NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this bell ringer activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
On Thursday, July 17, Congress revoked a billion dollars in already approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that steers funds to public media stations. William Brangham discussed the potential impact on PBS with one of the network's most acclaimed filmmakers, Ken Burns. His documentaries covered subjects like the Civil War, baseball, Vietnam, country music and more.
View the transcript of the story.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, 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 is Ken Burns, and what is his background?
- How will the funding cuts affect Ken Burns' work?
- Why has Congress cut funding for PBS and other news outlets?
- What have the leaders of PBS and NPR and the "News Hour" said about the funding cuts?
- Where is news most accessible, according to Ken Burns?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
- Based off of this lesson, how do you think these funding cuts will impact the media landscape?
- Do you think public broadcasting fills a role that other media doesn't?
- Do you think cuts to public broadcasting are part of a larger change in the way media is produced in the U.S., and if so, what is that change?
Media literacy: What did you notice about the way News Hour told the story of cuts to some of its own funding? Do you think the producers of the segment should have handled the story differently?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Watch the video below about the defunding of public broadcasting and discuss as a class — what will be the greatest impact of this shift away from federal funding for public broadcasting stations?
Written by Payton Alfieri, PBS News Hour Classroom's intern and senior at Episcopal High School, and News Hour's Luke Gerwe.
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