What is News?QUICK FIRE

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What is news? Who decides what is news?

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News is what is interesting&

important

DefinitionsJournalist/reporter -- collects and prepares a news story

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Editor/producer -- decides what stories to cover, the order of coverage (e.g., what makes the front page or lead story), and how much coverage (i.e., length of story or broadcast)

What is News?

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Everything that

happens in the world

What is reported as news

Short DiscussionHow does a newspaper, news broadcast, or online news service decide what to report on?

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Who gets to decide what is worth reporting? What factors might influence that decision?

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• Lunch is chicken patty sandwiches

• Prom theme decided: A Night to

Remember

• Football team got new uniforms

• Mr. Curie won a Golden Apple award

• Susie Green won science fair

• Thirty students went on field trip to the

history museum

• Billy Williams suspended for smoking in

the bathroom

• Mike Walker and Shavon Smith broke up

• Brittany McKeon is pregnant

• A fight involving 10 students broke out in

the lunchroom

• School closed for one week due to

broken furnace

• Kanye West to visit during report card

pick up

• Puppy found roaming the halls of school

• Ms. Crabapple is retiring after 60 years

of teaching

• Fred Frederick got straight A’s this

semester

• The local school board is meeting next

week

• School district cutting budgets next year

• New standardized tests to be unveiled

• Local politician visits sophomore class

Story Ideas

Deciding the News Discussion1. How did your criteria for choosing a story

compare to the criteria editors and journalists use?

2. Did everyone agree on what was important and interesting? Why might that be the case?

3. Are there other factors for deciding what makes “news” than what are listed here? What are they?

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QUICK FIRE

Why News Matters

Is the news important? Why or why not?

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it has the power to shape how people think.

News Matters Because

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1. Get into groups of 3 or 4 students.

2. When instructed, go to a learning station, read and interpret the information, discuss as a group, and write your response.

3. Rotate to the right when instructed.

Learning Stations Instructions

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1. Take out your bell-ringer response and read what you wrote at the beginning of class.

2. Underneath your response, write your current thoughts to the question “Does news matter? Why or why not?”

Does News Matter?

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Why News Matters

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Stand Up IfStand up if the statement applies to you. Stay standing until instructed to sit down.

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http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b98_1278463537

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_pw8duzGUg

http://vimeo.com/14964749

Person on the Street Videos

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Write your reaction to what you just watched using only five words.

You may either write a five-word sentence or list five words that describe what you saw.

Five Words

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Stand and DeclareDo you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statement?

“The news media is responsible for the ignorance of the citizenry.”

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Writing PromptSome people blame the media for the ignorance of the public, saying that people rely on the news for their information. Others say that the media just simply responds to the demands of the public.

Write a short position paper on whether you think the media is responsible for the “ignorance” of the public.

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Socratic SeminarHow does ignorance impact the United States?

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News Media Bias

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Bell-ringer

A fight between two girls broke out in the hallway last period. The principal asked those who witnessed the fight to report what happened.

The witnesses included:• the best friend of one of the students who fought,• a sister of the other student,• a teacher who knows both students, • a teacher who does not know either student, • a student who was just walking by halfway through the fight, and • a student who was in the hallway when the fight broke out.

How might the witnesses’ reports differ? Why?

Respond in writing to the following prompt:

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Definitionsbias: to show a preference for a certain issue or position

perspective: point of view

objective: the ability to describe an issue or event without expressing an opinion or taking sides

subjective: one’s personal interpretation of events

propaganda: often false or misleading information used to promote a person, institution, or organization

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Outfoxed

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Investigating the NewsFind one example of media bias in a broadcast and/or print new source. (While Outfoxed examined media bias in broadcast news, many print news organizations use similar tactics.)

Pick a news source other than Fox News.

• Identify the news source• Describe the bias technique• Explain what messages might be missing

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The Power of Language

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Bell-ringerRespond in writing to the following prompt:

What is the difference between calling a person a “soldier” versus calling him or her a “freedom fighter”?

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DefinitionsMeanings of words can be separated into two parts:

Denotation:  a literal meaning of the word

Connotation:  an association (emotional or otherwise) which the word evokes

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House HomeDenotation

Connotation Neutral Positive

Place where a person or people live

Place where a person or people live

Image credit: TaxRebate.org.uk

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Words with Different Connotations

What are some examples of different words or phrases that mostly mean the same thing but have different connotations?

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Which Statement is Neutral?

There are over 2,000 vagrants in the city.

There are over 2,000 people with no address in the city.

There are over 2,000 homeless in the city.

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Investigating the News1. Find an example of biased language in a news

story.

