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Writing about Current Events

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  1. Welcome!

    My Learning Spaces (free lesson)
  2. Course Introduction (free)
    1 Quiz
  3. Module 1: Media Literacy
    Mediums and Contexts (free)
    1 Quiz
  4. Your Media of Choice (free)
    1 Quiz
  5. Managing Media
    1 Quiz
  6. Top Stories
    1 Quiz
  7. Module 2: Professional Opinions
    Interview with Lieutenant General John Pickler
    5 Quizzes
  8. Interview with American Politician Clark Boyd
    5 Quizzes
  9. Interview with Career Journalist Amelia Hipps
    6 Quizzes
  10. Module 3: Current Events
    Background Knowledge
  11. Social Media
  12. Productive Note-Taking
    2 Topics
  13. Analyzing a News Story
    1 Quiz
  14. Module 4: Editorials
    The Ant and the Grasshopper
    1 Quiz
  15. A Retelling of the Ant and the Grasshopper
    1 Quiz
  16. Grasshopper and Ant
    1 Quiz
  17. Final Essay

Participants 24

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  1. Writing about Current Events
  2. Your Media of Choice (free)
Lesson 4 of 17
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Your Media of Choice (free)

After viewing the video in the last lesson about the history of media, it may be safe to say that the medium (the means by which a message is communicated) doesn’t determine the reliability of the message.

As a matter of fact, according to the chart below, which is designed to gauge neutrality in reporting, two of the most extreme news sources, The Candace Owens Podcast and Rev Left Radio, both use mediums that qualify them as “New Media.” Even though they are on the cutting edge in their delivery methods, they score as extremes, meaning the neutrality necessary for helping viewers form their own opinions is missing.

(Use the plus sign + or the chevron >> in the top right corner of the viewing window below to enlarge, download, or mark on the chart.)

Using a Media Bias Chart like this one is an excellent first step in determining which news sources deserve our time, attention, and mental energy. 

According to extensive research by both business and educational institutions, most people utilize social media to gather information about current events. How discriminating are you when it comes to the media sources you rely on? 

Since the medium a news source uses isn’t a good way to measure the quality of the reporting, we need to establish better criteria for determining what we listen to, read, and watch. 

Identifying the rhetorical situation of each news source is a good place to start.

Click the Your Media of Choice Quiz link below. 

Lesson Content