Dissect the News Project Assignment Sheet

Step 1: Go to http://www.gradethenews.org/feat/scoring.htm and download 3 “grade the news” forms, along with an instruction sheet.

Step 2: Decide which you want to do:

a) grade 3 sources within the same medium. You might choose 30 minute news programs on different channels, 3 different newspapers (section A coverage of politics and government), 3 cable news programs, 3 radio news programs (it might be tough to find 3 or these -- discuss with me if you choose this), etc.

OR

b). grade 3 different types of media – maybe cable TV news, Newspaper, and NPR news (all on the same day) to compare coverage of the same topics. You may not use web sources for this project, because it is too difficult to compare apples to apples online.

Either way, make sure the potential covered content is similar, which means sampling from the same day/ time. Also, all your sources need to be specifically intended as “news”.

Step 3: Record, watch, listen, read and enter your analysis on the downloaded form. Follow the "Grade the News" instructions carefully.

Step 4: Write up a 6-7 page analysis of your results, with the following points covered:

A. Briefly describe which sources you used, when they were printed or aired, etc. Explain exactly why you chose these – (for example: to see which local tv news program provides the best information, etc.)

B. Describe your results. What were the respective scores? What were the areas of strength or weakness? Did you notice any patterns? .

C. What conclusions can you make from your analysis about the quality of news coverage? Can voters get what they need from the sources you looked at? Are some better than others? Why? Be as specific as possible.

D. How do your findings compare to findings in scholarly studies of the content of the news? Cite at least 3 outside scholarly sources and explain how your results compare to theirs, or how your findings help to illustrate the findings from the article. These sources could be Pew or Annenberg studies, and at least one needs to be from an academic journal like Political Communication, Political Research Quarterly, etc. This should take up several pages in the report.

Step 5: Look over your paper. Proofread. Make sure your grading is correct, and your math makes sense. Be sure your grammar is correct, your ideas are clearly communicated, etc. Attach the three forms to the 6-7 page report, and create a "works cited" page for your sources for part D, using MLA or APSA style . Turn it in by the beginning of class on Tuesday, October 27th.

Some sources you might consider can be found here.