First, choose and analyze any real website on your Conspiracy Theory.
Comparing and Analyzing Articles on Website
Name three differences in headlines in the various articles on the website you’ve chosen.
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b)
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As you look around at the web pages on which the articles are placed, what do you notice about labels, adjectives, and verbs? Are any of them emotionally-charged? Describe them.
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b)
c)
Name three ways in which the advertisements differ on the web pages on which the articles are placed.
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b)
c)
Which sources are quoted? Which sources are not quotes? Hypothesize why those particular sources are not quoted.
What non-male, non-white authors, voices, or sources do you find in the stories?
Compare photographs and photo captions to the news stories connected with them.
Are there any elements in the news stories that seem the opposite of common sense? If so, why?
How does the sequencing of ideas impact the overall effect of the different stories?
What is the most surprising, interesting, alarming, inspiring, or incredible thing you take away from analyzing this website and its various articles and pages?
Is this website credible? Give this website a Grade of Credibility (A, B, C, D, F)
Second, Design Your Own Fake Webpage
You will have all the features of any typical website. But --- What won’t you do?
Evidence
Your webpage will not be created by a generally respected organization or corporation.
You will have broken links to the other sites so viewers cannot see who supports your ideas.
Background
Your webpage will describe historical information that did not actually happen or is not verifiable by an independent source.
Viewpoint, Biases, Insights
You will not approach the issues from multiple stances.
You will not offer opposing viewpoints.
Clear biases will emerge.
Connections
Your webpage will not make reliable connections to other ideas or groups.
Significance
Your webpage will not make claims of significance.
You won’t really identify why this particular aspect of your conspiracy theory is important.
Mastery learning points = 20 points (10 points for the website analysis + 10 points for your own fake webpage).