Journalism

I. Journalism:
In this section on Journalism, you will learn to

Understand how journalists determine what is newsworthy.
Appreciate what values and ethics guide journalists.
Understand the "rituals of reporting" as well as new trends and challenges to established practices.
Understand what is meant by "bias" in news.
Assess the power of the press in its role as watchdog or monitor of those in power.

II. What makes something newsworthy:

What Makes Something Newsworthy?

Good journalism begins with the identification of a newsworthy story. Easy, right? Just identify stories that are important enough to warrant coverage; however, how is this done? The answer can be found in your textbook on page 487-488. Editors use a set of criteria in order to determine that a story is worth telling. Here's a synopsis of that criteria.

First, noteworthy news is current. It's what's happening at the moment - or what just happened. For example, reporting on the latest on the war in Iraq. Proximity means that Philadelphia media give more coverage to the Phillies and Eagles. In other words, if it's happening in my back yard, I want to know about it. Next, conflict is newsworthy. Differences of opinion about an important issue - for example, Iran's desire to begin a nuclear program and the resistance it's meeting up with in the United Nations Security Council - is a conflict worth reporting on. Prominence is another criterion of newsworthiness. Prominent people or issues often receive mention in the press. For example, Barry Bonds and his alleged use of steriods has received plenty of coverage. Besides prominence, human interest stories warrant coverage. When extraordinary things - good or bad - occur to ordinary people, that's worth reporting to the public. Down-and-out winners of lotteries provide story lines that people become fascinated with and want to read about. Next, issues of consequence that affect a large majority of viewers make a story newsworthy. An example of consequence would be stories on global warming. Stories about novel or deviant behavior attract coverage - sometimes too much coverage (eg., road rage incidents).

Now, let's take these criteria and apply them to the important articles you read for homework. Were these stories newsworthy? According to these criteria, yes. The articles on Abu Ghraib, on Walter Reed hospital, on the mentally ill, and on the Harrier jet exposed information that was current, wrought with conflict, novel or deviant, and had consequence to a large majority of people. In these cases, the stories of injustice needed to be told. However, the reporters of these articles didn't just tell the story as an event: meaning, "This is what's happening to the mentally ill in New York..." or "This is what's happening to pilots of the Harrier jet..." No. These articles go beyond event-based reporting and demonstrate true investigative journalism practices. So, getting back to the concept of how good journalism occurs...Good journalism occurs when a newsworthy issue is well-researched and well-reported in a narrative and contextual fashion.

III. The Freedom of Information Act

Often, in order for a story to be well-researched and well-reported, journalists have to rely on sources. These sources can be paper-based. For example, in the article concerning the mentally ill patients, journalists at the New York Times spent a year sifting through 5,000 pages of annual state inspection reports in order to piece together a full accounting of the deaths in these institutions. In the Widow Maker article, the sources were mostly people who felt compelled to tell the story about the dangers of the Harrier. The journalists spoke with Harrier pilots, Pentagon weapons testers, and families of pilots who died in accidents involving the jet.

Investigations into subjects that are "touchy" like this often involve plenty of research and digging by journalists committed to uncovering the truth. Help with the digging process comes in the form of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Journalists and citizens can submit a FOIA request to access records from national, state and local government departments and agenies. Records that are sought might be those on child care facilities in your county or workplace safety records for a particular company. All forms of records can be requested under the FOIA. These include printed or recorded documentation, maps, photos or computer files. Once journalists or citizens make the FOIA request to government officials, they must release the information or justify the need for secrecy. Information that is not subject to FOIA requests include classified data concerning national defense or foreign policy as well as trade secrets.

You can think of the FOIA as our "right to know" calling card. We use the FOIA in order to gain access to information that we believe we need to know to hold government officials accountable. The FOIA is employed by journalists/watchdogs to uncover information that they believe we need to know. For example, FOIA requests were used by journalists in the Pulitzer Prize-winning article on the mentally ill. Without the FOIA, it would be very easy for government agencies to keep damaging information like this a secret. Let's face it, they don't want to share this information with journalists or the public. It discredits them. Of course they would prefer not to share it. The FOIA, however, forces agencies to open records (damaging or otherwise) for all of us to see. Just think, what if we had a mentally ill relative and didn't know about the horrific treatment taking place in a state-run facility that housed this relative? Wouldn't we want to know? The FOIA allows for the free flow of information. It permits us to know and make decisions for ourselves and our families.

IV. Watergate & "All the President's Men."

It was the diligent use of government records and sources that ultimately led to President Richard Nixon's political demise. History would be hard pressed to acknowledge two journalists more famous for digging up and uncovering the truth than Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who wrote for The Washington Post in the 1970's. Lessons learned from Woodward and Bernstein's reporting of the Watergate scandal are still studied in Communication classrooms today because they provide timeless "how to's" for quality journalism.

As a bit of background, in June 1972 there was a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate hotel and office building in Washington, DC. Five men were arrested during the break-in. While it would have been easy to simply report on the event - the break-in itself - The Washington Post dug deeper to find answers. Two reporters, Woodward and Bernstein, worked as a team to eventually tie the burglars to CREEP - the Committee to Re-elect the President. These burglars were paid to perform the break-in by members of CREEP who had ties to Nixon. Did Nixon know of these illegal acts of sabatoge against the democratic party? Did Nixon authorize the use of funds to fuel these illegal acts? The journalistic watchdogs, Woodward and Bernstein, set about finding out.

