Lesson 5 - Is the media free? |
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A newspaper or television program can choose the stories it wants to tell. It can also decide how to tell the story. The owners of a paper appoint an editor to run it for them. The editor has the power to make these decisions. usually, the editor is chosen because they have the same points of view as the owner. This means that the news we read and watch reflects the owners' point of view.
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Which is the best football club in the Premier league?
Of course in reality we all know the answer is subjective. Some teams have won the competition more frequently in the past, others are having a particularly good season this year. In truth any one team in the league could beat another on a given day, that is what makes the contest so interesting. However our opinions on who is the best are based on our opinions of which teams we like and which we don't like, this is an example of bias.
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Class discussion: What view is being promoted in this clip? Stretch & Challenge: Do you think everyone is in agreement? Why is this? |
Class discussion task
> What does this headline lead you to believe? > If you read a few lines into the article it states that 'no Britons are willing to do the job'. Does this change anything? > How important do you believe this story is? Stretch & Challenge: By printing this story on the front page of the newspaper, what message do you think the owner and editor are trying to get across? |
Key term: Journalist, a person who gathers news and produces reports for the media.
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Key term: Spin doctor, someone who tries to get certain stories into the public eye and to make news sound better.
Politicians often want to be in the news and shown in a good light. Political parties use spin doctors who write stories and work hard to get them in the news. A common story is one where a political party has spend money on health, education or another area that people care a great deal about. When journalists look carefully, however, they often find that the spending has been announced several times before! This is the work of spin doctors.
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Examples of press censorship
> Often when people are caught spying, much of the information that is given in court is not published. > When the UK was fighting Argentina in 1981 over the Falkland Islands, there was a complete news blackout and only very limited information was provided to the press by government ministers. |
Homework - Due lesson 6
Compare articles about the same story in two different newspapers. Is there a difference in the way the stories are told? Is their bias?
Compare articles about the same story in two different newspapers. Is there a difference in the way the stories are told? Is their bias?