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History 1001: The Making of Today - Contemporary World History

Guide to primary and secondary sources about contemporary history

Sources

On Studying the History of Media...and History Through Media... 

 

PART I:   In-class Inquiry exercise: Inquire: Who? What? Where? When? Why?

Under a new dated entry in your Research Journal...find and describe three news stories from three different categories (or three from one category). 

  • Category
  • Include the article Title. Author, Publication (source), and Date and URL (as below) 
  • Then write a 1-3 sentence summary of each article responding to the questions below. 

Example:

Category: World News 

Edward Wong, “Russia Secretly Gave $300 Million to Political Parties and Officials Worldwide, U.S. Says," New York Times, September 13, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/13/us/politics/russia-election-interference.html  

The US State Department published US intelligence review that since 2014 Russia has given hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and cryptocurrency to influence elections around the world.  The influence campaigns were conducted through a  range of institutions to shield the origins of the financing, a practice called using cutouts. Those institutions include foundations, think tanks, organized crime groups, political consultancies, shell companies and Russian state-owned enterprises.

 

 

1. Who? (Actor or Agent) Who is involved? What are the people aspects of the problem? Who did it, will do it? Who uses it, wants it? Who will benefit, will be injured, will be included, will be excluded?

2. What? (Act) What should happen? What is it? What was done, ought to be done, was not done? What will be done if X happens? What went or could go wrong? What resulted in success?

3. When? (Time or Timing) When will, did, should this occur or be performed? Can it be hurried or delayed? Is a sooner or later time be preferable? When should the time be if X happens?

4. Where? (Scene or Source) Where did, will, should this occur or be performed? Where else is a possibility? Where else did the same thing happen, should the same thing happen? Are other places affected, endangered, protected, aided by this location? Effect of this location on actors, actions?

5. Why? (Purpose) Why was or is this done, avoided, permitted? Why should it be done, avoided, permitted? Why did or should actor do it? Different for another actor, act, time, place? Why that particular action, rule, idea, solution, problem, disaster, and not another? Why that actor, time, location, and not another?

6. How? (Agency or Method) How was it, could it be, should it be done, prevented, destroyed, made, improved, altered? How can it be described, understood? How did beginning lead to conclusion?

 

Sources

New York Times 

Associated Press

United Press International 

Reuters