WORLD MEDIA: COMPARISON OF IRAQ WAR ACCOUNTS
Critical Analysis
By Lisa Greeves , English and Journalism teacher

Overview:
This lesson will take approximately 30 minutes and can be used to expose students to the vastly different coverage that the war in Iraq is receiving throughout the world. Students will be able to examine and discuss bias and slant, rumor, perspective, as well as the use of sources, facts, and format for these news articles to see how they compare with articles written by the American media.

Time: 30 minutes

Materials:

Correlation to National Standards

Procedure:

1. Explain to students that media from different countries obviously report on the War in Iraq differently, often in ways that benefit or relate to their country exclusively. Pass out copies of the Newshour Extra article and have students read it silently. After they finish reading it, field comments and reactions from students. Then, tell them that they will be looking for these kinds of indications of bias and slant and perspective in individual examples of foreign reporting and comparing them with accounts from American media outlets.
   
   
2. Divide students into small groups of two or three. Give Handout #1 to Group #1, Handout #2 to Group #2, Handout #3 to Group #3, and Handout #4 to Group #4. Give each group a copy of Handout #6, the accounts from American media. Assign each group to read the news accounts silently. (see materials above for print-outs)
   
   
3. After reading silently, have each group discuss their observations about each article. You may want to write the categories A-J on the board. Have each group take notes on A-J in their notebooks on the following issues:
   
   A. Type of article: Is it a feature or news article? Why?
   
   B. Who is the intended audience? Are they sympathetic to the war issues? Support by pointing to specifics in the article.
   
   C. Use of sources: How many appear? Are they believable or appropriate sources?
   
   D. Bias or slant: How is this article leaning? How can you tell? Cite examples to prove.
   
   E. Use of quotations: What kind of quotations are used? Factual or emotional? Are they worthwhile, journalistically speaking, or inflammatory?
   
   F. Structure of article: inverted pyramid or a more feature-like structure? Describe.
   
   G. Verification of other sides: What authorities are consulted here? Is more than one side apparent? If so, what is that other side?
   
   H. Consult the list of coalition forces in Handout #5 PDF. Is the country of this publication a member or not? What does that say to you? (Provide one copy of this handout to each group.)
   
   I. How does this article(s) compare with the lead accounts of the day from Newshour and The Washington Post?
   
   J. Your overall reaction to the article as readers.
   
   
4. After discussing the articles for 10 minutes, have each group share their findings about each article with the class. Discuss whether students found the foreign accounts to be believable or not and why or why not?
   
   
5. As a wrap-up, summarize on the board the class's general observations about how the foreign press accounts of the war seem to compare overall with American accounts. What are their general observations regarding comparisons?

Extension Idea :

Assign groups to select two different countries and follow lead articles from two major publications within that country for one week. If possible, have students select one country that is not a member of the coalition. Have students produce a group report assessing their findings of journalistic coverage of the war from those publications, paying special attention to bias, sources, facts, quotations, acknowledgment of another side, and the format of article. Have students print out copies of the articles that they assessed to accompany their report.

National Standards:

This activity meets the following standards sanctioned by NCTE that apply to journalism education:

Standard 1: Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information, to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

Standard 7: Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purposes and audience.

Standard 11: Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

Standard 12: Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Author Lisa Greeves has taught high school English and Journalism classes for two Virginia school systems: Fairfax County Public Schools and Rockbridge County Schools. She has a bachelor's degree in English and Communication from James Madison University and a Master's Degree in English from Virginia Commonwealth University. She recently had a chapter published in the 2002 NCTE publication Applying NCTE/IRA Standards in Classroom Journalism Projects.

To find out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah Clapman at extra@newshour.org.