Sie sind auf Seite 1von 180

Instructors Manual

for

Journalism
Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

James Glen Stovall


Emory and Henry College Professor Emeritus, University of Alabama

Boston New York San Francisco Mexico City Montreal Toronto London Madrid Munich Hong Kong Singapore Tokyo Cape Town Sydney

Paris

Copyright 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may be reproduced with Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How, by James Glen Stovall, provided such reproductions bear copyright notice, but may not be reproduced in any form for any other purpose without written permission from the copyright owner. To obtain permission(s) to use the material from this work, please submit a written request to Allyn and Bacon, Permissions Department, 75 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116 or fax your request to 617-848-7320. ISBN 0-205-44431-8 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 09 08 07 06 05

Table of contents

Table of contents
Introduction Syllabus Chapter 1: News and Society Chapter 2: Culture of Journalism Chapter 3: Becoming a Journalist Chapter 4: Newspapers Chapter 5: Magazines Chapter 6: Television and Radio Chapter 7: News Web Sites Chapter 8: Reporters Chapter 9: Reporting Chapter 10: Writing news and features Chapter 11: Style Chapter 12: Editors Chapter 13: Editing and headline writing Chapter 14: Visual Journalists Chapter 15: Graphics Journalism Chapter 16: Photojournalism Chapter 17: Publication Design Chapter 18: Broadcasters Chapter 19: Writing for Broadcast 5 7 17 23 29 33 39 45 51 59 63 69 75 85 89 99 103 109 115 123 127

4 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter 20: Beginnings of Journalism Chapter 21: Journalism Comes of Age Chapter 22: New Realities, New Journalism Chapter 23: 20th Century and Beyond Chapter 24: Law and the Journalist Chapter 25: Ethical Practices Chapter 26: Present and Future Additional exercises

131 135 141 146 149 155 159 163

Syllabus

Introduction

Journalism: Who, What, When, Where Why and How by James Glen Stovall introduces students to a broad range of topics from the nature of news and the culture of professional journalism to the future of the field and the prospects for those who wish to enter it. Journalists tell us about ourselves. In doing so, they perform a role that is not just important but vital for our society. The information they provide gives us context for our personal world and a connection to a larger environment. That information helps us make decisions, from the mundane (whether or not to carry an umbrella because of the threat of rain) to the cosmic (where to get an education, what career to choose). None of these parts of our lives could be complete if we lacked the information provided to us by journalists. Certainly, we get information from many sources besides journalism -- friends, family, books, movies, bulletin boards, etc. -- but journalism reaches across these other sources to provide information that helps us weave what we hear and read together. Journalism, directly or indirectly, touches every part of our lives. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing at the moment has been influenced by the work of a journalist. Not only does journalism affect us personally, but it also has a profound effect on the society that we live in. This effect takes form at many levels and in all aspects of society -- political, social, economic, etc. Journalism determines not only how we see ourselves within a larger environment but it also determines how we share that environment with other people. Journalism is especially important to American society, where there is a tradition of access to information and the exchange of facts, opinions and ideas. That exchange cannot take place without journalism. This instructor's manual is designed to aid instructors and students in using the book and to provide additional information and materials. It is organized to coordinate with the sections and chapters of the book. Each section (or chapter) contains the following: an introduction study questions chapter notes by the author of the book multiple choice questions (with answers) true-false questions (with answers)

6 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How additional material as warranted for the chapter This manual makes many references to the book's web site, which is located at www.ablongman.com/stovall1e. Instructors are encouraged to use the web site as much as they find it useful; students also have access to all of the material on the web site. The multiple choice and true-false questions in each chapter of this manual are not on the web site, and they should not be given to students except under testing conditions. Many people contributed to this instructor's manual to make it a reality. Courtney Bledsoe, currently a mass communications student at Emory and Henry College, wrote the multiple choice and true-false questions for many of the chapters. Her work deserves special note and gratitude. So does that of Jacy Douglas who is just beginning her teaching career in Alabama as this is being written. Jacy has helped in this effort from the very beginning of the project. My good friend Herb Thompson, an education professor at Emory and Henry College, has been most enthusiastic about this whole project and has given me many ideas about it. My colleagues at the University of Alabama, especially George Daniels and Wilson Lowry, have been generous with their ideas and material. My wife Sally proofread and commented on much of this material, and her help is appreciated with deep affection. There are, of course, many others who deserve thanks. My gratitude goes out to them all. Jim Stovall Emory, Va.

