teachingmedialiteracy wiki / AnalyzingNews

Students will be given the same news story as reported by three different news sources (newspaper, magazine, blog, podcast, T.V. news, etc...). The students will analyze each source. They will then answer the following questions: What source appears to be the most truthful? What source is most appealing to you? Does one make more sense then the others? Are they all saying the same thing, or does each source send a different message? Would you think different things about this news story if you had only received news from one source?

The students will then engage in a class discussion about the value of multiple news sources. Were any of the sources they looked at in any way connected? Possibly owned by the same parent company? What is the value of independent news and reporting?

Analyzing Newspapers - Genevieve

Provide students with copies of The New York Times, The Pioneer Press, and The Star Tribune. Divide students into small groups and give each group one news section of each newspaper (front pages sections and local sections would be ideal). Provide students with a graphic organizer that will allow them to write down each article’s headline under the section in which it appears. For example, the graphic organizer should have a section marked, “Front Page,” and in that section, students will write the headlines of all the articles that appear on the front page. Students should then estimate the length of each article by word or sentence count. Once all groups have completed their tasks, they should present their findings to the class. What kinds of stories warrant placement on the front page? What kinds of stories warrant more space? What does this say about what each newspaper considers newsworthy?

__Suzanne DeFoe-Fall 2007-News Critical Analysis-Who's News is it Anyway?__

Have the students watch Kare11 News, a local Twin Cities Station, an NBC affiliate, and KSTP. Channel 5. Identify the owners of each station (NBC is owned by GE). During the broadcast, list each product that is advertised and identify the parent company of each product, Dove soap is owned by Uniliver for example. Research and identify, what if any business relationships exist between the stations' parent company and the products advertised on its news broadcasts. Is GE selling washers and dryers on the news station they own? Then compare both "local" telecasts with a similar broadcast on NPR. Have students interpret what they feel the motivations of each broadcast are - who is really being broadcast to? Who's self-interest is being forwarded? The public at large or the parent company that owns the respective media outlet?Have fun with this-peel away as many layers as you'd like to. Who owns GE? What is his/her political affiliation? Religion? Is it publicly held? What's the latest stock price? Who buys GE stock? Any demographic you can get on GE stockholders? Same with KSTP? Who is/are Hubbard Broadcasting Company?

Putting it into a Global Context by Katie Noack

In this activity students watch an evening broadcast like we did for this media class. They record all of the topics and news stories mentioned. Then they pick one story that was briefly mentioned and write a short explanation of that story, what they think it means, and why it is news. Using the same story, their next task is to find out more background information about that story. What events led up to the occurance? What other events are related? What are the implications of the occurance? What does this occurance mean for our society? They must find at least two different opinions on the news story and be able to explain why each side feels the way that they do.

Truth ?!? by Chris

This is an activity that could work very well in a class studying the Postmodern critical lens or literature. The students would analyze the media in a quest for "Truth". They would be required to find at least two accounts of the same event and try to determine the validity of each source as well as form a hypothesis a to why the news might be biased toward a specific direction. For example, after any public demonstration, the numbers of participants tend to fluctuate greatly between reports of whatever group organized the event and the police. This would illustrate the subjectivity of reality and how "what happens" and "history"in general can be viewed as pluralistic and indefinite. To further illustrate this point, we could watch conflicting representations in class and discussion which better represented "Truth".

NBC News archives through HotChalk

Designed to engage students in active learning and provide primary source multimedia content that far exceeds what is available in traditional textbooks, more than 5,000 video resources provided by NBC through HotChalk can be used to supplement instruction in a wide range of courses: history classes can watch the civil rights movement as it happened and view interviews with key players; science students can see recreated footage of the Ice Age or watch today's arctic shelves disintegrate into the ocean; and government classes can have access to the very latest news on immigration, the presidential race, or international relations.

Teachers of all grades, including AP courses in U.S. History, Government and Politics, and English language and composition can sign up to use the new NBC education resource free of charge at www.HotChalk.com http://www.hotchalk.com for the fall 2007-2008 semester. Continued use requires a school building subscription through HotChalk for interested users.

Using NBC News' production services, the new digital educational content released today includes, additional NBC archive materials, several hundred videos created in collaboration with historians, textbook authors and other experts on a wide range of topics dating from beginning of history to the 1930's when NBC began its archive. Teachers will also be able to access additional primary source content, original audio, video and third-party content such as the Washington Post's newspaper articles, and current material from NBC News' leading media properties, including "NBC Nightly News" and "Meet the Press."

