A Just-in-Time Lesson on Government Messaging
In the weeks before the 2026 midterms, TV ads featuring President Trump began airing during NFL games and on cable news. Each one ends with the words "Paid for by the U.S. Government." The White House calls them public service announcements. Critics in both parties call them taxpayer-funded propaganda. Who's right?
This free lesson for high school and college classrooms helps students answer that question with evidence rather than partisanship. They watch the actual ads, then read a short history of Americans' worries about government persuasion, from the World War I Creel Committee to the Hatch Act. They learn the difference between laws that regulate people and laws that regulate money, and they apply the tests the Government Accountability Office has used to judge government messaging for decades.
Watch the videos:
Final Battle: https://youtu.be/6Q-8-Zfn7Kk
Then choose the format that fits your schedule:
- Option A, Read & Discuss (30 minutes): watch the ads, read the history and law, and discuss.
- Option B, Role Play the Debate (50–75 minutes): students take on the roles of White House counsel, members of Congress, ethics watchdogs, broadcasters, and swing-district voters, and argue their cases before a mock GAO review panel.
😎 Everything is ready to use: readings, stakeholder perspectives, role cards, a scoring sheet, discussion questions, and an exit ticket. It's timely, nonpartisan, and designed to build the skill today's media environment demands most: telling the difference between information and persuasion.