Common Core State Standard L.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: Video of a current news event is presented for discussion to encourage student participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the video. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.
06/27/2022
Journalist auctions off Nobel medal for kids in Ukraine
Dmitry Muratov, the co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize and the editor of one of Russia's last major independent newspapers, auctioned off his Nobel medal for a record $103.5 million to aid children displaced by the war in Ukraine. Muratov’s newspaper was shut down in March after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of strict laws over what anyone could write or say about the Kremlin’s “special military operation.”
■Class discussion: Muratov and Philippine journalist Maria Ressa were honored for publishing investigations that angered the leaders of their countries. Six of Muatov’s Russian colleagues have been slain since 2000. What other journalists have been killed in recent years? Is it always dangerous to uncover information about people in power? Is reporting the news worth the risk? Why or why not? Would you risk your safety to report on corruption or abuse?