This Simple Headline Game Is a Fun Way to Teach Your Kids About Media Bias
Do you want to play the good guy or the bad guy?
I started homeschooling before homeschooling was cool, and I realized early on what a prime opportunity– and responsibility– I had to teach my kids to be more street smart when it comes to the ultra-connected world we live in.
Everyone is looking to make a buck by swaying someone’s opinion in their favor, and without the ability to read between the lines, our kids don’t stand a chance. The rip current of popular opinion will pull them out into a sea of confusion faster than my teenage daughter can put a crack her phone screen (again).
So I decided to clue my kids in to media bias. First, I gave them a crash course in understanding media bias– what it is, how to spot it, and why it occurs– and then I taught them what I like to call “The Headline Game.”
Media Bias Clue #1: Word Choice
I started our media bias education by sharing the following scenario:
Let’s say Anna was goofing off in the pool and she tore a hole in the side. If you were really mad at her for tearing a hole in the pool, you might say, “Anna was thrashing around and she ripped a huge gash in the pool!” But if you felt really…
