Use these questions to practice thinking and speaking about framing, bias, and rhetoric in English. Push yourself to use the vocabulary from this session.
Find a news story about a conflict or protest. Count how many times each side is named, quoted, and described sympathetically. What do the numbers tell you?
Try to use: framing, bias, attribution, balanced, perspective
Has a news story ever changed your opinion of a person or event — and then later you discovered the story was incomplete or misleading? What happened? What did you learn?
Try to use: spin, narrative, loaded language, omission, credibility
Can propaganda exist in democracies — or is it only something authoritarian governments do? Give examples.
Try to use: propaganda, manufactured consent, editorial line, bias, agenda
Choose one word that is frequently used in news coverage of your country. What are the connotations of that word? What alternative word would change the story?
Try to use: connotation, denotation, loaded language, framing, spin
Is it possible to be a truly neutral journalist? Or is it more honest to be transparent about your perspective? What do you think journalists should aim for?
Try to use: objectivity, impartiality, subjectivity, bias, editorial line
Social media companies are making decisions about which news to amplify and which to suppress. Is this editorial control? Is it censorship? Who should make these decisions?
Try to use: agenda, gatekeeping, editorial, platform, polarization