SUMMARY
On May 30, former president Donald Trump was convicted on 34 criminal charges in New York related to hush money payments and business fraud. Laura Barrón-López listened to Republican voters about how this impacts their thoughts on the former president and the upcoming election.
View the transcript of the story.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who are the people that made up the focus group?
- Where are members of the focus group from?
- What is the purpose of the focus group?
- When did some Republicans begin attacking the judge, the judge's daughter and the judicial system?
- How many of the focus group members said that the fact that Trump was convicted of felonies carried more weight for them?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
- Do you think presidents should be immune from criminal prosecution for actions they take while president? See this Daily News Lesson to learn more about presidential immunity.
- Do you think focus groups are effective in measuring public opinion? Why or why not?
Media literacy: It's good practice to conduct background research on people featured in a news story. Watch this video about how focus groups work. As a class, discuss what biases could arise from the creation and conducting of a focus group?
Then read Sarah Longwell's profile. What are her background and interests?
Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
FOR MORE
What students can do: Learn more about the charges against Trump and the trial proceedings, such as in the video below.
This post was produced by Benjamin Thernstrom, a senior at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Virginia, and intern with PBS NewsHour Classroom, and NewsHour's Luke Gerwe.
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