Media Literacy:
How to Read the News
Understanding and identifying facts, truth, bias,
and fabrication in the news.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people p eaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
.
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
BEFORE YOU READ
Online newspaper stories are often formatted like the following example. This worksheet will
help you understand how to read all parts of this type of article.
Look at the web address, or
URL. Is it spelled correctly?
Is it the right address?
Is the official
logo on the
browser tab?
Read the title. How does it
make you feel? Is it meant to
evoke a strong emotion? If so,
that is probably evidence of
bias. Does it have excessive
punctuation? If so, it may have
low quality standards. Does it
make extraordinary claims about
“secrets”? If so, the author may
be speculating.
TIPS:
• Before you begin reading the story, look for signs that the website is really the official site for the
news source.
• Read the title for signs of bias, speculation, and quality. Learn to watch out for code words chosen to
appeal to the emotions of specific groups.
Who is the author? Do
they have a reputation
for truth and neutrality?
Does the author have a
bio you can read? Try
looking the author up
on search engines.
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
The Body of the Article
TIPS:
• The first few paragraphs should contain the most important information in the story, read them
carefully to ensure you understand.
• Use a dictionary to look up words if you are not certain of their meaning.
• Can you explain what the article is saying to someone else without adding your own opinion? If yes,
this is a good sign you understand the article. Doing this will help you practice taking in all the
information before forming an opinion.
•
You should be able to identify within a few paragraphs whether the article is an opinion piece.
Identify which information
is about current events
and what is background
information about past
events.
Who is the article
about? If you
don’t know who
these people or
groups are, look
them up in
encyclopedias or
other trustworthy
sources.
What do these
words tell you
about the author’s
opinion?
Is this a fact or an opinion?
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
The Body of the Article
Does the article name its sources or
refer to “unnamed” or confidential
sources? If named, are the sources
credible? Are they qualified to speak
about the topic?
This clause is based on
facts, but expresses an
opinion. Is it relevant
to the current events
being discussed? Will
readers answer the
relevance question
based on their own
political beliefs, or
something else?
How do these phrases
change the meaning of
this paragraph? How
do they shape readers’
perceptions.
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
After-reading Analysis: Accuracy and Bias Worksheet
Name___________________
Date____________________
1. What is the title of the article? Does the title give you a strong feeling? Explain.
2. Do you see the word “opinion” anywhere? If so circle it or explain where.
3. What is the name of the publication?
4. What city is the publication based in? How do you know?
5. Who owns the publication? How do you know?
6. What is the date of the article? Circle it in the article or explain where it is.
8. Verify the name of the publication is spelled correctly.
9. Is the publication’s logo the correct logo? Does it match the logo on the official site?
7. Where was the article written? Circle or explain where you found this.
1
Name___________________
Date____________________
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
After-reading Analysis: Accuracy and Bias Worksheet
2
10. Is the author of the article listed? Is there a biography of the author available online? Write the
author’s name below and explain any biases or conflicts of interest they might have based on their bio.
11. What is the topic of the article?
12. Are there other articles online about this topic? If there are, do the other articles have similar
headlines and say the same thing about the topic? If not, what does that say about the accuracy of this
article?
13. Is this breaking news that was written in the last few hours?
14. Look at the article’s web address, or URL. If you clicked on the link from social media, did the
publication’s name change? Is the publication’s name spelled correctly? Is it a .com, .info, or some
other kind of web address?
Name___________________
Date____________________
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
After-reading Analysis: Vocabulary
3
Choose from the following words to fill in the blanks and complete the sentences below:
advertisement fair reactionary sponsored content
radical liberal neutral conservative
A __________________________is someone who believes in established and traditional practices in
politics and society.
It is clear that this newspaper is __________________________because it is always advocating for an
active government role in social change.
The moderates within the party tried to distance themselves with the extreme stances of the
__________________________wing of their party.
My grandpa always gets fooled by __________________________. He thinks it’s an actual news story and
doesn’t realize it’s just another form of an __________________________ for a company trying to sell
him something.
I like reading news from this website because they do not take a position on events, but stay
_________________________ instead. I always feel like their coverage is _________________________
because they cover all sides of a story.
Draw a line from each word on the left to the best definition that matches it on the right.
• a type of news story that takes a position
• a hoax to deliberately spread incorrect information for
financial or political gain
• the group of people who write opinion pieces for a
newspaper
• a type of story that uses humor, especially sarcasm, to
expose and discredit others
• a piece of writing about a particular subject or topic
• organizations that produce news
• a belief or judgment about a topic
• a person who writes news stories or appears on camera
• to favor some ideas or people over others
bias
media
article
editorial
reporter
opinion
fake news
editorial board
satire
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
After-reading Analysis: Does it Pass or Fail?
