Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, 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. FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 18, 2010 Digital outreach and social media help Haiti earthquake survivorsThis foreign story has local impact. Look for reports about residents in your area or state who are Haitian, have family members there or have done charitable work on the island.
Find information about how to donate to relief efforts. Is there coverage of local appeals for assistance?
Some quake images and reports may seem gruesome. Discuss the role of newspapers in presenting balanced, accurate disaster coverage for a diverse readership. Are editors acting with sensitivity, particularly in choosing Page 1 photos?
Ordinary Americans are participating in the global response to help the Caribbean island of Haiti, devastated by one of the worst natural disasters ever experienced in the Western Hemisphere. A large earthquake last week left the capital city, Port-au-Prince, in ruins and caused thousands of casualties. The United States, dozens of other countries and major charities rushed to the rescue with troops, medical relief, shelters, food, water and other critical supplies.
Public appeals for contributions are tailored to the digital age, as shown by repeated presidential references to a list of Haitian relief groups at www.whitehouse.gov. The State Department helped the American Red Cross set up a mobile phone campaign that has raised more than $8 million dollars. Donors can give $10 at a time by texting the word HAITI to 90999.
Social media also delivered live news from Haiti and served again as the first place where millions react to a large-scale catastrophe. Before journalists reached the island, CNN shared tweets, YouTube videos and photos posted on Facebook by survivors with wireless Internet access. The Associated Press set up a Facebook page and Twitter feed as part of its coverage. U.S. president says: "With just a few hundred miles of ocean between us and a long history that binds us together, Haitians are neighbors of the Americas and here at home. So we have to be there for them in their hour of need." Twitter user says: "There's just something right about seeing Red Cross as a top trending topic during a time of need and devastation." -- Sarah Evans, New York public relations executive Editor says: "By using Facebook and Twitter accounts to interact with our audience and learn more about what they want to know, AP will strengthen its already dynamic relationship with its member news organizations, other customers and news consumers throughout the world." -- Kathleen Carroll, Associated Press executive editor Front Page Talking Points is written by
Felix Grabowski and Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024
Front Page Talking Points Archive►Election drama: Democratic convention will pick a nominee as Biden ends campaign against Trump ►President Biden, 81, resists calls to let a younger Democrat run against Donald Trump ►Turning point: Supreme Court says presidents have 'absolute immunity' for official acts ►First Biden-Trump debate of 2024 airs Thursday from Georgia ►Health experts monitor the jump of bird flu to cows and a few farm hands, but see no wide risk ►Negro Leagues stars from a bygone era gain new standing in Major League Baseball records ►Justice Samuel Alito adds two flags to Supreme Court ethics storms ►Use of new weight-loss drugs soars among teens ►Needy families await action on bill to restore federal internet service rebates |