Last week my grade 7's were given the task of deliberately constructing media with bias.
We looked at how bias creeps into news reporting.
They were given the following information and had to construct two news articles, one in a way that evokes sympathy and one that provokes anger. Images must be included. They were not to include any additional factual information, but must use language to lead the reader toward a conclusion. Most students found this last part of the task difficult and opted to include additional information in order to create bias.
1. a 22 year old man arrested at the scene of a car accident.
1. a 22 year old man arrested at the scene of a car accident.
2. other driver is in hospital
3. occurred late Thursday evening
4. foggy country road
5. driver arrested may have fallen asleep at the wheel
6. alcohol may be a factor
7. driver had just completed a double shift at work
8. driver has been in two previous accidents, but was not at fault
9. the other car was speeding
Below is a sample of one student's work.
Please note: THE FACTS ARE INVENTED. THIS PERSON DOES NOT EXIST.
Below is a sample of one student's work.
Please note: THE FACTS ARE INVENTED. THIS PERSON DOES NOT EXIST.
Headlines
Picture with Captions
The Story
Trying for the third time (wow, I'm bad at this)... I really like your assignment idea, and I want to try it soon-with your approval. I like the idea of getting them to consciously construct a bias. We typically deconstruct other biases, but this would be interesting as well...
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like this assignment. It has been one of the richest learning experiences I've witnessed in my classroom. Feel free to use anything I post on my blog!