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Week 11 handout
This document provides guidance on deconstructing news reports to assess their reliability. It explains key concepts like transparency, context, and defines steps to evaluate a news report: 1) Summarize the main points and check if the headline and lead are supported. 2) Assess the quality and directness of evidence cited. 3) Evaluate the reliability and potential biases of sources cited using the "I'M VAIN" mnemonic. 4) Check if the reporter makes their process and limitations transparent. It also provides examples and exercises for students to practice these skills by deconstructing news reports based on the provided framework. The overall aim is to help readers make informed judgments about the
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Week 11 handout
- 1.
- 2. Deconstruction: “Application ofNews Literacy concepts to the analysis of component parts of a news report in order to dispassionately judge its reliability.”
- 3. ‘Deconstructing’ the News Is Too Much Texting A Mental Illness? How to Assess the Reliability of the News
- 4. A Deconstruction How to Judge Reliability 1) Summarize the main points: Does the headline and the lead support the main 2) How close does the reporter come to opening the freezer? Is the evidence direct or arm’s-length?
- 5. A Deconstruction How to Judge Reliability 3) Evaluate the reliability of the sources using I’M VA/IN 4) Does the reporter make his/her work transparent? 5) Does the reporter place the story in context?
- 6. A Deconstruction How to Judge Reliability 6) Are the key questions answered? - -What-When - -Why? - 7) Is the story fair?
- 7. And The WholePoint What can a news consumer Do with this information Is it actionable?
- 8. Deconstructing the News The power of Context
- 9. Key Definitions Context: Factsthat surround an event or elements of a news story and provide meaning or significance
- 10. Context As their statefinancing dwindled, four-year public universities increased their published tuition and fees almost 8 percent this year, to an average of $7,605… When room and board are included, the average in-state student at a public university now pays $16,140 a year. “Trends in College Pricing” and “Trends in Student Aid” reports is that fast-rising tuition costs have been accompanied by a huge increase in financial aid, which helped keep down the actual amount students and families pay.
- 11.
- 12. Key Definitions Transparency:The reporter specifies in the story what he or she does not know, and why it could not be learned; how they know what they do know; when the reporter pulls the curtain aside.
- 13. Deconstructing the News Transparency is Openness about · “Could not be reached” · “Requested anonymity because she feared losing her job” · “A reporter attempted to contact the family at home, but no one came to the door.”
- 14. Deconstruction 1) Summarize themain points of the
- 15. Deconstructing the News How Reliable is the Headline? Workbook Example #1 Is the Headline Supported By the
- 16. Deconstructing the News Howto Find the Main Points of the Find the Headline and “Lead”
- 17. Deconstructing the News Workbook Example#3 The Main Points Aren’t Always in the First
- 18. Deconstructing the News 2) Assess the evidence supporting the main points of the story.
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- 20. Deconstructing the News How close did the reporter come to opening the freezer? If not, did a reliable source open it?
- 21. Deconstructing the News Workbook Example #3 Evidence: Did the reporter open the
- 22.
- 23. Test Inferences for Soundness Evidence: Information that proves or disproves something Inference: Taking information that is accepted as true and then drawing a conclusion
- 24. Deconstructing the News Is The Inference Sturdy? Workbook Example #6
- 25. Deconstructing the News 3)Are the Sources Reliable?
- 26. Judging the Reliabilityof Sources 1) Independent Sources Are Better Than Self-Interested Sources 2) Multiple Sources Are Better Than Single Sources 3) Sources Who Verify Are Better Than Sources Who Assert 4) Authoritative/Informed Sources Are Better Than Uninformed Sources 5) Named Sources Are Better Than Unnamed Sources (Mnemonic Device: I’M VAIN)
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- 28. Deconstructing the News How to Assess Source Authority Workbook Example #10 Is the Source Authoritative? Independent? Why or Why Not?
- 29. Deconstructing the News How to Weigh Sources Workbook Example #7 Verification or Assertion?
- 30. Deconstructing the News Workbook Example #8
- 31. How to JudgeAnonymous Sources Transparency Characterization Corroboration (evidence/ sources)
- 32. Deconstructing the News Howto Assess Source Reliability Workbook Example #9 How Do You Weigh the Anonymous Source?
- 33. Deconstructing the News Workbook Example #11
- 34. Deconstructing the News 4) Does the reporter make his or her work transparent?
- 35. Key Definitions Transparency:The reporter specifies in the story what he or she does not know, and why it could not be learned; how they know what they do know; when the reporter pulls the curtain aside.
- 36. Deconstructing the News Corrections are Institutional
- 37. Deconstructing the News How Transparent is the Story? National Public Radio Reports from
- 38. Deconstructing the News How Transparent is the Story? Reports of Qaddafi’s Demise
- 39. Deconstructing the News Step 6: Are the key questions answered?
- 40.
- 41. Deconstruction Step 7:Is it Fair? Workbook Example #14
- 42. Deconstructing the News Workbook Example #15 Balance or Fairness?
- 43. Deconstructing the News Case Study: The pregnant man Workbook Example #12 Assess reliability by Evaluating Sources & Evidence
- 44. Deconstructing the News Case Study: The pregnant man Do These Sources Help?
- 45. Deconstructing the News Case Study: The pregnant man Does This Sonogram Help?
- 46. Deconstructing the News Case Study: The pregnant man Do Baby Photos Help?
- 47. Deconstructing the News Weigh sources and evidence
- 48. A Deconstruction How to Judge Reliability You can’t weigh every story with each of these points, but.... 1) Summarize the main points: Does the headline and the lead support the main 2) How close does the reporter come to opening the freezer? Is the evidence direct or arm's-length?
- 49. A Deconstruction How to Judge Reliability 3) Evaluate the reliability of the sources using I’M VA/IN 4) Does the reporter make his/her work transparent? 5) Does the reporter place the story in context?
- 50. A Deconstruction How to Judge Reliability 6) Are the key questions answered? - -What-When - -Why? - 7) Is the story fair?
- 51. And the WholePoint Is… Is it actionable? Can you reach a conclusion? Can you take an action? Can you make a judgment? Can you share this information?
- 52. Assignment • Go through the slides to complete the Deconstruction Workbook • Due next time in class • Don’t forget to put your name on it
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