Analyze the article by giving it a grade on the following criteria:
1. Use of facts. Did the article provide objective facts? Were the facts provided without commentary
by the author? (0-10 points total: 0 pts = no facts at all, 5 pts = minimal facts with some
commentary, 10 pts = lots of relevant facts provided without commentary)
________ points
2. Sources. Did the article use a variety of sources with different perspectives on its topic? Were the
sources named? (0-10 points total: 0 pts = the article did not use any sources or only used
anonymous sources, 5 pts = some use of sources, but they all were on the same side, 10 pts = the
article used lots of sources from different viewpoints)
________points
3. Transparency. Was the article written in such a way that you could fact check any claims it made?
Are any authors named? Can you find a biography about the author? Is there contact information
for the author or the news organization? (0-10 points total: 0 pts = you cannot verify the information
through other sources, 5 pts = minimal facts with some commentary, 10 pts = lots of relevant facts
provided without commentary)
________points
4. Neutrality. Did the article convey the information about events with or without opinions of the
author and the news organization? (0-10 points total: 0 pts = very biased, 5 pts = clear bias with
some effort to show the other side, 10 pts = completely neutral)
________ points
5. Overall Accuracy and Quality. Were the facts used verifiable and true? Were there misspellings
or grammatical errors? Was this an article you would share with all of your friends, or only those
who thought a certain way? Was it good? (0-10 points total: 0 pts = terrible, 5 pts = pretty bad, but
it was not all bad, 10 pts = excellent)
________points
Final Grade: ___________ points out of 50.
0-29 points = F 30-34 points = D 35-39 points = C 40-44 points = B 45-50 points = A
What do you think? Was this article “fake news”? Circle one:
YES / NO
Whether or not this article was “fake news,” was it biased? Circle one: YES / NO
Explain your answers below:
________________________________
________________________________
Name___________________
Date____________________
4
Now that you have finished reading the excerpts from this article, it is time to do some deep
thinking. As you answer the following questions, refer back to the article and re-read it as much
as necessary.
1. Was the article fair? Was the article neutral? Is there a difference between fair and neutral
when it comes to news stories? Support your answer with examples from the article.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
2. Find some examples where the author used adjectives or adverbs to change the meaning
of sentences that conveyed facts so that those sentences also conveyed the author’s
opinions. Is this ethical? Explain.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
After-reading Analysis: Digging Deeper
Name___________________
Date____________________
5
Name___________________
Date____________________
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
After-reading Analysis: Digging Deeper
Now that you have finished reading the excerpts from this article, it is time to do some deep
thinking. As you answer the following questions, refer back to the article and re-read it as much
as necessary
.
3. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: “Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging
the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Should individuals, private
enterprise, or the government assume the burden of finding the truth in the modern media
environment? Is there a role in combatting misinformation and evaluating the news for all
three? How should individuals, businesses, and the government do this? Use examples
and explain your position.
6
Name___________________
Date____________________
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
After-reading Analysis: Digging Deeper
Now that you have finished reading the excerpts from this article, it is time to do some deep
thinking. As you answer the following questions, refer back to the article and re-read it as much
as necessary
.
4. Is it ever okay for a story or article to be biased? If so, in what cases or circumstances is
this okay? If you are reading a biased article how can you use that to help you find the
truth? Explain your answers.
7
Anytime you read an article online, in a newspaper, or in a weekly news magazine, or even when
reading books or talking about current events, keep the following questions and principles in
mind.
Accuracy:
• Who is the publisher? Is the publisher’s contact information listed? Is the article written to
look like it’s by one publication even though it’s not? Check the spelling and the logo and
make sure this is the company that it claims to be and that it produces news articles based on
facts, rather than stories made up to sell advertising space.
• Can you verify the story? Compare it to stories in other publications, are they reporting the
same basic facts? If no one else is reporting on this story it could be fabricated. Check back
in a few hours or a few days to see if other organizations pick up the story.
• Spot the facts and check them. Don’t assume everything is correct. Often you can look up
things like census data, jobs reports, and statistics about unemployment, inflation, and more
on government websites.
Bias:
• Beware of sensational titles. If the title evokes a strong emotional response, or seems like
it makes the article prove that one side is right or wrong, then the article may be biased.
• Search the publication’s record for bias on search engines. You can try searching things
like “is [publication name] a conservative newspaper” or “does [publication name] have a
liberal bias.” Remember that the articles that your read when you search these things may
also be biased for or against those publications.
• Read widely, across the bias spectrum. You may not be able to avoid biased sources, but
you can decide to read sources with different biases. If you find your self always agreeing
with liberal viewpoints, try reading some conservative viewpoints and vice versa. Try to
understand other perspectives. What are the less common viewpoints?
• Read sources from different geographic areas. Are the Canadian press writing the same
things about an event as American sources? Has a newspaper based in Texas written about
the new policy in California? Try looking at news sources from other continents, or even
written in other languages, to broaden your perspective.
• Check back in with the story later. Sometimes the facts take time to come to light. In a
rush to meet deadlines, journalists may make unintentional errors or pass along bad
information that was given to them. By following a story for a few days, weeks, or months you
can often see it change. Don’t rush to judgment, take your time to form an opinion.
HOW TO READ THE NEWS:
Take it with you: Media Analysis Cheatsheet
