

At a Glance
Language
English — USSubject
- Civics & Citizenship
- History
- Social Studies
Grade
9–12Duration
Two 50-min class periods- Democracy & Civic Engagement
- Racism
Overview
About This Lesson
What challenges do breaking news scenes—especially ones as fast moving and chaotic as Ferguson—present to journalists and consumers of information? In this lesson, students review news accounts about the killing of Michael Brown from the initial days following the shooting to get a sense of the ways that complex stories unfold over time. The journalists in the featured video help to illuminate the idea that it is not only extremely challenging for consumers to sort fact from fiction during a breaking news story, especially one that elicits such strong emotional reactions, it is also challenging—and at times impossible—for journalists to do so.
Note: As this lesson begins to focus on actual accounts from Ferguson, you may want to acknowledge that this content can be emotional and challenging; consider revisiting the classroom contract and earlier discussions about the DJ Jay Smooth video.
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Tell us MoreVerifying Breaking News
How Journalists Minimize Bias
Social Media and Ferguson
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