Assignment Summary
For this assignment, you will use a graphic organizer to monitor and analyze multiple global news outlets across a period of time. Once you have completed your organizer, you will answer key questions about the media’s coverage of a story and how this coverage changed and developed over time.
Background Information
In today’s world, global media outlets such as websites, newspapers, and magazines give their readers up-to-the-minute coverage of breaking news and events from across the globe.
In the 24-hour news cycle, stories are constantly unfolding with the addition of new information and perspectives. As situations develop, reporters work to keep their audience informed, and readers synthesize new information with what they already know about a news event.
Materials
- Graphic organizer
- Access to three global media outlets
- Follow-up questionnaire
Assignment Instructions
For this assignment, you are expected to submit two things:
- A completed graphic organizer
- A completed follow-up questionnaire
Step 1: Prepare for the assignment.
- Read through the guide before you begin so you know the expectations for this assignment.
- If anything is not clear to you, ask your teacher for assistance.
Step 2: Select three global media outlets.
- Choose media outlets that provide daily coverage. Monthly periodicals and journals are not a good choice for this assignment, but many weekly news magazines also have websites that provide more frequent reporting.
- Some examples of reliable global news outlets include the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, the Associated Press, and Reuters. Discuss your sources with your teacher if you have questions.
- If you do not have daily access to the internet, discuss alternatives with your teacher.
Step 3: Begin monitoring coverage of one or two news events.
- Use your graphic organizer to keep track of a news story as it unfolds across a period of time. Choose a story that is likely to have continuous coverage. For example, a breaking news item will probably have follow-up stories over the next week, while an in-depth profile of a writer or artist will probably not be updated.
- Consider how the story evolves depending on the handling of new events, information, and perspectives in news articles. Consider how media outlets report the effects of the news story, and note how the sources present opinions on the story in the form of editorials and op-ed pieces.
- In addition to the notes you take in your graphic organizer, keep track of the titles, authors, and URLs of articles you read as the story develops.
Step 4: After a week, review your graphic organizer to analyze the evolution of the news story
- Consider what trends and patterns you noticed, and what factors most influenced the coverage of the story.
- Using complete sentences, answer the questions on your follow-up questionnaire.
Step 5: Evaluate your assignment using this checklist.
If you can check each box below, you are ready to submit your assignment.
| Yes | No | Evaluation Question |
| Is your name on your graphic organizer and questionnaire? | ||
| Did your organizer trace the development of one or more news stories across a period of time? | ||
| Did you monitor the coverage from at least three different sources? | ||
| Are your sources likely to be considered fair and reliable by a majority of people? | ||
| Are your sources likely to provide corrections and updates in the event of misreporting? | ||
| Are your sources unbiased? | ||
| Did you keep track of how the news story developed over time? | ||
| Did you note new and relevant information as it was reported? | ||
| Did you use complete sentences in your follow-up questionnaire? |
Step 6: Revise and submit your presentation.
- If you were unable to check off all of the requirements on the checklist, go back and make sure that your assignment is complete. Save your assignment before submitting it.
- Turn in your graphic organizer and questionnaire to your teacher. Be sure that your name is on them.
- Submit your graphic organizer and questionnaire through the Virtual Classroom.
- Congratulations! You have completed your assignment.
Part One: Complete the graphic organizer.
Use the graphic organizer to monitor the development of a news story as it is presented by three different media outlets over a period of time.
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Media Outlet #2:
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Media Outlet #3:
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Part Two: Complete the follow-up questionnaire.
Use complete sentences to respond to each prompt.
- Review your graphic organizer. What was the most important piece of information in the story, and on which day was this information first reported? Which media outlet covered this development first?
- Review your graphic organizer. What were the similarities and differences in how the media outlets reported the story? Which outlet provided the most information?
- Which media outlet offered opinionated coverage in the form of editorials or op-eds? Were different opinions presented across the media outlets? Did you detect bias in how the news was reported?
- How would you describe the development of this news story to someone who has not been following it as closely as you? How would you summarize the most important factual information? How would you convey the variety of opinions related to the news story?
