Teaching TV News

by Eileen Lewis

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Recent polls show that the majority of people in this country still use television as their main source of news. Yet audiences for TV News continue to fall. These falling ratings, increased choice from digital, satellite and cable services and the current debates over the Communications Bill are making broadcasters increasingly anxious over the future of TV News.

This Teaching Guide takes you through areas such as news values, news presentation, regulation and ownership in an easily accessible way. Each topic area is tied into Media Studies concepts, with a range of ideas on how to teach them. Detailed case studies on Tonight with Trevor McDonald and Panorama are also included.

With simulation exercises like 'How to make TV News a turn-on rather than a turn-off', you will find a wealth of ideas on how to make a potentially rather dull topic into a stimulating one that your students will enjoy.

Contents include:

• Introduction: Assessment contexts, approaches to teaching, schemes of work
• Background: history of Public Service Broadcasting, Forms and Conventions, Audiences and institutions, Representation and ideology
• Case studies: News at Ten; Tonight with Trevor Mc Donald, Panorama

About the author

Eileen Lewis teaches Media Studies and English at Maidstone Grammar School. She is Chief Examiner for GCSE Media Studies for one of the English awarding bodies, an experienced A Level Media Studies examiner, a freelance writer of several textbooks and resources for Media Studies and a teacher trainer.

Ordering Information

• Catalogue no: BR055 £24.95

Buy online from the BFI Filmstore or phone Palgrave Macmillan Orders on 01256 302866.

Review

"especially impressive for several stimulating worksheets and a well-written review of the links between the polity and television news...a valuable resource". The Times

Additional resources

This book is supported with a range of online resources, including student handouts. View a free sample worksheet (PDF, 105kb).

To download the student worksheets for Teaching TV News please login using the username and password issued when you purchased a copy of the teaching guide.

This section also includes:

• an additional case study;
• a brief history of Public Service Broadcasting;
• A brief history of TV News;
• Close textual analysis: Brand idents.