Begin a unit on contemporary issues in the United States. I’d like for you to present a current event from one of the following categories: political, intellectual, cultural, or social events.
For this week, please choose a current event involving important issues in the United States (please avoid sports, gossip, and entertainment news). You’ll need to choose three articles from the same event. Please use the news bias chart to choose one left-leaning source, one right-leaning source, and one middle-of-the-road source. Your articles should be no more than a month old and at least five paragraphs long at a minimum. Then you will write a two-page reflection essay on your articles.
To see the most current version of the Media Bias Chart 7.0, please visit
Remember, good historians and news analysts (you) remain objective in their writings.
1. Thoroughly read your articles and answer the five Ws and How.
2. Start making notes where you compare and contrast your articles. How are they different? How are they the same?
3. In your own words, give a short summary of each article.
4. For the rest of your reflection essay, you’ll discuss the importance of this current event as a political, intellectual, cultural, social, diplomatic, or economic event and its significance to society in America. In your conclusion, please discuss what you learned about news bias (remember, remain as objective and professional as possible!) and whether or not it’s important to take in a balance of new sources.
When you write, make sure you mention the titles of the articles and the news sources in your introductory paragraph.
ISSUES MUST BE CURRENT IN THE UNITED STATES AND BE WITHIN A MONTH
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Criteria |
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Requirements The student has produced a high-quality two-page essay with an introduction (that includes a thesis statement), multiple body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The student has chosen three appropriate articles that cover the same event. |
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Analysis The student has written a succinct summary of each article and then devoted the majority of the essay to the analysis of each article and its content. |
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Grammar, Mechanics, and Style Grammar refers to correctness of language usage. Mechanics refers to conventional correctness in capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Style includes word choice, sentence variety, clarity, and conciseness. Also, sentences vary in length and structure; ideas are clear, logical, and concise. |
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APA Formatting and References The students have used appropriate APA formatting and have included a list of references. |
