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Year 8 - Citizenship

Does the media create more harm than good?

How does the media affect us?

Unit Summary

In this unit students explore the roles and responsibilities of the media and the important role it plays within society.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain if the media helps or harms public opinion and can describe ways to evaluate the effects of the media.

Key Notes

  • The media can both positively and negatively influence public opinion, depending on how it is used.
  • Tools like the EVALUATE acronym help us critically assess arguments for and against various perspectives.
  • Carefully reviewing evidence and reasoning on both sides of an issue is essential for forming well-rounded opinions.
  • Media plays a vital informing role, but evaluating sources is crucial to identifying and avoiding disinformation.
  • Ensuring the media we consume is reliable and accurate helps maximise its benefits while minimising potential harm.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • media: forms of communication like radio, television, newspapers, magazines and the internet, that reach or influence people
  • evaluate: to judge or determine the significance, worth or quality of someone or something

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The media always helps the public learn information.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

The media can both positively and negatively influence public opinion, depending on how it is used. Tools like the EVALUATE acronym help us critically assess arguments for and against various perspectives.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'media'

forms of communication like radio, television, newspapers, magazines and the internet, that reach or influence people.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: The media always helps the public learn information. Correction: Sometimes we are given misinformation, disinformation or malinformation. It is important to learn to spot this and realise that some of the media we are presented with is not always designed to help the public learn the true facts.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 8 Citizenship guide library.