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Asking questions never goes out of style
by Stan Zoller, MJE
A Chicago TV station has the call letters WMAQ. Its origins go back to the 1922 when The Chicago Daily News started the station. Its call letters were known to mean “We Must Ask Questions,” which today would not only be known as solid journalism, but also fact checking.
The Daily News sold the station to NBC in 1931, but the legacy of the call letters continues. Whether it was the intention of William Quinn, publisher of The Chicago Daily News when it started WMAQ to promote good journalism or people just assigned those words to WMAQ, one thing remains constant — asking questions remains a vital part of journalism today.
When journalists – whether students or professional — have even the faintest inkling about something, they need to ask questions. This is true when covering a speech, doing an interview, attending a press conference or a school board meeting.
Read MoreFor your next editorial,
stand up for journalism
A graphic like the Boston Globe used with a collection of newspaper editorials from across the country is simple, clean and very attention-grabbing.
by Candace Bowen, MJE
It’s not too late.
Even if you weren’t back in school by mid-August or hadn’t started publishing yet, it’s not too late to follow the Boston Globe’s campaign to get publications everywhere to write editorials arguing against President Trump’s frequent assertion that journalists are the “enemy of the people.”
“We propose to publish an editorial on Aug. 16 on the dangers of the administration’s assault on the press and ask others to commit to publishing their own editorials on the same date,” The Globe announced. And more than 300 professional news outlets and organizations followed suit.
Read MoreTime for informed civic engagement
2018 is the season of the which
by John Bowen, MJE
Student journalists must learn to face key questions this fall, not only in terms of scholastic media but also in terms of informed civic engagement:
For example, which information inundating them deserves their belief and active support and which deserves their active skepticism:
• Which version of the truth about collusion in the issues surrounding election meddling?
• Which vision of what America stands for will prevail in the 2018 midterm elections?
• Which political, social, scientific, medical, cultural and educational positions most accurately present reality?
• Which skills will students develop so they cannot only tell the difference between information, misinformation and disinformation but act successfully on those differences?
Responding and acting on these questions – and others below – are among the SPRC’s mission this year.
In other words, when students question authority, as citizens or journalists, they must also question what authority said, authorities’ credibility and reliability and what authority has to gain.
Some call this skeptical knowing or learning. Not cynicism. Not the attack dog theory of media.
The watchdog.
Read MoreStatement of importance of student journalism
Title
Statement of importance of student journalism
Description
A lesson on writing an editorial to explain the function of scholastic media.
Summary
This advanced lesson will take students through examination and discussion concerning the importance of journalism so students can write an editorial explaining their points. When students publish, they may send the article for inclusion in the JEA/NSPA editorial project e-book, which will appear on JEA’s site.
Objectives
- Students will learn and understand the Five Freedoms outlined in the First Amendment.
- Students will begin to see how these Freedoms are present in their lives.
- Students will understand how the First Amendment, which was written more than 200 years ago, has withstood the test of time.
Common Core State Standards
| CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1.a | Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. |
| CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1.b | Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns. |
| CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.6 | Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically. |
Length
150 minutes
Materials
Note taking
Questions for discussion
White board
Computers
Internet
Google doc access
Lesson step-by-step
- Introduction — 4 minutes
Choose one editorial (maybe even a local one) from CNN’s list printed for Aug. 16 in which the professional media addressed the importance and function of journalism.
- Text reading — 8 minutes
Ask students to read through the Boston Globe’s introduction here. Ask students to find three big takeaways or items they found poignant.
- Large group discussion — (10-15 minutes)
Ask the students what they noted. Each student should post their thoughts on the whiteboard. (Having five or six post at one time helps move this along.)
- Small group discussion: 10 minutes
Ask students to identify trends they see. (They may note the shock of the populace actually stating the need for state-run media or the percentage of people who believe the statement “the press is the enemy of the people.”)
How can scholastic journalists fight this?
What are the ways students can make sure they are taken seriously as journalists and believed by their classmates and staff?
