Journalism and Social Media - Student

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Journalism and Social Media

What You’ll Learn

  • Understand what social journalism and citizen journalism are.
  • Talk about how these types of journalism affect local politics, laws, and how people understand issues.
  • Pick a community (your neighborhood, a group you’re part of, or a cultural space) and report on it.
  • Learn how to listen carefully, build trust, and make a real difference with your work.

What This Lesson Is About

You’ll explore how journalism and social media are connected, and how people like you (not just professional reporters) can shape what news looks like today.

Time Needed: 2 to 4 class days

Real-World Connection: English Language Arts - Writing (Grades 9-10)

Let’s Get Started

Warm-Up

Your teacher will show a picture, video, or sound. Your job is to write a short story imagining what’s just outside the frame.

Main Project: Journalism & Social Media

  1. Discuss: How has social media changed journalism?

    • Think about where you get your news.
    • Do you think social media makes news better or worse?

  2. Learn About These Changes:

    • People often get news from social media, even if it’s not fully trustworthy.
    • Journalists sometimes publish too fast just to be first.
    • Social media lets anyone contribute to the story—but not everyone checks the facts.

  3. Activity: Look at examples of news shared on social media.

    • Pick a journalism rule (like fact-checking).
    • Find a post or video where that rule is clearly broken.

  4. Selective News Feeds Activity:

    • Create 2 social media “news feeds”:

      • One that’s very biased (only shows one side of the story)
      • One that’s balanced (shows multiple viewpoints)

    • Compare them: Which feed feels more honest? Which one feels more comfortable?

  5. Fake News Activity:

    • Collect 5 articles (2 must be fake).
    • Present them to the class.
    • Your classmates will try to guess which ones are real and fake.
    • Talk about how easy it is to be tricked.

Final Mini-Project

Choose a way to show what you’ve learned:

  • Define social journalism and citizen journalism.
  • Explain how they impact politics, laws, and understanding in a local community.
  • Present your work in a way that feels right to you: video, report, infographic, poster, etc.

You can even choose a community (school, club, neighborhood) and create a story that helps them.

What You’ll Get Out of This

By the end of this project, you will:

  • Know what social and citizen journalism are.
  • Understand how journalism works in the age of social media.
  • Spot fake news and biased content more easily.
  • Be able to report on your community in a way that builds trust and creates impact.

Final Thoughts

Storytelling matters. The more stories you read—and the more you create—the better you’ll understand the world and the people in it.

You’re not just consuming media. You’re creating it.

Let’s make it matter.