Facing Ferguson: News Literacy in a Digital Age

What is the role of journalism in a democratic society, and how can we become responsible consumers and producers of news and information in the digital age?

• Investigate the choices and challenges facing journalists as they report on a story, including the importance of verification, sourcing, and other journalistic practices and standards.
• Understand the role that confirmation bias, stereotyping, and other cognitive biases plays in how we interpret events, news, and information.
• Explore the impact of social media on the traditional news cycle, and understand the role it can play in influencing public opinion and the press.
• Develop critical thinking and news literacy skills to help students find reliable information to make decisions, take action, and responsibly share news through social media.
• Consider their role as citizens in a democracy and their responsibilities as civic participants and citizen watchdogs.

This unit supports a multi-week exploration of news literacy. It includes:

• 11 lessons
• Videos, readings, and handouts that correspond with activities

This unit is made up of 11 lessons, which feature video interviews with award-winning journalists and scholars, analysis of news coverage and images, and a range of activities designed to develop students’ critical thinking, literacy, and social–emotional skills and competencies.

Early lessons establish a foundation for exploring the news and news literacy through a reflection on the impact of identity and bias on the way we respond to news and other kinds of information. The middle section uses examples of news reports and social media posts about Ferguson, raising important questions about such news literacy topics such as sourcing and verification, the role of social media, and the role of a free press in democracy.

Moving beyond the events in Ferguson, the concluding lessons examine some of the challenges and opportunities that today’s dynamic media landscape presents to the public for meaningful civic engagement. Whereas in the past the means to distribute information widely were held almost exclusively by professional journalists, today the power to create and disseminate information is literally in the hands of the people. While quality journalism serves as a watchdog for democracy, citizens can play a parallel or complementary role by disseminating information that exposes and highlights injustice.

Before you begin teaching this unit, we suggest that you:

• Review all the videos, images, articles, and other multimedia resources so that you are familiar and comfortable with the content;
• Review the events surrounding Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson (sources include “Ferguson, one year later: From a city to a symbol” from the St. Louis Post Dispatch and this interactive timeline from The New York Times);
• Make sure you are familiar with the definition and common platforms of social media, although this is also an opportunity to allow your students to share their knowledge.

In addition, because this unit deals with sensitive and difficult topics, we suggest that you review our thoughts about creating a reflective classroom. The unit includes many opportunities for student reflection through journaling. You may want to read about effective strategies for using journals in the classroom.