Becoming a Critical Viewer: A News Show Analysis
Shitty First Draft Due: Thursday, March 3
Polished Draft Due: Monday, March 7
Assignment: the purpose of this 4-6 page essay is for you to look critically at a news
show, and develop an analysis of it that is supported by outside sources. You may
consider the following questions as you develop your analysis: What are the messages of
the show? How would your source or sources respond to it? What is the show’s primary
purpose: to provide information, or something else? What is the relationship between the
“medium” of the show and its content?
What To Do:
1. Choose a news show to analyze. This could be one of the ones we talk about in
class (Daily Show, NewsHour, or a network news show), or one you choose on
your own (YOU MUST GET MY APPROVAL FIRST).
2. Find a particular episode of this news show to be the source you will analyze (it’s
not okay to talk about what Fox News does in general – instead, you must pick
ONE episode to analyze in particular). Watch this several times.
3. Consider the outside sources we found in the library, and “The Meaning of ‘The
Medium is the Message’”. You only need to use one of these sources to support
your analysis, and I strongly suggest not using more than two. Pick a source
that seems relevant to aspects of your chosen news show that you find particularly
interesting.
4. Do a brief summary of your source(s), and think about how you can use it to
advance your own analysis.
5. Write your paper, using a process that works for you!
Helpful Hints:
 The most difficult part of an analysis essay is going beyond just summarizing what
you see in the sources you find. In order for your essay to be successful, you will
need to discuss what each source is implying as well as what they are outright saying.
You will also need to explain the significance of what’s being implied. In other
words, what are these sources trying to make us believe? How do they do this?
 As always, be sure to choose a topic you will be excited to focus on. This will help
your essay be successful.