Learning Exercise
Not All News Is Created Equal
This activity helps learners locate and differentiate between popular and substantive news articles.
- Material:
- Research Minutes
- Date last modified:
- April 28, 2016
- Created by:
- Lesley Farmer
- License:
-
A collection of quick video tutorials on library research topics see more
Exercise
Not all news is created equal. What are substantive news articles, and how do you locate them?
1. Choose a research topic.
Watch the "How to Identify Substantive News Articles" video, keeping in mind your research topic.
2. Locate 1 news article on your research topic from one of the databases featured in the video (if the library does not have any of those databases, ask the librarian to suggest an appropriate database).
3. Identify each of the characteristics of a substantive news article as mentioned in the video. Summarize the article.
4. Locate 1 news article on your research topic from one of a database that includes popular magazines as noted in the video (if in doubt, ask the librarian to suggest an appropriate database).
5. Compare the popular news article to the substantive one in terms of their characteristics and their content.
Disciplines
- Academic Support Services / ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Literacy / Research Skills
- Academic Support Services / Library and Information Services / Citations and Style Guides
- Academic Support Services / Library and Information Services / Information and Communication Technology Literacy
- Academic Support Services / Library and Information Services / Information Retrieval
Audience
Technical Notes
Internet connectivity
Requirements
Written essay analyzing and comparing a substantive news article and a popular news article.
Topics
ICT literacy, information literacy, research skills, periodicals, journalism
Type of Task
Learning Objectives
Explain the characteristics of substantive news articles
Locate substantive news articles using subscription databases
Assessment
Essay should include all the characteristics identified correctly, and summarize the article accurately.
Comparisons should be accurate, articulate and thorough.
The articles should be cited accurately and completely.