The mock hearing cases included in this project are developed from real cases at the Minnesota News Council. They are appropriate for high school and college level classes. The depth of the discussion and deliberation will depend on the level of the students. The Minnesota News Council staff has been facilitating these mock hearings in classes for over five years. These cases seem to consistently prompt some intriguing discussions.

Before the hearing

The mock hearing is coordinated like a regular hearing. There will be two student actors playing the part of complainant and respondent. The rest of the class will be council members. They will receive the council member hearing materials included in the case materials packet ahead of time. They will read the material and prepare questions. The student actors will read the case materials and read the background materials for their character. You may want to do a practice session with the student actors ahead of time.

You may want to begin the mock hearing session with an explanation of the Minnesota News Council and its mission. The teacher’s handbook includes information on this. There are some sensitive issues raised in a few of the cases. You might want to go over some of these issues before the hearing. There are discussion notes in the teacher’s handbook for each case.

The hearing

The hearing begins with the complainant and respondent each reading a prepared statement. This elaborates on the complaint the students have already read. Then, the council members have a chance to question either party about elements of the case, their decision-making process, etc. The teacher may want to ask a few questions if any vital issues need to be addressed.

Then, the council members deliberate. This should be a discussion or debate amongst the students. They can use this time to convince their classmates of the way to vote, or ask questions of each other.

At the end of the deliberation, the class will vote on whether to uphold or deny the complaints included in the Questions for Voting. You may want to read the Minnesota News Council’s decision in the case to offer for comparison.

After the hearing

The teacher’s handbook includes the Minnesota News Council’s determination and a worksheet for after the hearing. More resources for continuing the conversation after the hearing can be found on the individual case pages.

The handbook also contains a feedback form. Please fill it out. We are always interested in feedback that will help us improve the project.