approach: Sourcing practices and ethics ceded to the organization
- Conclusion: Hired Gun theory and counter-narrative mission summarized
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What makes this paper effective
- Applies specific theoretical frameworks from communication studies — the Court of Public Opinion theory and the Silver Bullet theory — directly to a real-world media organization, grounding abstract concepts in a concrete example.
- Moves logically from organizational description, to theoretical alignment, to audience analysis, to ethical evaluation, creating a coherent analytical progression.
- Supports claims with cited evidence from both the source organization and the assigned course text, demonstrating awareness of academic sourcing conventions.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied theoretical analysis: the student identifies relevant PR and communication theories and uses them as an interpretive lens rather than simply describing the website. The link between the Silver Bullet theory's premise about narrative shaping and Global Research's stated counter-narrative mission is particularly well drawn.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an organizational overview, then maps the website's mission onto two specific lay theories. It proceeds to analyze the target audience and the organization's dependence on internet distribution, before shifting to a media ethics evaluation using the technician model. A brief conclusion ties the theoretical threads together. The structure suits a short analytical essay at the undergraduate level.
Introduction to Global Research
The website examined here is Global Research, the online platform of the Centre for Research on Globalization. This organization describes itself as "an independent research and media … non-profit organization in the province of Quebec" (About Centre for Research on Globalization, 2015). The Centre publishes books, promotes humanitarian projects, supports educational outreach and conferences, and serves as a "think tank on crucial economic and geopolitical issues" (About Centre for Research on Globalization, 2015).
Lay Theories and the Website's Ideological Alignment
The lay theories that the website aligns with most closely are the Court of Public Opinion theory, associated with the Hired-Gun View, and the Silver Bullet theory, which holds that there is an existing mainstream narrative "that can shape how people think" (Eadie, 2009, p. 701). Global Research is dedicated to providing an alternative perspective on global and geopolitical events.
The website appears to align with these theories because it is clearly concerned with shaping public opinion — it identifies itself as a "think tank" in its About section. The narratives it promotes are antithetical to the mainstream mass media narratives found on networks such as Fox News or CNN. Global Research takes the position, for example, that Turkey "protects and supplies" Al-Nusra in the Middle East, and argues that events like 9/11 and the Paris attacks should be investigated by an independent authority to determine whether there was foreknowledge or involvement on the part of agencies within Western governments (9/11 and War on Terrorism, 2016).
Target Audience and the Role of Digital Technology
The organization targets disaffected portions of the population who hold anti-establishment views, since the majority of its articles and publications are oriented against the prevailing doctrines and narratives of the mainstream mass media. The organization benefits substantially from technology such as the Internet and social media, because without these platforms the organization would never be able to disseminate its content as widely or as cost-effectively as it does today. The Internet allows virtually anyone to host a site and present a point of view with minimal overhead and competition.
The organization also attracts respected figures in the field of independent journalism, such as William Engdahl, who has written extensively on geopolitics in the Middle East. By utilizing the Internet, Global Research is able to share, communicate, and distribute information far more efficiently and broadly than it could by depending solely on print media.
Conclusion
The website at GlobalResearch.ca showcases the publications of an organization established to provide a counter or alternative narrative to that of the mainstream media. It approaches media from the perspective of the Hired Gun and uses the Court of Public Opinion theory to help shape the world in what it believes to be a more positive way.
References
About Centre for Research on Globalization. (2015). Global Research. Retrieved from http://www.globalresearch.ca/about
Eadie, W. (2009). 21st Century Communication: A Reference Handbook. New York, NY: SAGE.
9/11 and War on Terrorism. (2016). Global Research. Retrieved from http://www.globalresearch.ca/theme/9-11-war-on-terrorism
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