Paula Poindexter says now is the time to evaluate Presidential Election News Coverage

Dear Teachers:

After every Presidential Election, many of us who teach Journalism, become media critics, dissecting the news coverage to determine how well Journalism has lived up to its purpose and principles and how well the public has been served. This week your students will have an opportunity to become media critics and evaluate how well the press did its job. One dimension of that critical analysis is directly related to coverage of the issues. In addition to the general activities for this week of November 3, I have listed some specific ideas about coverage of the most important issues to jumpstart the discussion on press coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election.

I also want to remind you that toward the end of this week, you’ll receive an e-mail from a Statesman reporter or UT Journalism professor who will visit your class next week to talk to your students about the purpose and principles of journalism. Please plan to arrange a time that is convenient for you and if possible on the day that your newspapers are delivered.

Don’t forget to post at http://mynewsatschool.blogspot.com/.

Have a great Presidential Election week!

Paula Poindexter
mynews@school
UT School of Journalism

Additional Ideas for Group and Class Discussions: Evaluating News Coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election

Over the course of the 2008 Presidential Election, the most important issues have changed. What have been some of the important issues during this Presidential Election?

The issues reported on the front page of the newspaper, as the lead story on the network evening news or in the most recent public opinion poll are not necessarily the most important issues being discussed around the kitchen table or among friends and neighbors.

Take an informal poll of your friends, schoolmates, teachers, coaches, and family to find out what they personally consider the most important issues in the 2008 Presidential Election. (Although your informal poll will differ from a scientific poll reported in the newspaper, it still will provide some insight into public opinion among those around you.) Other questions you might ask in your informal poll are: What is your primary news source and what grade would you give the news source for its coverage of the issue most important personally? What is the primary reason for the grade?

Discuss the findings from your poll with your group. As a group, evaluate news coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election. Compare your group evaluations with the new Project for Excellence in Journalism study on 2008 Presidential Election news coverage, which can be found at: http://journalism.org/node/13307.

What recommendations does your group have for covering future Presidential elections? What specific recommendations does your group have for including young people in the news coverage? Have a student-led class discussion on 2008 Presidential Election news coverage and recommendations for improvement. Include your top recommendations in a mynews@school blog post to the editor.

Week of November 3, 2008: Media Critic of Presidential Election Coverage.
1. Distribute newspapers with each student receiving a newspaper.
2. Discuss coverage of the Presidential Election—from news to opinion to charts to multimedia.
3. Students have 10 minutes of free reading on presidential election coverage.
4. For 5 minutes, students discuss presidential election stories that they found important and the reasons why.
5. For 5 minutes, students discuss aspects of the presidential election that are of interest to you and your family but are not being covered. Also discuss coverage that can be improved.
6. Write a comment for the editor.
7. Post comment to the mynews@school blog.