U.S. Government and Politics
Fall 2019
News Journal: You need a spiral notebook to use as a news journal to submit the original copies of
news events. You will be required to use outside sources for current events. You are required to
watch (no online transcripts) and report on two news broadcasts, summarize three newspaper articles,
three magazine articles, and three political cartoons for each journal. The entries must pertain to
government, politics, national affairs, and/or foreign policy. Be sure to record the source (ie: Time
Magazine) and date on all summaries. Articles/Cartoons must be from the particular period and
originals turned in with your journal. EACH journal will count as a test grade. EACH Paragraph
Must Be 4-5 Sentences!
1. Organize your articles in the following way:
Paragraph 1 – Summary
What is the article about?
Paragraph 2 – State/define political content
How is the information discussed in the article important to government and
politics?
Paragraph 3 – Explanation/rationale
Explain what you gained educationally from this article.
Due Dates:
2.
Analyze political cartoons by answering the questions below:
A. What do you see: Describe those elements listed below that are present in
your chosen cartoon.
Symbols:
Historical images:
Stereotypes:
Caricature: Is the cartoonist using extreme features and distorted
images for his/her people? Describe them.
Captions:
Humor:
B. What is happening in the cartoon? Are the components of the cartoon
related to each other? If so, how?
C. Explain what you think the cartoon is trying to say. What does the cartoon
mean?
D. Can you think of another setting, period or person in time to which this
cartoon could apply? Explain.
3.
Summarize your broadcasts in the following way:
A. What channel or news network are you watching?
B. Who (is)are the main broadcaster(s)
C. Are graphics used in a manner to evoke an emotional reaction from the
viewer? What are the graphics used?
D. Does the broadcast seem to be fairly presented or is it biased in some way?
Explain.
E. What are the three lead stories?
August 30, 2019
September 27, 2019
October 18, 2019
November 15, 2019
December 13, 2019