Objective: looking for articles that would not be printed in a society without a free press. Discuss the rights and responsibilities of the American free press by reading and discussing “Chasing the News: Mark Twain’s Inkwell to Blogger’s Slippers.” Research famous journalists and engage in a fishbowl discussion about the importance of the American free press.
-1. Warm-Up/Do-Now: Upon arriving, split the class into pairs and supply each pair with a red marker and a copy of the front page of The New York Times. Instruct students to draw an X over any article that would not or could not be published if the newspaper were controlled by the government.
Once this activity has been completed, have each pair hold up the marked copy so the rest of the class can see. Have everyone look around the room to see how many articles would not be published if we did not have freedom of the press and our government controlled the news. Ask: What might make news feel or be threatening to a government or a leader? What does “freedom of the press” mean? What provides that right in the United States? Do you think freedom of the press is an important right? Why or why not? How would our society be different if we did not have freedom of the press? If necessary, familiarize students with the text of the First Amendment. Then tell them that a museum has opened that chronicles and celebrates the freedom of the press in the United States and that they are about to read an article about the museum, called the Newseum.
2. As a class, read and discuss “Chasing the News: Mark Twain’s Inkwell to Blogger’s Slippers,” focusing on the following questions:
a. What does Edward Rothstein, the author of the article, mean when he says the Newseum “lays claim to the public interest and then insists upon it”?
b. Which of the artifacts mentioned in the article would you most like to see? Why?
c. Why do you think that there are “accelerating layoffs in the print-news business and worries about the very future of newspapers”?
d. What do you think Mr. Rothstein is alluding to when he says that there are “problems that accompany th[e] posture” that “nothing is not news”? Do you agree? Why or why not?
e. What do you think Mr. Rothstein means when he says “the 4-D show is more sensation than substance, but how often can that be said of newsprint as well”?
f. What do you think Mark Twain meant when he said that being a journalist was “awful slavery for a lazy man”?
g. Do you agree with Thomas Jefferson’s quote? Why or why not?
h. What do you think Mr. Rothstein means when he says that “sometimes the most difficult task is to report accurately despite one’s vision of the good or one’s desire to change the world”?
i. What would you be most interested in seeing at the Newseum and why?
3. Explain to students that to better understand the importance of freedom of the press in the United States, they will work in small groups of three to five students each to research famous journalists who have made an impact on American life by asking tough questions of people, government or industries. After completing their research, students will take on the persona of their assigned journalist to discuss issues in journalism.
Assign each group a famous journalist to research. Some journalists to consider including are the following:
In a fishbowl discussion, the students in the center are the only ones allowed to speak. If a student from the outer circle wants to add to the discussion, he or she must move to the middle of the circle, subtly ask for the name tag and take that student’s place as the new group member in the discussion. After discussing the first question, have all students in the center switch name tags with another member of the group. Be sure to switch topics enough times so all students have the opportunity to be in the center of the discussion at least once.
Questions to pose to the “journalists” include:
Further Questions for Discussion:
-1. Warm-Up/Do-Now: Upon arriving, split the class into pairs and supply each pair with a red marker and a copy of the front page of The New York Times. Instruct students to draw an X over any article that would not or could not be published if the newspaper were controlled by the government.
Once this activity has been completed, have each pair hold up the marked copy so the rest of the class can see. Have everyone look around the room to see how many articles would not be published if we did not have freedom of the press and our government controlled the news. Ask: What might make news feel or be threatening to a government or a leader? What does “freedom of the press” mean? What provides that right in the United States? Do you think freedom of the press is an important right? Why or why not? How would our society be different if we did not have freedom of the press? If necessary, familiarize students with the text of the First Amendment. Then tell them that a museum has opened that chronicles and celebrates the freedom of the press in the United States and that they are about to read an article about the museum, called the Newseum.
2. As a class, read and discuss “Chasing the News: Mark Twain’s Inkwell to Blogger’s Slippers,” focusing on the following questions:
a. What does Edward Rothstein, the author of the article, mean when he says the Newseum “lays claim to the public interest and then insists upon it”?
b. Which of the artifacts mentioned in the article would you most like to see? Why?
c. Why do you think that there are “accelerating layoffs in the print-news business and worries about the very future of newspapers”?
d. What do you think Mr. Rothstein is alluding to when he says that there are “problems that accompany th[e] posture” that “nothing is not news”? Do you agree? Why or why not?
e. What do you think Mr. Rothstein means when he says “the 4-D show is more sensation than substance, but how often can that be said of newsprint as well”?
f. What do you think Mark Twain meant when he said that being a journalist was “awful slavery for a lazy man”?
g. Do you agree with Thomas Jefferson’s quote? Why or why not?
h. What do you think Mr. Rothstein means when he says that “sometimes the most difficult task is to report accurately despite one’s vision of the good or one’s desire to change the world”?
i. What would you be most interested in seeing at the Newseum and why?
3. Explain to students that to better understand the importance of freedom of the press in the United States, they will work in small groups of three to five students each to research famous journalists who have made an impact on American life by asking tough questions of people, government or industries. After completing their research, students will take on the persona of their assigned journalist to discuss issues in journalism.
Assign each group a famous journalist to research. Some journalists to consider including are the following:
- Edward R. Murrow
- Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein
- Rachel Carson
- Jacob Riis
- Walter Cronkite
- Katherine Graham
- Helen Thomas
- Dith Pran
- Ernie Pyle
- Seymour Hersh
- When did this journalist live and report?
- What did he or she investigate that made him or her famous?
- What were his or her findings?
- Were there forces that got in the way of his or her work? Why?
- What changed as a result of this journalist’s work?
In a fishbowl discussion, the students in the center are the only ones allowed to speak. If a student from the outer circle wants to add to the discussion, he or she must move to the middle of the circle, subtly ask for the name tag and take that student’s place as the new group member in the discussion. After discussing the first question, have all students in the center switch name tags with another member of the group. Be sure to switch topics enough times so all students have the opportunity to be in the center of the discussion at least once.
Questions to pose to the “journalists” include:
- What has your work taught you about the importance of a free press?
- Do you believe that you are or were responsible chiefly to the public, the government or your own personal interests when investigating and writing? Why?
- What do you think is the most important job of journalists and the press in general?
- Do you think that there is any information that is “too dangerous” to print? Why or why not?
- What risks did you take in revealing a story? Were those risks worth it? Why or why not?
- The news media is undergoing drastic changes because of opportunities for independent journalism on blogs, the ability to constantly update stories online and because many people prefer to read news online. What do you think about that? Will those factors change journalism for the better or the worse? Why?
Further Questions for Discussion:
- Are there any drawbacks to having a free press? If so, what are they?
- How should newspapers and other news sources decide what is newsworthy?
- Is it always important that journalists include all sides of an issue in news stories? Why or why not?
- Are there significant differences between journalism and blogging? If so, what are those differences? If not, why not?
- How do you prefer to get your news and stay informed? Why?
- Is the news media an appropriate focus for a museum? Why or why not?
- How has your life been affected by the news and the news media?