Activity Three

This activity is to accompany Unit Three of the Curriculum Guide.

Incorporating the C.E.L.s:

• Independent Learning
• Critical & Creative Thinking
• Personal & Social Values & Skills

Concept Application Lesson for:

• Propaganda
• Public Opinion
• Criteria
• Mass Media

This concept application activity allows students to discuss the impact of the media on public opinion. They will become aware that mass media can both inform the public and shape the public's opinion. Students will assume the role of the mass media during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in order to further explore the way the mass media dispenses information and shapes public's opinion.

Knowledge Objectives

The student will:

• know that the mass media can play a significant role in shaping public's perception of events;
• know that in times of national crisis, such as a war, the free flow of information may be restricted;
• know that distinguishing objective information from propaganda can be achieved by establishing criteria; and,
• know that the mass media can serve other purposes than simply providing for the free flow of information.

Skills Development

The student will:

• practise and learn to establish and apply criteria which may be used to evaluate other situations;
• practise distinguishing fact from opinions, values, and conclusions;
• practise using the following analytical skills:
  • defining the main parts,
  • describing cause and effect relationships; and,
  • describing how the parts of the whole are related to each other.

Values Issues

The student will:

• discuss whether all transmitted information is distorted intentionally or unintentionally;
• discuss whether the free flow of information in the mass media should be restricted during periods of national emergency; and,
• discuss whether the free flow of information could represent a danger to a nation's unity during times of crisis such as a war.

Outline of the Activity

Step One

Hold a class discussion on how the mass media influences public opinion. The discussion could use contemporary issues and events.

The other major issue which could be addressed is the relationship between the reporting of events and propaganda.

• What criteria should be used to determine whether the information is objective or "delivered" for propaganda purposes?
• Have the students develop/identify such criteria.
• Are some sources of information more objective than other sources:
  • government sources;
  • private news sources;
  • foreign sources; or,
  • non-governmental agencies?
• Is it acceptable for governments to control the flow of public information during periods of national crisis?

The class could develop criteria that could be used to determine whether information delivered through the mass media is "objective" or whether it is biased in some way.

Step Two

Have some student groups write newspaper articles about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, which might have appeared in American and Canadian newspapers following the attack. The articles should include:

• a description of the actual attack including casualties and damages; and,
• a brief history of American-Japanese relations identifying areas of disagreement.

Other students could produce editorials that might have appeared in American and Canadian newspapers advocating full support for a war against Japan. These editorials should:

• provide support for the belief that Japan was totally responsible for the war; and,
• serve as propaganda to support a war against Japan.

The students will present their news reports and editorials to the class for discussion.

Step Three

Using the established criteria (developed in Step One), the students can seek to identify the presence or absence of the criteria in the news reports and editorials.