IOA – What's in the News?

You will be doing an interactive oral activity, for which each member of your group will be graded. The marks will be awarded to each student individually.

YOUR TASK:
Your group will undertake a bias/unreliability in the media research project, the results of which you will then present to the class in the form of a TV panel discussion roleplay.

Detailed instructions

A maximum of 45 minutes will be allowed for the presentation, and during that time you should cover the following:

·  what your research has suggested in answer to your research question

·  clips/articles etc. in support of your claims, and analysis of these clips

·  critical evaluation of your results

·  class involvement

Specific group instructions

Group 1
Michael
Max
Michelle / Is Fox News still as biased as Outfoxed claimed in 2004? / The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
(Satirical news/interview programme, airing on Comedy Central) / March VII
Group 2
Niklas
Josi
Emilia
Anna / News in Crisis: Are traditional news sources maintaining their integrity in an age of increasing competition? / Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News Channel
(Fox's daily 6 p.m. news/commentary/discussion programme) / March XI
Group 3
Betsy
Nina
Johannes / How is Obama presented in the US media? Are they critical or supportive of him? / Question Time
(Long-running BBC panel discussion show, hosted by David Dimbleby) / March XIII
Group 4
Philip
Tessa
Albin
Johanna / Has there been a significant change in how the US media reports the Israeli-Palestine conflict in the 8 or so years since Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land was made? / Hardtalk
(A BBC interview show, hosted by Stephen Sackur, and noted for its hard-hitting questions and no-punches-pulled approach to controversial topics.) / March XIV

Preparation

You will need to choose roles for each member of the group. One person should chair the discussion (the host of the show, so to speak), and the others can be guests: experts, politicians, media analysts etc.

In order to prepare thoroughly, you’ll need to do the following:

·  Agree together on how you will research your topic

·  Do your research individually

·  Reconvene and do the following together as a group

- discuss your results and draw conclusions

- critically evaluate your conclusions

- establish who will be playing which role in your panel discussion

- decide how you will involve the audience

·  Briefly watch some clips of the TV programme that has been assigned to your group, to get an idea of the programme's format, and the style of language used.

·  Finally, it would be ideal if you have a chance to practise with your group before presenting to the class

In order to get good marks, you'll be expected to do the following:

·  Find relevant and revealing examples of media coverage of your issue

·  Analyse these clips successfully

·  Critically evaluate the role of the media and the results of your research

·  Include specific comments on how language is used in news reports

·  Be dead good at English, innit

·  You won't be graded on how well you do the assigned TV show, that part of the activity is just intended to make it more enjoyable

Remember to refer to the marking criteria to know what is expected of you, and please ask me if you have any questions.