Publications I: What is News?Adapted from Newseum’s What is News Lesson Guide

Part I: Critical Thinking

1. In your own words, answer the question — what is news?

2. This video lists nine categories for types of stories that are considered news. Name three of these categories, and explain what types of stories each one describes.

3. Name two to three other categories that you would add to the list that you consider news.

4. Were there events in this video that you recognize? List two of the stories and why you think they were important.

5. What other events from history would you add to this video? List three events, and for each one, explain why you chose it.

6. What would life be like without the news? How would you learn about what is going on in the world around you?

Part II: Short Essay Choose three of the following questions to answer as fully as possible. Your answers should be written in complete sentences and should be at least three paragraphs in length.

1. Are there events from this video that you recognize? Are there events in this video that you lived through? How does the fact that they occurred during your lifetime change the way you remember or feel about these stories versus the historical events depicted?

2. Many of the key events in this video were represented by images. Discuss how photographs and other images are used in reporting the news. How do they make a different impression than the written word?

3. Think about all the different ways the key events were presented in this video — news headlines, photographs, video clips, sound bytes from speeches and news broadcasts. How has news changed over time? Has the way we report the news affected what news is covered?

4. There were many types of news media that were seen in this video. In recent years, we have seen new types of media emerge that were not featured in this video. What are those types of media? How have they changed the face of the news and how it is reported?