S T E P
U P
T E E N
F O R
I S R A E L
C O U R S E
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Print/Copy: Handout; Student Resource I, II, III, IV & V
Supplies: Internet-enabled devices
GOALS
O B JE C TIV E S
• Learn the principles and practical
applications of the CLUMSY model.
• Students will demonstrate their ability to
analyze media for bias by applying CLUMSY.
• Understand the need to become thoughtful
consumers of media and to take action
against media bias.
• Students will express their desire and
ability to be thoughtful media consumers
and to take action against media bias.
INTRO
( 1 MINU TE)
We interact with media all the time—through radio, podcasts, social media, online outlets
and second-hand reports from friends—and we form our opinions of the world based on this
information. The problem is that sometimes this information is biased, missing the context
or bigger picture, or even misrepresenting or manipulating the facts. Understanding and actively engaging with the media we consume is vital to getting a full picture of what is really
going on and ensuring that others do as well. Today’s media is accessible, which means it can
be easily manipulated, but it also means that you can have a real influence on ensuring that
it stays accurate and unbiased.
STEP UP
FOR ISRAEL
1
A project of
JerusalemU
M E D I A
1 0 1
P LAY MED IA 101: R E ADI N G B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S I
( 7 MINU TES )
PO ST-F IL M D IS C U S S ION
( 2 MINU TES )
Write the CLUMSY acronym on the board and fill in the answers as the students state them.
A sk
Let’s review—what does CLUMSY stand for?
A nswe r
C e nso rship
L o ca l Fixers
U nco n scious Bias
M e di a O ut let s wit h an Agenda
S o ci a l Media S loppiness
You
A sk
Why is CLUMSY an important tool?
Possi bl e A nswer
We need to be able to identify media bias so that we can identify the truth and
counteract bias, and CLUMSY is an effective way to identify whether media sources
and reporting are reliable.
STEP UP
FOR ISRAEL
2
M E D I A
1 0 1
P LAY MED IA 101: R E ADI N G B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S I I
( 23 MINU TES )
PO ST-F IL M D IS C U S S ION
( 5 MINU TES )
A sk
What examples of CLUMSY did you see in the film?
Possi bl e A nswers
C ensorship
• Israeli military censorship for national security.
• Hamas harasses and threatens journalists.
L ocal Fixers
• Liz’s fixer claims the security barrier is for land annexation and not security.
U nconscious Bias
• The high volume of news inflates the importance of the conflict.
• There is more negative coverage of Israel due to its free press.
• Reporters tend to reduce the complex conflict into the same simplistic storyline.
M edia Outlets with an Agenda
• State-owned media outlets like RT, Press TV and CCTV have an obvious bias, and reporters can be influenced by the bias of their employers.
S ocial Media Sloppiness
• Cropped or repurposed photos can support inaccurate accusations.
• Social media is an easy platform for negative expression.
Y ou
• Take everything with a grain of salt!
STEP UP
FOR ISRAEL
3
M E D I A
1 0 1
AC TIV ITY
CLUMSY MEDIA
( 10 MINU TES )
GOAL
PRE P
For the students to practice identifying media
bias and applying the CLUMSY model, and
understand how they can be thoughtful media
consumers capable of acting against media bias.
• Divide the students into groups of two or
three.
• Give each group one copy of the Handout,
as well as one Student Resource, each of
which contains a sample of media bias. Most
are related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
and one is related to general world media.
• Each student resource has a corresponding
teacher resource—titled with the same
numeral—that provides further information
and context for the respective media bias
samples. The teacher can use these resources
to assist the students and answer questions.
I N S TRU C TIONS
Explain the following instructions:
Let’s practice using CLUMSY, identifying media bias and brainstorming what we can do about it.
STEP 1
Look through your assigned media sample, applying the CLUMSY model to analyze whether the
clip or article demonstrates media bias. If the bias is not clear from the sample, Google the
names and events to find out more.
STEP 2
Fill out the H a ndout based on what you’ve discussed.
STEP UP
FOR ISRAEL
4
M E D I A
1 0 1
STEP 3
Make sure to leave enough time to focus on the last section of the handout, the “You” in
CLUMSY—this is the most important element of the whole model. Brainstorm ways you can
respond to the media bias in your assigned sample, and also how you can act to counter media
bias in general.
Be creative—you could write a letter to the editor, start a social media campaign, create and/or
share a meme, Vine or short film, and even just explain CLUMSY to others.
