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1996 - 97 Curriculum

Do Media Affect the Political Process?

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ACTIVITIES
created by the author of Media Alert!, Sue Lockwood Summers

  1. Select a political issue and compile facts through research.   Write a letter to a candidate expressing opinions or ideas.
  2. Collect and analyze political cartoons.  Create a political cartoon on a current political issue.  Use media, (newspapers, TV, political ads...), for ideas.
  3. Create a fictional political candidate.  Write 30-second ads (either audio recording or video taped), expressing the point of view of the candidate.   Analyze for content and slant.
  4. Compare and contrast newspapers and news magazine articles on one political issue.  Analyze each for bias, fairness and accuracy.
  5. Select a "quote", (out-of-context), from a news report.   Obtain a copy of actual speech from the Internet or other source.  Evaluate for accuracy.  Follow through with a letter to the editor or write a commentary for your class.
  6. Develop a list of 10 thought-provoking questions to ask a candidate as if you were a reporter in a press conference.
  7. Select a social issue.  Develop a stand on one side of the issue through research.  Stage a debate.
  8. Read newspaper editorials on one political issue.  Watch for upcoming "Letters to the Editor" from readers responding to the editorials.   Circle the facts and underline the opinions.
  9. Select one candidate and collect his/her photos from newspapers and magazines.  Create a poster displaying both positive and negative images and document by source.

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DISCUSSION STARTERS

  1. How do political candidates use the media to their advantage?

  2. What techniques do media use to show endorsement of issues or candidates?

  3. How do you detect the difference between reporting and editorializing?

  4. What role do the media play in your personal decision making?

  5. What medium impacts you the most: TV, radio, comic books, newspapers, magazines, billboards, commercials, ads, Internet...?

  6. Do political polls create or reflect opinions?   Explain your answer.

  7. Who holds the media accountable?

  8. How would spending limits on political campaigns affect the political process?

  9. Can media exposure help or hurt a candidate?

  10. .What strategies can be used to critique media coverage of current candidates and issues?

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MOCK ELECTION GUIDELINES

  1. Display a poster announcing the date of your election day and include a sample ballot.

  2. On your election day distribute student ballots.   Customize for your local elections by adding local issues or candidates.

  3. Student Election Day should be a wrap-up of a media literacy unit that can be integrated into any school subject.

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FAST FACTS

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NEWSPAPERS, DIRECT MAIL, RADIO AND TELEVISION ARE THE MOST COSTLY ARENAS FOR POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING.  IN 1996, IN COLORAO, A U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE MUST EXPECT TO RAISE BETWEEN $3,000,000 TO $5,000,000 TO FINANCE A CAMPAIGN, INCLUDING ENOUGH TV, RADIO AND NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING TO BE EFFECTIVE.

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A US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATE MIGHT BE EXPECTED TO RAISE $200,000 TO $500,000, THE DIFFERENCE BEING THAT A CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT IS SMALLER THAN THE  ENTIRE STATE.

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STATE AND LOCAL CANDIDATES, DEPENDING ON THE OFFICE, CAN CAMPAIGN EFFECTIVELY FROM $1,000 FOR AN OFFICE SUCH AS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, UP TO $1,000,000 FOR AN OFFICE SUCH AS GOVERNOR.

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AT LEAST 50% - 75% OF THESE LARGE CAMPAIGN BUDGETS WILL BE SPENT ON TV ADVERTISING.

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THERE ARE NO RULES OR LEGAL REQUIREMENTS ON HOW MUCH A CANDIDATE CAN SPEND ON DIRECT MAIL OR NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING.   THEY ARE RESTRICTED ONLY BY HOW MUCH MONEY IS RAISED AND AD AVAILABILITY.

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BROADCAST COMMERCIALS ARE GOVERNED BY COMPLEX RULES WITH RESPECT TO WHO GAINS ACCESS AND HOW MUCH EACH CANDIDATE PAYS FOR EACH COMMERCIAL

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THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA FALL WITHIN THESE RULES WHEN LEGALLY BOOKING COMMERCIALS.  THERE ARE NO RULES TO ASSURE BALANCE SO, NEEDLESS TO SAY, THESE RULES ARE VERY CONTROVERSIAL.

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EACH OF THESE VENUES PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CANDIDATES TO BRING THEIR VIEWS, POLICIES AND VISIONS TO THE VOTING PUBLIC:

Public Appearances
Debates
Door-to-door Grass Roots
Yard Signs
Bumper Stickers
Direct Mail
Surrogate Speakers
Volunteers
Phone Solicitation
Internet
Newspapers
Radio
Television

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RESOURCES

"Citizenship in a Media Age". (middle school through adults)
THE CENTER FOR MEDIA LITERACY 1-800-226-9494
http://www.earthlink.net/-cml

"Elections in the TV Age", Better Viewing, March/April 1996

"Candidates, start your engines!", Cable in the Classroom, March 1996

Newspaper in Education (NIE) election and media materials
Contact your local newspaper's NIE department

PRIIME TIIME TODAY: http://www.sni.net/medialiteracy

Politics USA: http://www.politicsnow.com

Vote Smart USA: http://www.vote-smart.org

Democratic National Committee: http://www.democrats.org

Republican National Committee:  http://www.rnc.org

View Smart to Vote Smart:  http://www.vote-smart.org

CNN Election Coverage: http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/index.html

Time Magazine:  http://www.time.com

 

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