Lesson Outline
October 4, 2013
Knowing which “News Neighborhood” you are in is essential to becoming a great news consumer and better informed citizen. But the lines between news and other forms of information are becoming increasingly blurry as a result of the ongoing digital information revolution.
Recently we looked at the difference between news and a new form of advertising, known as “sponsored content” or “native advertising.” (Click the link for the previous lesson.)
This week we examine some differences between news and opinion, and how to distinguish between journalism, opinion journalism and un-supported opinion and perspectives. Remember Moynihan's Maxim: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but they are not entitled to their own facts.”
This brief video featuring veteran journalist Bill Moyers appeared recently on the PBS program Moyers & Company. The subject is the growing economic inequality in American society, and the video includes numerous facts and statistics, and cites “a growing body of research” drawn from several mainstream institutions, including the Washington Post and the US Department of Commerce, when mustering evidence to support its conclusion that, while the stock market may be reaching new heights, the “distance between the first and the least in America is vast and growing.”
QUESTIONS:
• Is this video in the news neighborhood – or the opinion neighborhood? Or both?
• Why? Is Moyers offering his own views? If so, are they supported by facts?
• Is he blurring the lines between opinion and journalism? Or is he making it clear which “news neighborhood” he is operating in?
• Is Moyers offering useful information? Is it reliable? Why?
• In arguing one side of a debate, does he misrepresent facts or their context?
• Does Moyers remain loyal to journalism’s mission – to inform – even as he takes
sides and try to convince viewers of his argument?
Supplemental Media & Material
• Moyers & Company - See more of Bill Moyer's work on PBS.
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