PO ST-ACTIV ITY D IS C U S S ION
( 3 MINU TES )
A sk
What were your answers to the last section of the handout, the “You” in CLUMSY?
Allow students to share their ideas about how to respond to the exhibited media bias.
CLAS S CONC LU S ION
This class was designed to be practical—the goal is for you to leave today knowing that you
can now interact differently and more thoughtfully with the media you consume. Hopefully,
you also understand that you can have an impact on the media others consume, by becoming
a source of social media information or influencing other media outlets to be more fair and
just in their reporting.
O PTI ONA L M ATE RIA LS
PO ST-ACTIV ITY D IS C U S S ION
( 12 MINU TES )
Ask each group to present their activity by playing their film clip for the class and then
describing their answers on the Handout.
Discuss each group’s responses to their media sample.
STEP UP
FOR ISRAEL
5
M E D I A
1 0 1
ADDI TI ONA L RE S O U RC E S
What the Media Gets Wrong About Israel
www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/11/how-the-media-makes-the-israel-story/383262/
The Ideological Roots of Media Bias Against Israel
fathomjournal.org/the-ideological-roots-of-media-bias-against-israel/
Rights Watchdog, Lost in the Mideast
www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/opinion/20bernstein.html?_r=0
CNN Earns Online Criticism After Running This Headline
www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/11/18/cnn-earns-online-criticism-after-running-this-headline-following-jerusalem-terror-attack-unreal/
Anti Israel Media Bias Much?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpzyPgC2ZeE
Hamas Proudly Admits Intimidating Press in Gaza
www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/hamas-proudly-admits-intimidating-press-in-gaza/2014/08/16/
Three Men, a Tent and Some Shrubs: the Backstory of our Hamas Report
www.ndtv.com/world-news/three-men-a-tent-and-some-shrubs-the-backstory-of-our-hamas-report-646582
STEP UP
FOR ISRAEL
6
M E D I A
1 0 1
HANDOUT
CLU M S Y M E D IA
Title of Media Sample: __________________________________________
Describe what your media sample is about:
Identify and describe each form of bias in your media sample, with as much detail as
possible. If the bias is related to an individual reporter or media outlet, try to find more
information about them and their possible biases.
Censorship
Local Fixers
Unconscious Bias
Media Outlets with an Agenda
Social Media Sloppiness
You
M E D I A
1 0 1
STUDENT RESOURCE I
FACEBOOK PHOTO S HO OT
M E D I A
1 0 1
STUDENT RESOURCE II
MSN BC’S AYM A N M O HYE L D IN
Watch the media sample at this link:
www.stepupforisrael.com/media101-films
M E D I A
1 0 1
STUDENT RESOURCE III
AP BRE A K ING NE WS
See the original ar ticle here:
www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/10/23/bias-on-steroids-this-ap-headline-explainswhy-so-manycomplain-about-media-coverage-of-israel/
Read the AP’s amended ar ticle here:
www.bigstor y.ap.org/ar ticle/acf3fab2ffda4b01944c9d074d38f1b1/palestinian-killsbaby-jerusalem-station
M E D I A
1 0 1
STUDENT RESOURCE IV
BBC TW E E TS A RTIC L E
Palestinian shot dead after Jerusalem attack kills two
Israeli police say they have shot dead a Palestinian man in Jerusalem after he attacked
four people, two of whom have died.
The knife-wielding man attacked three family
members in the Old City near the Lion’s Gate.
He reportedly first stabbed the father of the
family and took his gun, which he then fired at
a woman and a group of tourists, before being
shot dead.
In the latest incident a woman aged about 20
and a two-year-old child were also injured and
are being treated in hospital. The woman is
said to be seriously hurt and the baby lightly
injured.
An investigation has been launched to try to
determine the attacker’s identity.
UN exchange
Earlier this week, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly that
Israel risked creating “an explosive situation” in Jerusalem and the West Bank with its use
of “brutal force”.
There has been a recent flare-up in tensions between Israel and Palestinians, with violent
confrontations between security forces and Palestinian youths in a compound holy to both
Jews and Muslims in East Jerusalem.
