What is News?

Look at these two headlines about the same event: Headline A: "City Council Approves New Park: 'A Victory for Our Children'" Headline B: "Taxpayers Foot the Bill: Council's 'Vanity Project' Park Sparks Outrage" What is the main difference between these headlines?

• They are about two different parks
• One is longer than the other
• One praises the council, the other criticises the council
• One uses capital letters and the other does not

Three different headlines were shown about the same event (a new park being approved). Why can the same event have different headlines?

• Some headlines are lies and some are true
• Different writers have different perspectives and audiences
• One headline is always correct and the others are wrong
• The event changed each time it was reported

The headline "Finally Heard: Eastwood Residents Celebrate as Decade-Long Campaign Pays Off" focuses on...

• The cost of the new park
• The city council's success
• The community residents who wanted the park
• The building that was demolished

Which of these words from a headline would most likely create a NEGATIVE feeling about the council?

• Approves
• Victory
• Celebrates
• Vanity project

What is bias in news reporting?

• When a story is completely true
• When information is presented in a way that favours one side or perspective
• When a story is about politics
• When a journalist interviews many different people

Which of the following can create bias in a news headline?

• Choosing which facts to include or leave out
• Using words that carry positive or negative feelings
• Writing for a specific audience
• All of the above

True or False: Bias is always intentional and always bad.

• True
• False

The word "taxpayers" in a headline might create bias because it...

• Is a very long word
• Makes the reader think about money and who is paying
• Is not a real word
• Only appears in headlines about good news

Which of these is a criterion (reason) that makes a story newsworthy?

• The story happened a long time ago
• The story affects very few people
• The story is happening close to home (proximity)
• The story is boring

A story about a dog rescuing a child from a fire is newsworthy mainly because of which criterion?

• Prominence (famous people)
• Human Interest (makes people feel emotion)
• Timeliness (happened a year ago)
• Proximity (happened in another country)