English III—October 29, 2015 Daily Warm-up: Read the six reasons editors use to publish a story, and answer the questions that follow. 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. – What kind of information is included in the newspaper every day? – How do you think the editors decide what to put in the newspaper? – Write the headline of a story you read in the newspaper. Explain why you think it was published. Remember to use one or more of the six reasons editors use to publish a story. – What did editors do to tell you how important they thought the story was? – If you could include a story in the newspaper, what would it be? Give one or two reasons why you think the story is important.

After Reading Answer the 5 W’s and H (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?). 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. 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? 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? Return to your “Bias” chart from yesterday. Look for examples from this article to add to your chart. 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? Go back and answer the Key Ideas and Details questions on the packet itself.

Bias TypeParaphrased Explanation Guiding QuestionsExamples Bias Through Selection and Omission Have they left out important details that might change our perspective? Bias Through PlacementHave they placed information at the end of the page or end of an article to de-emphasize it? Bias by HeadlineDoes the headline express approval or condemnation? 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?