The Media and Politics in the United States
| Author: | Glori Smith |
|---|---|
| Summary: | The lesson plans contained in this unit are designed for students in a high school-level government course, specifically Advanced Placement® United States Government and Politics, though they could be adapted and used for a mainstream high school course or an introductory college-level political science course. The College Board, which owns the rights to the Advanced Placement course name, summarizes the media component of the course on apcentral.collegeboard.com: “The media are a major force in U.S. politics. Students are expected to understand the role of the media in the political system. In addition, the impact of the media on public opinion, voter perceptions, campaign strategies, electoral outcomes, agenda development, and the images of officials and candidates should be explored and understood by students. Understanding the often symbiotic and frequently conflictual relationship among candidates, elected officials, and the media is also important. Students should be aware of the goals and incentives of the media as an industry and how those goals influence the nature of new coverage. They should also understand the consequences of the increasing concentration of major media outlets in fewer hands, as well as the growing role of the Internet.” It is with these course requirements in mind that the following lessons have been designed. |
| Subject: | |
| Objective: | Students will be able to analyze the role that media plays in politics in the United States. |
| Main Concepts: | Polticized media, media's role in politics. |
Lesson Plans
The students will learn why the media is often called the 4th branch of government. The class will discuss the various forms of media and the unique role of each. They will participate in an investigatory activity with newspapers, magazines, and internet.
Through lecture or small group research and reporting, the students will learn about historical changes in media financing and ownership and the resulting consequences. The class will investigate the objectives of media reporting, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and limits on freedom of the press. They will also read and analyze editorial content and write there own rebuttals or editorials.
Students will illustrate their memories of 9/11 and class will discuss the reasons for similarities. The teacher will present and discuss with the class other mediated historical events. The teacher will also present vocabulary and information about factors that limit the influence of mediated political information. In groups the students will research a current event story in three different media formats, comparing and contrasting the differences.
Through class brainstorming and discussion, students will recognize the role that political advertising plays in political campaigns in the United States. Through direct instruction and note-taking, the students will learn about the enormous expense invested in political advertising and the controversy that this engenders. The class will analyze several political ads and learn the difference between ads paid for by a candidate or his/her political party and an “issue advocacy ad.” In groups, students will then create an issue advocacy advertisement.
Through discussion and observation, students will learn that the press rarely follows the policy process through to its conclusion. They will explore the various ways that both the press and politicians use each other for their own ends.