History of Journalism Quiz/Shattered Glass

Here are the websites to study for History of Journalism quiz:

http://www.flashcardmachine.com/history-of-journalism1.html

http://www.flashcardmachine.com/history-of-journalism2.html

http://www.flashcardmachine.com/history-of-journalism3.html

Review Prezis/Media Ethics

Review of last week's Prezi presentations on the History of Journalism.

Quiz on Wednesday.

Media Ethics

Summary: These resources provide an overview of journalistic writing with explanations of the most important and most often used elements of journalism and the Associated Press style. This resource, revised according to The Assocatied Press Stylebook 2011, offers examples for the general format of AP style. For more information, please consult The Associated Press Stylebook 2011, 46th edition.
Contributors:Christopher Arnold, Tony Cook, Elizabeth Angeli
Last Edited: 2010-04-25 08:48:03

Introduction

The same First Amendment freedoms that allow U.S. media outlets to publish without fear of government interference also make it nearly impossible to impose a standard of ethics or professional protocol for journalists. No organization exists to certify journalists, and likewise, no uniform system exists for penalizing unethical behavior.
Nonetheless, professionals in the field generally take great pride and responsibility in their roles, and organizations such as the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists offer thorough and useful guidelines for ethical conduct.
Generally, ethical concerns in the media can be grouped into a few broad categories. The following points synthesize and summarize some important ethical concerns proposed by the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists.

Accuracy

• Check the accuracy of information from all sources to avoid error.
• Subjects of news stories should always have the opportunity to respond to any allegations of wrongdoing.
• When mistakes are made, they must be corrected – fully and quickly.
• Headlines, news teases and promotional material, including photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations, should never misrepresent, oversimplify, or highlight incidents out of context.

Treatment of Sources

• Identify sources whenever possible so that the public has as much information possible to determine the sources’ reliability.
• Always keep any promises made in return for the source’s cooperation.
• Only guarantee a source’s anonymity when the source insists upon it, when he or she provides vital information, when there is no other way to obtain that information, and when the source is knowledgeable and reliable.
• Strive to quote sources accurately and in the proper context.

Avoiding Bias

• Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled, and not misrepresent fact or context.
• Distinguish news from advertising and avoid hybrids that blur the two.
• Examine your own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
• Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
• Support the open exchange of views, even views you might find repugnant.

Avoiding Distortions

• Never knowingly introduce false information into material intended for publication or broadcast.
• Never alter photo, video, or image content.

Gathering Information

• Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information, except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public.
• Use of any non-traditional methods of gathering information should be explained as part of the story.
• Rely on the most up-to-date and accurate research when gathering facts for a story.
• Never plagiarize.

Minimizing Harm

• Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage, especially children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
• Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
• Understand that private people have a greater expectation of privacy than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention.
• Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.
• Be cautious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.

Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

• Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
• Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
• Always refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment.
• Avoid secondary employment, political involvement, public office, or service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
• Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
• Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests.
• Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money.

Conclusion

There is no standard for ethical journalistic practice, but two widely regarded organizations, The Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists, offer useful and time-tested guidelines. When in doubt, always confer with a trusted colleague or supervisor.

Sources

“The Associated Press Statement of News Values and Principles.” www.ap.org 16 Feb 2006. http://www.ap.org/newsvalues/index.html.
“Society of Professional Journalists: Code of Ethics.” www.spj.org 18 Dec 2008. http://spj.org/ethicscode.asp.

Presidential Debate

Discussion of Presidential Debate and Media Punditry

What did you think?

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Continue to work on your Prezis!

Presidential Debate

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/topic/politics/

Background:Many Americans have not made up their minds about whom to vote for and the upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates will help them decide. Explain to your students that often viewers react to a candidate's performance-- how they look and act instead of what they say. This activity is designed to help them focus on what the candidates say and then look at how the media covers the debate and the consequent effect on public opinion.

Procedure:BEFORE THE DEBATE
1. Pass out the ballot based on the National Forensic League's public forum debates, and explain that this will help them focus on the substance of the debate instead of just the style. 

2. Encourage them to take notes-- writing down each question and how the candidates answer it. These notes will be useful when the students are asked to defend the scores they give to the debaters. Remind them that the entire debate will be on the NewsHour's Election site the day after the debate, so they can replay key exchanges.

3. Suggest that the students refrain from watching "analysts" or "experts" on TV-- or read any post-debate analysis until after they have filled out their own ballot.

AFTER THE DEBATE
1. The day after the debate, go over the ballots in class. Are the ratings consistent or not? Students can discuss their ratings and use the RealAudio or a transcript on the Web to defend their arguments. 

2. If you want, the class can write a critique of the debate and e-mail suggestions to the candidate's Web sites. (Also to NewsHour Extra for possible publication on the Web site.)
Media Coverage of the Debates

1. Ask students to pick a newspaper article or television show and fill out the following worksheet: How the Media Covers the Debates Students are asked to look for the criteria they used when rating the debaters' performances (analysis, evidence, reasoning, cross-fire, rebuttal, delivery) and then analyze what the media portrays as the most important part of the debate.
2. Students can then present their article and discuss the media coverage of the debates. (Examples of questions to foster discussion: Do you think the coverage is fair and accurate? Is it slanted one way or the other? Why might that be? How might you have done it differently?)