Activity 1: How do most Americans get information about presidential candidates? They watch or read the news, and they see a lot of campaign ads. With a small group, come up with definitions for "news" and "advertising." Include in your definition what you expect each to provide, as well as what each actually provides. Now study the cartoon. How would the cartoonist define news and advertising? How do his definitions compare to yours?

Activity 2: Most pundits agree that the November election will hinge on a few key states, each of which has a large percentage of as yet undecided voters. To keep tabs on these pivotal states, Newsweek is devoting a page every week to a "Swing State Watch." Read and keep track of it by cutting the page out of your magazine and keeping a notebook to follow this element of Newsweek's coverage until the election. Each week, compare the new "Swing State Watch" to the previous weeks. What new information did you learn? How did the data change? Write a short paragraph each week summing up the week's evaluation of the swing state situation. Then write two or three questions you would like answers to. After the election, review your notebook, and hold a class discussion a) about how the swing states ended up affecting the election, and b) evaluating the usefulness of Newsweek's swing state coverage.