Should you have any suggestions about what you find here, please contact the publisher or the author directly. At the time of this writing, Stovall is teaching at Emory and Henry College in Emory, Va. His email address is jstovall@ehc.edu. If you would like to get in touch with Allyn and Bacon, use the following means: Allyn and Bacon web site, Communication and Theatre division: http://www.ablongman.com/catalog/academic/discipline/0,,71737,00.html Mailing address: Acquisitions editor, Communication and Theatre Allyn and Bacon Publishers 75 Arlington Street, Suite 300 Boston, MA 02116

Syllabus

Syllabus

JN 100-002
Introduction to Journalism Instructor: George L. Daniels, Ph.D.
Overview As the prerequisite for all classes in the journalism department, this survey course introduces students to the concepts, processes, and practices of journalism. Students will be challenged to think how journalists think, learn what journalists do and see what they themselves will be experiencing as journalism majors. This freshman-level course also reinforces basic college study skills and introduces some of the software tools used to produce news products. Goals 1. Students will develop a conceptual understanding of what journalism is and what it isn't 2. Through readings, lectures and an independent book review assignment, students will become acquainted the evolution of journalism as a profession and some who work in the profession 3. Students will become familiar with the technological tools of the 21st century journalist including the most common software packages used in reporting, writing, editing and production. 4. Based on exchanges with journalism students and faculty, students in the course will gain an understanding of what to expect as a journalism major at the University of Alabama educationally, socially and professionally 5. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate a readiness for journalism study and ability to operate in a team setting by participating in a "capstone" assignment that involves news writing, editing, and design and presentation of the product to classmates.

8 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How Teaching and Learning Philosophy As the student, you are responsible for your own learning. By planning the course schedule and course activities and developing the course assignments, the instructor in this class is simply the facilitator. If at any time, your learning is hindered by a lack of clarity or understanding of course material or expectations, it is your responsibility to speak up. The instructor is ALWAYS ready and willing to help. But, you have to ask. Required Texts Stovall, J.G. (2005). Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Semester subscription to The Tuscaloosa News. Price $8.00 Quizzes In this course, quizzes are not tests and NOT exams. By covering only two to three weeks worth of course material, they are designed to promote REGULAR, DAILY reading, study and review of course concepts. Secondly, they ALWAYS include current events of local, state, national and international importance. Preparation for quizzes begins with preparing each day's assigned readings BEFORE class. It continues after class as you review notes and readings TOGETHER. Assume all readings, lectures, and key points of guest speakers and facilitators are FAIR GAME for quizzes. Typically, a quiz will have between 10 and 20 items, mostly of an objective nature (multiple choice, True-False, Matching). Some short-answer or essay items may also be included. Other Assignments Quizzes are only one measure of your knowledge and understanding of course concepts. Two other assignments-- a journalism book report and a final project -- are explained in greater detail on separate assignment sheets that can be downloaded from WebCT. Periodically, you will be asked to complete written assignments in class. These must be completed during class time and CANNOT be MADE UP. Computer malfunctions and other calamities are common and should be anticipated. That means completing major assignments AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. In this class, LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Grading Here's how the points awarded for each element of the final grade will be weighted: Quiz 1 5% Quiz 2 5% Quiz 3 10% Quiz 4 10% Quiz 5 10% Final Exam20% Journalism Book Report 10% Classroom Assignments 10% Team Project & Presentation 10% Attendance 10%