Heejin Han, Journalism 3101: News and Reporting: analysis of local news

School News by Angela

While many schools do have a student run newscast, I think this would be a fun classroom activity. You would designate certain students as reporters, journalists, anchors, camera operators, sound, editing, etc. The leftovers would work together to direct the newscast and decide local newsworthy material for their intended audience - the rest of the school. Students would need to first analyze several different news channels in order to make big decisions about their own broadcast. Students would collaborate on strategies and techniques to employ in their news program. They would need to consider point of view, attitudes, audience appeals, value assumptions, bias, etc. Numerous mini-activities could be embedded in this unit in order to keep the kids engaged and break down the process into simple steps.

Media is the 4^th Branch of Government-Sara

Tell students it is important to teach about media in Civics as it is sorta the “4^th branch of government”. Not to imply that it is controlled by the government but that it serves as another “check” in out system of checks in balances. This exercise is fairly simple, students must find an article that demonstrates this, and fill out a short summary worksheet. The students must know the who, what, when, where and why. They also must show how the article is ‘checking” another branch of the government. Obviously, they’re all not going to be able to find Woodward and Bernstein-esque articles but anything investigatory would work. Then have the student re-write the article as if it were from a country where the government controlled the media. Students should think how that would affect what details and facts are reported, the tone in which the article would be written and think why an article like this would be included.

Al Jazeera vs. BBC vs. Fox News: by Steve M. and Elizabeth F. (Fall 2007)

For an interesting comparative study, I'd like students to pick a news story and look at the presentation of that story between news entities. For example, if we look at the November 8th override by the U.S. House and Senate of the Presidential veto fo the water resources bill, we can find a number of different perspectives regarding the same basic issue. Al Jazeera, the news group operating out of Qatar, portrays the vote as President Bush being "overruled" and that Bush now "confronts a more hostile" Senate, with Republicans willing to "defy" him. Interestingly, Fox News, who also use the word "overruled" prominently in their headline, chose to describe Bush as having "suffered" the veto, in much the same way as one would suffer a back spasm or a recurring bout of acid reflux. Also, the article provided the image of the President offering his "protest" that the bill was filled with special interest money--clearly this positions the President as being a lone voice against a surge of Democratic spending. The BBC chose to position the Republican party as having "deserted" the President, and chose the rather lukewarm verb 'overturn' in its description of what the House and Senate did to the President's veto. Although it may not be in any way conclusive about 'bias' per se, this exercise would offer some insight into the way that events can be viewed given a particular lens or descriptive style. Essentially, we can return to the notion of the disconnect between the signifier and that which is to be signified. What something is called or named, or how it is described for that matter, is less about the thing itself than about the name.

Headlines by Denise (Fall 2007)

Like Crystal's idea below, I like the idea of looking at headlines (and subheads) in relation to the actual stories. My idea, however, is to do the opposite of what Crystal suggests. I would like to give the students three headlines, without the stories, and have them write a paragraph or two making their own story that has to do with the headline. Then, they will be given the real stories and need to choose one of the three to write a brief comparison on the real story versus their own story: maybe two similarities and two differences. They should include why they think they were alike or different—which words in the headline were misleading or helpful.

News Comparison by Lisa (Fall 2007)

Students will view two different news broadcasts: national and local. The broadcasts should both be from the same network (i.e. NBC, ABC, CBS, etc.). They will then create a comparison chart noting similarities and differences between content and quality of the programs. Some areas to be addressed are: time devoted to stories, political bias, types of stories (i.e. crime, politics, social, family, health, etc.), structure, mood, and anything else the student notices. Students will get into groups to discuss their findings. We will then have a whole-class discussion about the differences between local and national news programs.

News and Satire by Jessie (Fall 2007)

In this activity the students will tape a national news broadcast and a mockumentary news broadcast on the same evening. They will watch both news shows and compare the two. The students must find a topic that is present in both of the broadcasts and compare the two. First the student must write out the literal: what is said, word for word. Next the student must write out what is implied. Where are the programs sympathies? Are the way they present their subjects informed by a world view? What political leanings can you make out? They must site evidence from the broadcasts to explain how they make these inferences. The student must conclude with their own thoughts about the subject or story that they chose. They must explain why they feel the way they do. Is it completely different from both newscasts? More similar to one than another? What are the students thoughts about the method of news communication? Do they like a straight delivery or a comedic one?

