Have students go to the PBS site and access the Photography and War Feature. Read the essay as a group. Discuss and debate questions like the ones below and have students relate back to what they saw and learned in the videos to support their arguments and comments. For variety, students could be assigned to one of the groups listed and then complete the debate and discussion aspect after doing some research about the particular war they were assigned to. The research should include the gathering of photos related to their particular war.
Students are now ready to complete the project listed below.
They should be prepared to share their work with the class. Write a persuasive essay or speech that takes a stand on wartime photos and censorship issues. In the essay, focus on a specific war, perhaps the one researched, discussed, and debated in the earlier activity. Discuss what limits, if any, should have been placed on photographers, editors, publishers, and the media in general. Give reasons, facts, examples, and details to support your arguments for or against the censorship or close control of the wartime photos and information.