Active Rewrite

• Communicate the importance of using the active voice in journalism for clarity and accountability.

• Identify passive voice constructions in news headlines and articles.

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Explain the significance of using the active voice in journalistic writing.

• Identify the difference between active and passive voice in news articles.

• Write a news article using the active voice.

• Rewrite passive voice headlines and sentences in the active voice.

1. Begin the lesson by explaining the importance of the active voice in public safety writing. Emphasize that the active voice provides clarity by directly attributing actions to specific subjects, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability in public safety reporting.

2. Provide several examples of the use of passive voice in headlines. (Instructional note: You may want to facilitate a discussion around the use of the phrase “officer-involved shooting,” which is a commonly used example of the passive voice.).

3. Discuss with students the implications of use of the passive voice:

1. Lack of Clarity and Accountability: Passive voice can obscure who takes action, leading to confusion and a lack of accountability. For example, "Shots were fired during the protest" doesn't specify who fired the shots.

2. Bias: Passive voice can be used to manipulate the focus of a story, often in favor of the police. For example, "Man killed during traffic stop" diverts attention away from who killed the man and why.

3. Diminished Empathy: Using passive voice and not clearly stating who caused harm reduces empathy for the people impacted by the situation.

4. Provide students with the four headlines included in the resources section. In groups or pairs, students should rewrite the headlines using the active voice. Encourage creativity while ensuring accuracy and clarity. Instructional Note: You can extend the learning by having students read the article, identify and rewrite other sentences in the article using passive voice.

5. After the exercise, discuss the rewritten headlines as a class. Ask students to identify the passive voice constructions that were present in the original headlines, how they transformed them into the active voice, and how this changed meaning or further clarified the information.

Assign students to write a news article on a current event using the active voice. If necessary, provide them with information and sources related to the event to base their articles on. Encourage them to attribute actions to specific subjects, making the article clear and engaging.

Passive Voice Headlines:

• Police ID 17-Year-Old killed in Downtown Austin Officer-Involved Shooting 

• Journalists blinded, injured, arrested covering George Floyd protests nationwide

• Two teens were charged with murder in the police shooting that killed an 8-year-old girl at a high school football game 

• Stray Police Bullet Kills Girl as Officers Fire at Suspect in Los Angeles Store