Syllabus Missed Quizzes Policy If you miss one of the quizzes, you will not be permitted to make it up except in the following circumstances: 1) You have contacted the instructor AND discussed your reasons for missing the quiz by the day of the quiz and have received permission to make-up the quiz. In such an instance, students will usually be required to take the quiz EARLY and sign a statement not to discuss its contents with members of the class. Leaving a message on voicemail or sending an e-mail message to the instructor DOES NOT constitute discussing the situation with the instructor and receiving permission to do a make-up. PLEASE NOTE, REQUESTS for make-up quizzes are not automatically granted. 2) A make-up will be given without prior permission in the following circumstances: You provide official documentation that you were either an in-patient in a hospital or were being treated in the emergency room of a major medical facility such as DCH Medical Center during the TIME OF THE QUIZ. NOTE: Admission slips from the University of Alabama Health Center WILL NOT BE AUTOMATICALLY ACCEPTED as bona fide excuses for missing quizzes. 3) You provide official documentation that a member of your immediate family died or was admitted to the hospital on an emergency basis no more than 24 hours prior to the scheduled quiz time. "Immediate family" is defined as a parent, sibling, spouse or child. It does NOT include grandparents, cousins, aunts or uncles. "Official documentation" consists of a letter written on hospital or doctor's office letterhead or admissions paperwork signed and dated by hospital personnel that states that you, or a member of your immediate family, were medically incapacitated within 24 hours of the scheduled quiz and were under treatment during that time. Such documentation may also include a death notice or obituary printed in a local newspaper, a funeral or memorial services program, or a letter written on the letterhead of the company that handled burial arrangements for your family stating the date, time, and location of the services. Notes from your parents WILL NOT ARE ACCEPTED as official documentation. FINAL NOTE: Makeup quizzes may be significantly different in style and format from the one given at the scheduled time of the quiz. This is a Web-assisted course! All students are required to use WebCT (http://webct.ua.edu) to obtain some course resources, communicate and monitor individual progress. Students are EXPECTED to check WebCT e-mail prior to EACH class meeting. Announcements via WebCT e-mail are considered official communication. Additionally, WebCT will be used for designated online discussion days. Reading the Newspaper Reading the newspaper is one of the BEST ways to learn about journalism and what journalists do. On most days, students will use a copy of The Tuscaloosa News to discuss various concepts in journalism writing style as well as current events. Students who subscribe to the Tuscaloosa News at home are not required Attendance Policy Showing up for class each morning is just like showing up for work. It is each student's responsibility to sign the attendance roster each day. After two FREE absences

10 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How (meaning, they don't count against your final grade), attendance constitutes 10% or 10 POINTS in your final grade. Students are encouraged to save those "free absences" for family emergencies or unforeseen events. There are NO EXCUSED absences in this course. Honesty Cheating, plagiarism and falsification represent violations of the fundamental ethic that underlies communication and information profession. Information is expected to be as complete, accurate, fair and original as it is possible for the communication professional to make it. Full credit or attribution will be made for any information or insight that did not originate with the author. Any evidence that this ethic has been violated will be turned over to the university for appropriate action. Except for team assignments, where collaboration is required, all assignments should be completed independently. Notice for Students with Disabilities Students with disabilities who need special consideration should inform the instructor and contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 348-4285. This should be done no later than the second class meeting so that there is ample time for arrangements to be made. Additionally, any student who needs this syllabus and/or other materials made available to him/her in a format other than a standard printed formatsuch as Braille or on tapeshould also inform the instructor. Tentative Class Schedule, Readings, and Assignment Due Dates*** Week 1: Jan 5-7 Topics: Introduction to Course, Getting to Know Your Newspaper, Introduction to Journalism & News Reading Assignments: No Assigned Readings THIS WEEKStudents Should Purchase Textbook from Bookstore Assignment Due, Jan. 5 Student Profile Sheet with Mug shot Week 2: Jan. 10-14 Topics: What is Journalism For?; What Is It Like to Be a Journalist? What's it Like to be Journalism Major? Reading Assignments: Chapter 1 "News and Society" Week 3: Jan. 17-21 Topics: History of Journalism Reading Assignments: Chapter 20 "Beginnings of Journalism" Chapter 21 "Journalism Comes of Age" Chapter 22 "News Realities, New Journalism" Jan. 17: Martin Luther King Day. No Class. Week 4: Jan. 24-28 Topics: History of Alabama Newspapers and Newspaper Industry Reading Assignments:

