Assessing How the Media and Information Landscape Impacts Democracy

This is the eighth lesson in a unit designed to help teachers have conversations with their students about media literacy in a critical, reflective and constructive way. Use these lessons to help your students reflect on the changing media and information landscape; understand how this landscape impacts individuals, communities and society; and consider how they can thoughtfully and responsibly engage with content they encounter online and in print. This learning can also help them become conscientious content creators. Supporting students to develop as critical consumers and creators of information is vital for their well-being, their relationships and our democracy.

This lesson provides students with the opportunity to reflect on the relationship between democracy and the media and information landscape. Students begin the lesson by reflecting on what democracy is and what a democracy needs to function effectively. They then consider some of the features of the information landscape that they studied in the unit so far and the impact these can have on the functioning of a democracy.

Before teaching this lesson, please review the following information to help guide your preparation process.

Activity 1 Reflect on Democracy

Inform students that, in today’s lesson, they will be exploring how the media and information landscape can impact democracy.

First, ask them to journal on the following prompts:

Democracy is ‘the belief in freedom and equality between people, or a system of government based on this belief, in which power is either held by elected representatives or directly by the people themselves’. ¹

The word democracy comes from the Greek word dēmokratia, which is composed of two words: dēmos (‘the people’) + -kratia (‘power, rule’). It literally means rule by the people. 

1. Write your own definition of what a democracy is.
2. What do you think a democracy needs to be able to function properly?
   You might want to think about institutions that exist, how people select governments, what people are allowed to do, how people in power are held to account for their actions, etc. 
3. How well do you think the UK’s democracy functions? Explain your view. 

Lead a short class discussion, inviting students to share their responses and taking note on the board of what students think a democracy needs to be able to function properly. 

Then, share the following aspects of a healthy democracy with students, checking for comprehension:

• Free and fair elections, including voting rights;
• Free and open press;
• Freedom of expression;
• Trust in the democratic process;
• Ability to hold power to account;
• Space for disagreement and dissent;
• Equality before the law;
• Fair and equal rights for all.

Activity 2 Explore the Relationship Between Democracy and the Media and Information Landscape

Next, inform students that they will spend some time exploring the relationship between democracy and the media and information landscape, thinking about how different features of this landscape impact and/or relate to aspects of a healthy democracy. 

If needed, give your students the following definition:

• Information Landscape (noun): Everything relevant to the world of information. This includes different types of information, how and why they are created, and how they are shared. 

Divide students into groups of three and distribute the already cut handout Hexagonal Thinking: Democracy and the Media and Information Landscape to each group, or the uncut version, along with scissors for students to cut up the hexagons themselves.

Explain to students that each hexagon contains a different aspect of democracy and/or the media and information landscape. They should position the hexagons into a grid that connects these aspects, thinking about the relationships between them and referring to what they have learnt so far in the unit. For some aspects, students may only find one connection, while for others they may find two, three, or even six. Tell them there is no right answer, they can decide where the hexagons go. 

Model the activity by drawing or projecting some labelled hexagon examples (with different labels from the ones they will encounter) and explaining how you might connect them. Try to show how there could be multiple options for each hexagon. 

When all of the groups have finished, ask them to tape their hexagon grid onto a piece of paper. 

Debrief the activity with a Gallery Walk. Groups can place their grids on their desks. Prompt students to look for similarities and differences as they circulate. 

Then, lead a short class discussion inviting them to share what they noticed about different grids and about the relationship between the information landscape and democracy.

Activity 3 Reflect Independently on the Hexagonal Thinking Exercise

Next, inform students that they will be using their group’s grid for an individual written response that uses the content and their learning from the previous lessons in the unit to explain three points of connection on their grid. This is an individual activity, so each student can choose the points of connection that they are most interested in writing about. 

Distribute the Hexagonal Thinking Written Response handout or project the prompts contained in the handout on the board and read the instructions as a class. Then, have students complete the task, encouraging them to choose connection points that relate to both the information landscape and democracy and to write about the relationship between them.

Activity 4 Discuss the Way the Information Landscape Can Impact Democracy

Finally, ask students to discuss the following questions in their small groups:

1. How does the information landscape impact democracy? 
   Consider the risks it poses and the ways in which it can boost the democratic process.
2. In the UK, there are several laws that restrict expression to prevent harm. For example, there are laws that prevent the incitement of hatred, the harming of someone’s reputation through false accusations, and the spreading of false information by media outlets. 
   • What are the benefits of laws that restrict expression? 
   • What are the potential risks? 
3. What do you think needs to be done to ensure the information landscape supports the democratic process? 
   You might wish to think about laws, skills the population needs, people’s rights and responsibilities, etc. 

Lead a class discussion inviting students to share their views.

• 1‘Democracy’, Cambridge Dictionary.