Most Recent Articles
Fake news in an ever-changing media environment
by Jeff Kocur
Title
Fake news in an ever-changing media environment
Description
In the 21st century, we choose the media sources we consume in an increasingly passive manner. Stories show up in our news feeds and social media feeds, or in forwarded emails; often we don’t know the sources, or the sources look familiar, but they are from nefarious sources. Explore the changing nature of how we consume news, and help your students choose their information wisely.
Objectives
- Students will define the terms fake news and post-truth
- Students will determine a difference between inaccuracies in news media and fake news
- Students will explore some of the forces changing the way media is consumed and created.
Common Core State Standards
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2 | Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1 | Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7 | Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. |
Length
50 minutes
Materials / resources
Article: https://www.wired.com/2017/02/journalism-fights-survival-post-truth-era/
Video clip: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/post-truth-word-of-the-year-2016-oxford-dictionaries/
Newseum: E.S.C.A.P.E. poster from Newseum
Worksheet (below)
As media lines ‘Blur,’ we all become editors
Lesson step-by-step
- Introduction (10 minutes)
Begin the lesson by showing the following video clip illustrating “post-truth” as the Oxford dictionary word of the year.
Share this definition on a screen: “Post-Truth: relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”
Ask students to discuss the following questions with a partner:
- What is one potential consequence of a post-truth era?
- Define the difference between fake news and inaccuracies in reporting. Students should try to come up with their own definitions for discussion as a class.
- Article and assessment (40 minutes)
Share the Wired.com article discussing journalism in the post-truth era and ask students to complete the attached worksheet
- Extension/Homework:
Have the students read or listen to this NPR article and email one connection they see between Wired article.
Journalism fights for survival in the post truth era
By Jason Tanz Wired.com
- The article asserts that 30 years ago, people worried the news media might have had too much power. Come up with three reasons (from the article and your own understanding or observations) of why this might have been true.
a.
b.
c.
- From your own understanding of fake news and the post-truth era, in what ways might the media have more power today than it did 30 years ago?
- The article quotes Chomsky and Herman’s view of the historical function of the media “the raw material of news must pass through successive filters, leaving only the cleansed residue fit to print” and they state “The result was a false national consensus, one that ignored outlying facts, voices, and ideas.”
In your opinion, have “outlying facts, voices, and ideas” been brought to light in the internet age? What has been the impact of this?
- Journalists were once pushed toward “middle of the road consensus because of the economic model of journalism.” Using this idea, explain the difference between broadcasting and narrowcasting, and see if you can do it without looking up the terms.
Does better journalism happen when you appeal to a wide range of beliefs and thoughts or does better journalism happen when you can focus on fringe voices that don’t always get heard through mainstream channels?
Defend your answer.
- The author argues that readers are essentially the new publishers. It is demand for stories that drives content, and appealing to people’s feelings is the best way to drive demand. Identify three ways in which an author of a fake news story may try to appeal to people’s feelings?
a.
b.
c.
- Find an example of a widely circulated fake news story that appeals to the emotions of a specific audience.
- Print it off or link to it here
- Identify the audience this story is meant to target. How do you know?
- Using the ESCAPE principles (handout or link), explain why you know not to trust this source.
- Identify the feelings the author is trying to stir to create demand.
Creating a ‘Quick Pins’ board
of native ads, sponsored content
by John Bowen
Title
Activity: Creating a “Quick Pins” Padlet/Pinterest board for native ads and sponsored content
Description
In this lesson, the teacher will lead students to create a Pinterest board that identifies native ads and sponsored content since it always helps to visually explain journalism terminology.
Objectives
- Students will become better informed about what sponsored news/native ads are
- Students will be able to recognize sponsored content
- Students will be able to compare and contrast sponsored content with native advertising.
