Time Required

The unit can be covered in a week of class time or extended to be a companion assignment to a long-term project as students follow the presidential (or other) political campaign.

Materials

• Access to the internet and/or newspapers, news magazines, and current periodical resources

Initial Motivation

Share with the class:

Syndicated columnist Charley Reese wrote, "News is what matters, not what happens." Students need to understand that the media plays a major role in shaping our understanding of the world around us. What we know used to be limited by where we lived, with whom we spoke, what we read. With the advent of technology and the power of the media, who is behind the camera and what that cameraman is pointing the lens towards now shape our perceptions. If we, as intelligent consumers of the media, are to make sound judgments about our world we must be able to look beyond the angle of the lens and envision what might be missed by the news coverage or what might be staged for the benefit of the television crews.

William Saffire is a syndicated columnist and former speech writer for Richard M. Nixon. Recently, he related the subject matter of a speech he wrote that was never delivered. When certain astronauts were launched in the space race, it fell to Mr. Saffire to write a speech for President Nixon discussing their death. The article began, "Fate dictated that our astronauts were not successful in their landing today." Fortunately, the speech didn't need to be delivered and those astronauts returned safely home. The point that can be made is that saying something doesn't make it so. With the advent of computer technology, Forrest Gump can stand next to Ed Sullivan or Governor George Wallace—even though it never happened. While reporters wield tremendous power to shape our thinking, sometimes their bias may be subtle beyond detection. Their "slant on things" may not even be purposeful, but may occur just by where the camera is pointed.

Initial Motivation

Ask students the following discussion questions: What should a news story be about? When should a cameraman turn off his camera or point the lens in a different direction? Are there constitutional limits on what the public "has a right to know?" How do we know when a reporter is showing bias? Who decides what we "see" through the eyes of the media? Does the presence of a news crew change the news? When Hillary said, "It takes a village to raise a child," did she mean a global village?

Procedures

Day 1

1. Set up a simulation situation with another adult in authority on your campus. Have a fellow teacher or administrator meet your class at the beginning of the period, announcing that you are on your way but delayed. They should "reluctantly" share the information that you are in the office talking with an angry parent and that they are concerned about you. Try to get them to imply that you might be in trouble for a controversial lesson. (If no other adult is available, try to set up this scenario yourself as though the meeting is after school.)
2. When you return from the "conference," appear distressed. Tell the students that you need their help with the angry parent. Ask them to write down anything you might have done in the last two weeks that could have caused a parent to object to your teaching. (You may need a thick skin for this part of the activity, but it's worth it.)
3. Have them take their written papers to small groups for comparison and discussion. Allow time for them to compare notes in small groups and then have them share their notes with the whole class. Try not to comment too much on what they share. Appear receptive and thoughtful. Collect their papers and thank them for their input, then go on with whatever other lesson you may have for the day. This might be a good time to go over the discussion questions listed in the section titled "Initial Motivation."

Day 2

1. Ask students to write a news article that describes what happened yesterday in class. If they ask, tell them that your situation with the angry parent is still not resolved and that you can not discuss it further. Discuss the elements of writing newspaper articles to include:
• succinct language
• short paragraphs
• facts only
• most important info. to least important
• no bias
• Include quotes of eyewitnesses and observers. (they may interview class mates for this part)
2. Compare the articles and discuss the range of descriptions. Look for unwarranted conclusions (such as you are going to be fired) or bias (such as you deserve to be fired.) Try to make the point that, even though you all shared the same experience, there were many different ways to see the situation. Tell them that the "angry parent" was not real, and it was a situation to prompt their response.
3. Ask students to gather newspapers and newsmagazines from home and bring them to class. These should be recent, but not necessarily that day's issue.