Excerpted from the original. See the full ar ticle here:
bbcwatch.org/2015/10/03/bbc-news-flunks-headline-of-repor t-on-jerusalem-terror-attack/
Read the BBC’s amended ar ticle here:
www.bbc .com/news/world-middle-east-34435197
M E D I A
1 0 1
STUDENT RESOURCE V
MEDI A & THE IOWA PO L L
Watch the media sample at this link (stop at minute 2:28):
www.stepupforisrael.com/media101-films
Watch the original full film here:
www.cc .com/video-clips/in35c7/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewar t-indecision-2012---corn-polled-edition--ron-paul---the-top-tier
M E D I A
1 0 1
TEACHER RESOURCE I
FACEBOOK PHOTO S HO OT
M E D I A
1 0 1
TEACHER RESOURCE II
MSN BC’S AYM A N M O HYE L D IN
Excerpted from the original. Read the original ar ticle here:
www.mediaite.com/tv/msnbcs-ayman-mohyeldin-corrected-on-air-after-suggesting-deadpalestinian-terrorist-wasnt-armed
M E D I A
1 0 1
TEACHER RESOURCE III
AP BRE A K ING NE WS
‘Bias on Steroids’: This AP Headline Explains Why So Many Complain About
Media Coverage of Israel
A 3-month-old baby girl was killed Wednesday when a car driven by a Palestinian man slammed into a group of bystanders at a Jerusalem
light rail station, but the early headline of an Associated Press story on the incident drew criticism from pro-Israel media watchdogs who
called it a perfect example of media bias against the Jewish state.
“Israeli police shoot man in east Jerusalem” was the initial headline of the AP story that ran on Yahoo and elsewhere, wording that ignored
the killing of the baby, the Israeli police assessment that the attack was motivated by terrorism, and glossed over why police shot the man in
the first place.
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, a pro-Israel media watchdog, captured a screenshot of the headline,
which was later edited. However, some Middle Eastern websites, including Lebanon’s Daily Star and Turkey’s Daily Sabah kept the original
headline that obscured the context behind what really happened.
Israeli police said eight other people were injured when the suspect rammed into the rail station
crowd. He tried to flee the scene on foot before police shot him. Israel Army Radio reported Thursday morning that he died of his wounds.
An Israeli government spokesman identified the suspect as Abed Abdelrahman Shaludeh and said
he was a member of Hamas who had served time in Israeli prison for terrorism.
“[T]here were clearly enough details available at the time, even with the news still in the hazy
‘breaking’ stage, that the inappropriate and misleading headline should never have appeared on the story,” CAMERA observed. “Nearly
an hour after AP’s first report, it published a second one, containing virtually no new information, with the more appropriate headline, ‘Car
slams into east Jerusalem train station.’”
But the second headline also drew criticism, because it made no mention of the driver, the apparent terrorism connection and the slain
infant.
The AP changed the headline again, where it currently reads: “Palestinian kills baby at Jerusalem station.”
Paul Colford, director of media relations for the Associated Press, declined to respond directly to criticism of the headline, but said it was
written when confirmed facts were still scarce.
“The headline in question was short-lived, written when confirmed details of what happened were scarce,” Colford said in an email to TheBlaze. “The headline was replaced in just over a half-hour as AP continued to publish updates about the incident, the driver and the victim.
The final version of the story, and its headline, made clear what had happened.”
Nevertheless, the original first sentence of the AP story read: “Israeli police say they have shot a man whose car slammed into a crowded
stop in east Jerusalem, in what they suspect was an intentional attack.” It also included information attributed to a police spokeswoman that
“nine people were wounded, some seriously.”
A headline from the BBC was also disparaged on social media for glossing over key details.
You know @BBCBreaking “cars” don’t just magically drive themselves…is it possible someone was driving that car?
pic.twitter.com/KNvYqG8TQW
— Gidon Shaviv (@GidonShaviv) October 22, 2014
Excerpted from the original. Read the original ar ticle here:
www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/10/23/bias-on-steroids-this-ap-headline-explains-why-so-manycomplain-about-media-coverage-of-israel/
M E D I A
1 0 1
TEACHER RESOURCE IV
BBC TW E E TS A RTIC L E
Find out more information here:
bbcwatch.org/2015/10/03/bbc-news-flunks-headline-of-repor t-on-jerusalem-terror-attack/
Read the original ar ticle here:
honestrepor ting.com/jerusalem-terror-attack-bbc-headline-shocker/
M E D I A
1 0 1
TEACHER RESOURCE V
MEDI A & THE IOWA PO L L
Excerpted from the original. Read the original ar ticle here:
www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/08/ron-paul-and-michele-bachmann