Overview
Through the review, analysis and discussion of news items related to the pandemic, students will be introduced to the concepts of ‘opinion’ and ‘bias’ in journalism. Students will develop the language and skills for recognizing an opinion piece or commentary, but also news items that are presented as neutral but are in fact biased in some way.
Grade Level
8th-12th Grades
Essential questions the lesson will address:
● What is the difference between opinion and bias?
● What are the media formats in which journalists express their opinions?
● How can one identify bias in media sources?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Distinguish between ‘opinion’ and ‘bias’.
● Identify different forms of bias possible in the media.
● Analyze new items for bias.
● Develop a list of ways to identify the presence of bias in the news.
Common Core State Standards
unMASKing Curriculum Glossary
● Journalist: a person engaged in journalism, such as a reporter, writer, editor, broadcaster or photographer (Merriam-Webster).
● Media: the means of communication, such as radio and television, newspapers, magazines and the Internet, that reach or influence people widely (Dictionary.com).
● Opinion: something a person thinks or believes in (Collinsdictionary.com).
● Editorial: an article or statement presenting the opinion of the publisher, writer or editor (Dictionary.com).
● Commentary: a set of comments, explanations or annotations (Dictionary.com).
● Bias: a particular tendency, trend, inclination, feeling or opinion (Dictionary.com).
● Explicit Bias: the attitudes and beliefs we have on a conscious level (Perception.org).
● Implicit Bias: attitudes and beliefs we hold without our conscious knowledge (Perception.org).
Formative Assessment Strategies
The teacher can make note of:
● The whole class discussions on the nature of opinion and bias.
● Small group presentations of group work.
● Individual student participation in group work and in whole class discussions.
● Students’ homework, in which learners complete the “My Media Sources” survey.
Materials for Instructor
● Access to the Internet if want to show video rather than share text in beginning of lesson
Materials for Students
● Handout: OpEd on Racism and the Coronavirus in the U.S.
● Handout: NYT and Fox News Coverage of Biden’s Mandate to Wear Masks
LESSON PLAN
I. Discussion on the Nature of Opinion (15 min.)
Begin the class by asking the students to rase their hands if they are fans of the singer Taylor Swift? Then ask students to raise their hands if they are fans of Billie Eilish. [Note: you can substitute singers from the students’ local or national environment.]
Why do you think Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish are better?
Point out that the students in the class have an opinion about these singers. Similarly, journalists also sometimes have personal opinions on issues. Refer students to the Glossary for the definition of journalist.
Then share with the students the handout: “OpEd on Racism and the Coronavirus in the U.S.” Explain that this is an opinion article, or ‘OpEd’ around minorities and infection rates during the pandemic. Clarify that it is an opinion piece. This means that the viewer/reader should understand that the writer is trying to persuade the reader to their point of view.
Students take turns reading out loud the three paragraphs of the excerpt from the OpEd on racism and the coronavirus in the U.S.
(As an option, the following video can be shown and discussed: Neil Heinen, Editorial: Supporting childcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, April 27. 2020, Channel 3000/News 3 Now. 1:19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwpxi75LvCM)
Probe the students about the journalist’s point of view with questions such as these:
● What is the point that the journalist is trying to get across in this article/commentary?
● What are the values that the journalist has?
● Would you say that the journalist was transparent about their values and point of view?
Explain that in opinion pieces, editorials or commentaries, we expect that the person is going to express a point of view. However, when reading the news, we also need to be aware that there may be ways of thinking that influence what is reported on and how the news is presented.
Show the following cartoon and ask if there are any points of view that the students can see.
Define the term “bias” and distinguish between ‘explicit bias’ and ‘implicit bias’. Refer to the relevant definitions in the lesson glossary. Explain that this lesson will be an exploration of bias in the news media.
II. Analysis of Bias in News Articles (35 min.)
Step One (15 minutes)
Remind the students that we all have opinions and it’s important to keep in mind where we get the information that backs up our opinions.
Break the students into small groups and distributes the handout of two news articles on U.S. Democrat Joe Biden’s mandate to wearing masks in public during the pandemic (Handout: NYT and Fox News Coverage of Biden’s Mandate to Wear Masks). You might decide to have students read both articles or randomly assign small groups to review one of the two articles, depending upon the time remaining in the class.
Point out to the students that these are not editorials but are regular news items coming from a newspaper. Is there bias apparent?
Each group should review the article(s), answer the following questions, and be prepared to share with the rest of the class:
● What is the point that the journalist is trying to get across in this news item?
● Would you say that this journalist was “biased”? How can you tell?
● What did you find convincing in the articles you read?
Step Two (10-20 minutes)
The groups share their responses. Keep a running list on the board or flip chart paper about the ways in which the students detected bias in the articles. (For example, the topic of the news item, verb choice, adjective choice.) Note the areas of agreement/disagreement between the groups and explores the reason for this.
Step Three (10 minutes)
(as time allows) The teacher asks the students (in their same small groups) to re-write the following fact-based sentence so that it shows bias in some way. Each group should be able to explain what point they wanted to get across in the way that they changed the statement.
For the fifth year in a row, a minority female high school student was selected to be valedictorian of the class.
The small groups work for 5 minutes and then the results are shared with the whole class for 5 minutes.
III. Closing Discussion (5 min.)
Students reflect on the lesson by discussing the following questions.
● What are our own points of view on politically sensitive topics?
● What are some tips we can use for understanding when there is a bias of journalists or news sources that we consult?
● Is it a good idea to diversify our news sources so that we are at least aware of other points of view? How can we do this?
If the teacher plans to carry out Lesson 2 in the media literacy module, then the students can be assigned the homework.
V. Homework
Distribute on paper or electronically a short survey for students to complete “My Media Sources”. Students should bring the completed form to the next class.