What’s a News Club?
It’s a group of people who come together to analyse and discuss news items in the media, sharing reactions and opinions constructively, and learning to spot political spin and disinformation. Basically, it’s the opposite to passively consuming the news in isolation, when it’s harder to make objective judgements and avoid emotional manipulation.
Benefits
- Reduce feelings of aloneness and disconnection
- Improve mental wellbeing
- Hear other people’s views and perspectives
- Strengthen community spirit
- Increase confidence in media literacy
Format
Here’s a simple suggested format.
News this week/this fortnight
- Pick 3 news topics from this week
- Allow 15 mins discussion time per topic
- Give each topic a short minute introduction (any member can do this, take it in turns). You can circulate topics and questions beforehand via your organising channel
And a few variations:
Hot topics
Stick to one specific trending or popular issue
Pick three stories covering that topic
Local news
Focus on one or two news stories local to your area
You could also compare the style and content of local news, as opposed to national stories
Mix it up
Pick one article from the mainstream media, one from the independent media and one from the local media
Or one from the right wing media, one from the left wing media and one from the centre
Or you could compare online news articles to social media posts on the same subject – including videos
The nuts and bolts
Generally speaking, News Clubs work best with someone who is organising – a sort of chairperson – and a back- up (co-chair) to support and help stand in if they’re not available. You can share or rotate these roles if other members want to take their turn.
The group needs a minimum of three people to function. In a larger group, it may be best to split into smaller groups of three, four or five to discuss each topic.
News Club membership can be:
Closed – invitation only, keeping to just people you know
Mixed – mostly closed, but sometimes running an open session for anyone interested in seeing the club in action
Open – welcoming any members to come along (best once you’ve got a bit of experience)
Communication
You’ll need a way to organise the group meetings, such as an email thread or maybe a Signal group (which will have better privacy than WhatsApp). Or maybe you can arrange things in person because you work or socialise together regularly – whatever works best for you.
Meeting up
You can meet in a physical or digital place suitable for the group. If it’s an in-person gathering, remember accessibility needs. Is the venue wheelchair accessible? Is the space suited to clear communication – not too much background noise or distraction?
Generally, News Clubs might want to spend an hour together, either weekly or fortnightly.
And finally…
Coming together as a group to discuss news can be really fun, interesting and enlightening – you get to hear how other people’s experiences shape their opinions and feelings. But news is often designed to be divisive – that’s one of the issues covered in Media Revolution’s CAPE media literacy toolkit – so be aware of the need to keep the discussions kind and compassionate. If things get heated, take a break and come back to your common objective.
We’d love to hear about your news clubs – let us know if you have any questions or feedback – or join the News Club group chat on Signal!