2. Journalism-The Challenges
Traditionally Journalism is definied as
bringing the news of the day—material of
current interest or importance– to an
audience.
Yet this definition has blurred, at least in
the eyes and ears of consumers.
What do you think has caused the
definition to blur?
3. Journalism
As technology (social networks, online RSS
feeds) of journalism has diversified, the
lines between journalism and gossip,
between journalism and entertainment,
have narrowed.
4. Journalism
At the high school level, journalism is still
best approached as the process of
reporting and writing the news and
packaging it for an audience. Whatever
the technology, news is information that
must be collected and presented to a
consumer.
5. Journalism
News—or journalism– is only one part of
what is called media.
Journalism is not the movies, book
publishing, public relations, corporate
communications, television sitcoms, radio
talk shows, websites (with the exception of
newspaper websites), or any other sub
divisions of mass communication.
6. Journalism
Because journalism results in a product, it
can be studied as a discipline.
Journalism is a laboratory in which the
goal is production by a team, just as it is in
the professional press.
7. Lesson 1: Is it news?
Hurricane Issac lashes Gulf coast in a slow Churn
Ann Romney, Chris Christie vouch for Mitt’s heart
and spine
Teen tried for allegedly impersonating a Physician
Wynonna resumes tour after husband’s crash
Madonna tells America, Enjoy your freedom
Katie and Tom finalize their divorce
Is Lindsey Lohan too skinny?
Kris Kardashian’s love affair, will Bruce forgive her?
8. Journalism
Roles for a Publication:
If you were in charge how would you rank
the ten roles for a publication, from the
following slides?
9. Journalism
1. News Reporting-to what degree will you
report what does on in school—the good,
the bad, the past, present, future? What do
you consider news? Should you produce
anything but news?
2. Entertainment-how important is giving your
audience an emotionally rewarding break
from academic life, including a focus on the
humorous, light side of themselves? If it isn’t
serious, can you tell if it is news?
10. Journalism
3. Matter of Record-to what extent will you
report all events during the school year so
there will be a record of the year for others
to look back on? What details are
important? To what extent are you
producing history? Is journalism history on
the run?
4. School Spirit-how responsible are you for
stressing the positive and for helping readers
see the good side of the school year? Are
you a cheerleader, obliged to publicize and
promote school life?
11. Journalism
5. Community Image-Is the community beyond
your high school campus part of your
audience? How important is it to give
community residents a positive image of
school events? Does it matter what that they,
as parents and citizens, think about your
school?
6. Educational skills-how important is it for you to
learn and practice the professional standards
of journalism education? Should the
commercial press be your model? Is high
school journalism the first step in a career?
12. Journalism
7. Reader Culture-how far should you go in
giving your readers and viewers what they
want, no matter what it is? Should your
journalistic judgment supersede theirs? Will
they buy your product if it does?
8. Leadership-to what extent will you show your
audience what alternatives and choices
might exist to resolve problems and conflicts
at your school? To what extent will you try to
control or influence their decisions?
13. Journalism
9. Public Forum-How much opportunity will
you provide for your audience to express
their views, to sound off on whatever they
want? Are all topics open to public
discussion?
10. Interpretation-To what degree will you
try to explain how events, issues, and
personalities are tied together and affect
student life at your school?
14. Journalism
Setting Priorities with Teamwork
◦ While all 10 goals listed have validity, a publication
or broadcast staff must generate some agreement
on which ones are most important if it’s to develop
a consistent product. Otherwise, you’ll confuse
your readers.
◦ The way to set priorities is through discussion.
◦ Journalism is a group effort from beginning to end.
In the commercial press, journalism requires
specialists whose work blends together as the
publication or broadcast is produced. At the high
school level, journalism is more likely to be the work
of generalists, beginners who do a little bit of
everything because that’s the best way to learn.
◦ Goals need to be argued on a regular basis—they
form the foundation of what you’re going to learn
to do.
15. Journalism-Primary Roles
Here are a few thoughts about the Primary
Roles:
1. News Reporting-The difficulty of setting
this goal as a high priority is determining
what is news. As a journalist you are a
gatekeeper-you, not the audience,
decide on what news items will be
presented. Once you forfeit your right to
control access, you stop being a journalist.
16. Primary Roles
2. Entertainment-This function has evolved
as a strong priority for most forms of
journalism-to the dismay of traditionalists
who see information and truth as
journalism’s most noble goal. Yet news
and entertainment have long coincided
in the same journalistic medium. The
question here is balance.
17. Primary Roles
3. Matter of Record-this journalistic purpose
takes highest priority in the yearbook,
which by definition, defines the year.
Professional papers do this too-notice the
detail recorded in the stock market
report, score boxes on the sports page, or
the weather page.
