The Official Story & Flipgrid

What exactly happened during the raid at Parker Place? Well, the official story published in the newspapers is quite different from the events described by the narrator. The competing narratives emphasize an important point we’ve been discussing recently: the official story of an event is often the one recorded by those in power.

We’re now going to use Flipgrid, an online platform that allows users to post videos, to explore the competing narratives of what happened at Parker Place.

Your Newscast Video

Imagine you are a newscaster responsible for explaining what happened during the raid at Parker Place. How you present the events on the 7 o’clock news is going to be shaped by your news organization’s biases.

Each of you will be assigned one of the following news organizations:

  1. Ferret News. Your news organization strongly supports the rule of law and the police’s right to enforce order. Your organization and its viewers by and large want to see immigration laws changed because of concerns that immigrants pose a danger to society.
  2. Father Smith. Your news organization is devoted to holding powerful people and organizations accountable for their actions. Your organization and its viewers seek to give voice to typically marginalized or silenced people in hopes of achieving justice for people who are often denied justice.
  3. Misconduct News. Your news organization goes where others are afraid to go. Your organization and its viewers want raw, emotional stories that spare no gorey details. By exposing the grim truth, your news organization hopes to educate people about the harsh realities faced by many people around the planet.
  4. The Public Asker. Your news organization makes its money through sensational claims. Your organization and its viewers are less interested in journalistic integrity and facts and more interested in using wild assertions to entertain their audience and keep them glued to their screens.

Your Response Video

Select one classmate’s video, watch it, and respond to it with your own video. Your response should be at least 45 seconds. In your response, please identify:

  1. What news organization does your classmate work for?
  2. How do you know which news organization your classmate works for?
  3. What biases are exposed in your classmate’s version of events?

Posting to Flipgrid

Once you’ve written and practiced reading your script describing the raid at Parker Place from your assigned point of view, it’s time to use Flipgrid!

Use the following instructions to create and post videos on Flipgrid:

  1. Go to our Flipgrid here: https://flipgrid.com/1ed5c6
  2. Click the big "+" button and give permission for Flipgrid to activate your webcam.
  3. Record your newscast. It must be between 2-3 minutes. Don’t worry if you make a mistake; you can re-record as many times you’d like.
  4. Save your video and post it.
  5. Follow these same instructions for responding to a classmate - and remember the three response questions!

Stay classy, English students!

YouTube Movies. (2015, November 12). Anchorman: The legend of Ron Burgundy - Trailer [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yWhVndYHGg