Media literacy lesson:
Directions : Take a look at the screenshot below of the home page of a news organization and its coverage of the Virginia Beach shooting. The screenshots were taken on Sunday morning, just 36 hours after the shooting. As you analyze the home page, keep the following questions in mind. Discuss together as a class afterwards.
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What do you see on the homepage?
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What do you know about the news outlet? Is it a newspaper or radio/broadcast news organizations' digital website? Is it solely a digital website? Is the intended audience state or national? You may want to check AllSides.com , if you're not sure.
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Is there a story about the Virginia Beach shooting? If so, what is the headline? Check if the news outlet covered the story the day before or after these screenshots were taken. What other stories are being reported at this time?
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How might the media, intentionally or unintentionally, steer the conversation after a shooting? How about gun violence, in general? What does this say about the power that the news media has over public discourse?
FOX News