News Activity: Annie and Eve Fall 2007

Ask students to watch a local news program that also has a website. Have them document all of the stories that occur during one broadcast, and then document all the stories that appear on their website by that time of day. How do they compare? On TV, which stories are given the most time? On the website, which stories are the longest? Are there stories that appear in one medium and not the other? Then, ask them to analyze their findings and think about why the differences exist. Have them present their ideas to the class or in small groups.

Analyzing and Creating the News

by Katie B. Fall 2007

Students would be required to all watch the same showing of the news on an assigned night (local channel, maybe the 6:00 P.M. news). I would have a form for students to take home which asked specific questions about the news such as how long did they focus on weather, local news, national news, and sports? Were the stories positive or negative? How did the stories affect your opinions on certain topics? Did the news cause a shift in your perception of a particular story? How many male and female reporters were there? What types of commercials were shown during the news? The next day in class students would share their answers and discuss what they saw. The next part of the lesson would be to create their own newscast in small groups of four following the format they saw and discussed. Students would need to set up sets, provide the visuals and information, and use a video camera to film their newscast. Along with the newscast they would write a group explanation of why they presented certain stories, how they presented a specific side of the story, what visuals were used, and how they timed the newscast.

Analyzing News Teaching Activity submitted by Crystal Bieter

One way to critically analyze news is to look at the newspaper and have students analyze at least three news stories WITHOUT the heading. The teacher would then pass out three headline-less stories to each group. First they would be expected to read all three. Once they did this, they would then receive 3 headlines. Their job then as a group would be to match the article to it’s heading. As part of a follow-up, they could write down what words in the headlines helped them find the correct story. Then distribute headlines from less prominent stories and ask students to choose one and write a news story to go with it. When the stories have been completed, provide each student with the story that originally accompanied the headline. Ask: How close was your story to the original? How effectively did the headline convey the meaning of the story? You might follow up this activity by asking students to write a headline for their favorite fairy

Ligia Hernandez and Andrea Lars

We would analyze the use of language print news. I have actually done this in class and the studentsreally love this activity.

Have your students bring two or three different newspapers of the same day (date).

Have them find one of two news that are reported in all three (or at lest 2) of the newspapers.

They mustthem proceed to analyze the headlines of each article.

How do they differ? How arethey alike?

What does each of them imply?

To whcih one are they more attracted to?

Why?

What is the purpose of the use of that poarticular choice of words?

Is the article related to what the title imply?

With this activity they can see the importance and the power of language when reporting news.

Then have them think of an issue that has happened in school and have them create the headlines for a newspaper from different perspectives, with different agendas. This is pure fun in class, guaranteed!

Rebekah Ignatowicz and Justin Crum

To help students learn how to critically analyze the news, I would have the students compare news broadcasts from different news stations, and two articles from two different newspapers, all on the same topic. Students would compare and contrast these news stories identifying which media sources may have news bias, techniques and editing, and intended audience.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003638615

People reading online news choose different stories from those offered by mainstream newspapers.

Karen Keller and Abbey Weis

To compare and contrast the manner by which television news represents stories, students will compare two different channels' broadcasts: Fox News and BBC.

Using a podcast in the classroom (students may use laptops, if available to them, or the teacher may use a computer and a projector), show the Fox News broadcast on a story of your choice (for example, Donald Rumsfeld's resignation). (www.foxnews.com)

As students view, they are to record 1. the main points the journalist makes; 2. evident bias 3. key words used to relay the story and/or bias point of view.

Then, completing the same written assignment, students should view the same story topic but from the BBC network. (www.bbc.com)

A discussion should follow the viewings. Have students share their findings.

Use the following questions to promote discussion:

How would you desctibe the Fox News broadcast? What words would you use to describe it? The BBC broadcast?

What is the purpose of each representation?

How do the two differ?

What are similarities between the two presentations?

What key words seemed to convey the point of view in each?

Was bias presented? Where? How?

Which representation is the most compelling?

Which one did you like better or prefer? Why?

What is journalism's purpose?

What is its responsibility?

Do these networks maintain these purposes and responsibilities? How?

