1) Using your critical thinking skills, develop a list of five (5) questions that Diane Sawyer
should have asked Dr. Richard Besser, had he had more time available, that would have helped to
more clearly establish whether or not such a connection actually exists.
1. Knowing pesticides are linked to ADHD why are they still being used and sold to
families?
2. What exactly about the chemical made them come to the conclusion that the risk was
worth the benefits?
3. If there are organic fruit and nits sold for equally if not a couple more cents higher why
not make all fruit organic?
4. What should we look for in regards to buying produce?
5. Are the effects of the pesticides reversible?
2) Remembering that most adult Americans do not have college degrees. If you were an adult
American with young children, if all you knew about a potential connection between ADHD and
Pesticides was from this ABC news clip, what actions might you take in response to it?
I would post about it firstly. Since everyone looks at blogs and social media I would start there. I
would secondly start growing my own produce in order to protect my kids. It is very hard to
protect yourself and community from the negative effect of pesticides but it all starts with
awareness.
3) Is this an example of responsible, objective journalism? Why or why not?
Yes, It is informative and allowed the viewer to understand more about the negative things
pesticides can do to our communities children. It also shows us a couple of solutions to combat
this problem.