Ethics and the Media
Winter Kallah SAVP program
Touchstone Text:
“Anyone who thinks the sky is the limit, has limited imagination.”
- Anonymous
Goals:
1. Have PPs discuss fact versus opinion
2. Encourage questioning of all sources, and rejection of the extremely biased
Objectives:
1. Demonstrate how biases are present in all sources
2. Have PPs consider what is ethical and what is not when reporting “facts”
Materials:
Markers
Poster Board
Copies of Program
People:
Number of total participants
GLs (SAVP’s/Regional Board, 2 per group for the first part, 2 per group for the second)
Timekeeper
Space Needed:
The stage of the Beit
Lobby of the Beit
Floor of the Beit
Mo
Time Table:
00:00-00:04 Introduction
00:04-00:07 Break into groups
00:07-00:13 Rotation 1
00:13-00:15 Move
00:15-00:21 Rotation 2
00:21-00:23 Move
00:23-00:29 Rotation 3
00:29-00:32 Explain the next activity
00:32-00:34 Break up into smaller groups
00:34-01:00 Discussion
Procedure:
00:00-00:04 Introduction
Explain to the PP's that they will be going around to different stations in groups. At each station they will be watching a different "channel" that revolves around the same topic. Ask them to pay attention to each channel closely, because it will help them later in the program.
00:04-00:07 Break into groups
Groups will be broken up by the number they received on their hand as the PP's entered the Beit (number 1-3). Group 1 (people who received a 1) will go to channel 1 first, 2 will go to 2 first, 3 to 3 first.
00:07-00:13"Channel"1(Liberal)
Group Leader read (switch off between rotations, other person can just sit down and be a part of the group):
"Hello and welcome to WJDU News. An echo of the Cold War in the South China Sea today, where the People's Republic of China has stepped up its rhetoric against the people of Taiwan. That includes what the government in Beijing is calling "the test-firing of long-range missiles". This Chinese display of military power followed a protest by Taiwanese athletes at the closing ceremony of the Olympics.Last week, the people party which controls government in Taipei, broke with long-standing policy and promoted an election in which people would be given the opportunity for independence. In Washington, the Lame Duck Bush administration has dispatched diplomats to the region to remind the leaders of China that the U.S. will consider any attack on Taiwan as an attack against American interest.
00:13-00:15Move
Rotation1 move to Rotation 2, Rotation 2 move to Rotation 3, Rotation 3 move to Rotation 1
00:15-00:21"Channel"2(Conservative)
Group Leader read (switch off between rotations, other person can just sit down and be a part of the group): “ Good Day, thank you for tuning into JDHF news station.A confrontation has developed between Red China and the Republic of China known as Taiwan. The Communist government in Beijing is again threatening military action against the government in Taipei. This follows a dramatic display of patriotism by Taiwanese athletes at the Olympic games in Beijing. The Taiwanese government in recent days has promoted a referendum in which the island's people can declare independence. The Communists continue to claim the island of Taiwan as a rogue province and warns that any move toward independence will not be tolerated. In Washington, the Bush administration in its waning days of office, has reiterated America's long-standing "Two-China policy" and has warned Beijing to cancel any further missile tests.”
00:21-00:23Move
Rotation1 move to Rotation 2, Rotation 2 move to Rotation 3, Rotation 3 move to Rotation 1
00:23-00:29"Channel"3(Moderate)
Group Leader read (switch off between rotations, other person can just sit down and be a part of the group): “ Hello, I am (insert name) with VNDK news. There is concern in Southeast Asia tonight where a move by the Taiwanese government for a referendum on independence has sparked a sharp response from Chinese government in Beijing. The Chinese have launched several missiles into the South China Sea near Taiwan's coast, in what some diplomats are calling "an act designed to send a message to Taipei". For five decades China has considered the island of Taiwan to be a rebel province. The potential confrontation was heightened when athletes representing Taiwan displayed a Taiwanese flag at the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing. In Washington, president Bush, who has less than three months remaining in office, reiterated a long-standing U.S. support for Taiwan.”
00:29-00:32 Explain the next activity
After everyone is back into the Beit, say something to the PP's like: "If you didn't guess, while all of those "channels" were reporting on the same news piece, they all had different biases. This was a simulation on what happens on television every day, along with newspapers, the Internet, and everywhere you can get information from. We are now going to break up into groups…"
00:32-00:34 Break up into smaller groups
Each Regional Board member will be paired with a member (or 2)of the SA network; there should be around 7 groups. The pair will be assigned a number and will pick 10-15 people from the crowed to be in their group.
Locations:
1-Stage of the Beit
2-Front Right of the Beit
3-Front Left of the Beit
4-Back Right of the Beit
5-Back Left of the Beit
6-Lobby
7-Mo
00:34-01:00 Discussion
Discussion Questions:
-Where do you get most of your information from? (Can be anything from news sources to school)
-Do you think that information is biased? If so, what is its bias?
-When you hear the word "fact" or "studies show" used in the media, what are some good questions to ask in order to get more information or more credible information?(some examples could be who was in the study, who conducted this study, how was this fact determined, etc.)
-In what ways do the media present biases today?
-Is there any way to avoid biased information?
-What are some ways?
-How important is it to question information given to us/ our sources?
-What are some indicators you can think of that might suggest what that sources biases are?