Syllabus Chapter 4 "Newspapers" Jan. 24: JOINT CLASS with JN 100-001 in Phifer Hall 216 Jan. 26: QUIZ I Jan. 28: Class Meets at Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library ; Deadline for Tuscaloosa News money Week 5: Jan. 31-Feb. 4 Topics: The Culture of Journalism; Newsroom Structure and Routines Reading Assignments: Chapter 2 "The Culture of Journalism" Chapter 12 "Editors" ASSIGNMENT DUE Feb. 2: Name of book for Journalism Book Report Week 6: Feb. 7-11 Topics: Reporting and News Gathering Reading Assignments: Chapter 8 "Reporters" Chapter 9 "Reporting" Feb. 9: QUIZ 2 ASSIGNMENT DUE Feb. 11: Journalism Book Report by 9 a.m. Week 7: Feb. 14-18 Topics: News Writing Reading Assignments: Chapter 10 "Writing News and Features" Feb. 14: Online Discussion ONLY- No Formal Class Feb. 16: JOINT CLASS with JN 100- 001 in Phifer Hall 216 NOTE: Midterm grades posted on WebCT by noon on February 16 Week 8: Feb.21-25 Topics: News Writing; Feature Writing Reading Assignments: Chapter 10 "Writing News and Features" Week 9: Feb. 28-March 4 Topics: Writing on Deadline; Editorial Writing; Sports Writing Reading Assignments: TBA March 4: QUIZ 3 Week 10: March 7-11 Topics: Your Future as a Journalism Major; Editing Roles; Associated Press Style Reading Assignments: Chapter 13 "Editing and Headline Writing" Chapter 11 "Style" Week 11: March 14-18 Topics: Page Design; Visual Journalism and the Visual Journalism Track Reading Assignments:

11

12 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How Chapter 17 "Publication and Web Site Design" Chapter 14 "Visual Journalists" NOTE: March 16 is the last day you can withdraw from courses without a failing grade Week 12: March 21-25 Topics: Graphics Journalism Reading Assignments: Chapter 15 "Graphics Journalism" March 23: QUIZ 4 March 25: Online Discussion ONLY- No Formal Class March 28-April 1: Spring Break. Week 13: April 4-April 8 Topics: Photojournalism; Broadcast Journalism Reading Assignments: Chapter 16 "Photojournalism" Chapter 18 "Broadcast Journalists" April 8: Lab Day for Discussion Groups 1 and 2; Online Discussion Groups 3 and 4 Week 14: April 11-15 Topics: Multimedia Journalism/Convergence; Journalism Issues & Ethics Chapter 25 "Ethical Practices" Chapter 26 "Journalism: Present and Future" April 15: Lab Day for Discussion Group 3 and 4; Online Discussion Groups 1 and 2 Week 15: April 18-22 Topics: Legal issues in Journalism; Journalism Career Paths Reading Assignments: Chapter 24 "Law and the Journalist" Chapter 3 "Becoming a Journalist" April 22: Quiz 5 Assignment Due, April 22 All Team Projects Submitted by 9 a.m. Week 16: April 25-29 Topics: Team Project Presentations Week 17: May 2-6: FINALS WEEK Final Exam: Friday, May 6: 8-10:30 a.m., Phifer Hall, Room 327 *** THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE DISCRETION OF THE INSTRUCTOR

Syllabus

13

JN 100-002 Journalism Book Report Assignment


Objectives To get you to read more deeply about a journalist and/or some journalism issue To become familiar with stored and online resources in the University's library or College's Winter Reading Room To demonstrate basic expository writing, analytical and organizational skills Due Dates Have book and book review in hand by Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 9:50 a.m.; Completed book report by Friday, Feb. 11 at 9:50 a.m. The Assignment Choose a journalism book from either the References and Readings section at the end of the chapters in your textbook or the Gorgas Library's journalism bibliography and prepare a book report of NO MORE THAN three double-spaced pages (10 or 12-point type). The report should summarize the book's major arguments or give flashpoints of a journalist's career. Additionally, you should provide your own critique of the book. Locate a book review of your selected book (there are several online book review indices and journals that regularly review journalism books). Among those journals are Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly and Journalism & Mass Communication Educator. Both of these journals are available through the electronic journals link on the library web site. Use the book review to see what others have said about your book, then read the book for yourself to see if you agree. YOU MUST ATTACH A COPY OF YOUR BOOK REVIEW TO YOUR BOOK REPORT! By no later than Wednesday, Feb. 2, you must bring your selected book to class. Those failing to have their selected book in class that day will lose 20 points in the final grade on the book review assignment. Organization, grammar, spelling and punctuation will be included in your grade. Focus on the QUALITY in your discussion NOT QUANTITY of pages. But, do not exceed three pages.

