At the end of this chapter, trainees…
Technology
Internet
Face-to-face: laptop, boxes, projector / video screen (trainer), laptop, smartphones (trainees)
Online: laptops and smartphones (trainer + trainees), headsets
Materials (face-to-face)
Board/whiteboard, flipchart stand and paper, cards (if available), markers
Tools (online)
Video conference: Zoom (Back up: WhatsApp)
Visualization: Miroboard, JamBoard (Zoom offers digital whiteboards as well)
Quizzes: Slido, Mentimeter
Communication: WhatsApp, Email
Documentation, shared documents: Google Drive folder
A new role for journalists? (fundamental)
Group discussion / 30 minutes
Trainees think about the different roles journalists can play and what role a constructive journalist takes on.
Objectives
Trainees discuss a brief history of the constructive movement, then critically reflect on the role(s) of journalists and the role of those who are reporting constructively.
Duration
Collective brainstorming: 5 min.
Group work: 15 min.
Presentation and discussion: 10 min.
Preparation
Assignment (optional): Trainees are given the handout “History of constructive journalism, comparison with other journalism forms” and asked to read it.
Prepare task and (virtual) board for collective brainstorming and the following group work.
Input / Discussion, 10 min.
Timeline of the constructive movement
Presentation: PPT Roots, role, ethics and impact. slides 2-8
Collective brainstorming / Group work, 30 min.
If trainees have been given the assignment to read the handout, start the session with a short Q + A. Then invite trainees to brainstorm collectively what different roles journalists can play. If no assignment has been given ahead of time, it could be helpful to offer a set of keywords describing different roles, such as observer, facilitator, activist, investigator, gatekeeper, explainer, etc. (Otherwise trainees might stick to the activity level and not reflect on roles in a more abstract way.) Collect their answers on a (virtual) board.
Divide the trainees into two groups. Each group considers roles that they would attribute to constructive journalists. In the plenum, each group presents their results and discusses their choices with the others.
Input / Discussion, 10 min.
Different roles of the journalist (dog breed graphic) Presentation: PPT Roots, role, ethics and impact, slides 9-13
Pros and cons of constructive journalism (fundamental)
Debate / 45 minutes
Trainees reflect on the arguments for and the pushback against the concepts of constructive journalism.
Objectives
Reflection on the arguments that both advocates and opponents of constructive journalism have used.
Duration
Group work: 10-15 min.
Discussion: 20 min.
Input : 10 min
Preparation
Read trainer helpsheet
Buzz groups / Debate, 45 min.
Explain to trainees that constructive journalism is not uncontroversial. There are both proponents and opponents of a constructive approach.Some media organizations and journalists are skeptical. This exercise allows trainees to practice arguing for constructive journalism with wary colleagues or editors.
Divide trainees into two groups. Group 1 will take the “con” position, against constructive journalism, while Group 2 will be “pro”.
Each group will gather to discuss and formulate their arguments for or against for 10-15 minutes. Each group should choose someone to be the presenter to the full group. Once back in the plenary session, the two presenters will have 5 minutes to present their arguments, writing key words on flipchart paper or digital whiteboard is desired.
Then the trainer will open the floor for debate from all trainees, making sure the conversation doesn’t spin out of control. If needed, the trainer can intervene to ask for counter arguments from both the “pro” and “con” sides.
Ethical dilemmas
Positioning / 40 minutes
Trainees are asked to take a position in three concrete cases involving ethical dilemmas. They have to decide how they would act and then explain their position.
Objectives
Trainees develop an awareness for ethically problematic decisions that can arise in reporting and editing the news.
Duration
Positioning: 30 – 45 minutes (minimum 10 min. per case)
Preparation
Face-to-face: write the 3 questions on a flipchart, write the optional answers on cards (printed pictures for suggested case 2) and place them on the floor/wall at opposite sides of an imaginary line in the room.
Online: Prepare three frames for each case and sticky notes with the questions, draw a horizontal line in the middle on each of them, put the potential answers on sticky notes (upload pictures in case they are the choice options) and place them at the end point of the horizontal lines.
Line up, 40 Min.
Trainees are shown 3 ethical dilemmas and asked how they would deal with them. Trainees can choose cases they find interesting. Some options include questions related to the role of journalist (active – activist), stereotypes or privacy (dignity and respect), or paying a source. Here are some suggestions:
Case 1: You are an experienced environmental journalist. Would you participate as a panelist in a public forum organized by an initiative to reduce pollution in a community while you are planning to produce a constructive story about the initiative’s response?
Trainees can position themselves somewhere between Yes and No.
The journalist should not be on the panel even though he or she is not paid by the organizing initiative and is not openly supporting its ideas. He or she would nevertheless be seen as no longer being independent. The journalist should take part as an observer. It would allow him or her to get deeper insights that could be useful for the story.
Case 2: Imagine you work in a newsroom and get 2 pictures from the Iraq war, one shows victims of ISIS snipers, the other a child playing in ruins. Which one would you choose knowing that there will be a decision on an international action against ISIS the following day?
