Intermediate
60 mins
Teacher/Student led
+75 XP
Pupils work on their own device

Coverage Analysis Workshop, Part 1 (KA2: Channel 1)

Analyse one media channel’s coverage using five criteria: audience, facts highlighted, omissions, tone and framing. Practise on a sample, then write Channel 1 analysis notes plus openable evidence as KA2 Working Pack Part 1.

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    1 - Getting Started ~5 mins

    Key point

    You already have (or will open now) an Event Brief: one real event plus three media channels that covered it. Today you build Part 1 of the KA2 working pack by analysing Channel 1 only.

    For today

    You need one openable Channel 1 source (browser tab, printout, or photo of a clipping) so you can quote it and file evidence, and your Comparison Rubric Template from Lesson 69. If your brief is missing, pick a real local event now, open one real piece of coverage for Channel 1, and note two other channel names for later lessons.

    You will try the five criteria on a short sample first, then apply them to your own Channel 1.

    2 - The Five Criteria ~8 mins

    Key point

    Every channel analysis answers the same five questions, in this order. You will use them on the sample and on your own Channel 1.

    CriterionWhat it means for youReal example
    Target audienceWho is this piece written for, and do the words fit that reader?A club notice aimed at parents, not players
    Facts highlightedWhich two or three facts get space, numbers or the lead?A match report that leads on the score and a red card
    OmissionsWhich voice, number or detail is left out?A road-closure notice that never names the bus routes hit
    ToneCalm, urgent, warm, sceptical or official, with a phrase that shows itA school notice that sounds firm rather than friendly
    FramingWhat does the piece assume the reader already cares about or believes?A traffic report that assumes every reader drives

    Worked example on a different piece (a local radio news item written for this lesson): “The 8.10 bus from Ashgrove to town will leave ten minutes earlier from Monday, the bus company says, to avoid school traffic.”

    Worked example

    Audience: commuters and parents listening at breakfast. Highlights: the new time and the Monday start. Omitted: any passenger’s voice. Tone: brisk and official (“the bus company says”). Framing: assumes an earlier bus is simply good news for everyone.

    3 - Rate the Sample ~10 mins

    Get the five criteria settled before you touch your own channel. Here is a short sample (invented local-paper style):

    Glenvale Youth Hub delayed until March after shortfall. Councillors say the build is still on track. Residents living beside the site were not quoted. The piece ends on a promise of “more facilities for young people”.

    Score how clearly each criterion shows up in it, and write a specific comment anywhere you score below Strong. Finish by naming the one thing you would look for first on your own Channel 1.

    Five criteria on the Glenvale sample

    4 - Weigh Them ~15 mins

    Read the fuller Channel 1 sample below. This is the last sample practice before your own coverage. Write one short analysis note covering audience, facts highlighted, omission, tone and framing (with a quote where it helps). This is rehearsal for your own Channel 1, not the Portfolio file.

    Channel 1 sample: Glenvale Youth Hub

    5 - Your Verdict ~17 mins

    This is your Portfolio piece: KA2 Working Pack Part 1. Open your Event Brief and analyse your real Channel 1: the Glenvale piece was only practice.

    Write the five-criteria notes on your coverage (about 140–200 words). Start with an evidence line: the headline plus URL or publication date and source name, and where any screenshot or paper clipping is saved, so your teacher can open or see the original in-room.

    Then open your Comparison Rubric Template from Lesson 69 (m3_l69_comparison_rubric_<your-initials>) and fill its Channel 1 column: topic, purpose and audience, one line each, answering your own three questions.

    Key point

    A complete first draft with the evidence line filled is the success line today; a second pass is only if time allows. Press Copy for my portfolio and file the notes as m3_l72_ka2_working_pack_p1_<your-initials> in your Communication Portfolio when you finish. This is Part 1 of the pack only; your teacher signs off KA2 when Channels 2 and 3 are complete later.

    KA2 Working Pack Part 1: Channel 1

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