Active learning ideas
Newspaper front pages are a masterclass in the construction of reality. This topic teaches students how layout, headlines, and photography are used to signal a paper's political stance and target audience. By comparing the 'sensationalist' conventions of tabloids with the 'informational' focus of broadsheets, pupils learn how the same event can be framed in vastly different ways to serve different ideological agendas.
Activity 01
Groups act as editorial teams for either a tabloid or a broadsheet. They are given five news stories and must decide which one gets the 'splash' (main headline) and how to word it, justifying their choices based on their target audience.
How do newspapers use layout to prioritise information?
Activity 02
Post five different front pages covering the same political event around the room. Students move between them, identifying 'emotive language' and 'bias', and using sticky notes to label the different news values on display.
What is the difference between tabloid and broadsheet news values?
Activity 03
Show two different photos of the same public figure. Students work in pairs to write a tabloid headline for one and a broadsheet headline for the other, discussing how the image dictates the tone of the text.
How does ownership influence news agendas?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
News is purely objective and factual.
Teach that every news product is a 'construction' influenced by news values and ownership. A 'gatekeeping' activity, where students must discard stories to fit a page, helps them see that selection is an act of bias.
Tabloids are 'bad' and broadsheets are 'good'.
Shift the focus to 'purpose' and 'audience'. Explain that both have specific conventions and business models. Comparing how each successfully reaches its demographic prevents students from making purely subjective judgements in the exam.
Methods used in this brief
Deconstructing Print Advertisements
Analyse historical and contemporary print adverts to identify visual codes and conventions. Pupils will explore how media language creates meaning for specific target audiences.
8 methodologies
Representation of Gender and Ethnicity
Investigate how gender and ethnicity are portrayed across various media texts. Pupils will apply theories of representation to evaluate stereotypes and countertypes.
8 methodologies