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Educating for Democracy: Free Press

“The free press is a cornerstone of democracy. People have a need to know.  Journalists have a right to tell. Finding the facts can be difficult. Reporting the story can be dangerous. Freedom includes the right to be outrageous. Responsibility includes the duty to be fair. News is history in the making. Journalists provide the first draft of history. A free press, at its best, reveals the truth.”   -- Inscribed at the Newseum, Washington, D.C.

Step 1: Hook (5 minutes)
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​​The graphs above show how much and how often we now rely on social media.  Get your class engaged in the topic by doing a show-of-hands survey -- how many have used Facebook?  Twitter? Instagram? and which students decline to use social media at all?

Step 2: Videos and Other Teacher Resources

Students can view the video from Reporters Without Borders (left), and read the full story at Fast Company magazine.

Video from Quartz digital magazine: "People in China are using song lyrics as code to voice support for Hong Kong."

Case Studies: "How to Teach Controversial Cartoons"

Political satire: "Jon Stewart Returns to Shame Congress: The Daily Show"




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Step 3: Standards Aligned Exercises - Free Press 

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​​​​​​​​​Vocabulary Exercise

Create a list highlighting how journalists have been finding alternative pathways to sharing their voices.

​Students can explore the World Press Freedom Index and then compare and contrast freedom of the press in various countries. 

  • What kinds of media will get you censored on, for example, the Internet in China?  Activity: Print this flowchart, ​and ask students to determine whether their tweets, blog posts, or podcast would be singled out for censorship. Follow-up with written answers on this worksheet. ​In what ways did this activity deepen, change, challenge, or further students' understanding of censorship as it relates to the freedom of press and expression? 

  • Students should choose one of the journalists from the 10 Most Urgent Press Freedom Cases  and write a tweet about their cause.  Students can display their tweets in a gallery using a tweet simulator. ​

​Write the phrase, FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND DEMOCRACY on a large piece of paper at an easel. Students should write a phrase, or create a drawing describing the relationship between freedom of speech and democracy.  



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Students should analyze the political cartoon, and think about the following questions:
- What connections do you notice between censorship and a free press?
- What connections do you notice between censorship and other freedoms?
- What connections do you notice between censorship and the strength of democracy?



​Step 4: What Can Students Do?

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Students will express how freedom of the press is an essential element in promoting and preserving democracy by completing one of the following:
  • Press release or mock press conference
  • Op-Ed in local newspaper or online blog
  • Student newspaper article 
​Students should consider the power and universality of political cartooning.  While keeping the focus on global affairs -- such as Brexit, climate change, and Hong Kong protests -- students can research and collect international political cartoons to share in class.



Additional Resources
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  • Pioneering journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett:  “The Way To Right Wrongs Is To Turn The Light Of Truth Upon Them"​
  • The Unstoppable Woman Who Took on the World's Greatest Tycoon
  • The Newseum: Lesson plans, digital artifacts, videos, interactives and other classroom tools for ​strengthening civil society through First Amendment and media literacy education
  • Charles M. Sennott's The Ground Truth Project trains journalism's next generation
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​AFT Resources

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  • "Share My Lesson" is the premier digital platform where educators collaborate and share standards-aligned learning resources such as lesson plans. 
  • The AFT passes national resolution in support of Jamal Khashoggi
  • ​​PBS NewsHour examines the long-lasting legacy of journalist Jamal Khashoggi​
  • ​PBS NewsHour examines the phenomenon of hyper-partisanship in the media
  • ​PBS NewsHour:  How Teachers Can Handle the Phenomenon of Fake News"
  • Share My Lesson Webinar: Easy Ways to Change School Culture with Civic Engagement
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American Federation of Teachers

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