6 ways Journalists can use press releases

When you are starting out as a journalist, you have to learn how to write effectively. This is a different type of writing than what is taught in school, Is  |"Truth in the news" still the norm, or not?

Read this post and discuss it with your English teacher
http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/writing/181207/6-ways-journalists-can-use-press-releases-effectively/


Key Terms
verbatim
 released
 minimal editing
attribution
plagiarism
newsrooms
 traditional reporting skills
fact-check the information
paraphrase
 raise questions
 transparent
newsworthy
 time-sensitive
hoax
analysis
my beat


Questions
Do you believe in the news from social media? 
What makes a press release important? 
What things do you look for in a press release? 
How do you know they they are telling the truth? 
How often do you follow the news? 
Do you write for a blog, or other newspaper? 
Do you think that letters to the Editor are effective? 
What type of news do you like? 




Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English Teacher 

How the Journalists were fooled

How reliable is our news?  This article shows us how easy it is to fool the journalists who decide which news to cover.  These authors" did a bogus study and many people fell for it!


https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/culture-beaker/attempt-shame-journalists-chocolate-study-shameful


Key vocabulary

shame
backstory
teamed up
slight of hand
peer reviewed
lure
flimsy
ginned up
aggregates
expose fraud
last resort
exposing quacks
caper
wrongdoing
lackadasical


Questions
If you had read the original article, would you have been fooled?
What tacticts did  John Bohannon use to fool the journalists?
What did he want to prove?
What was the result?
How many reporters really covered the "news?"
How many readers did those reporters reach?
How much damage was done by this "research?"
Can it be reversed?
What criteria do you use to decide if an article is true?




Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English teacher