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Design a Campaign

Task 8: Conduct Media Audit

(~40 Minutes)

Lesson Framing & Purpose:

Interns will understand the empirical evidence and different perspectives on their issue as well as why it is viewed as controversial. They will explore arguments from different points of view because it is important for any strategic campaign to know the most compelling arguments and evidence on both the side of the issue you represent as well as on the side you oppose.

  • Interns start to identify what arguments and evidence they find compelling and why.
  • Interns will explore how the issue is being reported in different parts of the state.
  • Interns will identify possible strategies to use in their campaigns.
  • Using the issue research and media audit, interns will craft a message for the target audience of their campaigns.
  • Interns will gain a deeper understanding of the issue and why it is controversial.
Resources:
Student resources
Reflective Questions:
  • What evidence do you find compelling? What do you see as the most effective arguments both for and against your client’s position?
  • Why might people across the state hold different views on the issue? What factors seem to affect how different groups view the issue?
  • How can the same evidence be used to make opposing arguments?
Learning Activities:

Issue Research / Media Audit (~20 Minutes)

  • Each team should decide how to break up reviewing the [Issue] Research Report, At-a-Glance Report, and Media Audit using the news layer in the Map Tool.
  • Ask interns who read the [Issue] Research Report and [Issue] at a Glance to use the Issue Research and Media Audit section of their Campaign Planning Document to keep a list of evidence they believe their target audience will find most compelling.
  • Ask interns who conduct the Media Audit to use their Campaign Planning Document to keep a list of strategies and messages being used in local journalism coverage that might align with their campaign goals.

Group Discussion and Messaging (~20 Minutes)

  • Bring teams back together to share what they learned in their research.
  • Have each team use evidence from their Issue Research and Media Audit to
    1. choose a campaign strategy
    2. choose a message tone
    3. craft a message that aligns with their strategy and tone
    4. compile rationale from your Issue Research and Media Audit for why you chose the strategy and messaging
  • Remind interns that each component needs to be designed to achieve their client’s campaign goals. They should record their decisions in their Campaign Planning document.
  • In preparation for the review team in Task 4, interns should be able to justify their strategy, message, and message tone using evidence.
Implementation Tips
  • Remind interns that any argument they make in their campaign needs to be backed up with evidence and reasoning, not simply opinion. You can use the Argumentative Writing Guide resource to help guide students to develop strong arguments in their emails.
  • Have students practice crafting an argument
    1. Present an answer or argument relevant to the question or prompt
    2. Provide the reason(s) for your answer
    3. Supply evidence to support your reasoning
    4. Address any potential counterarguments to your answer
    5. Explain why your answer is the preferred option
iconExtension Activity: Create an Advertisement

Have students produce an actual political ad that they might run in their campaign. Student ads could be designed for any type of media within the simulation (tv or radio ads often exhibit lots of creativity and mastery) and take a variety of forms (poster, short video, meme, jingle, etc.). These ads could be incorporated into their final pitch presentations, or you may have groups present their ads to each other ahead of time and discuss how they might influence different types of voters.