Sarah Thomes and Emily Peckskamp

In order to understand the impact that advertising and audience has on television news, students will compare a local newspaper and a news program. For example, students will watch a local television broadcat, like Kare 11, and read a local newspaper, such as the Star Tribune. Students will examine the number of stories and what type they are, sports, weather, local, national. They will also compare the number and type of ads found in both mediums. Using this information, students will begin to speculate as to why there are these differences. They will also examine what stories and information are left out, or treated differently in one news format versus the other. By comparing newspaper and television news, students can begin to understand the impact or advertising and audience on the news.

Katie Houlihan & Sarah Staples

As a follow up to studying critical analysis of advertising, have students watch a local TV news broadcast, either in the morning or at night, and keep a viewing log both of the stories covered and, more importantly, of the commercials shown in between each segment. The goal is to get the students to understand/realize the connection between the news broadcast and the advertising dollars behind production. Who are those commercials aimed at? Are the students the target audience? How can they tell? Do any of the ads (like, say, for Nexium) tie-in to the segments discussed on air (e.g. on healthcare and/or perscription meds)? Does this advertising present a conflict of interest with the hard-hitting news team if, for example, they're uncovering unsafe drugs the FDA had originally approved? Do the anchors put a spin (or, bias) on any of the stories relating to products advertised? Also, have students blog about why they think those commercials were shown during that news program - what does it say about the news station and its intended viewers? This would be a good point to talk about ownership and who has the power to air certain ads.

Nate and Jarrett

Meaningless News Items:

Assign the students to watch a local news program. They should watch at least two different channels. Ask the students to make a list of all the things said, done, or shown that do not relate to information or meaning—for example, a reporter standing outside a courthouse to discuss a trial. Driving to the courthouse when one cannot view the actual proceedings seems like a waste of time. Another example is when news anchors partake in meaningless banter at the end of the show. When the students return with their lists, have then get into groups of 3 or 4 and create categories for their observations. After the students group the observations, have the students explain why they think that these things are in the news program. Are they fun or entertaining? Do they make it appear like the news is ‘at-the-scene’? After discovering what the news programs include, the students should begin to create their own satire of local news programs. They may incorporate any items from their lists or create something completely different.

Sara Speicher & Kerry Newstrom

Critical Analysis of News

Have the students watch three different news programs over three days. Two must be local (i.e. Kare 11) and one must be national (CNN). All three must air at the same time. Have them determine the amount of time each spends on news, sports, weather, entertainment, and any other miscellaneous segments that may be aired. Also have them figure out how much time is taken up with commercials. Have them make comparisons of the programs – possibly by using charts or graphs to clearly show similarities. Then have the students make a decision about which news program they would prefer to watch and why. What program do they think delivers the most substantial news or the most accurate information and why? As a follow up, have them research where different stations get their funds.

Critical Analysis of News

Theresa Haider and Jennifer Sellers

Groups of students watch/tape two different local news stations' 5, 6, or 10 PM news to detect news bias. They will do this by answering the 9 questions the FAIR site provides for detecting news bias. After watching the two broadcasts (one will have to be recorded), they will create a visual aid comparing the two stations based on the answers to the FAIR questions. Next, they will determine if either station is more/less biased than the other. The activity can conclude with the entire class determining which local news station is "the best" or least biased, and/or "the worst" or most biased.

American Society of Newspaper Editors: online journalism

Midwest local TV newscasts average 36 seconds of election coverage

October 12, 2006

by Midwest News Index (MNI), a new project of UW-Madison's NewsLab. The Joyce Foundation of Chicago is funding the analysis as part of an ongoing project examining democratic institutions and processes in the five-state region.

The UW-Madison NewsLab analysis captured up to one hour per night of the early and late-evening broadcasts on 36 NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX affiliates in nine Midwest markets between Sept. 7 and Oct. 6. The analysis covered the largest media market and state capital city in each state: Chicago, Springfield, Detroit, Lansing, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cleveland, Columbus, Madison and Milwaukee.

Highlights of the initial report include:

Of the more than 1,800 broadcasts analyzed by the UW-Madison NewsLab (900 hours of programming), 1,629 election related stories aired. These included stories that were primarily about campaigns and elections and stories that either tangentially included elections or that mentioned a candidate running for office in November.

Just more than half of all broadcasts (56 percent) contained at least one story that was primarily about elections, and the average length of stories devoted primarily to elections was 68 seconds.

In coverage of elections, strategy and horserace stories vastly outweighed substantive issue coverage by a margin of almost 3 to 1 (63 percent to 23 percent).

Gubernatorial coverage consumed a third of the airtime (34 percent) devoted to election stories.

