Accuracy, Fairness and Ethics-secondary

Accuracy, Fairness and Ethics
High School

Television, newspapers, magazines, computers and the Internet constitute a large segment of what is considered “mass media.” We get most of our information from these sources. It is important that the people responsible for constructing this information environment deal with the elements of accuracy, fairness and ethics in each story. It is our job as consumers of information to question what we are presented with. We need to test the accuracy, fairness and ethics of the stories that are presented. We need to become critical thinkers.

Objective:	Students will evaluate the fairness, accuracy and ethics of a variety of stories found in “mass media.” Students will write a response to a story from the Web.
Procedure:	1. Discuss the idea that an article can be written in the press or on the web or broadcast of television or radio and still not be true. Have the students read ‘California Velcro Crop Under Challenge.’ Have the students discuss how accurate these statements are. 2. Get a copy of a tabloid paper from your local supermarket. 3. Analyze the stories in it for fairness and ethics. 4. Discuss the long-term impact of unfair, erroneous or damaging headlines to the person about whom the story is written. 5. Have the students select one story from the tabloid and write a critique of the story. Have them rewrite the story in a fair, accurate and ethical way. (Students may have to do either library or Web research to come up with facts to make the story accurate.)
Material:	Hard copy of article or Web access, board
Evaluation:	Click here to get a rubric for evaluation.