Question

READ on the BBC & summarize the main content in 10 lines.

Answer 1

Critical Thinking Exercise - Mass Media

Directions:

Go to the BBC homepage and browse (look around) the site's main page.  Look at the headlines and choose one article to read.  After reading, try to answer the following questions related to the article:

1. Who is the target audience for this article?
2. What is the goal of the article?  What idea does it give the reader?  
3. Is the topic or main idea in the article controversial?  Why or why not?
4. Does the author share a balanced perspective?  Why or why not?  
5. What sources does the author use to support her or his claims in the article?  Are the sources well-known or have a good record of being accurate?
6. Do you think there is any bias in the article?  If so, where?  If not, why?
7. What kind of responsibilities do you think journalists have when reporting the news?  
8. Journalism is sometimes called the "Fourth Estate of Democracy", meaning it is an essential part of a democratic government.  Do you agree with this opinion?  Why or why not?

Answer 2

Directions:

Go to the BBC homepage and browse (look around) the site's main page.  Look at the headlines and choose one article to read.  After reading, write a 10-line summary. 

When writing the summary, consider the following:

• Who is the subject of the story? (Men? Women? Children? Animals? Companies?)
• What is/are the main ideas discussed in the article?
• When did the events in the article take place?  Is this the same time as when the article was written?
• Where did the events in the article happen?  What country/countries?  What cities/towns/villages?
• Why is this story important? Why are the ideas valuable for other people to know?
• How do you feel after reading this article?
• Now that you know this information, what do you think you can do with this new knowledge?