Unit 3
Analyzing the News
Unit 3 consists of 2 lessons and takes you through the process of analyzing the news, and helps you to put all of the previous lessons into practice in different ways.
Each of the lessons are described below:
Lesson 9 - Evaluating Sources
In a key news literacy lesson, you will explore various pieces of news coverage and learn to ask what makes some news sources reliable and others less reliable? What standards should news consumers use to weigh the credibility of sources quoted in news reports?
You should finish this lesson with definitions of self-interest, independence and authority, along with a tool to help you determine the reliability of sources of information used in news stories.
Lesson 10 - Active Deconstruction of News
This final lesson works out your new news literacy skills through a series of exercises in which you will apply multiple skills from the course through a process of active "deconstruction" of news stories. We'll analyze news stories from different outlets, including print, TV, and online to judge their credibility and reliability by asking a series of key questions that should lead you to a regular use of these skills whenever you come upon news media or other actionable information.
The lesson reprises previous classes on evidence, sourcing, and fairness, but also explores context, transparency and thoroughness. The lesson concludes with a look at the new opportunities—and responsibilities—for news consumers to not only find news, but to participate as “citizen journalists” in news production in the digital age.
You should finish this lesson with a clear and specific way of critically evaluating news media and other actionable information that you'll be ready to share with others!