Media Moment: Executive Orders (Mini Lesson)
Name: ___________________________
Topic: Executive Orders and Fair & Balanced Reporting
Represented Perspectives Chart
Article
Represented Perspectives
Example Quote (Evidence)
Article One (CNN, Jan. 28,
2014)
Perspective 1: The White
House’s viewpoint —
raising the minimum wage
for federal contract workers
helps struggling families.
Perspective 2: Republican
leadership’s opposition —
Congress makes laws, not
the President.
Perspective 3: Public
opinion — polls show most
Americans support raising
the minimum wage, but
Republicans are divided.
“The White House
highlighted several
occupations that will be
helped by the move...”
“House Speaker John
Boehner pushed back
against the executive
action...”
“Two national polls…
indicated widespread
support for raising the
minimum wage to $10.10
an hour, and Republicans
divided.”
4️️ Were any viewpoints omitted?
Yes. The article didn’t include comments from federal contract workers who would be
directly affected or from business owners who might face increased costs. These
perspectives were probably left out because the article focused on the political debate
rather than the personal or economic impacts.
5️️ Choose one article to reflect on.
The CNN article was fairly balanced because it presented multiple perspectives — the
President’s reasoning, opposition from Congress, and public opinion data. For example, it
included quotes from both the White House and Speaker Boehner, and cited national polls
that showed a partisan divide. This shows CNN attempted to include several sides of the
story.
6️️ Why do you think a news story would choose to report only one side of an
issue?
A news story might report only one side to appeal to a specific audience, due to space or
time limits, or because of political or editorial bias. Sometimes journalists or editors believe
one side is more important or relevant. That’s why it’s important for readers to check
multiple news sources and look for missing viewpoints.