You have to watch four news broadcast shows in one evening and then one additional show on a different evening.
Part 1: Four Shows on One Night
The first will be a local news show at 6 pm on ABC, NBC or CBS.
Then you will watch a national evening news show at 6:30 pm, again on ABC, NBC or CBS.
Then you will watch the urban Chicago (WGN) news at 10 on the local cable station.
And finally, you will watch the international news on PBS (Big Bird station) at 11 pm.
If you do not get WGN or PBS, then they are available at their websites.
Your task is to take notes on each broadcast. What are the lead stories on each? How much time is spent on local, state, national and international news? What matters most in each market? How are the news topics presented?
Your job as a sociologist is to compare and contrast these shows as they reach different audiences and yet, thanks to technology, are available to all audiences. Compare and contrast the presentation, the content, the style and the possible audience. You must use outside sources in addition to the news broadcast to support your analysis.
Part 2: Second Night