14 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

JN 100-002 Team Project & Presentation Assignment


Objectives To get you working with basic design software used in journalism courses To learn how to manage yourself and team members on a class project To demonstrate a basic understanding of writing, editing and design skills introduced in JN 100 To plan and execute a formal professional presentation during a given time limit The Assignment Most news products are not produced in one-person operations. Rather, journalists have to work in teams to accomplish the goal of getting their product to readers. In this vein, you can expect to do many team projects and presentations as a journalism major. Team projects are generally HARDER to do because you have to coordinate schedules and depend on every members' input and cooperation. Such is the case here. You are encouraged early in the semester to download this assignment sheet and familiarize yourself with what is expected. Following the spring holidays, when you are assigned to a project team, start working EARLY on the components of this assignment. Final projects include the following elements: One news story written from material provided (each student writes his or her own story - this is not a group effort) One front page layout (will be built using Adobe InDesign) One penciled layout on a dummy sheet One two-page explainer (double-spaced) of your decision-making in choosing the five stories and three photos for the front page (each student writes his or her own paper discussing the relative newsworthiness of the stories). A group member evaluation sheet The news story The instructor will divide students into groups of four. Each student in group is given a packet of information that includes "reporter's notes," a press release, a fact sheet and a link to an informational Web site. You can print out your packet from WebCT. Students are to write a short news story from these materials. Students are also to check facts, AP style, syntax and grammar, and should write a headline of six-to-eight words. These story assignments are to be done individually. Each group is given 16 stories from which the group must select four or five for the front page of The Tuscaloosa News. The stories written by students are also possibilities for the front. Each group will also receive a number of news photos from which to choose three to four for the page. These stories and photos are available on WebCT. Paper on news decision-making: Each student turns in a written paper (two pages, double-spaced) explaining: The story choices -- specifically, why group members thought the community or individuals in the community would benefit from these stories, and why they were newsworthy. If there was disagreement with the group's final selection, individuals should discuss why they disagreed, or simply provide their own thoughts about the relative worth of the stories. The photo choices -- why were these the best photos to use, and what important information did they convey? Again, individuals should discuss their own thinking about the photos.

Syllabus

15

Front page layout and presentation: Each group will design a newspaper front page in Adobe InDesign that includes the selected five stories and selected photos. Assume you are editors for The Tuscaloosa News. The instructor will provide students with several page "templates" that are partly built in Adobe InDesign. These page templates will be available on WebCT. Students may look over the selection of page templates, then dummy their layout using pencil and paper. Students may produce their own designs from scratch if they wish, but this is only recommended if students feel strongly confident in your Adobe InDesign abilities because lab access will be minimal. Students should write headlines for these pages, put cutlines on the photos, and each student must turn in a page dummy, a printed InDesign page and an electronic version of the InDesign page uploaded to FINAL PROJECT assignment module in WebCT by Friday, April 22nd at 9:50 a.m. Before the presentation days, the instructor will produce PDF copies of all InDesign pages in a folder on the instructor's computer in Room 327 (the regular classroom, and each group will present their page and their story and photo decisions. These decisions should be explained in light of class concepts, particularly from the beginning of the semester. It is up to the group to decide how to divide the presentation -- you may have one speaker, or four. If you have four, each person must make their parts very brief. I will "yank" your group at the end of 10 minutes in order to make time for class discussion. Four projects will be presented each day. Group member evaluation: Each student will receive individual grades for the news story and the news selection essay. Each student will receive a group grade for the page layout and the class presentation. These grades will be averaged for your final grade on the team project. The instructor will give each group a form for evaluation of group members and will take these evaluations into consideration in the grading of the group component of the projects.

16 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

JN 100-002 Extended Learning (Extra-Credit) Options


Objectives To encourage you to go beyond the regular classroom assignments To foster exploration into the field of journalism via journalism organizations and journalists To provide a chance to boost your final grade EXTENDED LEARNING OPTION 1: Journalism Report Students exercising this option need simply to read an article in The Journalist NOT LISTED on the SYLLABUS and write a two-page double-spaced summary. The summary must include both a discussion of the major points the author makes and your REACTION to those points (What do you think about what the author has to say? How does this connect with what has been discussed in class?). EXTENDED LEARNING OPTION 2: Journalism Organization Feature Students exercising this Option 2 must both ATTEND at least one meeting or activity of one of the journalism organizations with UA chapters and research the organization on the web (SPJ, RTNDA, CABJMC, SND, and ACES). Links to journalism organizations are provided on WebCT. Contact information about the organization (adviser and president) is located on a bulletin board outside Dr. Daniels' office (Room 309). The feature should be a two-page double-spaced summary of both the meeting you attended, information about what the organization activities are and goals as listed on the organization's web site. EXTENDED LEARNING OPTION 3: Internship Cover Letter & Resume Session Students exercising Option 3 must locate an internship opening in journalism trade magazine or web site such as journalismjobs.com. Write a cover letter and resume and schedule a feedback session with the UA Career Center. You can schedule a session with Mrs. Mary Lowery, from the U.A. Career Center, who is available in Phifer Hall certain days of the week. You must submit your internship cover letter, resume along with a one page write-up on your feedback session. This should be uploaded as ONE Microsoft Word File EXTENDED LEARNING OPTION 4: Published Story Students exercising Option 4 must publish a news story on either the Crimson White or Dateline Alabama. To receive credit, a Microsoft Word file with the original story submitted to these publications should be turned in with the URL to the story. (THE OPTION COUNTS 10 POINTS REGARDLESS OF WHEN THE STORY IS PUBLISHED BEFORE MARCH 31, 2005) Evaluation BEFORE MID-TERM GRADES: (Feb. 16, 2005): Maximum Points: 5 Points AFTER MID-TERM (Feb. 17-March 31, 2005): Maximum Points: 2 Points

