The news, like all media, is the product of a series of decisions made by people. For every news report, stories are chosen, images are edited, and scripts are written. Though journalists often strive to report the important stories of the day using an objective and balanced lens, the reality is that messages expressed in the news are subject to various pressures – from advertisers, politicians, and others – and all these concerns influence the content and presentation of the news.

From an early age, kids can be encouraged to engage with the news using a probing and questioning attitude. Asking open-ended questions about the news is a good place to start and will encourage a healthy inquiry into the factors, people, and decisions that lie behind any media production.

The following are some areas to consider when helping kids explore how news is gathered and reported.

• What production techniques are used? As in all television, the televised news involves production choices. Which camera angle will be used? What will be shown in a frame? When will an image zoom in? What tone of voice will the reporter use? Technical choices can strongly influence the way an event or other news item is portrayed, and can particularly impact our emotional response to the news. The fact an event strikes us as scary, funny, or poignant can have as much to do with how the event is filmed and edited as the facts of the event itself.  Paying close attention to the technical aspect of a news report helps disclose the framing of the TV news, and reminds us of the human decisions underlying "objective" reporting.

• Whose voices are presented, and whose are absent? Most stories reported on the TV news appear in segments that last only a few short minutes. This time constraint means that producers must pick and choose whose opinions and perspectives to show in any report, as there is not enough time to cover all the details and to allow all involved parties to share their sides of the story. For example, a report on the opening of a new shopping mall may include interviews with happy shoppers and thrilled business managers, but may not include the opinions of commuters experiencing increased traffic on their way to work or shopowners whose sales have dropped in the wake of the mall’s opening. Pay attention to whose point of view is expressed in a news story. In interviews, whose opinions are heard? Whose voices NOT expressed in the story might you want to hear? You may also want to pay attention to HOW individuals and groups are represented in the news. If a particular group – social, cultural, racial, or other – is shown, is it shown in a positive or negative light?  Is the presentation of the group or culture given an even-handed treatment, or is their representation one-sided or limited?

• What is considered "news"? Take a look at four or five news broadcasts that run on a given evening. The stories covered will not be the same! On the same night, one news program might lead with the story of a school bus that lost control of its brakes and ran into a house, while another leads with a bombing in Afghanistan, and a third leads with a report on the heat wave causing extreme temperatures across the state. The process of deciding which of the day’s stories are most important involves a complex negotiation on the part of producers and directors. Each story idea that comes in must be evaluated for the credibility of its source, its interest to the station’s audience, its ability to influence ratings, and its importance to local, national, and international affairs. Many news broadcasts also contain "feature" items. These are stories that are not necessarily tied to any new developments or events, but instead cover health issues, follow people in the community, and report on other matters chosen for their general interest value. It helps to be aware that what constitutes "news" is itself open to interpretation and depends on decisions made by newsmakers. Ask yourself and your kids – if you were in charge of reporting the news, which stories would you choose?

• Who is "behind the scenes" of this broadcast? In this day and age, there exists a plethora of sources for keeping abreast of the news. On television alone, we have many choices when choosing what news to watch. The three main divisions in news broadcasts are considered to be local news, network news, and cable news, but within these divisions each channel has its own brand and "flavor" of reporting the news. The particular bent of a news broadcast is a result of choices made behind the scenes – by news anchors, production directors – and eventually, the news station owners. Ownership – the issue of who controls the news broadcast – is a particularly timely consideration in an era when the vast majority of news stations are owned by just a few giant communications corporations. This corporate ownership is as true of "local" channels as national network and cable channels, and it is important to reflect on whose agenda is influencing the news we see. The particular perspective taken on a story – its "bias" – depends on a variety of factors, including partisanship to a particular government, administration, or political party; commercial interests; and ties to industry.  It is a good idea to seek out varied perspectives in our news "diet," keeping in mind that public television programs and news programming from other countries will often put forth a different perspective on the news that can be an informative complement to local and network news.

• What business interests might have influenced this broadcast? The news is a business, and station owners expect a certain profit margin for their station’s news reporting. The televised news functions in a competitive market environment, where many stations and programs vie for advertising revenue. Advertisers, in turn, pay close attention to ratings (a measure of how many people watch a TV program) to determine which shows will get their advertising dollars. To remain competitive, stations must closely watch how their stories appear to advertisers, while constantly balancing their production budgets. Unfortunately, news based on in-depth research investigations is often more costly to produce than flashier, fluffier news. For example, it is relatively inexpensive to have a film crew and one reporter show up at a local house fire to film firefighters in action one afternoon. On the other hand, an investigation into the long-term effects of factory waste on the health of residents in the local area would involve a lot of expense – for testing equipment, chemical analysis, reporter time, and more. The cost of producing a news segment is worth considering when you evaluate the news with kids.

• Is this sensationalism? Sensationalism refers to anything designed to produce a startling or thrilling response. In the news, the topic of sensationalism usually comes up in reference to crime reporting. Market research studies have shown that television audiences are drawn to reporting of crime and violence – and when more people are watching, ratings go up. This fact has led to what some would consider an overrepresentation of violence and crime in televised news broadcasts – a phenomenon sometimes referred to by the phrase "If it bleeds, it leads." News stations are torn between attracting audience to gain ratings – sometimes by superficial means – and upholding standards of journalism that emphasize objectivity and balance over thrills and excitement. Keep in mind that the time spent reporting crime and violence in the news – kidnappings, robberies, shootings, and more – can lead to exaggerated ideas of the frequency of these troubling events in real life. 

Regular discussion of ideas such as these will enable kids to engage with the news, and other media, using a productively critical eye. The skills developed by questioning, querying, and looking behind the news apply as easily to other media, from video games to Web pages to t-shirt emblems, and build what we know as "media literacy." This ability to sift through and analyze the symbols and messages surrounding us in the media is essential to the informed and conscious choices we make as citizens and consumers.

To increase kids’ awareness of the diverse factors influencing the media, consider taking the next step and engaging kids as producers of media. Helping kids create and produce their own news show, for example, is a great way to encourage first-hand learning about the techniques, decisions, and strategies that lie behind any media production.

For more information, tips, and advice on media literacy and children, see the PBS Parents Guide to Children and Media: http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/