(Answers here should include verification, few unnamed sources, accuracy, interviewing a wide array of people, etc.)
- Small group reports — 10 minutes
Small groups should report what they think to the class.
Day 2:
- Revisit notes — 5 minutes
Ask students to review their notes from the previous day.
- Evaluating what the pros did — 10 minutes
Students will choose one of the editorials listed on the Boston Globe site or on NPR. What were the talking points of the editorial?
- Discussion preparation — 5 minutes
Explain to students they are going to work to come to a consensus concerning writing one of these editorials.
- Student editorial discussion in groups of 5-7 — 30 minutes
Students should come up with talking points and then write a staff editorial concerning the discussion.
Day 3
Production day (50 minutes)
Option 1:
Students should spend the first 30 minutes writing the staff editorial (in groups using Google docs) and then the rest of the class period editing the work. For the editing, each student group should pair with another to receive feedback and then, subsequently, make any necessary changes.
Option 2:
In addition to editing, students could work to meld all of the editorials together to make one that encompasses all points they deem necessary.
If the resulting editorial is published in student media, please send the content to keekley@gmail.com by Sept. 25 for inclusion in an e-book.
Extension
Bring in a focus group and examine your school media credibility.
Use Constitution Day as a kick off for media literacy education for your students.
Read MoreFighting fake news one Tweet at a time
Title:
Fighting fake news one Tweet at a time
Description:
The principle of freedom of speech allows Americans the right to express opinions without censorship or restraint, and social media provides a 24/7 platform for that purpose. According to Pew Research, approximately two-thirds of Americans report that they get at least some of their news from social media outlets. In this lesson, students will review what Twitter is doing — and not doing — to fight fake news. After careful analysis, students will present their opinions in a Socratic Seminar.
Objectives:
- Students will recognize the pros and cons of people relying on social media as their primary news source.
- Students will gain an understanding of how Twitter filters news.
- Students will discuss the level of responsibility social media platforms have in preventing the spread of misinformation.
Common Core State Standards
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.8 | Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1 | Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2 | Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4 | Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task. |
Length
1 class period (Easily extended into two class periods. Day 1 – Research, Day 2 – Socratic Seminar)
Materials / resources
https://www.poynter.org/news/whats-matter-twitter
Rubric for Socratic Seminar
Teacher Scoresheet (at end of lesson)
Lesson step-by-step
Step 1 — Introduction and article reading (15 minutes)
Read this article from Poynter Institute “What’s the matter with Twitter?”
Step 2 – Individual preparation for Socratic Seminar (15 minutes)
Write thoughtful answers to the following questions, citing evidence from the text and other research.
- What does Twitter do to combat the spread of misinformation on its platform?
- How do Twitter’s policies and actions compare to Facebook, Google and YouTube?
- Share your thoughts about freedom of speech vs. spread of misinformation on social media platforms. What do you think companies should do about fake news and hate speech?
Step 3 – Socratic Seminar (30 minutes)
Host a Socratic Seminar in which the classroom is divided into two groups, an inner circle and an outer circle. The inner circle will discuss the first two questions aloud while the outer circle observes and completes the Socratic Seminar participation rubric. Halfway through the time, the inner circle and outer circle will switch places, and the new inner circle will now discuss the final question.
Extension
- Have students interview each other regarding social media’s responsibility to prevent the spread of misinformation. Ask them to recall instances when they have been fooled by fake news. Have students record their interviews and create a podcast to share with the class and/or online.
- Student can research Twitter, Facebook, and one other social media site such as Snapchat or YouTube to create a comparison/contrast chart regarding their policies when handling misinformation on their platforms.
Additional Resources:
https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-rules
https://www.facebook.com/communitystandards/introduction
https://www.snap.com/en-US/terms/
http://www.journalism.org/2017/09/07/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2017/
Socratic Seminar Instructions (if you have never hosted one before): https://theliteracycookbook.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/socratic-seminars-made-easy/
Socratic Seminar Rubric : Teacher Score Sheet
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