Journalism in Action: Civic Engagement and Primary Sources

The “Journalism in Action” resource from PBS Newshour Extra is an interactive learning website designed for middle and high school students to explore journalism’s history and how the free press has reported key historical and current events. Featuring primary sources like news articles, broadcasts, cartoons, and photographs, it helps students develop critical media literacy skills such as identifying bias, sourcing, and understanding perspective. It covers diverse topics from Native American history to modern science, making it a valuable tool for inquiry-based learning. For teachers, it offers curated case studies, mini-lessons, and downloadable materials that support media literacy and civic education, all freely accessible and easily integrated into social studies, history, or civics curricula. By engaging students with authentic journalism, the resource fosters deeper analysis and helps bring complex historical and contemporary issues to life in the classroom.

Journalism in Action: PBS NewsHour Classroom