In their search for answers, they met up with unwilling sources and countless obstacles. They exhibited a resourcefulness and tenacity that assisted them in the reporting process. They reported the truth, employed no deceptive practices, conducted methodical research, and simply allowed the story to develop slowly as piece by piece began to fit into place. They didn't race or rush to report information. They often received leads or sought verification of leads from their anonymous source, Deep Throat. They checked and double checked data...and their editors at the Washington Post gave them the time and resources to do so. Woodward and Bernstein's executive editor and publisher were under fire from Nixon's administration; however, they believed in the press being an independent monitor of power, and thus, continued to green-light Woodward and Bernstein to follow the story as far as it would go. We know, of course, that the story took them up the chain of command to Nixon himself. A free and independent newspaper, two tenacious reporters and their adherence to the often long and arduous reporting process, all provoked a change in the course of history. The Watergate coverage by The Washington Post put government officials on notice that they could not lie and get away with it. The watchdog is continously monitoring and observing...waiting to hold officials accountable to those they represent.

Review this site for background on Watergate. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/front.htm

Group Work to prepare for class discussion and paper.

Once you've investigated these examples of aggressive "watch-dog" journalism (Watergate, Harrier, Walter Reed Hospital), meet with your team of 5 people to formulate responses to the questions listed below. Brainstorm the responses as a team, and then divvy them up among team members so everyone has an opportunity to present to the class (each person should take a question, research it, and respond to it) . You will be asked to share your answers to these questions, reference these (and/or other) journalism websites, and offer your opinions on converged media as being the future of the communication industry. You will discuss these questions in class and write a paper on this topic.

Explain how each if these stories is newsworthy, according to the criteria you have learned.
Discuss the effort that journalists must put in to reporting a significant story, especially how they had to get information from reluctant officials.
Describe how much work is typically involved in the investigative reporting process. Explain the process you see journalists going through in order to provide us with a comprehensive understanding of the newsworthy issue.
Evaluate the benefits of the aggressive, critical reporting of these journalists.
What personality traits are necessary for good journalists?
In what ways did these reporters exemplify the ethical standards listed in the SPJ Code of Ethics on p. 444 in your textbook?
What lessons does The Washington Post's coverage of Watergate and of Walter Reed Hospital provide to journalists and other news media today?

IV. Class Discussion Instructions:

In preparation for presenting your discoveries and ideas in class and in writing, the following process will be followed:

Review the journalism examples for yourself.
Read and answer the questions your group will work together to answer. It would be a good idea to possess your own personal sense of the issue.
You will be assigned by your professor to work as part of a team of 5 people who will be asked to present their responses to these questions and provide examples.
In your team, discuss the questions and review everyone's individual responses. Also, discuss your impressions of the journalism examples you reviewed for homework.

V. Paper Topic and Instructions:

Paper Specifications and Requirements

Your paper should address these bulleted questions in a well-written essay:

Explain how each if these stories is newsworthy, according to the criteria you have learned.
Discuss the effort that journalists must put in to reporting a significant story, especially how they had to get information from reluctant officials.
Describe how much work is typically involved in the investigative reporting process. Explain the process you see journalists going through in order to provide us with a comprehensive understanding of the newsworthy issue.
Evaluate the benefits of the aggressive, critical reporting of these journalists.
What personality traits are necessary for good journalists?
In what ways did these reporters exemplify the ethical standards listed in the SPJ Code of Ethics on p. 444 in your textbook?
What lessons does The Washington Post's coverage of Watergate and of Walter Reed Hospital provide to journalists and other news media today?

A truly comprehensive and well-researched essay that responds to these questions would yield a paper between 5-6 pages long, double spaced. Your paper should be written in Times New Roman 12 pt type. It should include a "Works Cited" or "Reference" page that follows APA Style. Papers without a "Works Cited" or "Reference" page will immediately be marked down two full letter grades. It is assumed that if you do not cite your sources, then your work is simply opinion and not based on research. Because this is a "research paper," you must cite the sources that you've used to formulate your viewpoints. Your papers must be written in Microsoft Word and saved as: LastnameCOM101journalism.doc (e.g., SmithCOM101journalism.doc). Upload your papers by clicking on "Assignments" and "Journalism Paper." Attach the file. Do not cut and paste it into the assignment window.

Grading Rubric

A = An "A" paper is one that carefully considers the bulleted questions posed in this instruction sheet. This paper would reference the website examples listed above, outside research on journalism, and our in-class discusions on this topic in order to respond to the questions. The paper would present well thought out responses that demonstrate a true understanding of journalism and its role in our society.

B = A "B" paper is one that somewhat considers the bulleted questions posed in this instruction sheet. This paper would reference some of the website examples listed above, outside research on journalism, and our in-class discusions on this topic in order to respond to the questions. The paper would present responses that demonstrate an accurate understanding of journalism and its role in our society.

C = A "C" paper is one that barely considers the bulleted questions posed in this instruction sheet. This paper would only tangentially reference the website examples listed above, outside research on journalism, and our in-class discusions on this topic in order to respond to the questions. The paper would present responses that demonstrate an adequate understanding of journalism and its role in our society.

D = A "D" paper is one that fails to consider the bulleted questions posed in this instruction sheet. This paper would largely ignore the website examples listed above, outside research on journalism, and our in-class discusions on this topic in order to respond to the questions. The paper would present responses that demonstrate a limited understanding of journalism and its role in our society.

F = An "F" paper is one that is not submitted for grading, or one that completely ignores the instructions as outlined in this document.

~by Prof. Dawn Francis