Submitted by on November, 2014
By looking at various pieces of news coverage how it relates to themes in the lecture, students learn to ask what makes some news sources reliable and others less reliable? What standards should news consumers use to weigh the credibility of sources quoted in news reports? Definitions of self-interest, independence and authority are explored.
Key Concepts Include:
- IMVAIN: Evaluate news sources with a 5-step test based on the idea that the most reliable sources are: 1) Independent, 2) Multiple, 3) provide Verifiable information, 4) Authoritative and/or Informed and 5) Named.
- IMVAIN is a helpful tool, but it must be carefully applied through critical thinking.
Objectives of this Lesson:
- Identify the characteristics of reliable information provided by sources in a story using IMVAIN.
- Weigh the reliability of sources in a news story using those characteristics.
Lesson Vocabulary:
- IMVAIN
- Assertion
- Authoritative
- Informed
- Anonymous Source
- Characterization