Day 3

1. Collect the periodicals brought from home. (You may wish to give bonus points to those who contribute.)
2. Ask students to read the following "eye witness" account:
   A seventeen-year-old boy from San Gabriel caused a serious injury accident on Valley Blvd. yesterday when he ran out into traffic in front of a speeding truck. The truck driver managed to brake in time to avoid hitting the youth, but the Ford Falcon behind him driven by Rosemary Gutierrez was unable to stop before collision. She was transported from the scene to the nearest hospital with neck and back pains. Gutierrez told reporters, "I never had a chance to stop. I saw the kid run out into the street for no reason at all. He must have been on drugs or something." An angry group of onlookers who arrived soon after the accident concurred that the young man must have been high or suicidal. Police held the youth for questioning. His name will not be released because he is a minor.
3. Ask students to discuss what happened. What do they see as possible reasons for the young man's actions? Whose fault is the accident? Does the reporter convey any bias or slant? Encourage students to describe the scene as they "see" it based on the article.
4. Read them the following "follow-up" article:
   A young man held for questioning in yesterday's collision on Valley Blvd. appears to be a hero. (Pause here and ask the students to predict how this might be possible. Allow all suggestions and discussion. Then continue reading.) An interview with Robert Algheirri, the driver of a truck rear-ended by the injured Rosemary Gutierrez claims reports that he was speeding towards an intersection when he spotted a toddler in his path. Algheirre stated, "No way was I going to be able to stop in time. Then out of nowhere this kid comes running out in front of me and tosses the little girl out of the way. I almost hit him instead." Police report that the young man spotted the toddler and ran in front of the truck to save her. The child suffered minor injuries from being thrown to safety. Ms. Gutierrez will be cited for following too close and failing to stop her vehicle.
5. Talk about perspective. Students will probably have experienced similar situations when something appears on the news and differs with their own experience. For example, relatives' phone concerned about the flood damage shown in Las Vegas while the Las Vegas cousins in the casinos aren't even aware it is raining outside. Or, delegates to the Chicago democratic convention during Mayor Daily's tenure were completely unaware of the beatings of demonstrators outside the convention center by the Chicago police.
6. Ask students to continue to gather periodicals for class use.

Day 4

1. Have students work in groups. Assign one or two groups to each search task:
2. Group I: Find a "news trend" epidemic. News media often try to find stories similar to front-page headlines. For example, front-page coverage of a particular crime is followed by subsequent stories of the same kind of crime. (The prom moms, the accused nanny, the child left in a car, road rage incidents, etc.) What are some recent news trends? Are the people or the reporters furthering these?
3. Group II: Look for a story that might be an example of misperception. (similar to the article given yesterday in class.) See if your group can present to the class other possibilities than those reported in the article chosen for discussion.
4. Group III: Find articles that cover the presidential campaigners. Are there any issues that seem to be covered consistently? (i.e., vouchers, abortion, etc.) Does the reported material seem to show one candidate more favorable than another? What might the "lens" of the camera or the reporter's angle be shaping by its focus? Share findings from the groups. Have students view the evening news, looking for further examples. Allow time to discuss these examples tomorrow.
5. Group IV: Find an event that is covered by more than one different news publication. Compare the coverage and note similarities and differences in what is reported. Does the difference imply a slant or put a different "spin" on the perspective of the article?
6. Extended project options Students will follow the campaign of one of the chosen front-runners, keeping an on-going daily journal of coverage, noting any examples of reporter bias or possible misperceptions created by the focus of the news angle. Television examples should be described briefly, noting the date and station. Periodical articles can be clipped and highlighted or summarized. During the course of the campaign, allow class time for students to share and discuss what they are seeing as the campaign unfolds.
7. Have students plan and stage press conferences with the "candidates." Reporters' questions should be designed to show their favorite candidate in a good light. Candidates' answers should be well rehearsed. A possible treatment would be to have placards held up behind the candidate to show "what they are really thinking" while the audience hears what they are saying. The audience should be able to discern who the favorite is of each reporter asking questions.

Assessment

Suggested point values for written activities are included in the "procedures" sections. Since quite a bit of the week's work is based on student discussion, teachers may want to award participation points for those who contribute. The extended projects should be assessed as a major grade looking at the criteria of: obvious preparation, validity of examples, long-term effort, effective presentation.

Additional Resources