Perspectives and Power — Narrative Journalism
MYP Unit Framework
Key Concept: PERSPECTIVE Related Concepts: Bias. Audience. Purpose. Global Context: Fairness and Development (Who has POWER? Whose stories are heard — and whose are SILENCED?) Statement of Inquiry: Every story is told from a PERSPECTIVE — and the teller's BIAS, PURPOSE, and AUDIENCE shape WHAT is told, HOW it's told, and WHO is empowered or marginalised by the telling.
Inquiry Questions
| Type | Question |
|---|---|
| Factual | What are the conventions of news reporting? What is the 'inverted pyramid'? |
| Conceptual | How does the CHOICE of what to include and EXCLUDE shape a reader's understanding? How does media ownership affect what stories are told? |
| Debatable | Can journalism ever be truly OBJECTIVE? Is 'citizen journalism' more or less trustworthy than professional news organisations? Should social media platforms censor 'fake news' — or does that violate free speech? |
1. Journalism Fundamentals — The Inverted Pyramid
The Structure of News
The Inverted Pyramid: MOST important information FIRST (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?). Then: supporting details. Then: background and context. 'If a reader stops reading after the first paragraph, they STILL have the essential information.'
Hard News vs. Feature Writing
- Hard News: Just the FACTS. Objective. Urgent. 'The fire destroyed three buildings. No casualties were reported.'
- Feature: Tells a STORY. Includes people. Emotion. Scene-setting. 'Maria stood in the ashes of her home. "This was my grandmother's house," she said. "Four generations grew up here."'
2. Perspective and Bias — Every Story Has a Narrator
Case Study — The Same Event, Three Headlines
Imagine a PROTEST. Three newspapers cover it:
- 'Thousands March Peacefully for Climate Action'
- 'City Centre Disrupted by Climate Activists'
- 'Youth Demand Government Act on Climate Crisis'
'EACH headline is FACTUALLY true. But each FRAMES the story differently — emphasising different ASPECTS. Which one you read shapes what you THINK about the protest. This is the POWER of PERSPECTIVE in journalism.'
Identifying Bias
| Technique | What It Is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Word Choice | Loaded language | 'Rioters' vs. 'Protesters.' 'Thugs' vs. 'Demonstrators.' |
| Selection and Omission | What's INCLUDED — and what's LEFT OUT | A story about crime in one neighbourhood but NOT in another |
| Sources | Who is QUOTED? Who is NOT? | 'According to the police...' (but no quote from the community) |
| Headline Framing | The first thing readers see | 'Government Announces New Policy' vs. 'Government Imposes Restrictions' |
Mentor Text — War Reporting
Read excerpts from: Marie Colvin (The Sunday Times — reported from conflict zones. Killed in Syria, 2012. 'My job is to bear witness.') and Rania Abouzeid (No Turning Back — stories of Syrian refugees).
'War reporters must navigate: DANGER. CENSORSHIP. The MORAL question of whether to intervene or only observe. The RESPONSIBILITY to tell the stories of those who cannot tell their own.'
3. Media Literacy — Navigating the Information Age
The Problem — Misinformation and Disinformation
- Misinformation: False information shared WITHOUT intent to deceive (someone believed it was true).
- Disinformation: False information shared WITH the INTENT to deceive (deliberately created to mislead).
How to Evaluate a Source (The CRAAP Test)
| Criterion | Question to Ask |
|---|---|
| Currency | When was this published? Is it up to date? |
| Relevance | Does this information relate to MY question? |
| Authority | Who wrote this? What are their CREDENTIALS? |
| Accuracy | Can this information be VERIFIED by other sources? |
| Purpose | Why was this created? To INFORM? To PERSUADE? To SELL? To ENTERTAIN? |
The Filter Bubble
'Social media algorithms show you MORE of what you already LIKE — creating a "filter bubble." You see only information that CONFIRMS your existing beliefs. This is why two people can look at the same event and see COMPLETELY different stories.'
4. Narrative Journalism — When Journalism Reads Like Literature
Blending FACT with STORYTELLING
Narrative journalism uses the techniques of FICTION — character, setting, plot, dialogue — to tell TRUE stories. It answers: 'What happened?' AND 'What did it FEEL like?'
Mentor Text — 'The Falling Man' (Tom Junod, Esquire, 2003)
An essay about a single photograph from September 11, 2001 — a man falling from the World Trade Center. The photograph was published once and then WITHDRAWN — it was 'too disturbing.' Junod investigated: WHO was the Falling Man? What was his STORY?
'This essay raises profound questions: What should journalists SHOW? What is too PAINFUL to look at — and who decides? Is there a RIGHT to privacy in the most PUBLIC moment of a person's life?'
5. Your Voice — Citizen Journalism and Advocacy
'Today, ANYONE can be a journalist. A smartphone. A social media account. A story that needs to be told.'
Ethical Questions
- If you witness an injustice and film it — are you a JOURNALIST?
- Should you INTERVENE — or just DOCUMENT?
- What responsibility do you have to the people whose story you're telling?
Your Summative Assessment
Task: Write a piece of NARRATIVE JOURNALISM (800-1000 words) about a REAL issue in your community. Choose an event, a person, or an issue. Conduct at least TWO interviews. Include: Scene-setting. Direct quotes. Multiple perspectives. YOUR reflection as the journalist.
ATL Skills
| Skill | Focus |
|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | Analysing bias. Evaluating sources. |
| Media Literacy | Navigating digital information. Identifying disinformation. |
| Communication | Writing for different audiences and purposes. |
