Lesson 2: Who Makes The News? What Makes the News?

In this lesson we will explore what it means to be a journalist and what a journalist actually does, the differences between journalists and non-journalists, and the factors that determine what stories made it into the news.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Understand what a journalist is and what their roles and responsibilities are.
Distinguish media figures who are journalists from those who are not.
Explain the factors that drive the news.

Following Up On Lesson 1

Let's start with a class discussion of the questions below. Based on the topics discussed in lesson 1:

What questions, if any, still remain unanswered?
Is there any additional information you think you need in order to more fully understand the definition of news or information neighborhoods?
What about the line between information neighborhoods? Is it distinct or blurred?
Do you have any real life examples of confusion about getting lost in information neighborhoods? What were the after effects, if any? Did any changes take place as a result of the confusion?
Discuss your observations about differences in newspaper coverage on the same day. What might have prompted the decisions about what stories made the cover of each paper?

Journalists

In your groups discuss what it means to be a journalist. Document your definition of "journalist" and any additional questions/issues that come up during the conversation. Include in your discussion and documentation the roles and responsibilities of a journalist.

Things to think about:

Think about what skills you use when trying to find out additional information on a topic. How do those skills relate to what a journalist does on a daily basis?
What types of education or backgrounds do journalists have?
Where do journalists work?
What do journalists produce as an end product? Is there one standard product?
Are there different types of journalists? Is a photographer a journalist? What about a blogger?
Thinking back to lesson 1, do journalists work in different information neighborhoods?

If you need help in understanding what values are important to journalists, watch this video of a journalist sharing sharing his thoughts.

Play Who's a Journalist?

With your group, review each of the people listed on the Who's A Journalist? page and determine if they are a journalist or not. If you are unfamiliar with anyone on the list, their names are listed underneath their photos so that you can research if necessary. As a group, document your decisions and your reasoning. Document any additional information you feel you need to know in order to decide. We will discuss those comments during our next lesson.

Things to think about while researching people on the list:

If you don’t consider the person a "journalist,” what do you consider the person?
What do you think the person's agenda is, if any? What motivates him or her career wise?
Do you think this person is a reliable source of information?
What are the differences between the journalists and the non-journalists? What do they do that is different?

Taking it further:

Do you usually put so much thought into who is providing you with information?
Who are you confident will give you correct information? It doesn't have to be a journalist. Why do you trust them to give you good information?
Who do you think tends to give you incorrect information? Why are you suspicious of the information they give you?
Can you think of some red flags that indicate when someone is sharing their opinion with you rather than trying to provide you with factual information?

What Drives the News?

Image showing different covers of Time magazine for different markets.

One of the assignments from lesson 1 asked you to observe the cover of three different newspapers on the same day. If you were not able to compare the covers of different newspapers, use the front pages on this page in order to participate in the conversation. Based on that assignment, the class discussions to date, and your own experience, what do you think drives the news? Discuss this question with your group. Document your decisions.

Things to think about:

Who decides what is news?
How does a story get to be printed in the newspaper or show on tv news?
What factors are taken into account when making that decision?

Taking it further:

How do you think the trend in media consolidation affects news coverage? How does this impact the average news consumer? What's your take on this issue?
Are you familiar with the so called "missing white woman syndrome?" Do you think that crimes affecting minorities do or do not receive as much attention in the mainstream news? If so, why do you think that is? How does it relate to the news drivers discussion?

Preparation For The Next Lesson

Think about the discussions today and how they made you feel or what they made you think about. If the discussions made you want to know more about something or brought up additional questions, bring them to the next lesson.
Going back to lesson 1, how are sites like Google News or Yahoo! News different from sites like The Huffington Post or The Daily Beast? What are the implications of those differences? Be prepared to discuss in the next lesson.
Does how you get your news (print, radio, television, Internet, cell phone) make a difference in the type of news you are exposed to? If so, how and why?

Exploring Further On Your Own

Steve McCurry's Blog
How to be a Local Sports Reporter: How to Write Good Sports Journalism
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit
TV411 - Parts of a Newspaper
TV411 - Structure of a News Story

News Literacy Overview
News Literacy Glossary
News Literacy Lesson 1
News Literacy Lesson 3
News Literacy Lesson 4
Porfolio Page
ETAP 623 Fall 2011