The Speed of News: Are You a Star Reporter?

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<li>Divide students into pairs and distribute a selection of sources and the worksheet to each twosome.</li>
<li>Tell them: One of the ways reporters find out information for their stories and develop news story ideas is to regularly search through a variety sources, such as in print, online, and on TV and radio.  Explain that it is important for reporters to document where they find information, not only the type of source (such as magazine) but the specific name (e.g. <em>Time</em> magazine). This careful documentation helps the reporter keep track of their research. But, more importantly, by identifying their sources they are upholding an important journalistic standard: always let your audience know where you got your information!</li>
<li>Direct the pairs to work together, but designate one of the students to write their answers on the worksheet.</li>
<li>Once the worksheets are completed, compile the answers from the different pairs on the board for all students to see.</li>
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• Are You a Star Reporter worksheet (download), one per pair for an in-class activity or one per student for homework assignment
• A compilation of varied news sources for students to explore:  newspapers, bookmarks to online stories, YouTube clips and websites, etc (or consider assigning the activity for homework)

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<li>What sources did their research reveal?</li>
<li>Are there any other sources of information that are missing from the list?</li>
<li>When documenting sources, is there additional information that would be important to record (for example, date or author)?  Why would those be important to include?</li>
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