2. Write the connotation of the word/phrase.

3. Write a less biased word/phrase.

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Identifying Perspectives in News Stories

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Bell-ringer1. Read the “Rats Bite Baby” section of the How

Perspectives Shift the Story handout. 2. Turn to a partner and identify the who, what,

where, and why of the story.

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Rats Bite Infant. Landlord, Tenants Dispute Blame

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Rat Bites Rising in the City’s ‘Zone of Death’

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Identifying Perspectives in NewsRead your article and complete the Identifying Perspectives in News Articles worksheet with your partner.

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Comparing Stories1. In what ways do the different articles

represent different perspectives? What evidence do we have to support this?

2. What facts do all the articles have in common?

3. What information is in one article but absent in another?

4. If someone read just one of these articles, how would their view of the event differ from someone who read the other articles?

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Distinguishing News from Commentary

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Bell-ringerRespond in writing to the following prompt:

What is an editorial and how is it different from a news article?

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Is your story a News Article or Commentary? Why?

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Four Corners Activity

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Blurred Lineshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZEYo4I5K3o

1. Watch the video

2. Pay attention to the reporter’s language

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Blurred Lines Discussion QuestionsWas Chris Matthews reporting the news, was he giving us his opinion, or was it a mixture of the two?

What did he say that supports your position?

What are the impacts of mixing commentary and news reporting?

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1. Interpret the slide image.

2. Explain how it might influence consumers’ understanding of what is going on in the world?

3. Explain how it might impact having an informed public in a democracy?

PEW RESEARCH CENTER 2013 STATE OF THE NEWS MEDIA Source: Pew Research News Coverage IndexNote: Data from three days in 2012 (November 26, December 5, and December 18)

Fox News MSNBC

On MSNBC, Opinion Dominates Reporting Percentage of Newshole

CNN

Commentary/Opinion Factual Reporting

85%

15%

45%

55%54%

46%

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Exit Ticket

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Just the Facts: Fact Checking in the Digital Age

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Bell-ringer

http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/2007/04/05/tourist-guy-2001/

Respond in writing to the following question: What is wrong with this picture from 9/11/01?

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10 Fake Photos of Hurricane Sandy

www.theweek.com/article/index/235578/10%C2%ADfake%C2%ADphotos%C2%ADof%C2%ADhurricane%C2%ADsandy

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Dewey Beats Truman

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-deweydefeats-story,0,6484067.story

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Whom Can You Trust?

http://weeklyworldnews.com/politics/35813/obama-to-write-new-u-s-constitution/.

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Fact Checking in the Digital Age

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From Headlines to Hashtags: How and Where People are Getting their News

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Bell-ringer

Complete the bell-ringer section of the News Media Trends worksheet.

Put a check next to all the news media source types where you get your news. Then, rank your top four sources. For example, write “1” next to the source type you use the most.

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Where do Americans go for their news?

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Main Source for News

PEW RESEARCH CENTER July 17-21, 2013. Q46. Respondents were allowed to name up to two sources.

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Main Source for National and International News

PEW RESEARCH CENTER July 17-21, 2013. Respondents were allowed to name up to two sources. Q46 & Q47.

Ages 18-29

Ages 50-64

Ages 65+

Ages 30-49

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Newspaper Newsroom Workforce Continues Its Decline

Total number of newsroom workers in the thousands

thousand

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2011

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50

40

30

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER 2012 News Consumption Survey; Newspaper Association of America.

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What news source would you use...?

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Pew Research Center’s 2013 State of the News Media report. PEW RESEARCH CENTER

30%

19%

34%

12%

19%

9%

TotalPopulation

18-24 YearOlds

30-39 YearOlds

2010 2012

More People Getting News on Social NetworksPercent of respondents who saw news on social network

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Hurricane Sandy Conversation on TwitterPercent of assertions

Data range: October 29, 2012- October 31, 2012Source: PEJ analysis using Crimson Hexagon TechnologyPEW RESEARCH CENTER

34%

25%

14%

13%

8%

6%

News and information

Photos and videos

Jokes

Hopes and prayers for safety

Political commentary

Excitement

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Tweet itIn your groups, create a 140 character or less “tweet” that highlights one way the media has changed/is changing.

Write your tweet on a sticky note.

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Citizens: The New Fourth Estate As you read the story, highlight the facts in one

highlighter color and the opinions in another highlighter color. (Create a color key at the top of the page.)

After you finish reading and highlighting, respond to the following prompts in writing:

What is David Hoffman’s thesis? Do you agree with it? Provide evidence to support your position.