CBC Archives

Ask students how they get their news about current global conflicts. Ask: What access do reporters have? How do they get their information?

Have students then consider what war reporting might have been like in the Second World War, before computers and television. What media access did citizens have? What limitations did that create?

Place the class into mixed gender groups of four to five. Direct them to the topic D-Day: Canadians Target Juno Beach on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site and have them listen to Clips #4, 5, 8, and the Additional Clips “Witness to D-Day” and “Aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier on D-Day.” As they listen, students will take notes to interpret what they hear. They should listen for the names of Canadian troops and ships and how and where they proceeded on June 6, 1944, including place names where possible. They should also identify the types of weapons they used and faced. Students use their notes to create a rough timeline of the progress of Canadian troops and ships.

After listening, groups discuss what they heard and could decipher, and what information they think was missing.

Next, have all students view the Additional Clip “Crusade for Liberation.” Explain that, historically, newsreels were played in movie theatres to sum up the knowledge of what was happening in the war. What bias do they notice in the clip? Why do they think a positive perspective was shared with the public?

Give each group a copy of the download sheet On the Home Front, which shows Canadian movements on Juno Beach. Then show Clip #6. Ask students to comment on the new information and compare it to the first set of radio reports. Does the newsreel help pull things together? Would it have done so in 1944?

Students can examine a current military situation and create a timeline and list of events. How is their level of information different from what they were able to gather about D-Day?