Who is more powerful the media or the Government?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can evaluate the power of the Government and media.
Key learning points
- The Government has power through elections, gaining a mandate to make decisions for all.
- Parliamentary sovereignty lets the Government change laws, shaping society and key policies.
- The media shapes public opinion, reaching millions daily and influencing elections.
- Media holds the Government accountable but can also spread misinformation online.
Keywords
Power - having control or authority over something or someone
Mandate - the authority given to government to make decisions after winning an election
Parliamentary sovereignty - the principle that Parliament is the supreme legal authority in the UK; Parliament can create, amend or end any UK law
Misinformation - false or misleading information that is spread accidentally
Common misconception
The Government has absolute power and the media is just a neutral source of information.
The Government is powerful but must follow laws and face elections. The media influences opinion but can also mislead people.
Teacher tip
Use real-world examples of government policies and media influence to help pupils see their impact on daily life. Pupils could also brainstorm how media has impacted their life in 24 hours compared to how the Government has impacted their life.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the sentence starter to its end.
Q2.Who is this describing? A person who checks and revises news content before it is published or broadcast.
Q3.Which of the following is true about editorial checks?
Q4.Journalists must be to report accurately within a democracy.
Q5.There are international organisations that work to journalists and campaign for global press freedom.
Q6.Which of the following is true about local and national media?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word to its definition.
Q2.The shapes public opinion, reaching millions daily and influencing elections.
Q3.Misinformation is ...
Q4.Which of the following is true about the media's role in government?
Q5.Which of the following is true about the Government and the media?
Q6.Which of the following best describes devolution?
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: Who is more powerful the media or the Government?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: Who is more powerful the media or the Government?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 citizenship lessons from the How powerful is the media? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.