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Duration
Less than 30 minutes
Topic(s)
  • Journalism
  • Media Ethics
Grade(s)
  • 6-12

  1. Divide students into small groups.
  2. Tell your students: One of the basic principles that guide a free press is that the press has a commitment to the truth. It reports news; it does not make news. It should maintain an independence from those it covers.
  3. Have students read the scenario and discuss the options.
  4. Encourage them to come up with a consensus on the action they’d take. 
  5. Have each group share their decision and explain their reasoning. Did they find other groups’ arguments compelling? Why or why not?

   

  • News Independence case study handout (download), one per small group

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