How to Watch the News

Campaign season is in high gear, but with all the mud slinging and red herrings to distract voters from making an educated decision, it’s difficult to know how to make sense of the pundits and reporters. One way is to know how to watch the news in order to understand if you’re being manipulated by an agenda or given facts.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Television
• Computer
• Research skills

How to Watch the News

1. Know the difference between a pundit and a reporter.
2. Pay close attention to the word choice used by those reporting the news. Do they rely on adjectives that are disparaging or hyperbole?
3. Listen to the background music that opens the segment. Is it light and bubbly or does it have it have something reminiscent of the “Jaws” soundtrack?
4. Watch a variety of news channels to see how others are reporting the same stories.
5. Find out who is sponsoring the news channel. The advertising dollars invested may compromise the reporting.
6. Read newspapers and weeklies that cover the same stories to get their take.
7. Find out who owns the station and newspapers to see what their political slant is.