This Week’s Anton Lesson Plan
Local news is the raison d’être [reason to be] of your local newspaper. You can learn about national and international news from television programs. Even local television programs discuss only a limited number of local stories in a morning or evening newscast. Often, television stations send news crews only where they expect something dramatic to happen.
The newspaper, on the other hand, provides consistent coverage of local government meetings, such as city council or planning commission meetings.
Newspapers recognize their role as the keepers of the public record from births and deaths, to police reports, to borough and township meetings. The newspaper acts as a concerned citizen of the community.
Discuss the role of the newspaper in covering community news. Explain that newspapers generally offer more comprehensive reporting of community events when compared with radio and television news.
Have students identify local news stories they would expect to see on a television news program and those they would not expect to see on television. Have them explain their choices.
Explain the term, stakeholder—anyone who has an interest in a situation. There are direct and indirect stakeholders in many community situations. For example, a budget shortage might cause a city council to curtail the hours that the public library is open. The immediate stakeholders are the library employees and regular patrons. However, public school students are also affected. The public at large may be affected because the library serves as an important source of public activities. You may want to discuss a recent community issue that affected different groups. Have students work individually, then share their thoughts and responses.
