Select a prominent, reliable, national newspaper or media outlet (e.g., The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Washington Post, etc.). Do not use “newspapers” such as the National Enquirer or other entertainment periodicals.
Find an article from the last 100 years that details a particular social problem—find something that we have not discussed in class AND that you find interesting. Choose an issue that means something to YOU.
Next, find another article on the SAME social problem either from a DIFFERENT publication or from a DIFFERENT ERA (preferably the same publication, but that can be tricky). You should now have either: two articles from the same publication (preferably) from different eras OR two articles from different publications from the same era. This is a comparative assignment about how these news sources construct a social problem.
Describe the social problem using the critical constructionist perspective.
Who are the claimsmakers for the problem?
How do they typify the problem?
Who are the “victims” of the problem?
What is the cause of the problem? Is the problem to blame on individuals? Society? Something else?
How can the problem best be solved, according to the claimsmakers and/or the author(s) of the article?
Describe how the authors of the stories “frame” the problem. Do they see it the same way as the claimsmakers for this problem? Why or why not?
Sample Solution