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Four Corners: Making a case for and against the use of fluoride

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Old photo of child receiving dental treatment
Four Corners: Making a case for and against the use of fluoride

SUBJECTS:  English, History

YEARS:  9–10


When presenting an issue for debate, what should we include?

Follow this television current affairs story to see how the case for and against fluoridisation of public water is presented. Analyse the evidence and the perspectives of the people chosen.

This black-and-white clip is from a Four Corners program aired in 1963.


Things to think about

  1. 1.If you were an investigative journalist presenting an issue to the public, how would you organise your ideas? What would you need to include to help viewers/readers form an opinion?
  2. 2.What is the central issue being investigated in this clip? Listen for the three points for and the three points against fluoridation of water that are presented. Look at the way interviews, visuals, metaphors, scientific data and testimonials are used to support different sides of the argument. Which parts of the argument, if any, do you find convincing?
  3. 3.One argument against fluoridation of water is that it is a violation of civil rights. What is meant by this? Think about the 'scientific data' presented. List some facts raised. If you were researching this debate now, what scientific data would you include? Make a list of the people interviewed, who they represented at the time and whether they supported or were against water fluoridation. What do you find?
  4. 4.This program was made in 1963, but the water fluoridation debate continues in parts of Australia. Look at some current or recent presentations of the debate, such as the one in Queensland, in newspapers and television programs. How do these arguments and their presentation compare with the issues raised in this Four Corners program?



Date of broadcast: 28 Sep 1963


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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