Theme 2: Navigating the news

Lesson 8

Producing balanced news Journalist Training School context reports Journalists should try to include all relevant points of view in a news report to make sure that their reports are balanced: all sides of the Learning objective story are heard and all the people involved are represented. Unbalanced reporting is one way • To evaluate whether a news report is balanced in which news can be biased. Learning outcomes Core knowledge/skills • Identify points of view that are included within a news report • Every story has more than one side, so can be told in different ways. To give readers an accurate • Infer points of view that might be missing within report, journalists should make sure their reports a news report are balanced by including different points of view, • Compare different points of view and consider why always representing both sides of the argument. people’s opinions differ • Sometimes journalists write unbalanced reports by not including everyone’s point of view, which can be seen Curriculum links as being biased. They might only include one side of the story because it’s the side they agree with, or they • Reading comprehension: drawing inferences, making may be trying to influence how the reader feels about comparisons across texts the story. • When reading/listening to/watching the news, it is • PSHE education: exploring and critiquing how the important to consider whose point of view is included media present information and whether there are any missing points of view, in order to evaluate whether the story is balanced.

This lesson focuses on the NewsWise value: balanced.

Teacher guide Theme 2: Navigating the news

Starter/baseline assessment Plenary 1. Whose point of view? Provide pupils with the As a class, compare the two reports and ask pupils to share headline: ‘School bans mobile phones’. Pupils identify their evaluations. How do they differ? Are they balanced? the different points of view in the story, completing Why/why not? Whose points of view are heard? Who else is thought bubbles for each (eg teachers, parents, pupils). involved in this story that you haven’t heard from? What might they think or feel about the situation? Whose side do As a class, consider the following: do you think all 2. you think the reporter is on? Why do you think this? What pupils/teachers/parents would feel the same way? does the writer want you to feel or think? Why might [___] feel differently to [___]? Why would it be important to include as many viewpoints as possible in a news report of this story? Whose points of view Questions for assessment should be included to ensure balance? What is a point of view? Why do people have different points of view? What would happen if a news report didn’t include all Learning activity sides of the story? How can a journalist make sure their report is balanced? Why is it important for journalists to report Pupils read unbalanced news reports based on Extinction news in a balanced way? What could you do if you don’t think Rebellion protests, identifying whose points of view are you’ve been given all sides of the story in a news report? heard and whose are missing. Online resources checklist 1. Provide pupils with an overview of the Extinction Rebellion climate activist group. You may like to use the Whose point of view? explainers on BBC News or CBBC Newsround. Focusing on the London protests that took place in April 2019, Extinction rebellion explainers from BBC News and can pupils summarise the story using the 5 Ws? CBBC Newsround As a class, watch the Guardian’s video of the protests. 2. Guardian video of the protests The video includes a montage of interviews with different people involved in the story. Ask pupils to Report 1 and Report 2 consider the range of opinions involved: who supports the protests? Who is against the protests? Why do [______] and [______] feel differently? Extension opportunities 3. Divide the class in two. Provide one half with Report 1 and the other half with Report 2. Pupils read their • Pupils rewrite the Extinction Rebellion news report, allocated report about the protest, evaluating whether ensuring it is balanced. This could also be a drama or it is balanced. Can you identify whose viewpoints a speaking & listening activity, with pupils producing are heard in the story and whose are missing? For a TV or Radio news bulletin. additional support, provide a list of people involved, • Role-play a whole-class press conference for the ‘mobile eg commuters, general public, drivers, protesters, phone’ story in the starter activity. Some pupils act as transport companies, police, Mayor of London, the people involved in the story (a teacher, a parent, government. a pupil etc), while remaining pupils act as reporters Challenge: encourage pupils to consider what the asking questions. After the conference, pupils practice viewpoints of those not represented might be. producing a balanced news report, including all points What might they think or feel about the protests? of view. Why might they think or feel these things?

Teacher guide