Common Core State Standards
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7 | Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.5 | Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.2 | Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C | Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. |
Length
50 minutes
Materials / resources
Blackboard or whiteboard
Teacher laptop and digital projector
Internet access
Student computers if available
Lesson step-by-step
Step 1 — Warm-up (5 minutes)
The teacher will ask students if they have ever heard of native advertising or sponsored content, if they could recognize it if they saw it and where might they see it.
Depending on student responses, the teacher will raise other questions and/or ask for more explanation.
The warm-up should lead to the teacher sharing definitions:
- Native advertising is a form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user platform in which it is placed.
- Sponsored content is material which resembles the publication’s editorial content but is paid for by an advertiser or other information provider and intended to promote the advertiser’s product or services.
(For additional reference, please see the lesson What are native advertising/sponsored content and should we be concerned about them and issues they raise?)
The teacher would also discuss the differences and similarities between the two.
Step 2 — Whole group work (20 minutes)
From there, the teacher will review with students how to create Pinterest/Padlet boards that show journalistic terms like sponsored content and native ads.
Once the boards are created and established for the class, students will individually seek, and then post, links to native ads and sponsored content. Along with the links and images, students should briefly comment on each of their choices.
The teacher will make on ongoing, extra credit assignment for students as they find and post examples.
Step 3 — Student collaboration (20 minutes)
Have students pair up and discuss each other’s findings. Students should be encouraged to offer suggestions and make corrections.
Step 4 — Reflection (5 minutes)
Teacher should ask each partner group to share their best example of each type.
Assessment
The teacher will evaluate the students’ posts, summaries and comments and grant an appropriate amount of extra credit for that school’s program.
Differentiation
Students and the teacher can vary the credit by having special assignment posts or creating specific challenges like which student can find the most issues of sponsored content or others stemming from the specific assignment.
Read MoreSponsored content and native ads:
Community education
by John Bowen
Title
Sponsored content and native ads: Community education
Description — fourth in the sequence
From previous lessons, student journalists should be aware of native ads and sponsored content and the importance of understanding the issues they raise. Now, they take this awareness and knowledge a step further and become the teachers to their various communities. They can use the positions they reported in the last lesson and inform others.
Objectives
- Students will identify a community for which they would prepare a presentation on native ads or sponsored content.
- Students will prepare arguments, pro and con, to prepare for the presentation.
- Students will construct the presentation for their chosen community to create dialogue and action.
Common Core State Standards
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C | Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A | Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7 | Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.4 | Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. |
Length
50 minutes
Materials / resources
Blackboard or whiteboard
Teacher laptop and digital projector
Internet access
Rubric for student article summary and statement
Small group Action Plan organizational form
Lesson step-by-step
Step 1 — Warm-up (5 minutes)
Students have learned about sponsored content and native ads. Now they are going to create plans to share their knowledge with chosen communities.
Step 2 — Small group work (45 minutes)
The teacher will ask students to discuss what they think would be the most effective strategies to influence others about the topics of native ads or sponsored content. During the discussions students would also talk about the best strategies and to which communities students could reach out.
Students should reassemble into small groups of their choice to do the following:
- Identify and choose a community they feel would benefit from a presentation about native ads or sponsored content. (Middle school groups, other high school peers, civic groups, school board, faculty, etc.)
- Select a focus on either native ads or sponsored content.
- Discuss which resources they had access to turning their classes on the topic that would be the most helpful for a presentation to their chosen community They could assignment certain resources to group members.
- Presentation platform(s) (live presentation, forum, podcast, video, written articles, slideshows, combinations, etc.)
- Begin to complete the action plan organizational form
- Depending on choice of group, type of presentation and more, the small group teams will work to create their action plan organizational form and establish a timeframe for its presentation.
- Students would do as much planning, research and decision-making in this class as they can. They should also try to share with the teacher questions and concerns.
Assessment
Because it is a group project, the teacher will ask students to create a one-page reflection on the outcomes of the action plan.
Differentiation
It is quite likely the teacher might plan one or more work days for completion of the action plan. Additional class periods might be set aside for:
- Completion of research and outline of presentation. Personal assignments
- Practice of presentation approaches. Development of evaluation approaches and forms.