1
Study questions
Read the chapter with these questions in mind. What is meant by an open society?

Chapter 1

17

News and society

This chapter introduces students to the concept of news, how it is produced and why it is important to our society. The concept of the open society is a particularly important one in understanding why news plays a vital function in our society. The chapter discusses the importance of various types of news, including political, legal, business and sports news.

What does the story of how David Mattingly covered the events of September 11, 2001 tell you about journalism?

List the news values discussed in the chapter. What is meant by each? List some of the reasons why news is important to society? Journalists are supposed to serve as a watchdogs on government and other parts of society. What does that mean? What are some of the pressures on journalists that the book discusses?

Chapter notes
Open society. The concept of the open society is worth spending some time on. What does an open society mean? Students may want to talk about what part of society should be open and what should not. How freely should information be available? There are many situations where an open society might or might not be a good thing. For instance, most of us expect our income taxes to be to kept confidential (and the U.S. Treasury has a very good record in that regard). But what about somebody who runs for

18 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How public office? Should their tax returns remain confidential? News values. Students should learn the concept of news values and what each value means. Look at some news stories in your local newspaper or local news web site and decide what news values are present in these stories. Not every story contains all news values, but all of them are likely to have the value of timeliness. Timeliness is part of the definition of news itself. David Mattingly, the CNN reporter (left) who is the focus of the story that opens the chapter, is a former student of the authors. He was in the authors news reporting class in the late 1970s as an undergraduate at the University of Alabama. You can find out more about Mattingly on the CNN web site (http://www.cnn. com/CNN/ anchors_reporters/mattingly.david.html). Shared experiences. The book says that news depends on the shared experiences of the audience. What does this mean? What are the shared experiences that the students in your class might have had? Shared experiences are different from unique experiences -- those things that have only happened to us. Does anyone in your class have a unique experience? Politics. Much of journalism is about civic life -- in other words, politics. How interested in politics are the students taking this course? Many young people say that politics does not interest them. The presidential election campaign of 2004 seemed to run counter to that trend, however. It would be interesting to know how much the students in the class paid attention to that campaign and whether or not they participated in it. What everybody talks about. A sidebar in this chapter is titled, Everybody talks about the weather. In addition to the weather, what are some of the other things everybody talks about? One answer would be sports. If you are located close to a major college or university, you cant help talking about sports -- or hearing a lot about sports. But there are many other subjects that everybody talks about. Take a look at the web site for the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press (http://peoplepress.org/). Pew commissions surveys regularly about what news Americans are paying close attention to. Information or entertainment. Some commentators contend that the information function and the entertainment function of news are melding together. They point to highly publicized or televised trials, for instance, saying that such events morph quickly from news to entertainment. Talk about the most recent trial that was covered intensely by the news media. Did the coverage of that trial take it from being news to

Chapter 1 entertainment? The cable television channel that devotes most of its time to covering trials is Court-TV (http://www.courttv.com). Check out that site to see the most recent nationally-television trial. Journalistic conspiracy? Are journalists in a conspiracy to try to persuade the public to a certain point of view? The author tries to debunk that theory, but there may be those in class that still hold to it. FOX-News and CNN viewers. This is interesting. The Pew Center (cited earlier) conducted a survey in October 2004 (in the middle of the presidential election campaign) in which it asked viewers of different news shows who they preferred as president. Heres how the center reported its findings:Earlier this month, Pew found that the voting intentions of the election news audience were deeply divided according to where voters got their news. The current survey shows that gap remains substantial, with a large majority of the Fox News audience supporting President Bush and a comparable share of the CNN audience favoring Sen. Kerry. Seven-in-ten voters who get most of their election news from Fox News support Bush, while just 21% back Kerry. By contrast, voters who get most of their election news from CNN favor Kerry over Bush, by 67%-26%. Other news audiences are more closely divided. Kerry has a modest advantage among voters who mostly rely on network news and newspapers. Voters who get most of their election news from local TV are split, with 46% supporting Kerry and 42% Bush. Is there a bias -- among the audience, not necessarily among the journalists?

