Creating a Newspaper
As a way to help students understand how bias can enter into news writing because editorial gatekeepers decide what is published, I ask them to create a simple newspaper based on content that has been published in a newspaper. As they create their newspapers, students need to make decisions about what news to include and what goes on the cutting room floor.
Supplies Needed
- One newspaper per team.
- One large sheet of paper per team. I use sheets from an easel pad.
- Scissors; at least two pairs for each team.
- Glue sticks
Procedure
- Break students into teams.
- Distribute a large sheet of paper, a newspaper, scissors, and glue sticks to each team.
- Have the students fold the large sheet of paper in half.
- Tell students that they are to create their own newspaper on the sheet by cutting out the items from the newspaper you gave to them and gluing the items onto their sheets. Explain that if they choose to use a particular article that they need not use the entire article.
- Sometimes students will ask if they can write their own headlines. I tell them that they can.
- Once students have created their newspapers, have them share their newspapers with each other. During this discussion, I have students explain why they choose to include certain news items and why others ending up on the cutting room floor. If students did not include advertising in their newspapers, I ask them how they plan to pay for publishing their newspaper.
