Lesson Plan

Civil Rights News Coverage: Looking Back at Bias

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Not all southern newspapers covered the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Young journalists investigate how The Lexington (Ky. Herald-Leader and The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun re-examined their coverage of the movement. After reading the responses of the two newspapers, class members discuss whether they would issue an apology, create an online resource, or do something different.

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CCSS: Designed
Instructional Ideas
  • Assign the reading of the rationale provided by the two newspapers as homework before the lesson
Classroom Considerations
  • Requires copies of the news articles and the worksheet, one per participant
Pros
  • Scholars consider if the lack of coverage affected events in the communities
  • The activity reveals the power owners and editors have over what their newspaper covers
Cons
  • None
Common Core