Meaning of the media messages in the past and nowadays - different or the same? Prof. Dr. Karl Heinrich Pohl of the University of Kiel, one of the lecturers, speaks about the content of the Polish-German seminar “ History and mass media”

Main themes of the seminar are history and mass media. What does it mean?

Media are part of the political system. During the seminar, we will concentrate on the role of media in authoritarian as well as in democratic system. Participants of the seminar are multipliers and teachers, which deal with youth every day. After the seminar ,they can pass the knowledge about the mass media to their students, stressing the important role played by the media in our lives, how seriously this subject should be treated and how to analyze the work of media in different historical contexts. My lectures are focused on the role of the media in times of National Socialism. I try to show how the media work, what is the purpose of communication and successes associated with it. This can be beautifully presented on the example of media system in National Socialism. We analyze criteria of media development and we see how they could and should had been deciphered. I would like to show participants how to learn young people to look critically on the media. If they can do this, they will be on a right way to be a stable democrat.

How did media look like in the past and how they do nowadays?

Media used to be a  perfect medium of propaganda: objectives and criteria were then clearly defined,  tough methods of media manipulation were in use. It was common for  almost any kind of media: press, radio, cinema. Over the years, other criteria have been developed for television and fast-growing and popular Internet. At the seminar, we will analyze the presentation of National Socialism in the media in those days and today, and what's behind it. It is very important for Germans. We analyze the issues, which as it turns out, had once been hidden or  presented differently  – it refers also to the topics such as manipulation or resistance movement. Believe me, emotions connected with this topic were, and what is  more interesting, still are very strong! Young people see it a little bit differently. The older generation is closely bound to this subject. It is hard for some people to accept it, other do not understand it – that is why it is good to talk about it openly.

What is the opinion on the seminar of Polish and German participants?

Participants are very pleased, they actively take part in classes and show their  interest. On the first evening, when they had just meet, they were already discussing the subject of the seminar- I really liked it.  I was surprised. I have a very positive image of these teachers in my head. They want to teach, broaden their horizons and do not stop. Krzyżowa is a very good place for such seminars. Participants are together all the time, even in their free time. They analyze the theme even then so they use  the chance for development and learning in 100%!

Organizer of the project: Kreisau-Initiative e.V. Association,  "Krzyżowa" Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe.
Financial support: Polsko-Niemiecka Współpraca Młodzieży.
Supervisors of the project: Sandra Hackert, Bartłomiej Gasiulewicz.

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