This initial report on pre-election coverage is the first in a series of analyses running through the summer of 2007 of how local news broadcasts cover politics and government. The duration of the study and its regional focus are unprecedented.

The UW-Madison NewsLab is directed by UW-Madison political science professor Ken Goldstein. The state-of-the-art facility has the infrastructure, technical skill and supervisory capability to capture, clip, code, analyze and archive any media in any market — domestic or international — in real time.

The NewsLab archives include data collected in the 2002 and 2004 national elections, and are the most comprehensive and systematic collection of campaign news coverage on local television stations ever gathered.

"Although it is the single greatest source of news information for most Americans, scholarly studies have consistently shown that citizens learn little from local news," Goldstein says. "The results from this study show why. There must be significant substantive content for learning to take place. This study, consistent with previous studies conducted at UW NewsLab, show that there is relatively little coverage of campaigns and elections on local news, and when coverage does occur, it tends to focus on horserace and strategy frames."

The Midwest News Index findings will be continually updated. The study will also produce a comprehensive, Web-based searchable archive available to journalists, scholars, civic organizations and others. A second report covering the final month of the campaign will be released in mid-November.

Lawrence Hansen, vice president of the Joyce Foundation, says he hoped the initial findings of the Midwest News Index would spur both station owners and their regulators to do a better job of fulfilling their public-interest obligations in the final weeks before the elections.

"The airwaves — like our national parks — are owned by the American people, not, as is often mistakenly assumed, by broadcasters. The results of this study show that most broadcasters are retreating from their obligation to serve the public interest, including their responsibility to inform citizens so they can participate in the political process," says Hansen.

"Meanwhile television station owners reap millions of dollars from paid political advertising — which in turn drives up the cost of running for office and makes candidates dependent on special interests and large donors willing to pick up the tab," Hansen says.

Following is a table illustrating a breakdown of the typical 30-minute local news broadcast in the nine markets covered by NewsLab's Midwest News Index. Times reflect averages based on total broadcasts analyzed.

Typical 30-minute broadcast breakdown (Sept. 7-Oct. 6):

Advertising: 10 minutes, 7 seconds

Sports and weather: 7 minutes, 1 second

Crime: 2 minutes, 27 seconds

Other: 2 minutes, 18 seconds

Local interest: 2 minutes, 1 second

Teasers, bumpers, intros: 1 minute, 46 seconds

Non-campaign government news: 1 minute, 6 seconds

Health: 1 minute, 4 seconds

Business, economy: 1 minute, 2 seconds

Election coverage: 36 seconds

Foreign policy: 23 seconds

Unintentional injury: 11 seconds

A USA Today story compares and contrasts the three major network evening newscasts during one day’s broadcast. What did they cover? How? Of particular interest to me is that only 8 minutes of each newscast was classified as hard news. Years ago, I used to have my middle school students time local newscasts and determine how much was devoted to news, sports, weather, and fluff.

Wikibook: Writing and Rhetoric in the Public Sphere

October 3, 2006

RTNDF Study Finds Local Television Remains the Dominant Source of News;

Public Wants Serious News, Technology That Gives Them Control

WASHINGTON—More Americans choose local television news as one of their top three sources for news than any other form of traditional or new media, according to The Future of News Survey conducted for the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation. A total of 65.5 percent named local television news, compared with 28.4 percent who named local newspapers and 28.3 percent who named national network television news. The Internet was one of the top three choices for 11.2 percent of those surveyed.

Additional findings:

The public is showing a strong interest in serious news. National and international news rank second and third, just behind weather, in interest. Information about sports and entertainment ranked at the bottom.

More than 90 percent said it is very important or somewhat important for news to be right up to the minute. The public was most interested in urgent, breaking news but some complained about mislabeling of news that is neither urgent nor breaking.

People want to be able to watch news when it is convenient for them. Decisions to watch news appear to be based on having the time available, rather than to watch something specific that they have heard about.

Two-thirds of the public say they have never read a blog or don’t know what they are.

Less than 5 percent of the public has ever watched news on a small screen device such as a mobile phone or handheld electronic device.

More than three-quarters of the public prefer to watch news on a television set, rather than a computer or handheld electronic device, and more than 60 percent would like to perform on TV the functions they now perform on a computer. If given a choice of getting the same news whenever they want via any medium, the public also prefers to get news on television.

