Highlights:-Teachers do not explicitly frame the news as questions about political responsibility.-Teachers do not switch between individual and social responsibility when covering the news.-There is little room for students to explore their own understanding of political responsibility in the classrooms.-A didactic model for developing political responsibility covering the news is discussed. Purpose: The article discusses to what extent and in what ways teachers make room for students to develop their understanding of political responsibility when covering the news in social studies classrooms. The goal is to outline the conditions for a model that generates an understanding of political responsibility through news coverage. Design/methodology/approach: Six teachers’ news coverage during 25 lessons has been observed, three at lower secondary-and three at upper secondary school and analysed using content analysis, combining political-, media-and pedagogic concepts relevant for the purpose. Findings: Students’ ability to develop an understanding of political responsibility is limited. There are various needs to consider when designing a didactic model to address this problem. One concerns teachers’ readiness to perceive the political implications of news events related to political responsibility. Research limitations/implications: Although the robustness of the results increases when compared to previous research, it cannot be generalised. Practical implications: We have identified certain conditions that challenge conventional news coverage that should be considered when aiming to develop an understanding of political responsibility.