Key Vocabulary
- Pink slime journalism – biased or partisan local news websites that pose as legitimate news outlets to spread misinformation favorable to far-right leaning ways of thinking
- Lateral reading – searching what other credible sources say about a claim
- Reading upstream – finding the original source of a claim
Materials
- Lesson slide deck
- Lesson outline
- Projector
- Student handout
- Computers and internet connection
- Background reading
- How ‘pink slime’ journalism exploits our faith in local news (Washington Post, author coined the term)
- Original West Cook News Article that is fact-checked as “pink slime journalism”
- “ABC News Called it Pink Slime. Now USDA Says it Can Be Labeled Ground Beef”
- Hundreds of ‘pink slime’ local news outlets are distributing algorithmic stories and conservative talking points
Activator
(SLIDE 1) — THINK, PAIR, SHARE (5 Minutes)
K – W – L Activity
- What do you Know About “pink slime”?
- What do you Want to Know About “pink slime”?
- What did you Learn About “pink slime”?
K – W -–L Activity: What did I Know, Want to know, and Learn about “pink slime”?
| Know | Want to know | Learn |
(SLIDE 1) Presenter Notes
- Ask students to fill out the first two columns of the K-W-L chart.
- Discuss their answers.
- Then either ask students to do an online search for information about “pink slime” or provide background reading for them to take notes in the “What did you learn”
- Some options for background reading
- Discuss what students learned
(SLIDE 2) — KEY VOCABULARY (5 Minutes)
Key vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
| Pink slime journalism | |
| Reading laterally | |
| Reading upstream |
(SLIDE 2) Presenter Notes
Explain that the term “pink slime” is used to describe local news websites that try to appear legitimate but are funded by biased or partisan groups to provide a skewed perspective of news favorable to that organization’s agenda. Preview the key vocabulary as students fill out their handouts:
- Pink slime journalism —
- From one of the background reading articles you would point out that although the websites pretend to be “local news,” the stories are often written by poorly-paid non-professionals overseas.
- Reading laterally — Search to see what other credible sources are saying about the claim
- If you are comfortable with it you can use the CRAAP acronym. You are checking for currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy and purpose (CRAAP method)
- Reading upstream — the practice of finding the original source of a claim, so you’re not basing your information on someone else’s interpretation.
(SLIDE 3) — MEDIAWISE FACT CHECK ABOUT THIS POST
- Watch this video produced by the Mediawise Teen Fact-Checking team and take notes on your student handout
- What red-flags helped the MediaWise Teen Fact-Checker identify the website as “pink slime journalism”?
- What fact-checking techniques were used by the TFCN?
(SLIDE 3) Presenter Notes
- Watch this video produced by the Mediawise Teen Fact-Checking team and take notes on your student handout
- Why are these types of websites called “pink slime journalism”?
- What red flags signaled the West Cook News is a “pink slime journalism” website?
- No sources/evidence provided for the information
- Politifact labeled it as misleading and had contradictory evidence
- A statement from the school district contradicted the claim directly
- What fact-checking techniques were used by the TFCN?
- Lateral reading
- Read the “About” page
- Search to see if credible Fact-Checking sites have information
- Reading upstream
(SLIDE 4) — DISCUSSION OR EXIT OUT THE DOOR
“What’s the Big Idea?” Discussion questions
- How is the phrase “pink slime” an appropriate way to describe websites that pose as legitimate news outlets?
- What might be the West Cook News bias or political point of view in posting this story?
(SLIDE 4) Presenter Notes
- How is the phrase “pink slime” an appropriate way to describe websites that pose as legitimate news outlets?
- The stories have no real evidence (no real meat)
- The stories are not written by professionals
- The stories are repackaged to look like real news when they are not.
- What might be the West Cook News agenda or political point of view in posting this story?
- Conservative political view
- Erode public trust or support for public schools
(Slide 5) — EXTENSION AND REFINING ACTIVITY
Extension and refining activity
- Choose a news organization that has been labeled as ‘pink slime’ in your state from this map: https://iffy.news/pink-slime-fake-local-news/#map
- Choose a news story from the site and use the techniques to check if it is a “pink slime” article or legitimate news. Fill out the table below and prepare to present your findings to the class.
(SLIDE 5) Presenter Notes
- Students can work independently, in small groups, or complete this exercise as homework or as a ticket out the door. You could schedule presentations for the next class period.
Additional resources
- MediaWise “Is This Legit?” Series
- How To Combat Political Misinformation from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs
- Fact-Checking Lesson for Student Journalists
- Misinformation Overload Interviews from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs
- StoryMaker Media Literacy Learning
- Reuters Media Literacy Contest
- Journalism in Action, a history of journalism in the U.S., from PBS NewsHour Classroom
MediaWise is a digital media literacy initiative of the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Now in over 170 middle and high schools, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs (SRL) is a national youth journalism program that trains teenagers across the country to produce stories that highlight the achievements and challenges today’s youth face.
