Activity:

1.  Begin by asking the class if they remember seeing or hearing a news story involving Church teaching or practice that they thought was biased or had a specific angle in the way it presented its narrative. What was the story? What are some red flags that might give you a clue that a news source or reporter is biased—even if they present “just the facts?”
2. Discuss with your students how blessed we are to live in a society in which our Constitutional law respects and protects the right of citizens to speak and publish their thoughts. However, like all good things, freedom of speech can be misused. It
   can be used to promote noble ideals which strengthen the common good, or it can be misused in a way that encourages vice and works against the common good. The freedom of speech that we enjoy entails the responsibility to be discerning consumers of the news media. This is especially so in our day and age when the internet has made unprecedented volumes of information available—not all of it reliable. In this context public discourse or opinion often fails to move beyond mere news headlines, and the advance of technology makes it ever easier for us to quickly consume what we receive in our “newsfeed” while dulling our will to digest, compare, or analyze it. The Catechism explains, “The means of social communication (especially the mass media) can give rise to a certain passivity among users, making them less than vigilant consumers of what is said or shown. Users should practice moderation and discipline in their approach to the mass media” (2496).
3. Then explain that one way to analyze the news is to simply compare multiple sources and therefore gain greater perspective of the context, background, stakes, circumstances, or causes of a given story. Give the class access to the internet and direct them to the website allsides.com, found at SophiaOnline.org/AllSides. Give them time to explore the site and take note of the comparisons between
   left-leaning/center/and right-leaning news sources. Ask them what they think the value is in comparing sources in this way, and if they can gain any insight into how they should approach the news they read or hear daily?
4. Then arrange your students into pairs. Have them find and create two or three headline comparisons of their own using articles about current events (either of their choice, or that you suggest) from both secular and Catholic media sources.
5. Have groups share their headlines with the class as you discuss the different impressions they might give about the stories in question.
6. Finally, distribute the handout News Analysis Checklist. Have each student choose an article from their comparison list. Have one student read through the article from the secular media source and the other student read through the article from the Catholic media source. Then have them apply the checklist on the handout to the article they read.
7.  When they are finished, have the pairs share and discuss their findings based on their answers to the checklist.

Enrichment Option

If students identify an article which mis-represents authentic Church teaching, offer the chance to earn class credit by writing a Letter to the Editor, charitably drawing attention to the misrepresentation in question. Instructing the ignorant is a Work of Mercy, and to do so in a professionally written Letter to the Editor is not only a noble exercise of free speech, but it also promotes civil discourse and the common good.

Answer Key

Accept reasoned answers for all questions.