The University of Texas at Arlington HDF Children and Public Policy Paper

Skill-Builder 3: Media Framing of Children’s Issues

Goal: Examine the social construction of children’s issues in the media and to consider its implications for public policy.

1. Read the required material (attached below). Horror stories and the construction of child abuse. In J. Best (Editor), Images of issues: Typifying contemporary social problems, 2nd ed. (pp. 17-31). New York: Routledge.
2. Find a recent article (within the last 4 weeks) in a national daily newspaper (e.g., The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, etc.) or weekly newsmagazine (e.g., Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report) that focuses on one of these topics:

• • Child abuse/neglect
  • Child health insurance
  • Child care
  • Children with special needs
  • Immigrant children
  • Education
  • Youth crime/violence

***Save the article as a PDF and upload it in along with your assignment write-up (#3 below).***

1. Read the article carefully and analyze whether:

• • Expert sources were used
  • Statistical information was presented
  • Historical, social, and/or community context was provided
  • Parents were used as source of information
  • First-hand accounts from children were included
  • Practical information for parents or policymakers was presented

1. In 1-2 pages APA Style, please provide:

• • The citation for and link to the article you analyzed. Your citation must be in accordance with the 7th Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
  • A brief (2-3 sentences) summary of the article.
  • A paragraph summarizing what you found for #2 above using examples or evidence from the article.
  • A one-paragraph critique of the article’s presentation of this issue, based in part on what you found in (2) above.
    • Do you think the article provides an accurate and well-rounded account of the issue at hand? Or does it leave out key information that results in a mistaken impression? Please explain your judgment.
  • One paragraph about what implications the framing of this story might have for public policy. What type of change would a child advocate call for based on this article? Could the article lead to misplaced policy priorities? If so, please explain.

RUBRIC

Content (9.5 points)

• Citation and link to article uploaded with article (0.5)
• 2-3 sentence summary of article (1)
• Analysis of article, referencing (5)
  • Expert sources were used
  • Statistical information was presented
  • Historical, social, and/or community context was provided
  • Parents were used as source of information
  • First-hand accounts from children were included
  • Practical information for parents or policymakers was presented
• One-paragraph critique of article and whether it was well-rounded and accurate (1.5)
• One paragraph about the implications of the framing of this story for public policy (1.5)

Presentation (0.5 points)

• Grammar, spelling, punctuation, typographical errors