Speaker:
- Ana Cabrera, Lifetime Achievement Recipient (MS Now, CNN and multiple other media outlets)
Length of Lesson: 90 minutes
- 10 minute warm-up
- 65 minute keynote
- 15 minute discussion
- Optional classroom activities:
- Verify Before You Share
- Murrow Principles in the Modern Age
- Reflection Assignment
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
- Explain Edward R. Murrow’s enduring influence on journalism.
- Evaluate the role of journalists in protecting democratic institutions.
- Analyze how artificial intelligence changes – but does not replace – the work of journalism.
- Identify strategies for building credibility and public trust.
- Discuss the importance of preparation, empathy, curiosity, and accountability in reporting.
- Reflect on how journalists should navigate an increasingly fragmented media ecosystem.
1: Pre-Video Warm-Up
Activity: “Who Do You Trust?”
Ask students:
Where do you get your news?
Then ask:
- Which news source do you trust most?
- Why do you trust it?
- How do you decide whether information is credible?
After five minutes of discussion, introduce the keynote.
Transition:
Ana Cabrera argues that technology will continue changing journalism, but credibility, preparation, and truth remain timeless professional obligations.
2: Watch the Keynote
Teacher Note
Ask students to listen for examples of:
- truth
- credibility
- preparation
- courage
- empathy
- public service
- accountability
- AI
- journalism ethics
- trust
3. Post-Viewing Discussion Questions
- Ana repeatedly says journalism is “not about you.” What does she mean? How does that philosophy differ from influencer culture or personal branding?
- She argues that journalists should focus on being right rather than being first. Why is that distinction becoming increasingly important in today’s digital media environment?
- Ana says AI should make journalists more efficient—not replace their judgment. What aspects of journalism can AI assist with? What aspects require uniquely human skills?
- She encourages journalists to: “Deliver the news. Don’t become the news.” Why is that distinction important?
- Throughout her speech, Ana emphasizes asking questions rather than promoting opinions. Why are thoughtful questions often more valuable than immediate answers?
- She describes journalism as serving the public—not politicians, corporations, or social media audiences. How does this idea connect with Murrow’s belief that journalism is a public trust?
- Ana shares stories of difficult reporting assignments involving tragedy, disasters, and violence. What role does empathy play in ethical journalism? How can journalists balance compassion with objectivity?
- She warns against publishing sensational content simply because it might become viral. How do social media incentives sometimes conflict with responsible journalism?
- Ana says audiences have more choices for news than ever before. How does this abundance of information make media literacy more important?
- Near the end of her speech she says: “Technology is a tool.” What responsibilities still belong entirely to human journalists?
Optional Activity 1: Verify Before You Share
Time: 20 minutes
Present students with five hypothetical breaking-news social media posts.
Working in groups, students decide:
- Would you share this immediately?
- What information still needs verification?
- Which sources would you contact?
- What evidence would increase confidence?
Finish by discussing how verification protects public trust.
Optional Activity 2: Murrow Principles in the Modern Age
Students work in teams.
Each team selects one Murrow principle:
- Truth
- Courage
- Accuracy
- Independence
- Fairness
- Public Service
- Accountability
Teams identify:
- Why the principle mattered in Murrow’s era
- How AI and social media challenge it today
- How journalists can preserve it moving forward
Each group presents a three-minute summary.
Reflection Assignment
Prompt
Ana Cabrera argues that journalism’s mission has not changed even though technology has transformed nearly everything else.
Write one page discussing:
- Which lesson from her keynote you found most meaningful.
- Whether journalism still plays an essential role in democracy.
- How future communicators can earn public trust.
Support your ideas with examples from the keynote.
Key Takeaways
Students should leave understanding that:
- Truth remains journalism’s highest responsibility.
- Credibility is earned through preparation, verification, and transparency.
- Artificial intelligence changes workflows but cannot replace human judgment, ethics, empathy, or curiosity.
- Journalism serves the public by holding powerful institutions accountable.
- Great reporting begins with asking thoughtful questions rather than confirming existing beliefs.
- Trust is journalism’s most valuable asset and must be protected through accuracy, fairness, and integrity.
- Edward R. Murrow’s principles remain highly relevant despite rapid technological change.
Teacher Notes
Media Literacy Connections
Ana Cabrera’s keynote provides an excellent framework for discussing the future of journalism and media literacy in the age of artificial intelligence. While acknowledging rapid technological disruption, she argues that the profession’s core values remain unchanged. Students should recognize several enduring themes:
- Verification is More Important Than Speed: As AI-generated text, images, audio, and video become increasingly convincing, journalists must strengthen—not relax—their verification practices before publishing information.
- Technology Does Not Replace Ethics: AI can assist with transcription, research organization, and workflow efficiency, but it cannot substitute for editorial judgment, ethical reasoning, empathy, or accountability.
- Trust Is Earned Through Process: Public confidence depends not simply on delivering information quickly but on demonstrating transparency, fairness, accuracy, and independence throughout the reporting process.
- Journalism Is a Public Service: Cabrera reinforces Edward R. Murrow’s belief that journalism exists to serve communities by informing citizens, asking difficult questions, and holding institutions accountable rather than pursuing attention or popularity.
- Human Connection Remains Central: Whether covering natural disasters, political conflict, or personal tragedy, meaningful journalism requires compassion, careful listening, and respect for the people whose stories are being told.
Together, these lessons reinforce that while platforms, technologies, and audience behaviors will continue to evolve, the essential mission of journalism – to seek truth, verify facts, and inform the public with integrity – remains unchanged. Ana Cabrera’s address demonstrates that The Murrow Standard is not simply a historical ideal but an active professional responsibility for the next generation of communicators.