Democracy Dies in the Dark: How to Read and Critically Analyze the News
Together we will consider the different ways in which we receive news, how to analyze new sources for bias, where to find different sources for news and how to critically analyze the news that you find. Come improve your news literacy!!
Kirsten Bowman JD
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(791)
Popular
What's included
4 live meetings
3 hrs 40 mins in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. There will be exercises assigned between each class to help learners apply the in-class learning and to practice the skills we learn in the on-live class sessions.Assessment
If requested, grades and assessments are available. All assignments must be completed in order to receive grade or assessment.Grading
If requested, grades and assessments are available. All assignments must be completed in order to receive grade or assessment.Class Experience
US Grade 8 - 11
News literacy is a subset of media literacy focused on helping people process and understand news media messages, to locate more factual and credible information, and to think critically about what counts as news. News literacy is also about recognizing that quality, credible, independent news and journalism are critical components of any free and democratic society. This four week class will engage learners to understand where to find various forms of information and how to critically analyze that information. Week 1 will begin with the consideration of sources - where we find our news in 2022. This will include a look at all media sources, including social media, blogs, google searches and various types of digital media, as well as radio and television news sources. We will consider each of these sources as well as the benefits and downsides of each of these media sources. Week 2 will consider breaking news, media bias/manipulation, and mis/dis-information. Using critical analysis exercises to identify bias and manipulation, we will consider tools such as corroboration and evaluation to discern the trustworthiness and veracity of the information being received. Ultimately this week will allow learners to find credible, authoritative and diverse sources to gain current and reliable news of the day. Week 3 will look at the rules of journalism and journalistic ethics, the difference between editorials, opinion sections and edited news articles, helping to understand the value of each of these types of articles that are find in print and digital media. After all, free societies and people depend on the flow of trustworthy knowledge and information. Journalists and their ethical commitments are central to this process, and the news and media they create are how citizens learn about their world. Understanding the process is key to consumers of news trusting what they are reading. The difference between state and free news sources will be considered. Week 4 will culminate in our understanding how to fact check and critically consumer the news. As news literate consumers we will engage in the consistent practice of establishing and verifying facts. As critical thinkers we will engage in the consistent practice of taking those facts and critically analyzing them to form our own, individual, independent opinions which are backed up by reason and fact.
Learning Goals
By the end of this four week course learners should feel confident in their ability to consume news with greater literacy, to identify mis-information and bias, to identify the difference between opinion and fact-based reporting and to critically analyze fact-based information to help inform their own personal opinions about society and the current events of the day.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Current events and news of the day will be considered as we put the techniques we are learning into practice. The same current event may be read from various sources, such as blogs versus journalistic news sources in order to identify bias and perspective. It is essential to understand that this information will be presented as objectively as possible, providing information and tools to allow learners to analyze themselves, not to provide opinions about which news sources are more valuable than others. Learners will be encouraged to determine for themselves which sources they consider to be the most reliable, based on the type of information that they are seeking to consume.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
Sources for this course will include open news sources including places such as wikipedia, the top newspapers across the globe published in English, as well as various blog and think tank sources. These sources will be used to help compare and contrast the different types of information you receive from each source, the bias or perspective which may be present in each type of source, the veracity of corroboration in each source etc.
Joined May, 2018
4.9
791reviews
Popular
Teacher expertise and credentials
Prior to my law degree I was a Coro Fellow in Public Policy trained in communication and the identification of public policy sourcing. Within my law career it is essential to critically analyze information and identify bias and perspective. Further, I have taught course on this subject for the past four years on Outschool. Reviews
Live Group Class
$60
for 4 classes1x per week, 4 weeks
55 min
Completed by 29 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
4-14 learners per class
