Activity One:
One side of the class will read “Sir Sam steps down!” and the other half will read “Hughes fired from Cabinet.” Read only your assigned article and jot down a list of words that describe Hughes, based on the information in front of you only.
Activity Two:
Complete the assignment on “Humphrey Discounts Allegations.” You are the “gatekeeper” of this assignment. Gatekeepers make decisions about how their viewers/readers see the news. Using your choices outlined on the paper with an “or” or “/” select the correct vocabulary to align with your opposition of Mr. Humphrey. Once you have chosen all of the words and title, determine where this story would be placed in a paper or website. Explain your choices on the back of your paper. After completing this assignment be prepared to discuss this question with the class: what does this exercise tell us about media values?
The power is in your hands. Good luck.
**Challenge: After you have completed the steps above…reverse your opinion; you will now SUPPORT Mr. Humphrey. Identify the changes you would make and why.
Terms to Know:
- Placement – where news stories are located in the paper, by section and page
- Gatekeeper – the person (editor, news producer, etc) who decides which news to print or broadcast and which stories to hold back
Activity Three:
Part 1: Review the three headlines below. Lets analyze the perceptions that each title provides.
– Globe and Mail: “Senate votes 80-1 give up $6000
– Toronto Star: “Repentant senators hand back $6000 hike”
– Toronto Sun – :Senate wakes up”
Part 2: Compare the two news sources (two recorded TV newscasts). Note whether there was a live anchor-reports, recorded footage with a commentary anchor, straight news (copy read by an anchor with no visuals), and what words were chosen to describe the events.