Abstract The news media is an essential player in the policy making process. Social work students learning how to scrutinize, and influence, the complex world of social policy can benefit from an educational model that incorporates the media. This article first examines the theoretical framework for understanding the media's role in public policy formation. This framework is then used to construct a classroom exercise for analyzing the public discourse using basic content analysis of media texts. A case example drawn from a study of welfare reform and the media is described. By exploring how social problems are translated into public conversations, students can enrich their knowledge of social problem formation, and learn more effective rhetorical techniques and strategies for influencing the public debate.