Headline or Hype?
The title at the top of a news story is called this.
What is a headline?
An oversimplified belief about a group of people.
What is a stereotype?
The person or group whose perspective is presented in a story.
What is voice or perspective?
Information that can be checked against reliable evidence.
What is a fact?
When important information is left out of a story, this is called...
What is omission?
The way a story is presented to influence how an audience understands it.
What is framing?
A film shows Indigenous people only in historical settings, never in modern life. What might this reinforce?
The idea that Indigenous peoples belong only to the past.
A story about a First Nation's territory quotes only a government spokesperson. Whose perspectives should readers look for?
The affected First Nation, its leadership, and relevant community members.
A journalist uses emotionally charged words to influence readers. What should you examine?
The wording, evidence, context, and framing.
The process of checking whether online information is trustworthy.
What is source evaluation or fact-checking?
A headline calls a group “angry protesters” instead of “community members defending their territory.” What has changed?
What is the framing and word choice?
Why is it inaccurate to portray all Indigenous peoples as having the same culture and traditions?
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and individual communities have distinct histories, cultures, languages, and experiences.
Why does it matter whether a journalist interviews people directly affected by an event?
Their experiences and knowledge provide important context and help readers understand the impact.
An article makes a serious claim but gives no sources. What should you do?
Look for corroboration, reliable sources, original evidence, and other reporting.
Why might an Indigenous-created news source offer an important perspective on an issue?
It may offer community knowledge, context, priorities, or perspectives underrepresented elsewhere; it should still be evaluated critically.
Two articles report the same event but emphasize completely different details. This helps shape how readers interpret the event.
What is perspective or framing?
A news story describes an Indigenous community only through poverty and problems. What important aspect of representation may be missing?
Strengths, diversity, leadership, everyday life, achievements, and community perspectives.
A story includes a quote from an Indigenous person. Does that automatically mean the story represents the community's perspective fairly?
No. Consider context, whose voices are prioritized, which community members are represented, and what is left out.
A news article quotes three people who all support one side of an issue. What question should you ask?
Whose perspectives are missing, and why were these sources selected?
What is the difference between a news report, an opinion piece, and an advertisement?
A report aims to inform, an opinion piece argues a viewpoint, and an advertisement promotes a product, service, or cause.
Why can a headline influence your opinion even before you read the article?
Because it selects language and details that shape first impressions and expectations.
What is the difference between representing a community and reducing it to a stereotype?
Representation can show complexity and individuality; stereotypes flatten people into oversimplified assumptions.
Explain how Indigenous-led media can support Indigenous self-determination.
It allows Indigenous people and communities to shape their own narratives, priorities, and representations.
Can a story contain accurate facts and still be biased? Explain.
Yes. Selection, omission, emphasis, and framing can shape interpretation even when individual facts are accurate.
You read two articles about the same Indigenous issue with different interpretations. Describe a responsible way to investigate both.
Compare evidence, authors, sources, framing, context, and whose voices are included; seek Indigenous perspectives and credible corroboration.