Watch television news coverage of the same story on three different TV networks. Write an analysis of your findings in a 1,800- to 2,100-word paper. Include how the three different forms of coverage of the same news story are portrayed and how the segments are framed with regard to presentation and bias. Do not analyze the issue or story, but rather the coverage. Cite at least two peer-reviewed sources other than your textbook. Peer-reviewed sources are generally academic journals, so be sure to utilize the University Library!

• What are the points of view of the segments? Are they objective or subjective? How do they demonstrate that point of view? Was there anything that was included that should not have been? What was omitted? (The answers to these questions will require that you provide specific descriptions of what each story contained: was there a reporter on scene? Was there video? Statistics? Maps? How long was the story on each channel?, etc.)

• How are various social groups within the news segments represented? (Whom did they interview?)

• Are these news segments taken at face value or are they sensationalized for entertainment?

• What do your findings say about television news and being a smart media consumer? Do not forget the importance of an adequate theses, introduction, and conclusion. A few other considerations for this assignment:

• Remember, television news stories are sources and should also be cited properly in APA format. These are not counted as your peer-reviewed sources.

• If you are unable to watch televised news programs this week, you may retrieve broadcasted news segments from the network's web site. This means they were originally produced to be aired on television. If you use the Internet you must still view the segments. We are specifically comparing television news here, so it must come from a television station. Printed/written news articles will not be accepted as televised news sources.