1.5 Fact Based and Opinion Based Journalism

Open Ended

Have you ever questioned the reliability of a news story or social media post? What steps do you take to verify the information you encounter online?

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following questions should you ask yourself to evaluate the credibility of information you see online?

• Who created or wrote the content?

• How many likes does the post have?

• What was the purpose of the content?

• Is the content entertaining?

Multiple Choice

After seeing a viral claim on social media, what is a good first step to verify its accuracy?

• Share it with friends immediately

• Search for fact-checks or official statements

• Ignore it completely

• Comment your opinion on the post

Categorize

Options (4)

Can be verified, not open for debate

Varies from person to person

Based on research, backed by evidence

Attempts to convince/persuade viewer or reader

Facts vs. Opinions

Place each statement in the correct column!

Facts

Opinions

Multiple Select

Which of the following best describes the difference between NEWS and OPINION/EDITORIAL pieces?

• A news piece seeks only to present factual information

• Journalists and reporters present opinion while columnists only research and present facts

• Opinions and editorials represent ideas that the author wants to use to persuade the reader or viewer

Multiple Choice

Which of these best describes the roles we just learned about?

• Journalists and reporters both only write editorials, columnists only report facts.

• Journalists document factual information, reporters gather information and present it unbiased, columnists write opinion pieces based on evidence.

• Reporters and columnists both only present unbiased information.

Multiple Choice

What is a clue that you are likely watching opinion rather than reporting, according to the lesson?

• The host uses evaluative terms like 'good' or 'bad'.

• The host only presents statistics.

• The host never expresses approval or disapproval.

Multiple Choice

True or False: If you prefer cable news and commentary,

it is NOT important to seek out other sources of information

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

This article is an example of which type of news content?

• News reporting

• Editorial

• Commentary

• Opinion

Multiple Choice

This article is an example of which type of news content?

• News reporting

• Commentary

• Opinion

Multiple Choice

This article is an example of which type of news content?

• News reporting

• Editorial

• Opinion