Teach Primary Issue 18.2

• What is a ‘free’ press? • Why is a free press important in a fully functional democracy? • What is political bias? Why should you care about bias? • Social issues: how much freedom should there be in a society? At one end of the spectrum are those who believe in individual liberty and limited government intervention in people’s lives, while at the other end are those who believe in more social control and government regulation of personal behaviour. • Individual identity: the emphasis here should be on individual identity and group differences. At one end of the spectrum are those who believe that everyone should be treated the same, while at the other end are those who believe that people’s identities are important, and that society should recognise and respect these differences. • National identity: how much power should be given to international any bias they have identified and why they think it is biased ( slide 26 ). 2| LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE Take a pause to discuss the political spectrum. Work through the slides, beginning with the simple left/right explanations. Continue on to explore the axes of economics, social issues, and individual and national identity: • Economics: how much government involvement should there be in the economy? At one end of the political spectrum are those who believe in a strong social safety net and government regulation of the economy, while at the other end are those who believe in a free-market economy and minimal government interference. • Show children manifestos for political parties. Can they judge the political leanings of the parties? • Give children news articles from a website and ask them to judge the general bias of the reporting. • Research and write about an example of the press holding the government to account. This could involve researching an historical scandal, a current event, or a local issue. • Give children a range of social issues to ponder, then ask them to think about their own worldview based on the political spectrums covered in the lesson. EXTENDING THE LESSON organisations and governments? At one end of the spectrum are those who believe in a strong national identity and that governments should focus on domestic issues, while at the other end are those who believe in international cooperation and that governments should work together to address global challenges. The children may find this puzzling, but that is the point. Politics is more nuanced than a simple left/ right divide. Make it clear that there is not necessarily a right or wrong point of view on many issues, and that people should try to disagree agreeably and find a middle ground in their debates. 3| HOW BIASED IS OUR FREE PRESS? Give pupils some articles on free school meals to read, taken from a range of news sources. Are they able to identify the political leanings of organisations such as the BBC, Guardian and the Daily Mail? What evidence can they draw from the texts? Conclude the lesson with looking at times when political bias in reporting has led to elected officials not being held to account. Partygate is a given as an example due to this being a recent story, but you could use one of your own choosing. End the lesson by discussing with the children why they think the UK would benefit from a free and enquiring press in the run-up to the next General Election. Matthew Lane is a teacher from Norfolk. His new book Wayfinder , on how to lead curriculum change, is out now. “Don’t worry if this sounds a lot to knowabout – everything you and your pupils will need is in the lesson download” USEFUL QUESTIONS www.teachwire.net | 79