Center Focus

Election 2000

  1. Talk to your students before you start this center about bias in the mass media.
  2. Have several articles from recent magazines and newspapers available that refer to the presidential election coming this year. Try to find articles on all parties.
  3. Have your students read these articles and note biases that they see in each article.
  4. Students should answer some basic questions:
    • Does the journalist have a "slant" toward one party or political philosophy?
    • What words are used to convey these opinions?
    • Based on all of the articles, what will the public believe about the election if their only source of information is the mainstream media?
    • After reading the articles yourself, what do you think about the election?
    • Which source was the least biased, just giving the facts?
    • What other sources of information are available that will help you get a more balanced view?