The document outlines a lesson plan for teaching students about bias in news media without requiring a research paper. It discusses framing the lesson around coverage of the 2012 US presidential election and using lectures, close reading exercises, and class discussions to help students identify bias, describe methods to detect bias, and provide their own examples of biased news articles. The goal is to help students achieve specified learning outcomes around recognizing and illustrating bias in the news.

1. Frame It In The News
Teaching Information Literacy Without a Research Paper
Willie Miller
Assistant Librarian
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
LOEX Conference
May 4, 2013 @LibraryWillie

2. Presentation Outline
Institutional Background
Problem & Solution
Professional Standards
Theoretical Basis
Learning Outcomes
Lesson Plan
Student Work
@LibraryWillie

3. Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis
Institutional Background

4. First Year Seminar
Course Background

5. The Problem

6. A Solution
News Coverage of the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election

7. Professional Standards
IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Learning (PULs)
ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher
Education
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication (ACEJMC)

8. Theoretical Basis
Social Responsibility Theory of the Press (Peterson, 1956)
Gatekeeping Theory (Lewin, 1947)
Agenda Setting (Lippman, 1922)
McCombs and Shaw (1972)
Fragmentation (Abramson, Orren, & Arterton, 1990; Katz, 1997;
Morris, 2007; West, 2001; Williams & Delli Carpini, 2004)

9. The fragmented news era boasts a heterogeneous news
environment wherein accounts of one issue, topic, or event can
differ significantly depending on the source (West, 2001, pp. 93-
95).

10. Student Learning
Outcomes
Describe bias in news media
Discuss methods of decoding
bias in the news
Illustrate examples of bias in
the news

11. Lesson Plan
Lecture
Close Reading
Class Discussion
Homework (Optional)

12. Lesson Plan
Lecture
Information literacy
Bias
Bias in Reporting
Close Reading
Class Discussion
Homework (Optional)

13. Bias In Reporting
Partiality
One-sidedness
Unbalanced selection or presentation
Tendency or inclination that prevents a fair of balanced approach
Temperamental or emotional leaning to one side
Favoritism that distorts reality
Personalized, unreasoned judgment
Predisposition or preference (Sloan & Mckay, 2007 p. 6)

14. Lesson Plan
Lecture
Close Reading
Class Discussion
Homework (Optional)

15. Close Reading

16. Lesson Plan
Lecture
Close Reading
Class Discussion
Homework (Optional)

17. Lesson Plan
Lecture
Close Reading
Class Discussion
Homework (Optional)
Watch the next debate
Find an example of biased reporting on the debate
Write a one page paper illustrating ways the article is biased with
examples
Provide APA citation(s)

18. Student Work
The author fails to give the article balance on
remarks, responses, and attitudes.
Guffaws, snickers, interrupter, aggressive, chuckles, smirks, hammered
, gaffes, feisty, are just some of the words used to describe Biden’s
behavior and attitude at the debate. Ryan got remarks such
as, “maintaining a steady and comparatively reserved demeanor
throughout.” You are the judge here, but I call this article biased.
In response to : Sparks fly as Biden, Ryan face off in feisty vice presidential debate. (2012). FoxNews.com. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/11/biden-ryan-
face-off-in-high-stakes-vice-presidential-debate-in-kentucky/

19. Student Work
Quotes describing Paul Ryan’s statements used words such as said,
declared, or pointed out. Biden’s began or followed with words like
sharply retorted, argued, and asked bluntly. The debate’s analysis
offered opinion of how the debate resonated with Republicans,
describing Biden as annoyed and likened him to Al Gore rolling his eyes in
his debate against President Bush.
In response to: Zeleny, J., & Rutenberg, J. (2012, October 11). Biden and Ryan quarrel aggressively in debate, offering contrasts - NYTimes.com. Retrieved October 12, 2012,
from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/us/politics/biden-and-ryan-quarrel-aggressively-in-debate-offering-contrasts.html?ref=presidentialdebates&pagewanted=all

20. Student Work
In the Fox News article “Biden accused of being disrespectful in vice
presidential debate with grins, laughs” the bias towards the
Romney/Ryan ticket was instantly evident by the title. Any news
article deserves a title that informs the readers, in several words, what
they can expect to read. The journalist who wrote this did just that- by
running with criticism of the opposing party’s debate etiquette….
In response to: Sparks fly as Biden, Ryan face off in feisty vice presidential debate. (2012). FoxNews.com.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/11/biden-ryan-face-off-in-high-stakes-vice-presidential-debate-in-kentucky/

21. Results
Engaged class participation
Achievement of learning
outcomes
Happy faculty

22. Considerations
Students knowledge of current events
Conflicting lessons in other classes
Interest in topic
Faculty buy-in

23. References
Abramson, Jeffrey B, Orren, Gary R, & Arterton, F Christopher. (1990). Electronic Commonwealth: The Impact of New Media Technologies on
Democratic Politics: Basic Books, Inc.
Katz, Jon. (1997). Virtuous Reality: How America Surrendered Discussion of Moral Values to Opportu nists: Nitwits, and Blockheads Like William
Bennett.
Lewin, Kurt. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics II: Channels of group life; social planning and action research. Human Relations, 1(2), 143-153.
doi: 10.1177/001872674700100201
Lippmann, Walter. (1922). Public opinion. New York: Macmillan.
McCombs, Maxwell E., & Shaw, Donald L. (1972). The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176-187. doi:
10.2307/2747787
Morris, Jonathan S. (2007). Slanted objectivity? Perceived media bias, cable news exposure, and political attitudes. Social Science Quarterly, 88(3),
707-728. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2007.00479.x
Peterson, Theodore. (1956). The social responsibility theory Four theories of the press (pp. 73-103). Urbana, Il: University of Illinois Press.
Sloan, Wm. David, & Mackay, Jenn Burleson. (2007). Media Bias: Finding It, Fixing it. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
West, Darrell M. (2001). The rise and fall of the media establishment: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Williams, Bruce A., & Delli Carpini, Michael X. (2004). Monica and Bill all the time and everywhere: The Collapse of gatekeeping and agenda
setting in the new media environment. The American Behavioral Scientist, 47(9), 1208-1230.

24. Photo Credits
Slide 3: IUPUI campus photo gallery, http://communications.iu.edu
Slide 5: http://mustmakecomments.wordpress.com/category/college/
Slide 6:
http://thedroidlawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1250961!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/obama
-
http://i2.cdnds.net/12/05/618x504/us_mitt_romney.jpg
http://socialistworker.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/330/images/elections-2012-split-screen-b.jpg
http://cdn2.kimkcdn.celebuzz.com/files/2012/10/Kim-Kardashian-Vote-2012-492x330.jpg
http://aidontheedge.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/20122.jpg
Slides 9&10: University of Michigan, http://www.umich.edu/~newsbias/
Slide 24: http://www.123rf.com/photo_16515446_a-thinking-man-or-person-thinks-beside-the-words-questions-comments-
concerns-problems-and-complaints.html
Background slides: Indianapolis Recorder, January 6, 1906, http://ulib.iupui.edu/digitalscholarship/collections/IRecorder

25. Contact:
Willie Miller
Assistant Librarian
IUPUI
wmmiller@iupui.edu
@LibraryWillie
Presentation:
http://go.iu.edu/7pD