How to do this activity. Bring in three or four different newspapers of the same day — including, if you can, one in your own language and one in English. The editorial page is usually the one with no photographs and no advertisements, carrying two or three unsigned opinion pieces. In groups of four or five, read the editorials, write the topic of each in a few words, and then tick the ones that are about something the government has done, plans to do, or has failed to do. Count the ticks. Finally, compare two newspapers on the same topic and see whether they take the same view.
What a good answer needs: the actual date and names of the papers; a topic in your own words for every editorial (not a copied headline); a clear yes/no on whether it concerns government policy; the count and the fraction; and one sentence on what surprised you. Do not label a newspaper as being for or against any party — the point of the exercise is to notice what is being discussed and how opinions are argued, not to take sides.
Sample answer:
| Newspaper | Topic of the editorial | About government policy? |
|---|---|---|
| Paper A, editorial 1 | A new scheme to give scholarships to school students | Yes — a union government scheme |
| Paper A, editorial 2 | Air quality in the city this winter | Yes — state and municipal action |
| Paper B, editorial 1 | Rules for approving new medicines | Yes — a regulator’s decision |
| Paper B, editorial 2 | An Indian team’s performance in a tournament | No |
| Paper C, editorial 1 | Repair of a state highway after the monsoon | Yes — a state public works matter |
| Paper C, editorial 2 | A book festival in the city | No |
Result of the sample survey: 4 out of 6 editorials, that is two-thirds, were about government policy. In most collections the share comes out somewhere between half and three-quarters, because government decisions touch almost everything — prices, schools, roads, health, safety, the environment.