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Spin It
Module 1, Activity 1.4 - Slant, Spin, and Bias
Student Page
(teacher lesson for this page)

Introduction:

When we read an article of news, it is essential that we consider not only the information in the article but the perspective from which it is written. Every piece of news is written from an individual's point of view. Sometimes, it can be hard for a journalist to keep his or her feelings from entering into his/her writing.
In this lesson, you learn how to recognize how our own views can be slanted by the bias of a reporter through the way he/she chooses to spin a story.
angry editor

Activities:

Task One - Defining
Find definitions, using a print or online dictionary, for the following words with regards to journalism: bias, slant, and spin. Record definitions in your own words for further reference. You will use your definitions of slant and bias during this lesson and you will need to refer back to your definition of spin in lessons to come.

Task Two - Recognizing Slanted Language
Brainstorm a list of "highly-charged" words or phrases (slanted language, see examples to the right). Discuss how using these types of words in journalism is what can create slant in a piece of writing. Once you have discussed slanted language, read the CBC article discussing the use of the word terrorist.

After reading the article, find a partner. Each of you should take a different side of the issue discussed in this article and then look at the article again. Look for evidence to support your side. After a few minutes of researching your side, you and your partner will have a short mini-debate.

1. One of you will argue that publications have the right to edit in the way the article suggests.
2. This person will have 1 minute to present his side.
3. Now the other partner will take a minute to argue the other side of the debate.
4. While your partner is arguing, your job is to write down points that you would like to bring up based on what he has mentioned.
5. You will each have a second minute to re-discuss your position.

Objectives:

You will be able to
- recognize how pervasive information is in contemporary society
- recognize what is news
- evaluate the concept of objectivity
Resources:

- An article demonstrating or discussing slant.
- An article from a Canadian news source and an article from an American news source focusing on the same current event.

Task Three - Venn Diagram
To look at the idea of slanted laguage you need to search one of the following world headlines site:

1. 1st Headlines
2. World Press Wire
3. World Headlines

Find a Canadian news source and an American news source that are reporting on the same event. After reading each article fill in the Venn diagram to determine the facts of the event (the similarities in the two stories) and the spin in each story (the different focus or slanted language used to create bias).

Task Four - Arguing Your Bias
Choose a topic you feel very strongly about. In this assignment you must write against your own bias. You are to argue the side opposite of what you believe in an attempt to convince someone else of your position. You will be marked based on the following rubric.
Your written work should be approximately half a page long and you should submit both the rough copy and the good copy.
pen
"Highly-charged" words
1. Murder
2. Forced
3. Captured
Less "highly-charged" options
1. Death
2. Assisted
3. Detain
 

Last Updated
June 8, 2005

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