Write a short essay of two or three double-spaced pages after you have watched two televised newscasts of national news on the same day.

One newscast is to come from a cable or satellite news network (examples being CNN, Headline, Fox News, CNBC, and MSNBC) and the other from one of the broadcast networks (examples being CBS, NBC, ABC, or Fox Network).

Please be sure to select national newscasts rather than your local city or regional newscasts.

You have your choice of which cable/satellite source and which broadcast source you choose. The half-hour newscasts are best for this exercise.

While watching, keep notes of the top three stories and the amount of time devoted to each of the three stories.

With your notes in hand, write your comparison of the two newscasts based on these four factors:

• the top three news stories covered - whether they match or differ in the two newscasts;
• the amount of air time given to each of those three stories;
• any difference in the slant of the presentations of the three stories; and
• anything you heard that affected the credibility of the people delivering the reports.
• To conclude, how would you account for the similarities between the two newscasts in both selection and content of the stories?