Global vs. Local Citizen
What are the two types of citizens?
Global, Local
What are the four levels of the public sphere?
Global, National, State, Local
Which headline wants you to focus on the mayor’s involvement in an event, Headline A or Headline B?
Headline A: Community 100-year celebration is a hit thanks to volunteers!
Headline B: Local government inspiring everyone to help make city celebration a success!
Headline B
What are the three roles of the media?
Gatekeeper, Agenda-setter, Watchdog
What are interest groups?
Groups that work together to support a perspective on issue that helps them
Which type of citizen would say this statement: I want to help clean up trash at the Mines of Spain?
Local Citizen
Which level of the public sphere would this issue be under: Hurricane hits islands in the Caribbean?
Global
Which headline is trying to alarm people, Headline A or Headline B?
Headline A: Almost 25% of people are struggling to find a job in the United States.
Headline B: Unemployment rate goes down to 21%, the lowest in the nation in 10 years
Headline A
Which role of the media is described in this example?
In a recent news article, evidence was found that a politician had gone over the allowed budget for his election campaign and had an unfair advantage against his opponents.
Watchdog
A lumber company wants to buy parts of a national forest to support its increasing demand. Currently the forest is protected by the government, but they are looking to reconsider this choice to support the growing business.
What are two interest groups would be involved in solving this problem?
Answers may vary. Ex: Lumber company, environmentalists
Which type of citizen would say this statement: I want to have a 7th grade pen pal in Japan so I can hear about what their life and culture is like?
Global Citizen
Which level of the public sphere would this issue be under: City wide power outage lasts another day?
Local
Which headline sounds more dramatic, Headline A or Headline B?
Headline A: Unemployment rates remain stable.
Headline B: US Unemployment rates reach record high for fifth week in a row.
Headline B
Which role of the media is described in this example?
A news source used to promote stories from all levels of the public sphere. They noticed that less people bought their newspaper when the local news was on the front page, so they moved local stories to the last pages and only talked about national news in the main sections.
Gatekeeper
Gas prices have increased dramatically in the US. The president is looking to find a solution.
What are two interest groups would be involved in solving this problem?
Answers may vary. Ex: oil companies, car companies, electric energy organizations
What are the differences between local and global citizens?
Local citizens focus on needs in their direct community, Global citizens focus on needs that affect the world
Which level of the public sphere would this issue be under: Unemployment increasing across the US?
National
Write a headline that would make someone worried about graduation rates at Madison High School. The current graduation rate is 85%.
Answers may vary. Ex: Madison high school sees lowest graduation rate in years at 85%
Which role of the media is described in this example?
A news source’s mission is to provide the most up to date news on the sports world. They post stories that focus on recent competitive games and high-level sports stars.
Agenda-Setter
A school district is looking to expand its athletics facilities at the high school level. The district wants to remain competitive with schools of similar size but knows they will need assistance with the cost.
What are two interest groups would be involved in solving this problem?
Answers may vary. Ex: School board, athletes, parents, community members
What is a similarity between both local and global citizen?
Answers may vary. Ex: They both want to help people
Which level of the public sphere would this issue be under: Governor issues new sales taxes?
State
How can headlines influence how people interpret the news?
Answers may vary. Ex: Headlines may overexaggerate an event, they may choose to highlight only the negative/positive parts of a story, they may influence someone to believe a certain side of the story
What is the difference between the media as a gatekeeper and an agenda-setter?
A gatekeeper holds back information from the public, an agenda-setter sets a purpose for their news source and decides what headlines to print
The homeless rate in Chicago has gone up significantly in the past 4 years. The interest group, the Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, has heard of this concern and wants to support solving this problem. What could be a policy they would promote the government do?
Answers may vary. Ex: support funding for homeless shelters, increase affordable housing in the city