Preparation for the media assignment:
Research the civil war in Bougainville. Use a wide variety of media sources including video, print, internet. Maintain good notes from your research, including direct quotes that you may be interested in using for your media assignment and source information.
View the documentary The Coconut Revolution. The documentary can be viewed on Youtube. Consider the source when viewing this documentary. What can you find out about who made the film? How might this documentary differ if the mining company funded the creation of it?
The Coconut Revolution
Research feature articles and their use in the media. What different types of feature articles are there? What is the difference between a feature article and a regular news story? You might start here for some information on feature articles:
Feature Article Writing
Using your research about Bougainville and the civil war there, and your knowledge of the novel Mister Pip, complete the following. All parts are to be submitted to the Dropbox as one assignment.
Part A: Feature Article (2-3 pages double spaced)
Prepare a feature article about the war in Bougainville using the characters and events in Mister Pip as the focus of the article. Keep the article focused on the war and the effects of the war on the people of the island. Use the events and the character dialogue from the novel within your article to add interest and human perspective. Be sure to make your article interesting and informative, while at the same time offering entertainment value through its storytelling and creativity. A feature article should be as much about creative writing as it is about investigative news.
Make sure you:
have a strong angle to your article
have a lead to your story that makes it interesting and encourages a reader to read on
properly reference all information, facts, ideas, and quotes you use in the article using MLA citation format
clearly understand the role of the media in news reporting and the purpose of a feature article within the media
Use images if appropriate, but ensure all sources of images are cited.
Part B: Viewpoints
There are always at least three sides to any story – one side, the other side, and the side of the truth. Media – be it radio, television, or print, is a powerful tool that always presents a viewpoint, even though it may claim to be objective. Keeping this in mind, your task is to create media items from two different perspectives – from either side of the war in Bougainville. You have creative reign in your formatting – you can do a propaganda poster, an audio clip simulating a radio broadcast, or a video of yourself doing a brief newscast. The only stipulation is that you choose two different formats for your two different viewpoints, and that one of them is either audio or visual.
If creating a poster, consider the purpose, and elements such as font, colour, and composition. How does it convey your intended meaning?
Audio and visual clips need not be long – aim for about a minute or two at the outside. Take your cue from newscasts on television – rarely does a story recieve more than a couple of minutes.
Part C: Reflection
Write a one page journal style reflection addressing the following questions. Explain and discuss.
Which aspects of this assignment were more/less interesting to you? Why?
What part(s) of your assignment are you proud of?
Which area do you feel you could improve in?
Did you gain any insight, or develop any questions about how media functions?
