AP US Government and Politics Current Events
Presentation Guidelines
100pts
“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to
make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” -Malcolm X
On ______________, you are to give a current events PowerPoint presentation to the class. Your presentation
should cover the most important news stories represented in all of the following categories:
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Constitutional underpinnings
o Checks and Balances, Separation of Powers, Federalism
Political Beliefs and Behaviors
o Opinion Polls, etc.
Linkage Institutions
o Political Parties, Interest Groups, Media
Institutions of Government
o Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Bureaucracy
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
o Stories having to do with Constitutional rights and liberties
Domestic Policy
o Policymaking related to only the US
Foreign Policy
o Policymaking related to the US’s relationship with other countries
International News
o News having to do with what is happening in other countries
Local News
o News having to do with what is happening around PVHS/in Colorado
News of the Bizarre
o Find the strange stuff…it’s out there!
*You may not be able to find an important article on each category on the week you are giving your
presentation; just do your best. If you cannot pick a second story from one of the other categories.*
“A democracy – our democracy – cannot be lied to… the basic principle involved is that of confidence. A
dictatorship can get along without an informed public opinion. A democracy cannot.”
NYT Editorial
regarding the Bay of Pigs Invasion
Requirements:
 15-20 minutes in length
 Minimum of 10 ppt. slides
 Slides must be pictures
 Slides clearly indicate which category from above is being addressed
 You may use notes to help you, but you must be able to explain the news and answer any
questions from students and teacher during your presentation.
 During your presentation, explain how the story you are discussing relates to the category.
 Do not read directly from your notes or the PowerPoint!
 Turn in an annotated bibliography in APA format for all of your sources
Elements of an “A” – 100/100 Presentation:
• Slides are appropriate, entertaining, and graphic
• All of the major news stories for the week are discussed
• Makes eye contact with the audience and enunciates with poise and confidence
• Displays expert knowledge and is able to answer all questions clearly
• Teaches the class something that they didn’t know before
• Has a annotated bibliography for all sources referenced
Sources:
The Internet offers a great selection of news resources. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate the
important from the trivial.
The following are a sampling of some of the better news sites available on the web. This does not
represent an exhaustive list of all news sites, but it is a good place to start:
Daily News:
www.latimes.com , www.nytimes.com , www.washingtonpost.com , www.theguardian.com/us ,
www.ocregister.com , www.liberaloc.com , http://www.npr.org/ , www.drudgereport.com ,
http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/ www.missionviejodispatch.com/ http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/ ,
http://america.aljazeera.com/ , www.vox.com
Weekly News :
www.economist.com , www.time.com , www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek.html , www.thenation.com
www.motherjones.com , www.alternet.org , www.slate.com , www.projectcensored.com ,
www.commoncause.com , www.commondreams.org , www.nationalreview.com , www.foreignaffairs.com
, http://www.propublica.org/ , http://www.wired.com/ , www.newyorker.com , www.theatlantic.com ,
www.harpers.org , www.reason.com
Video News Shows:
www.democracynow.org , http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/view/
http://www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes/ , http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032608/