Rewriting the news: an
exercise in narrative construction
News is made of stories, of narratives, and narratives are
different from facts. To get a feel for identifying the
narratives that are driving the presentation of much the
news media, it helps to take an existing story and rewrite
it with the same facts but a different narrative. Working
in groups of two, choose one of the stories linked below,
take the facts in it, and re-present them using a different
narrative structure. (If you would like to use a story of
your own choice to rewrite, check with me first.)
Due in Class Jan 28th.
Choose one of these articles to rewrite:
- "College_drug_use,_binge_drinking_rise"
- "Goodbye,_Animal_House_fraternity_drinking"
- "Antiwar Groups Claim Victory in Settlement Over Great Lawn" New York Times
- "Frost_Home_Vandalized" (Burlington Free Press)
- "Iran_contests_story" (CNN)
- "THREATS_AND_RESPONSES_INTELLIGENCE_C.I.A" (a NYT article on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction from 2002)