- Evaluation of the presentation
What are native ads and sponsored content
and what issues do they raise?
by John Bowen
Title
What are native advertising and sponsored content and what issues do they raise?
Description — first in a sequence
Questions of fake news and disinformation arise almost daily. Citizens also face information spread by sponsored content, an approach to storytelling designed to bring needed revenue to news media. The trouble is most readers and viewers cannot tell sponsored news from reported news. This lesson can help students understand how sponsored news developed, how to recognize it and ways to assist non-journalism communities in dealing with it.
Objectives
- Students will explore sponsored news and be able to identify it.
- Students will be able to compare and contrast sponsored news with native advertising.
- Students will evaluate and analyze sponsored news content.
Common Core State Standards
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1 | Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1 | Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A | Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C | Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. |
Length
50 minutes
Materials / resources
Blackboard or whiteboard
Teacher laptop and digital projector
Internet access
Rubric for student article summary and statement
Student computers if available
Links used for this lesson:
- The definition of ‘sponsored content’
- Article or ad? When it comes to native advertising, no one knows
- Knowing what is what: Is it editorial content or is it advertising?
- Making sense of the news: Distinguishing news from sponsored content
- The slippery slope of sponsored news
- How ‘deceptive’ sponsored news articles could be tricking readers – even with a disclosure message
- Sponsored content presents opportunities, ethical concerns for newsrooms
- Media ethics and society
- Most students cannot tell the difference between sponsored content and real news
- The ethics of using paid content in journalism
Lesson step-by-step
Step 1 — Warm-up (5 minutes)
The teacher will ask students if they have ever heard of native advertising or sponsored content, if they could recognize it if they saw it and where might they see it.
Depending on student responses, the teacher will raise other questions and ask for more explanation.
Step 2 — Large group work (45 minutes)
The warm-up should lead to the teacher sharing definitions:
- Native advertising is a form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user platform in which it is placed.
- Sponsored content is material which resembles the publication’s editorial content but is paid for by an advertiser or other information provider and intended to promote the advertiser’s product or services.
The teacher would also discuss the differences and similarities between the two. These sites can provide background information:
- The definition of ‘sponsored content’
- Article or ad? When it comes to native advertising, no one knows
- Knowing what is what: Is it editorial content or is it advertising?
- Making sense of the news: Distinguishing news from sponsored content
From there, the discussion could delve into why news media might favor or oppose their use, with the instructor providing background, historical and current.
Links for this question:
- The slippery slope of sponsored news
- How ‘deceptive’ sponsored news articles could be tricking readers – even with a disclosure message
- Sponsored content presents opportunities, ethical concerns for newsrooms
Once students understand the rationale for use of native advertising and sponsored content, the teacher could focus the discussion on the plusses and minuses. The teacher should ask a student to note potential plusses and minuses on the board for further discussion. Students could also use the sponsored news and native ads notes form.
With the points on the board, the teacher will ask students to choose one of the following articles on native advertising or sponsored content from the list below. Students will read the article and summarize its content in a 250-300 word statement emphasizing the pros and cons of the article’s focus. The student article should also contain the student’s views of the value of native ads or sponsored content.
List of choices for the writing assignment (and students could also use links referred to earlier):
- Media ethics and society
- Most students cannot tell the difference between sponsored content and real news
- The ethics of using paid content in journalism
Students will turn in their statements at the beginning of the next class or share digitally with the teacher.
Assessment
The teacher will evaluate the students’ summaries and value statements using the accompanying rubric. Students should keep the assignment for future reference.
Note:
Students could be given a list of links to read and take notes on as homework instead of reading or referring to them in class discussion.
Read MoreFree expression and your school
by Lori Keekley
Title
Free expression and your school
Description
In this noncontinuous lesson, students will localize the 2016 Gallup survey “Free Expression on Campus: A Survey of U.S. College Students and U.S. Adults.” Students will use their technical writing skills to craft the directions (teachers and students), questions similar to the Gallup questions, and an email in addition to tabulating and comparing the survey results. Students will then compare their results with the national results, create an infographic and then write a reflection of the process.
