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Explore how media coverage of the Kent State shootings on May 4th, 1970 would differ if it happened today. Discuss the impact of digital and social media on reporting real-time events. This activity can be used as a lesson plan in English, journalism, history, and social studies classes.
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What If May 4th happened today? An activity to explore what media would look like Candace Perkins Bowen, journalism professor Aug. 2, 2019
First, some background • If May 4th events happened today • When protesters and the National Guard clashed on Kent State’s campus in 1970, newspapers, television and radio covered the events, some many hours after the fact. But what if this all happened 50 years later? • First we’ll look at what was produced in 1970, then discuss what might have changed if digital and social media had been around to tell the story and show what was happening in real time. We’ll explore how this could be a lesson plan for English, journalism, history and other social studies classes.
Television coverage – NBC Nightly News • https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10156607570673689
What stands out? What is different? • Black and white • Really bad video • No stand-up reporter • No interviews – live or otherwise • No apparent sources for some statements of “fact” • What else?
What about newspaper coverage? • The next day• Large photo (but look at it…. We’ll talk about it later)•Black and white•Page is mostly on the topic or related ones• What else?
What about newspaper coverage? • It’s the May 5th paper• Large photo• Black and white• Head shots of those killed• Most of the front page is this story• What else?
What about news photos?• How manywere published? https://www.ohio.com/photogallery/oh/20190503/news/503009994/PH/1
What about radio? • Just more than 60 seconds • Talking very fast • No nat sound • What else? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62eyXbR0I4
What was media missing then? • Online news site https://www.nytimes.com/ • Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nytimes/?hl=en • Twitter https://twitter.com/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor • Podcast https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/podcasts • YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNewYorkTimes • Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nytimes/
Things to consider about digital media • Quicker dissemination – what would this have meant May 4th? • Farther distribution – what might that mean? • “Fake news” and fact checking? • Interactive possibilities • “Room” for many more photos and visuals • Crowd sourcing – what if students were all shooting video with smart phones? • In-depth possibilities?
What if this had happened in 2020?The assignment • Explore these and other media coverage of May 4 • Depending on course, divide in groups, making lists of what’s different and what’s missing. • For journalism or English class, assign each group a news outlet and have them decide how that outlet would cover the story today • For history? • For social studies?