18. Primary Roles
4. School Spirit-Journalism and promotion are
not the same thing, so this priority might be
low. You might run into conflict with school
officials who would only like you to present the
school in a positive light. Other students may
see your job as a publicity agent for their
activities. Don’t dismiss this goal—learn to
understand its importance to others and your
school environment. You should also get used
to the blaming the messenger element in
journalism, in which you get criticized for what
you print and don’t print.
19. Primary Roles
5. Community Image-This goal deals with public
relations, implying that because adults outside
the school may read the newspaper, it should
be written with them in mind. You need to
prioritize your audience.
6. Educational skills-journalism class, like any other
course offered in your school, ought to develop
useful skills in those who take it, especially if
students are considering journalism as a
profession. That is argument for developing as
professional an approach as possible for what
you are learning.
20. Primary Roles
7. Reader Culture-This is a tempting priority
fraught with risks. If your sure your
audience is homogeneous, it’s easy to
address their tastes, but you might end up
with a crossword puzzle magazine or a
comic book. Awareness of their needs is
good, but it can’t conflict with the other
priorities.
21. Primary roles
8. Leadership-It’s quite easy for the
newspaper to have influence on certain
areas or on specific issues, but journalists
disagree on the importance of this goal.
Traditional journalists argue that the press
should report the news in a neutral manner
and not try to influence decisions. Yet the
more active leadership role of the press in
influencing public behavior has been
clear for quite some time.
22. Primary Roles
9. Public Forum-This purpose has legal
implications. Getting agreement from the
school administration that your publication is,
indeed, a public forum is the best way to
avoid censorship.
10. Interpretation-this function deserves high
priority in all forms of student journalism
because it takes the audience beyond the
superficial and tries to explain the environment
in which they spend so much time. But it is
difficult to be consistent with interpretation.
23. Other Roles
Paying your way-generating profit, how
will it affect our reader culture?
Showcase-providing created students with
an outlet for publication can be seen as a
role if you put the audience first. Do we
support our school events just because
they entertain an audience? Yet where
would these activities be without an
audience? Where would we be without
an audience?
25. The First Amendment to the US
Constitution as a part of the Bill
of Rights
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.
26. School Speech
In Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503
(1969), the Supreme Court extended free speech rights to students in
school. The case involved several students who were punished for
wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The Supreme
Court ruled that the school could not restrict symbolic speech that did
not cause undue interruptions of school activities. Justice Abe Fortas
wrote,
[S]chools may not be enclaves of totalitarianism. School officials do not
possess absolute authority over their students. Students...are possessed
of fundamental rights which the State must respect, just as they
themselves must respect their obligations to the State.
However, since 1969 the Supreme Court has placed a number of limitations
on Tinker interpretations. In Bethel School District v. Fraser, 478 U.S. 675
(1986), the Court ruled that a student could be punished for his sexual-
innuendo-laced speech before a school assembly and, in Hazelwood v.
Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260 (1988), the Court found that school newspapers
enjoyed fewer First Amendment protections and are subject to school
censorship. More recently, in Morse v. Frederick, 551 U.S. 393 (2007) the
Court ruled that schools could, consistent with the First Amendment,
restrict student speech at school-sponsored events, even events away
29. Conflict of interest: Examples include interviewing friends; only interviewing
one grade or those with a specific point of view; "getting even" with those
who might have wronged you; doing anything that might compromise
objectivity in the reporting of the truth.
Plagiarism: Claiming others' work as one's own, essentially stealing from them.
Students must credit other people's materials and ideas, including those
published in newspapers, magazines and books. This includes "borrowing" or
downloading visuals from the Internet to use without permission with stories.
Anonymous sources: Although many reporters use anonymous sources, there
are rules about when to use them. A reporter has to determine the
information's value and whether is it possible to get it any other way. She also
has to determine whether she needs to protect the source from harm from
being an identified source. A comment about the cafeteria's food should not
be permitted to remain anonymous, for example, but a revelation about
suffering child abuse may be.
Offending or distasteful content: Although it is impossible to run any story
without offending, insulting or displeasing someone, student journalists must
strive to keep the press open and accessible to a wide range of views without
stooping to gratuitous offense. While some use of "dirty" language might be
necessary, journalists have to decide if there is another way to present the
information or if the presentation will be so offensive it will preclude readers
from getting the information.
30. Invasion of privacy: While this is often a legal issue, it is also an
ethical one. Student - and professional - reporters must consider
the consequences of publishing the outstanding news value
photo or naming someone in an article.
Bias: Human beings cannot be purely objective. The mere
selection of one story over another raises the issue of value
judgments. Those who create content must attempt to be as
fair and impartial as is possible. Every issue has more than one
side, and all sides should be represented as much as possible.
Student journalists trying to be objective should not avoid
exploration, experimentation and variety in the press.
Commitment to accuracy: Little undermines integrity and,
therefore, effectiveness of the media more than carelessness
(or deceit) leading to inaccuracy in the press. Not publishing
information is almost always better than publishing inaccurate
information. The rush to be first, prized today and available to
anyone now with the Internet, is no justification for not
checking out data, information and sources.
