In classrooms with multiple nationalities or multiple languages, it can be challenging to find news from around the world that is accessible and inclusive of multiple perspectives. Finding a news source that isn’t exclusively in one language or focused on one part of the world takes time. I have used news bulletins such as the US’s CNN10 or the UK’s BBC One Minute World News – the appeal is their brevity. However, I’m always cringing a little inside as I realise these are both from a Western perspective and the language might be tricky to follow for my English-language learners (especially as neither offer subtitles in languages other than English – something I still can’t quite understand). If you are looking for news from around the world to use in the classroom, I think I have found a real gem.
Today's Front Pages
Freedom Forum is the gem and it’s pretty upfront about its mission:
OUR MISSION
To foster First Amendment freedoms for all.
OUR VISION
The First Amendment is the cornerstone of a government by, for and of the people, yet most Americans can’t name the five freedoms it guarantees. Our vision is an America where everyone knows, understands, values and defends the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. We believe that encouraging the broad understanding and vigorous use of these fundamental freedoms by the people is the best way to preserve and protect the First Amendment for future generations.
OUR WORK
We raise awareness of First Amendment freedoms through education, advocacy and action, sharing the stories of Americans who have exercised their rights to ignite change.
While the site’s mission is clearly focused on the US – rather than encompassing America – the hidden treasure is in their section Today’s Front Pages. On this page, you can search by region, country name, gallery, or map. I’m in Malaysia at the moment, so I chose the map option. Sadly..
That’s right – not a single newspaper front page from Malaysia. However, I do have learners from all the surrounding countries with links, so that’s a start. In exploring a bit more, I notice that there are some English-language offerings from other countries, such as The New Indian Express.
This means that not all nationalities in my classroom will be able to find front page news from their countries or in their first languages, but it certainly offers a range of perspectives. This is important for developing students’ critical literacy so it’s still a win.
How To Use Freedom Forum In The Classroom
I’ve just stumbled onto this site and was excited to share it immediately. This means my ideas are not yet tried-and-tested, but here are some initial thoughts for no-prep activities:
- ask students to compare a number of front pages to see what issues are highlighted – discuss similarities and differences between countries to consider how this reflects national concerns and possibly values;
- students who speak other languages can compare newspapers within a country and share any commonalities or differences they notice, especially if those newspapers are in different languages – for example, in Malaysia, newspapers in Malay and English often have very different tones toward the same topics;
- as each front page is linked to the newspaper’s main site, students could quickly sketch a Venn diagram to compare the content of 2 publications.
These are just some initial thoughts to get going. How might you use the Freedom Forum site? Comment below or join our Facebook group to share ideas – let’s support our culturally-responsive efforts by working together to generate ideas.
We’ve got this!
