1.4 fact based and opinion based journalism

Unit 1 – Digital Citizenship

Fact-Based and Opinion Based Journalism

Lesson
Overview

• Learners can:

• differentiate between fact and opinion
• identify and differentiate among news reporting, commentary

and analysis, opinion writing, and editorials

• identify and differentiate the differences between types of

journalists

•Vocabulary:

•Analysis - an in-depth review of an event.

•Columnist - write persuasive pieces, ideally also using quality sources, and may
include their opinion in the work.

•Commentary - an opinion-based discussion on an event

•Editorial – Opinion article by the news agency.

•Fact - something true and real; backed by verifiable evidence and documentation

•Journalist - are required to document facts by using trusted sources.

•news article - articles that are written to inform and educate readers on current
affairs/events

•Opinion - is what someone thinks or believes about something

•Reporter - gather information from sources and present it in an unbiased manner,
without their opinions injected into the story.

Verifying
Sources

​Understanding the type of source and its point of view are important to determining the credibility of the information provided.
**As a student, you have undoubtedly heard that you should be aware of what sources you rely on for information. With so many sites available online, it can be incredibly difficult to determine the accuracy of sources, even for the most sophisticated media users.

Fact v Opinion

• It is important to understand the difference between a fact and an opinion.

A fact is something true and real.

Consider that gravity is a fact; it is a fact in the United States, it is a fact in Asia, it is a fact in deep space.
Opinions regarding gravity do not factor into the basic truth that gravity exists.

What
Qualifies As
News?

• People often refer to any story that references

an event, current or past, as a news story.

• In fact, there are different types of news stories,

and each of them is intended to accomplish a
different goal.

o Some stories are hard news, presented with only the

facts as they are currently understood.

o Other stories may be a blend of news and opinion
o Others are strictly opinion pieces.

▪ None of these varieties are necessarily better
▪ it is important for you to understand the differences

so that you can become a better consumer of
information.

Types of News Articles

• formal, informational reporting of an event or issue by a reporter or multiple

reporters.

• intended to present the most current factual information possible with as

much neutrality as possible.

News Reporting

• Analysis or commentary involves a deeper examination of an issue or event.
• both reports on and recaps the event itself.
• provides background and context to deepen understanding of an issue or

event.

• may connect the facts of multiple reported stories with additional context

News Analysis or
Commentary – Will
include both fact and

opinions!

Types of News Articles

Opinion

• written with the intention of persuading

readers to adopt a particular point of view on an
issue or event.

• columnists and reporters are journalists who are

expected to uphold the same ethical standards
of journalism

• HOWEVER, columnists often write an opinion as

opposed to pure news, though many
responsible publication will note this

• Even though it is an opinion, the opinion should

be supported by reported factual truths.

Editorial

• also an opinion piece.
• In this case, it is an unsigned opinion piece that

represents the views of the editorial staff of a
news outlet.

• The editorial staff can be thought of as the

managers of the news department.

• represents the formal stance and opinion of the

news organization about a particular person or
event.

*Editorials and opinions are essentially the same

News Reporting

News Analysis
or Commentary

Opinion

Editorial

Terminology Around News Gathering

•Journalists are required to document facts by using trusted sources.

•While those sources are often named, in some cases it is necessary to keep their
names private, often to protect their employment or safety.

•Journalists are required to fact-check their information using processes laid out by their
news outlet.

•proper journalism ethics standards also require multiple sources to confirm a fact.

•reputable outlets will only grant anonymity (hiding the name of the source) if printing
their name presents a personal danger to the source.

•Reporters gather information from sources and present it in an unbiased manner, without
their opinions injected into the story.

•Columnists write persuasive pieces, ideally also using quality sources, and may include their
opinion in the work.

•Columns are more about the credentials and personality of the writer coming through
(many columnists gain quite large followings), whereas reporting is more about
straightforward information-presenting.

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Evaluate the following statements about reporters and
journalists and determine whether they are true or false.

A

A reporter's job is to convince or persuade readers.

B

A reporter is expected to report just the facts as they are known at the time.

C

Reporters are expected to insert their personal opinion into their stories.

D

Reporters and columnists are both considered journalists.

Draw

Write "T" next to the true statements and "F" next to the false statements.

Evaluate the following statements about reporters and
journalists and determine whether they are true or false.

A

A reporter's job is to convince or persuade readers.

B

A reporter is expected to report just the facts as they are known at the time.

C

Reporters are expected to insert their personal opinion into their stories.

D

Reporters and columnists are both considered journalists.

Differentiating between fact-based news,

commentary, and opinion-based journalism does

not just apply to political and world news.

Almost all information you see is filtered through a

lens of fact or opinion.

Multiple Choice

As LeBron James becomes the NBS's all-time scoring leader, passing Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, is it fair to call James, 38, the greatest player in NBA history? The argument is strong He is the only player to ever score 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and assists. James has 19 straight All-Star selections. He has played professionally for 20 seasons.

• News Reporting

• Editorial

• Opinion

• Commentary/ Analysis

Multiple Choice

Say It: LeBron James Is The Greatest EVER! Michael Jordan? NO. Not anymore. Kareem? No. Wilt? No. They are all on the Mt. Olympus of the NBA, but there is not argument to be made: LeBron James is the greatest player to ever step onto a basketball court. His scoring title is all the proof you need. Does Jordan have more championships? Yes. Wilt, Russell and Kareem all have more rebounds and titles, but LeBron is the greatest player EVER.

• Opinion

• Commentary/ Analysis

• News Reporting

• Editorial

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Upcoming

• Wednesday: Fact-Checking

• Thursday: Bias and Fake News

• Friday: Review