English III—October 30, 2015 Daily Warm-up: What is a current article you’ve read that really caught your interest? Write the title, and explain why it was interesting to you? Homework: – Reading Plus due Sunday at 11:59. – Newspaper Reading Log due 11/6. – Bias Poll due Tuesday.

Create Your Own News Work with a partner to create your own “front page” of the news. Use at least two different editions of the newspaper and find examples of the following elements used to attract attention and help find information: Flag: name of the newspaper on page one. Come up with your own unique newspaper name. Headlines of different sizes and typefaces News stories with bylines: bylines tell the name(s) of the reporter(s) who wrote the story. You need to find articles that fit the “six reasons.” Which means you need six articles. Under each article, write the reason. Answer the 5 W’s and H for each article. – Prominence—a person, organization or institution in the story is important or well-known. – Proximity—nearby; newspapers print stories about people and events in the community or region where their readers live. – Timeliness—something happening or important right now; most news stories reflect events in the immediate past or involving an issue that affects readers now. – Oddity/uniqueness—out of the ordinary, unusual; some stories are about people or events that are unexpected or special in some way—perhaps an athlete who displays remarkable ability or an unusual celebration. – Consequence—effects of a decision or event; newspapers publish stories about issues that affect readers directly or indirectly. – Human interest—something that touches lives, imagination or emotions of readers; stories may be about an inspiring teacher or a courageous pet, for instance. Photograph and cutlines: the cutline is the caption, usually found under or alongside the photograph and telling something about the photograph. Skybox or teaser: text/and or visuals above the flag that highlight articles inside the newspaper

After Reading Answer the 5 W’s and H (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?). – Who: HS student athletes What: Facebook photos got them in trouble When: 2008 Where: Minnesota Why: Students broke athletic contract How: Posting pictures of drinking alcohol Which of the six reasons might the editor have used to decide to include this story (s/he might have possibly used more than one reason)? Explain. Timeliness and consequence—The Facebook issue was becoming a problem. The idea of consequences for your personal Facebook page is an interesting topic. Look at the title. What connotations does the word sting have? The purpose of the first paragraph or lead is to grab the reader’s attention and make him/her want to continue reading. Does this lead do that? Why or why not? In paragraph 16, the article shifts from focusing on the teens being punished to something else? What is the something else? The “new reality” of social media being a public space. Some of the sources a quoted directly and some of the sources are just paraphrased. Make a list the quote/paraphrase and the source. What conclusions can you draw about this information? The administration paraphrased and quoted indirectly. It makes it seem as if the administration is the “bad guy.” The students are quoted directly. The information from the students is subjective and suggests that the students are the “good guy.” How biased is the coverage of the issue? Does the bias undermine the credibility of the article? Do you personally identify with the perspective the article seems to endorse? How does this influence your evaluation?

Bias TypeGuiding QuestionsExamples Bias Through Selection and Omission Have they left out important details that might change our perspective? There is no information/quotes from the actual students/parents who got in trouble. Bias Through PlacementHave they placed information at the end of the page or end of an article to de-emphasize it? The information that parents must sign forms is placed at the end if the article. This information at the beginning would probably keep some people from reading. Bias by HeadlineDoes the headline express approval or condemnation? The headline makes it sound like the students were caught due to a “sting” operation. Bias by Photos, Captions, and Camera Angles Do pictures show the subject in a flattering/unflattering way? Bias Through Statistics and Crowd Counts Do numbers seem emphasized or downplayed? Bias by Source ControlWho gets to speak and who is only paraphrased? Most of the quotes in the article are from teens who were not involved in the incident. The expert is quoted. The administration is only paraphrased.