What is the difference between news and opinion within the journalism neighborhood and why are the lines blurring so rapidly? How can you differentiate news from opinion in a newspaper, on television, on the Internet? What is a columnist? A commentator? Are bloggers journalists? Are Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly presenting news or opinion? How can a news consumer identify the difference? And why does it matter? Does this blurring of opinion and news have effects on the media’s relationship with the government? Does it compromise the idea of creating an informed citizenry and instead generate a polarized one?
Students leave this class with an understanding of the differences between news and opinion journalism.
Key Concepts Include:
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Advocacy journalism vs. impartiality. Exploring the debate within journalism over when and whether journalists should take sides or maintain the discipline of impartiality.
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Sometimes bias is institutional: Partisan news outlets rely on a business model rooted in taking sides and blurring the boundary between news and opinion. Opinion journalism and TV: Understanding the labels and language that can be used to tell news reporting and opinion journalism apart and how the attributes of journalism distinguish opinion journalism from partisan assertion.
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The best way to tell the difference between news and opinion is to listen critically to what is said and look for labels, although on TV and the internet labels don’t always tell the full story.
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All opinions are not created equal. Opinion journalists base their arguments on a fact-based inquiry while some pundits make assertions and disregard facts to support a predetermined conclusion.
Objectives of this Lesson:
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Identify and describe the differences between journalism, opinion journalism, and fact-less assertion, also known as bloviation.
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Explain how media fragmentation and political polarization have made taking sides a profitable business.
Lesson Vocabulary:
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Opinion Journalism
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Journalistic Impartiality
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Parody
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Bloviation
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News Drivers