You are the newspaper man whose paper is looking for a controversial news story.

You're from a large city. What do you think of these people in this small Tennessee town?

Can you let your own beliefs get in the way of reporting the news accurately?

Explore the Web Sites below under the resources for your historical person and do each numbered task so that you are ready for the trial.

1. You are the news reporter. Read the information on how various papers covered the Scopes Monkey Trial. Look at H.L. Mencken's view of this trial in Dayton, Tennessee. Create a ten slide Power Point presentation describing what the news media said about the trial.

2. Read three news stories by H.L. Mencken that have nothing to do with the Scopes Trial. In a six slide Power Point presentation, describe the three stories and Mencken's perspective and views on these stories. One slide describes the story. Another slide describes Mencken's views.

3. Look up the word "objective news reporting" in the on-line source below and write the definition down. From the news accounts that you have read, how objective were the reporters who covered the trial? Tell a classmate what you discovered.

4. Create an eight slide Power Point presentation that explains what the duty of a free press is.