Lesson Plan

The Press and the Presidency: Friend or Foe? How the President Is Portrayed

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

In theory, news reports should be fair and unbiased. Young journalists test this theory by selecting a current news story covered by various media outlets about the President of the United States. They then locate and analyze five articles about this topic and, using the provided worksheet, rate the reporting as positive, negative, or neutral coverage. 

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CCSS: Designed
Instructional Ideas
  • Many newspapers will provide a free class set of their papers to schools; check to see if your local paper has this program
  • Ask class members to bring in copies of newspapers and news magazines
  • Have pupils create a graphic that rates the various media outlets from those that were the most positive, neutral, or negative in their coverage of the subject
Classroom Considerations
  • Groups require access to devices with internet
  • Requires copies, one per participant, of the "Friend or Foe?" worksheet
Pros
  • Includes an example of a completed worksheet
  • The activity creates an awareness of media bias
Cons
  • None
Common Core