Activity Overview
Objectives:
- Provide a methodology for analyzing information that allows young people to evaluate the content of an article or publication
- Encourage participants to use journalistic rules
- Develop critical thinking by encouraging questioning of the information received
Definition: The 5 W rule is a journalistic approach that helps journalists structure their reporting so that relevant information is well understood by the public. It answers the basic questions of any piece of information:
Who? (Who?)
Where? (Where?)
When? (When?)
Why? (Why?)
What? (What is it about?)
This approach is part of a critical and methodical treatment of information, providing a framework for receiving information. It is useful for participants to be able to identify the relevant information in an article or a social media post.
Activity Process
- Select an article about local news or an event that is subject to rumor or disinformation
- Place participants in pairs and provide them with the chosen article or publication
- On a separate sheet (or computer), participants answer the 5 W questions as fully as possible, researching further information from the sources cited in the article if needed
- Compare the responses obtained for each “W” during a group correction session and display the correct answers on the board
- Debrief the exercise and discuss the relevance of applying this method in everyday life
Adapting the Activity Online
On Google Drive, share the link to the article with participants and ask them to answer the 5 W questions.
