Assignment 2.1
Due Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Assignment: To watch a nightly news program. Unless you have an amazing photographic memory, you will probably want to take notes during the program so you can recall the stories later. Choose a single issue discussed on the news and outline the various opinions, facts, and approaches pertaining to the topic in a brief two-page paper. At this point, you should not "take a side" on the issue. You should simply identify the problem or controversy and explain it from all angles. The issue you choose must be controversial in some respect. If you discuss a story that deals only with fact, you obviously cannot outline varying opinions and approaches, so select a problem, a subject of debate.
As you watch the news, consider the following questions:
- Does the reporter present and/or acknowledge all sides of the issue? If not, why not?
- What assumptions does the reporter make about the audience and/or the subject matter? Does s/he assume the audience will possess prior knowledge of the subject?
- Does the reporter seem familiar with the topic on which she/he is reporting? Does the reporter provide sufficient background information for a less-informed audience?
- Does the reporter make logical connections and leaps between questions? Does the reporter present an unbiased, unemotional, informational report? What is the tone of the report? Is the topic or report sensationalized?
A successful paper will consist of an objective summary of your issue, identifying the controversy and describing the conflicting points of view that are out there regarding this issue. Remember that you will be sticking with this issue for the remainder of Unit 2, so choose something that interests you.