Note: You must leave several days between Day 1 and Day 2 for survey results to be returned. Teacher will need to plan accordingly.
Objectives
- Students will work on a survey plan that represents their school as a whole.
- Students will examine their own survey results and compare them to the study.
- Students will compare their data to the Gallup survey data.
Common Core State Standards
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.B | Paste the description of the standard in this box. (Example: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.) |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C | Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.D | Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4 | Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks. |
Length
150 minutes
Materials / resources
Gallup survey questions (photocopied for Day 1)
Computers (if possible)
Tabulation form (photocopied for Day 2)
Butcher paper for results
Infographic rubric (See JEA Curriculum for rubric if needed)
Gallup survey information
Lesson step-by-step
Preparation: In addition to the materials/resources listed above, you will need a list of all the classes taught and the hours offered. Also, you will need the enrollment of these courses.
Day 1
Step 1 — Introduction (5 minutes)
For this activity, we will be working to find out the free expression climate of the school. The class will administer a survey to a representative sample of the school population. (For more information on this, see Surveying in the JEA Curriculum.)
Step 2 — Creating the plan and putting technical writing to use (15 minutes)
Teacher should separate the class into groups of three. If possible, each group should have a computer. Students should craft the directions for the students directions, teacher directions and survey questions. Students may want to model their questions after all or some of those in the Gallup survey.
Step 3 — Survey preparation (30 minutes)
Teacher should have students break into groups and work on the following:
Group 1:
Crafting an email to the teaching staff: For this group, students should craft an email to be sent to the teaching staff. Email should include (at minimum) what you are doing (localizing a national survey), purpose for the activity, directions, due dates, etc.
Group 2:
Identifying classes targeted for the survey
Students should look at the classes offered during the same time as the class they are taking. (For example, if you teach this class during first period, then make a list of all the first period classes offered.)
Group 3:
Photocopying and preparing the surveys for the first half of the teachers listed. Count out the amount of surveys for each class and put the teacher’s name on a blank sheet of paper on the top of each survey stack. Ask teachers to return these so you can keep track of who has returned the surveys.
Group 4:
Photocopying and preparing the surveys for the second half of the teachers listed. Count out the amount of surveys for each class and put the teacher’s name on the direction sheet, which should be placed on the top of each survey stack. Ask teachers to return these so you can keep track of who has returned the surveys.
Students could either deliver the packets to the teachers or put them in their mailboxes at the end of the hour.
Day 2
Step 1— Tabulating (This day could be skipped if the data is collected electronically.) Students will need to tabulate the results. Have small groups in charge of marking the data for specific questions. (See the form titled “Tabulating the Results.”) They should compile and report back to the group when finished. If time allows, have a second group of students verify the results.
Suggestion: have one group in charge of using butcher paper and marking the results after they are verified. Leave room to add the national results as well.
Day 3
Step 1 — Introduction (20 minutes)
Examine your school results. Teacher should ask students if anything surprised them in the results as well as what they assumed might be the results.
Step 2 — Compare/contrast (20 minutes)
Again group the students so each group has at least two of the questions. Have them discuss the school results and then post the national results if applicable. They should lead the class in discussion of class thoughts about the results. Examine how these relate to your school. Teacher or students should read the blurbs included in the Gallup poll to help put this into context.
Students should create an infographic showing what was the same and different with their results.
Step 3 — Reflection (10 minutes)
Please pass out the reflection for the assignment. Students should complete this prior to leaving class. Teacher could use this as an assessment for this project if desired. Teacher could also assess student participation in the project.
* Depending on the class productivity, it may take an additional day to prepare.
Extension
Have students write their own conclusions to their data. They could then compare and contrast theirs to the one included in the poll.
Looking at the survey results, how can students then work to further educate and inform students about the First Amendment.
Read More