Who Decides the News? You, That's Who!

CNL News Lesson

November 7, 2012 Added by Michael A. Spikes

Lesson Outline

July, 2010
A News Literacy Summer Institute Lesson


Click here to download the "Who decides the news? You, that's who!" PDF

Written By:
Afi-Odelia Scruggs, Cleveland Urban Journalism Workshop Cleveland, Ohio

Lesson Description:
Recognizing that there are particular decisions that a News Editor must make when defining what will be published/broadcast/posted to their various publications, students, through an understanding of the Universal News Drivers will apply them to various news stories to judge the relative newsworthiness of each.

News Literacy Concepts:

News Literacy Lesson #4: Know Your Neighborhood -- There are different types of information. News is a type of information that is deemed to be of some public interest for which an independant individual or organization is directly accountable.

News Literacy Lesson #5: What is News and Who Decides? -- News is determined by four factors: Universal News Drivers, Editorial Judgement, The Audience, and Profits and Competition.