Being a Critical Consumer of Media

Resources

Student Resources:

• Access to the internet
• Media sources (internet, print)

Teacher Resources:

• Critical Questions

Facilitation Notes

• Teachers may need to prepare media sources in advance for the Explore portion. Students will use critical questioning to investigate a source. Local papers, specific sites, clips, or audio should be ready beforehand.
• Suggested prior lessons: “A Historical Look at the Role of the Media” and “How the Media Presents Information.”
• Even without full lessons, review key ideas (media roles and presentation styles) for background.

Anticipate

• Let students know they will choose a familiar topic in advance—something they know about and is well covered in mainstream media (not just current events).
• Examples: NIL deals, a sports franchise, a musician’s rise, alternative energy, gluten intolerance, natural remedies, or specific video games

Engage

• Ask students how their streaming service knows what to suggest next or how social media curates their feed.
• Discuss “algorithms”—even if students don’t know the term, they likely understand the concept.
• Ask for positives and negatives of algorithms.
  • Positives: more of what they like, connection to similar people/communities.
  • Negatives: addictive, limited exposure to new ideas.
• Ask about algorithm equivalents in traditional media (TV, print, online).

Transition: Media interactions often reflect algorithms. Watching the same channel, reading the same site, or following the same voices can create an echo chamber. Citizens must seek multiple perspectives and filter content critically.

Explore

• Create a class list of news media sources: TV shows, newspapers, online sites, podcasts, etc. Start individually, move to groups, then combine.
• Teacher may have a list ready to add to class suggestions.

Transition: The list shows how many sources exist. Getting multiple perspectives is essential, though we can’t consume all of them. We must be intentional about what and how we read, and remain open to evolving perspectives.

• Have students pick the topic they believe they’re well-informed on (from Anticipate).
• Using a known/familiar source, research the topic.
• Then find a second source they wouldn’t typically use or have never seen.
• Students answer the following critical questions:
  • How was the information presented differently?
  • Was any new information introduced?
  • What do I agree/disagree with?
  • What if someone only read one of the sources?
  • What might the producers want readers to do?
  • Is anything missing? Might it be intentional?
  • How could others interpret this information?
  • How can I follow up if I have questions?
  • Who benefits from this information being public—economically, politically, socially?

Scaffolding Note: For the question “What do the producers want readers to do?” acceptable answers include: influence feelings, sell something, drive shares or action.

Assess and Reflect

• Reflection Questions:
  • How much information is too much or too little?
  • What does it mean to be a critical consumer of media?
  • How might these techniques change responses to sensitive media topics?

Extend

• Use a media bias chart (Sample 1 or 2) to compare current event coverage across sources.
• Students analyze presentation, similarities, differences, and how it shapes understanding.