Sometimes journalists can make a difference to people’s lives by reporting stories that the public didn’t know about before, exposing the truth and, in turn, challenging power
This lesson focuses on the NewsWise values: truthful and fair
To understand how news can challenge power.
Define what power means
Explain why it is sometimes important to challenge power
Identify how the Zinc Nacional news reporting changed how people in power acted
Describe the different effects that news reporting had on the people involved
Powerful people role-play: introduce the concept of power. In pairs, pupils role-play a given scenario where one person has more power. Invite pupils to share role-plays with the class and consider: who has more power and why? Who was affected by their actions? Is the person in power acting fairly? Why/why not? Could they be challenged and, if so, how?
Create a class definition of power and discuss: who has power? Can ‘powerful’ people be anyone and anywhere? Is it good to be powerful? When is it important to challenge power?
Show the Explainer video about how hazardous waste is produced in the steel industry. Outline the story to your pupils or read the Story explainer. Consider: How does this story make you feel? Does the situation seem fair? Why/Why not? Who might be affected by this story? Why do you think journalists chose to report on this story?
Introduce the three People affected by the story. Refer back to the starter discussion on power. In this situation, who has power and who doesn’t have power? What needs to change?
Pupils read the Summaries of events and arrange them in the order that they happened. At each stage of the story, pupils answer: Who has the most and least power and why? What is power? Who has power? Is power good or bad? How can journalists challenge power? Why is it important to challenge people in power?
As a class, discuss the way power changes throughout the reporting. Who began with power and who ends with power? Why did this happen? How did the news reports help to bring about change? How was power challenged? Has the issue been resolved completely, or does more need to be done?
Revisit role-play scenarios from the starter activity. Can pupils identify whether the people in power should be challenged? If so, how and why? Pupils could change their role-plays to demonstrate this. Are there examples where power is being exercised positively? What might happen if these scenarios were reported in the news?
What is power?
Who has power?
Is power good or bad?
How can journalists challenge people in power?
Why is it important to challenge people in power?
If someone is being treated badly, how can news reporting help?
People with lots of power (eg big companies, the government) have a responsibility to use that power fairly.
When people are being treated unfairly, or when powerful people are doing something wrong, journalists can investigate what is happening and reveal the truth about it, which is one way to challenge power. This is one of the reasons why news is important: it can bring about change and help to restore justice.
The news reporting about the Zinc Nacional scandal is an example of how journalists challenged power and helped the people living near the plant, by revealing how their experiences of living near the factory and how that affected their lives.
See teacher notes in the Explainer notes resource to help explain the story, the investigation and the concept of exporting hazardous waste to your pupils.
Pupils write, record or film their own explainers about the hazardous waste scandal.
Pupils write from the perspective of one of the people living near the Zinc National factory, both before the news reporting began and at the end of the reporting. Encourage pupils to explore the citizens’ thoughts and feelings at both stages and consider how their lives changed over this period. This could be run as a drama activity: a press conference with pupils hot-seating in role.
Watch the Meet the journalists video and have a discussion with the class about why the story was important and needed to be fact checked so thoroughly. Why was this an important story to tell? Why was it important that the journalists told the story accurately? What might happen if a journalist did not check the facts in their story like Erin and Verónica did?
Reading comprehension
Fact retrieval, drawing inferences about thoughts, feelings and motives
Writing (if completing extension writing task)
Planning ideas and drawing on research; selecting vocabulary for effect
PSHE education
Living in the wider world
how to discuss and debate topical issues, respect other people’s point of view and constructively challenge those they disagree with;
discrimination: what it means and how to challenge it
