Lesson plan

David Mudd

William David Mudd (2 June 1933 – 28 April 2020) was a British politician. Mudd was born in Falmouth, Cornwall, in June 1933. He was educated at Truro Cathedral School and was a member of the Tavistock Urban District Council from 1959 to 1961. He carried out his National service on merchant ships in the 1950s and, after working for a brief period as a stage manager in ballrooms all over the UK, he decided to take on a career in radio and television broadcast journalism. He was Conservative MP for Falmouth and Camborne from 1970 until 1992, when he stood down. It was considered a surprise when he decided to stand in his old constituency at the 2005 general election as an independent candidate. He came fifth with 2% of the vote. In the 1970s, Mudd was a member of Mebyon Kernow as well as the Conservative Party. He was also a newsreader on Westward Television in the 1970s and a Cornish bard. He died in Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Devon in April 2020 at the age of 86.

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Article summary

William David Mudd (2 June 1933 – 28 April 2020) was a British politician. Mudd was born in Falmouth, Cornwall, in June 1933. He was educated at Truro Cathedral School and was a member of the Tavistock Urban District Council from 1959 to 1961. He carried out his National service on merchant ships in the 1950s and, after working for a brief period as a stage manager in ballrooms all over the UK, he decided to take on a career in radio and television broadcast journalism. He was Conservative MP for Falmouth and Camborne from 1970 until 1992, when he stood down. It was considered a surprise when he decided to stand in his old constituency at the 2005 general election as an independent candidate. He came fifth with 2% of the vote. In the 1970s, Mudd was a member of Mebyon Kernow as well as the Conservative Party. He was also a newsreader on Westward Television in the 1970s and a Cornish bard. He died in Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Devon in April 2020 at the age of 86.

Key claims

  1. date of birth: 1933 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. date of death: 2020 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of birth is "1933". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the date of death is "2020". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1347289789

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.