Activities

Deepen your understanding of Covering World News with these carefully crafted educational exercises that let you get the most out of this TED Study.

Activity 1

The globe-trotting journalist is a popular figure in films. Watch two or three movies that focus on foreign correspondents. How does each represent international news reporting? How might each of the TED speakers in Covering World News respond to these films? Write a review of each film as if it were authored by one of the TED speakers. Share these reviews, and your own reactions to the films, with your classmates or colleagues. Good resources include:

  • Burke, M. (Director). (2012). Under Fire: Journalists in Combat [Motion picture]. JoiningtheDocs.tv.
  • Silver, S. (Director), Friedlander, A. (Producer), Iron, D. (Producer), and Samuels, L (Producer). (2010). The Bang Bang Club [Motion picture]. Entertainment One.
  • Tanovic, D. (Director), Moloney, A. (Producer), Kolar, C. (Producer) and Baschet, M. (Producer). (2009). Triage [Motion picture]. Entertainment One.
  • Winterbottom, M. (Director), Eaton, A. (Producer), Gardner, D. (Producer) and Pitt, B. (Producer). (2007). A Mighty Heart [Motion picture]. Paramount Pictures.
  • Khan, K. (Director). (2006). Kabul Express [Motion picture]. Yash Raj Films.
  • Jackson, M. (Director), Weiner. R. (Producer) and Chapman, R. (Producer). (2002). Live From Baghdad [Motion picture]. HBO Films.
  • Noyce, P. (Director). (2002). The Quiet American [Motion picture]. Lionsgate Pictures.
  • Joffé, R. (Director) and Puttnam, D. (Producer). (1984). The Killing Fields [Motion picture]. Warner Brothers.
  • Spottiswoode, R. (Director). (1983). Under Fire [Motion picture]. MGM.
  • Costa-Gavras (Director). (1982). Missing [Motion picture]. Universal Studios.

Activity 2

Learn about journalists who've been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting or similarly prestigious honors like the British Press Awards Foreign Reporter of the Year, the Albert Londres Prize, the European Press Prize, the Hanns-Joachim-Friedrichs Award, or the International Center for Journalists Excellence in International Reporting Award. Select five journalists and create an exhibit that incorporates information about their careers, selections from their published works, and their reflections about the risks and rewards of foreign reporting. Launch your exhibit on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, or schedule a special event connected to your exhibit for that date.

Activity 3

Ideally, what should world news be and do — and what steps could we take to get there? How would each of the TED speakers featured in Covering World News answer this question, and what do you see as the most necessary and most promising ideas?

Relevant talks