Case 3: Imagine you report constructively on a family in a rural area of Egypt. The man has lost his job in the pandemic, his wife has set up a street food bakery to feed the family. Would you cancel the production when the man fears negative reactions because traditionally he should be the breadwinner of the family? Yes or No.
Everytime trainees have made their choice you “walk” around and ask some of them why they have chosen this position. You may select the only one who said “no” or someone placed in the middle. Positioning is a very effective method to make people talk and get into a vivid discussion. It might be difficult to keep to the timetable. If you feel the discussion is really fruitful it might be better to drop one case than to stifle the debate.
Here are additional examples that could also be used for discussion:
Example on stereotypes from The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News:
https://www.vox.com/news-watters-world-chinatown
Examples on hate speech, racism and xenophobic rhetoric in this report (see p. 22 from Bulgarian media and p. 41 from British media for example):
https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/assets
Article that offers examples on Western-centric and colonial stereotypes:
https://www.aljazeera.com/western-media-coverage-of-africa
Discovering stereotypes and biases
Group work, discussion / 40 minutes
Trainees brainstorm on biases and stereotypes that influence news reporting in their countries and reflect on ways to avoid this.
Objectives
Trainees develop awareness of how stereotypes and biases can influence their reporting. They critically reflect on how to avoid this.
Duration
Group work: 20 min.
Presentation and discussion: 10 min.
Input presentation: 10 min.
Discussion: 20 min.
Preparation
Offline/Online: Prepare 3 frames/boards for each group and written task.
Optional: Search for three videos with different ethical problem: one with stereotypes, one with a gender bias and one with an ethnocentristic/eurocentristic view.
Group work / Presentation and discussion, 30 Min.
Divide trainees into 3 groups and ask them to answer the following questions:
Optional: Show all of the trainees three videos, one with stereotypes, one with gender bias and one with ethnocentrist/eurocentrist view. Each group works on one of these videos and analyzes what is unethical about the video and proposes solutions on how to avoid this ethical weakness.
The groups present their results and discuss them with all trainees. Together they reflect on where this comes from, why journalists do this and how stereotypes and biases could be avoided.
Input / Discussion, 10 Min.
Stereotypes and biases Presentation: PPT Roots, role, ethics and impact, slides 14-20
Potentials and pitfalls in the region (fundamental)
Group work, discussion / 40 minutes
Trainees reflect on and discuss how constructive journalism can benefit their regions but also where the potential challenges or even dangers lie in implementing a constructive approach.
Objectives
Trainees reflect on and discuss on how constructive journalism can benefit their region but also what the potential challenges or even dangers of implementing a constructive approach are.
Duration
Group work: 20 minutes
Group discussion: 20 minutes
Preparation
Flipchart or (digital) whiteboard
Group work / Discussion, 40 min.
Divide trainees into groups. Ask them to discuss how they see the potential for constructive journalism in their country or region. In addition, they should look at the challenges that constructive journalism might face. They should pay special attention to the local context, the political and socio-economic situation and the media landscape.
Some questions: How could CJ help? What positive effects could it have on audiences, society? Would people respond to it? Is it realistic for media houses, journalists? Would it be accepted by media organizations? How would it be seen by the government?
Ask them to write key words on cards, a flipchart paper or digital whiteboard. After 20 minutes, bring the larger group together and have one person from each group present. Then compare and discuss. See if there are many overlaps or strong differences.
If the participants are made up of people from different countries, try to group them according to country or region.
Being constructive in the newsroom
Role play, simulation / 1 hour
Trainees simulate a newsroom discussion on the choice of news regarding one big topic. They experience how difficult it can be to report more constructively under challenging conditions and discuss how to open a room for maneuver.
Objectives
Trainees experience how to be constructive under challenging conditions in a newsroom.
Duration
Simulation: 30 min.
Plenary discussion: 30 min.
Preparation
Collect 8-10 news items on one big topic from a news agency of the day (merged into a .pdf or a set of copies for 2 groups.
Simulation, 30 min.
Divide trainees into 2 groups: Each group simulates a newsroom in a country/region they come from. They are given 8 news agency reports and have to decide which 3 to cover in the upcoming news show and how to present them according to a CJ approach.
Without their knowledge one participant in each group acts as an opponent of CJ and tries to have them focus on non-constructive, problem-centered news.
Plenary discussion, 30 min.
Each group shows their choices
Constructive journalism’s impact (fundamental)
Input / 15 minutes
Trainees examine and discuss studies looking at constructive journalism’s effect on audiences and media consumption.
Objectives
Trainees understand what scientific studies have shown about the effect of constructive and solutions-oriented stories on audiences.
Duration
Input presentation: 10 minutes
Preparation
Review study findings
Materials
None
Technology
Computer, projector
Input / Discussion, 15 Min.
Impact of constructive journalism Presentation: PPT Roots, role, ethics and impact, slides 21-24
Note: The handout “Impact of constructive journalism” has these studies on it. Trainees can be given this if workshop time is limited.