Lesson plan: Balancing fact & opinion in journalism

We reported two difficult stories recently. One was about a veteran English teacher in Indiana who resigned after posting a controversial comment about Charlie Kirk. The other was about President Trump redirecting millions of dollars to historically Black colleges and universities.

• Ind. teacher resigns after post about Charlie Kirk
• Trump boosts HBCU funding; other cuts leave questions

Both stories illustrate the challenge student journalists face every day: how to report the facts fairly, while understanding when opinion belongs in a separate space. In today’s media landscape — where social media often mixes reporting and opinion without clear signals — learning to separate fact from commentary is one of the most important skills a journalist (or even a consumer of news) can develop.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Distinguish between factual reporting and opinion writing.
• Identify phrases and word choices that cross the line from neutral reporting into editorializing.
• Rewrite sample passages to separate factual content from opinion.
• Produce both a short news lead and an editorial paragraph on the same event.

Teacher Note: Accessing the Original Articles

For this lesson, students should ideally read the original articles on which our reports were based. Both of the source stories for this lesson originate from newspapers that may be behind paywalls: the Chicago Tribune (Indiana teacher resignation) and The New York Times (HBCU funding). But many school libraries provide free access to major newspapers through their databases. If access is not available, students will need to rely on our versions of the stories, which, due to copyright restrictions, contain little to no opinion content.

Library access:

Many school libraries — and nearly all public libraries — subscribe to databases such as ProQuest, EBSCOhost, NewsBank, or Gale OneFile: News. These services often provide full-text access to both the Tribune and the Times. Students can usually log in with their school ID or library card.

If you’re unsure, check with your school librarian or media center staff. They can confirm which databases are available and how to log in.

Alternative access:

The New York Times allows subscribers to “gift” a limited number of articles each month, creating a free link others can use without a subscription. If you have a personal subscription, this may be an option for sharing the HBCU article.

If access to the full text isn’t possible, students can still work from our summarized reports, which present the facts but omit opinion for copyright reasons.

Tip: It’s worth showing students how to find these articles through databases, as it reinforces the professional research skills journalists need.

Content & Activities

Topic 1: News vs. Opinion

• Content: Explain the core distinction: news answers “what happened,” while editorials answer “what it means.”
• Activity: Show examples from headlines and leads. Students label each as news or opinion.

Topic 2: Case Study 1 – Indiana Teacher Resignation

• Content: Present the facts: resignation announced, post deemed “objectionable,” community divided.
• Key Lesson: Saying she “resigned” is factual; saying she was “forced to resign” is interpretive and should be attributed.
• Activity: Students write two versions of the lead — one neutral, one interpretive — then discuss which is more appropriate for a straight-news story.

Topic 3: Case Study 2 – Trump’s HBCU Funding Shift

• Content: Outline both sides: benefit to HBCUs and tribal colleges vs. cuts to other programs.
• Key Lesson: A fair story acknowledges both the gain and the trade-off.
• Activity: Students draft one short paragraph as a neutral news report, then a separate paragraph as an editorial/op-ed.

Topic 4: The Social Media Challenge

1. Content: Many young writers are used to blending facts and opinions online. Journalism demands clarity: opinions need to be labeled and kept separate.
2. Key Lesson: Even single words (“resigned” vs. “forced out”) shape reader perception.
3. Activity: Provide a list of short sentences; students mark whether the phrasing is neutral or opinionated, and revise to keep it factual.

Indicators of Mastery

Students will demonstrate mastery if they can:

1. Accurately label a set of 10 sample sentences as news or opinion.
   Sample Quiz

   Quiz: News vs. Opinion

   From the Indiana teacher story:

   1. Superintendent Jim McCall announced at a school board meeting that the teacher had resigned, citing confidentiality on further details.
   2. The district clearly overreacted, forcing out a respected educator for a harmless personal comment.
   3. Supporters at the meeting said the teacher was “forced out” and that her First Amendment rights were violated.

   From the HBCU funding story:

   4. The Trump administration announced nearly $500 million in new funding for historically Black colleges and tribal universities this year.
   5. This one-time infusion is nothing more than political theater aimed at scoring points with Black voters.
   6. Critics argued that cutting other minority-serving programs to fund HBCUs pits institutions against each other.

   From other/made-up events:

   7. A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck eastern Oklahoma on Sunday, causing minor damage but no reported injuries, officials said.
   8. The mayor’s decision to cancel the parade shows a shocking disregard for the city’s traditions.
   9. City council members voted 6–3 to approve the new downtown redevelopment plan on Tuesday evening.
   10. Clearly, the redevelopment plan favors wealthy developers over ordinary residents who will be pushed out.

   👉 Answer Key:
   News: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9
   Opinion: 2, 5, 8, 10

2. Write a neutral news lead about the Indiana teacher case using only verified facts.
3. Write a short editorial paragraph about the HBCU funding case that clearly expresses opinion while being grounded in facts.
4. Explain, in writing, how a single word choice (e.g., “resigned” vs. “forced out”) changes a story’s tone.

Extension/Assessment

• Homework: Students select a current news story and produce both a 3-sentence neutral news summary and a 3-sentence editorial.
• Class Discussion: How might social media habits blur the line between news and opinion, and what responsibility do journalists have to keep them separate?