There are three main challenges which students face when trying to evaluate news sources. Students tend to have trouble identifying bias, evaluating credibility of sources, and source analysis. The sample exercises below can be adapted to address those common pitfalls in your class.

• Annotated bibliographies
• Source analysis (as part of CourseSite post or reflective paper)
  • Have students write an comparative analysis of three news stories on the topic.
• Track references from videos, news, or research articles.
  • If a news story mentions "according to a recent study," have students track down the study referenced.
• Compare treatment of two contradictory or differently framed information pieces.
• Have accounting majors write a short analytical essay on what can be learned from a politician's tax returns.