Skip to Main Content

Civil Discourse - Modern Day Persuasion (2021): Group Activity - Balance & Bias

Group Activity - Overview

Considering Bias & Creating a Balanced Argument

When researching a topic, you will seek information from a variety of sources. For this activity, pretend you are interested in the following questions:

What rights to privacy should people expect? Should teenagers have the same rights to privacy as adults? 

Below you will find information, from a variety of sources, about this issue (as of April, 2021). Please read the directions then collaborate with your small group to complete the activity and reflection. 

Start Here: Click on each TAB after reading the Overview Article

Directions:

  • In a small group (2-3 people), you will explore a variety of resources connected to a current issue.
  • Read through all the information and discuss your thinking about each resource with your group; each person will individually take notes and complete the handout (provided via Google Classroom).
    • Step One - Begin with the Overview Article; use the information within those resources to learn about the topic and complete step one of your note sheet. 
    • Step Two - Next explore the text set and add supporting details under Viewpoint A and Viewpoint B to complete step two of your note sheet. The goal is for each person in the group to evaluate a few items in the text set (articles, stats, images, etc.) and share notes with the group. If each person reviews three items, the group will have at least nine data points.

Please note: There is a great deal of information linked in the text set. Your group will not have enough time to read everything word-for-word; it is okay to scan some of the materials, just to get a sense of the viewpoints outlined within each resource within this text set. Portions of the information within this Text Set are biased, so please keep that in mind as you review the sources.  

Background Knowledge - Overview / Reference Article

Reading a topic overview, in the form of a reference source (encyclopedia), enables you to construct an understanding of the topic in an unbiased fashion. You are also able to learn subject specific vocabulary and hone future searches. 

Reading Goals: Learn about the rights to privacy of teenagers, specifically relating to privacy at home, data, and online privacy.

  • Outline an argument or debate related to this issue.
  • What are two opposing viewpoints regarding these issues? 

Read and discuss the following overview article, linked from the databases. (Note: Use the Database Passwords  to view from home).  

  • Teens and Privacy - Gale Opposing Viewpoints, general reference article for overview

News & Editorial 

Consider the date of publication and the media outlet when reading news and editorial articles. While news articles shouldn't be biased, these days they are often skewed. 

Reading Goals: Learn about the arguments, specifically relating to teenage privacy - at home, at school, and online. Divide and conquer the articles by collaborating with your group. 

  • Outline an argument or debate related to these issues. 
  • What are two opposing viewpoints regarding the issues? 

Some of the news articles linked below are from Robinson's databases; use the Database Passwords  to view from home.  

2018

2019

2020

2021

Audio & Video 

As you investigate the information below, please note some of the videos are lengthy. You will not have time to watch the full videos today.  

Addition information: See the article, and embedded TEDTalk HERE. 

Twitter

Please remember social media is often unfiltered, unverified, and biased. Get a sense of the chatter about this topic by reading a few Tweets with the following hashtags and key words: 

#privacy

@PrivacyProject

Twitter Advanced Search - Type in your own keywords and conduct a search for related tweets

Open the following links to explore the graphics & data:

Caption: "Dad, I can read my own fake news on the internet now!"

"Cartoon." New York Times Upfront, vol. 150, no. 12, 23 Apr. 2018, p. 24. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A540902268/OVIC?u=jwrobinson_e&sid=OVIC&xid=d78891fd. Accessed 20 Apr. 2021.

"Cartoon: Renew the USA Patriot Act." National Security, edited by David M. Haugen, Greenhaven Press, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ2210085078/OVIC?u=jwrobinson_e&sid=OVIC&xid=81e1fd1f. Accessed 21 Jan. 2020.

Cartoon: Facebook Spying. ProQuest, Ann Arbor, 2018. sirsissuesresearcher, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2257333277?accountid=2174.

Face++ Chinese Facial Recognition Technology. ProQuest, Ann Arbor, 2018. sirsissuesresearcher, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2257487411?accountid=2174.