The public desires more interactivity with television news. More than 40 percent of the public would like the ability to assemble their own newscasts. More than 60 percent would like to be able to push a button and get more information on screen about what they are watching.

The public perceives that business and advertisers have influence on television news. Those in higher income groups, the better educated, younger people and men feel most strongly about the importance of maintaining a clear separation between advertisers and news.

“The future of news is a matter of vital concern to RTNDA and its members,” says RTNDA and RTNDF president Barbara Cochran. “Through research such as the RTNDF study, electronic journalists can determine how technological change can influence the future of news. Armed with knowledge, electronic journalists can face the future without fear and enjoy the exciting times ahead.”

The study was commissioned by RTNDF, conducted by Bob Papper, professor at Ball State University, and sponsored by the Ford Foundation. For complete survey results, please visit their website or for further information on study, contact Stacey Staniak at 202.467.5214 or staceys@rtndf.org.

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)

FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints. As an anti-censorship organization, we expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information.

Uniquely, FAIR works with both activists and journalists. We maintain a regular dialogue with reporters at news outlets across the country, providing constructive critiques when called for and applauding exceptional, hard-hitting journalism. We also encourage the public to contact media with their concerns, to become media activists rather than passive consumers of news.

'NewsHour' faulted for lack of diversity

DAVID BAUDER Associated Press

NEW YORK - PBS' "NewsHour" tilts too heavily toward Republican white men in its sources and needs to do a better job promoting diverse points of view, a watchdog group said in a report issued on Tuesday.

Two-thirds of the partisan sources appearing on Jim Lehrer's nightly newscasts between October 2005 and March 2006 were Republican, and 82 percent were men, said the liberal advocacy organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting.

The show works hard to reflect diversity, PBS spokesman Rob Flynn said. But with Republicans in power in both the White House and Congress, it's only natural that they will be seen more in a news program, he said.

For instance, FAIR's report lists former White House press secretary Scott McClellan as a source who appeared on the show 25 times. For most of those, it was probably just a film of McClellan commenting on a news story from his White House podium, Flynn said.

"You may have an argument for 7 or 8 percent more Republicans, but you don't have an argument for two-to-one," said FAIR's Steve Rendall, senior analyst and co-author of the report.

FAIR's researchers found minorities used as sources 15 percent of the time, even though they make up 31 percent of the population. Hurricane Katrina sources, mostly victims of the flood, make up about half of those sources, he said.

In stories about the Iraq war, people who advocate a U.S. withdrawal were outnumbered by more than five-to-one, the liberal group said. Its researchers said they couldn't find a single peace activist had appeared on "NewsHour" during the six months studied.

"I think people in commercial broadcasting, and particularly in public broadcasting, are constantly looking over their shoulders skittishly, worried that they will be labeled liberal or left-wing," Rendall said.

Responded Flynn: "I don't think we go one way or another to compensate for the bias of conventional wisdom."

Who are the Newscasters?" by Dan Richardson and Nate Schultz

Over a week, ask students to watch news broadcasts on 5 different channels - a mix of national networks, local news and cable news. Ask them to keep a log describing the appearances of the people delivering the news, from the anchors to the weatherpeople to the sports reporters. The descriptions should include information about their perceived ethnicities, their clothing and their manners of speaking. At the end of the project, students work in small groups to compare notes and come up with some generalizations about the people who deliver news on TV.

Lisa and Adam:

Critical Analysis Exercise:

As a whole class, students will watch two taped episodes of the news: one viewing of the nightly news and another viewing of either the morning or dinner hour viewing. Through class discussion, students will note the differences in how much time is spent on various topics such as sports, local, national, etc. Next, students will break into groups and create their own 15 minute broadcast. Members must decide who will anchor, write the news, be special reporters, and so on. News will be fictional, but written collaboratively by the group. Once filmed (or done live in front of the class) students will critique each other’s shows using the motto, “One thing I liked and One thing I would change” method.

School News

Mary Voigt, Alma Mendez, Pat McGurk

Have students shoot their own short new segment about the school. Allow them to choose what they want, everything from gossip to sports to politics to weather, it just has to be about the school. Afterwards view the shorts and ask students to evaluate them based on the following criteria:

Is this actual news? How valuable is this information? Is it important to anyone besides the film makers? Why? What is the film makers' opinion on the subject? Is it obvious? Why? In a normal nightly local newscast would this sort of information be present? In which part of the broadcast (beginning, middle, or end?)

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