PBS NewsHour Extra Student Reporting Labs

Lesson 1.3: Who makes the news?

Developed by Imani M. Cheers

Standards

• McRel: Media, 10 Students will understand the characteristics and components of the media.
• ISTE: Media Concepts, 3.0 Students will be able to interpret and evaluate various media presentations within their context.

Overview

Students will understand the role of executive producers, segment producers, reporters, camera operators, sound engineers, grips/gaffers, graphic artists and production assistants, who are planning content, gathering story ideas, selecting sources and publishing breaking news.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify the aforementioned roles and understand their responsibilities in a broadcast newsroom.
• Understand how a broadcast newsroom operates.
• Understand how these roles relate to their student-run projects.

Advance Preparation

Make copies of Worksheets A for students. Review additional resources for students to watch for extra support.

Engage Interest

Ask: Who decides what is news and what is not?  

Ask: What are some different jobs in the news industry?  What is the difference between a reporter and an editor?  A producer and a director?

Listen to students’ answers as they will vary based on their experiences. You might want to write down a list of responses and then have them compare their complied list to the worksheets.

Explore: Who makes the news?

Pass out copies of Worksheet A. In this activity, students will work in groups to define the 9 newsroom roles and should be prepared to discuss with their other classmates.