19

20 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Multiple choice questions


1. News values is: a. the separation of news and not news. b. personal conviction of media employees. c. the importance placed on various stories. d. the moral code of a certain media outlet. 2. Which of the following is not a news value? a. Prominence b. Conflict c. Timeliness d. Commonality 3. In a normal local television newscast of thirty minutes, ____ minutes are used for news. a. 24-25 minutes b. 15-16 minutes c. 7-8 minutes d. 3-4 minutes 4. The amount of news printed in a newspaper depends on a. amount of sports. b. amount of advertising. c. amount of news. d. number of pictures. 5. Limitations of news organizations include all of the following except a. amount of space available. b. amount of time for preparation of news. c. limited number of staff. d. regulations about what can be published 6. Which of the following is not a category of the contributions that news makes to our society? a. Life Enhancement b. Information c. Entertainment d. Persuasion

7. A main job of the news media concerning politics is to a. institute ideas for new laws. b. persuade government officials to agree with media. c. watchdog government and officials. d. campaign for elected officials. 8. The person who helps solve individual problems for readers and uncovers corruption and unfair business practices in the news is called a a. politician. b. business advisor. c. consumer advocate. d. advice columnist. 9. The author says that criticisms of the media concerning reporting court cases include all except a. the media makes ordinary people into celebrities. b. the coverage is more entertainment than informational. c. the media ignores civil litigation. d. the media convicts the person on trial before the jury does. 10. More than anything else, journalists are supposed to be a. well-educated. b. objective. c. attractive. d. creative.

Chapter 1

21

True-False
1. Events occurring close to home are more likely to be news than the same events that occur elsewhere. TRUE 2. In magazines and newspapers, the pages on which the news goes is called the news placements. FALSE 3. Infotainment or sensationalism means the lurid aspects of the news are emphasized merely because those aspects will appeal to people and build an audience for the news program or publication. TRUE 4. News can be distracting because it allows viewers to live vicariously through the media. TRUE 5. It is morally acceptable for media outlets to report only positive information about companies that advertise with them. FALSE 6. Throughout history, news about sports has focused on the financial status of sports stars and franchises. FALSE 7. Journalists should not be blamed for delivering news that is not considered good as long as it is objective. TRUE 8. It is the responsibility of the journalist to report and write, not to make money. FALSE 9. The increase in media coverage about legal proceedings is partially due to the fact that more lawyers are graduating from law school and are practicing law. TRUE 10. Journalists have a goal of raising questions about the order of society. TRUE

22 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter 2

23

The culture of journalism

The practice of journalism has developed a culture all its own. That culture has expectations of professionals and non-professionals who would engage in journalistic endeavors. Understanding that culture is WHAT DO YOU THINK? the point of this chapter. Should journalists Journalism is traditionally practiced through news share quotes? organizations such as newspapers, broadcasting stations or news web sites. These organizations have their Check it out on the web site individual modes of operations and cultural expectafor this book: tions, but they are part of a larger culture in which the www.ablongman.com/stovall1e profession is practiced. Despite its special place in legal and political arenas, journalism is still an economic enterprise. Journalistic organizations must make a profit to survive. Most do -- and a very healthy profit, at that. Key to understanding the culture of journalism are the concepts of honesty, objectivity, persistence and competition. Journalists must approach their jobs with an honest frame of mind, seeing what they do as a public service rather than as a way of making money.

Study questions
List some of the things that make the culture of journalism distinctive. What are some of the characteristics a person should have to be a good journalist? How does the description of journalists in the text differ from the way they are portrayed in movies and on television? What is the difference between skepticism and cynicism, particularly for journalists? What is objectivity? Why is it important? Can journalists achieve true objectivity? Why or why not?

24 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How What are the most unacceptable practices a journalists can engage in? Why are deadlines so important to journalism? What is civic journalism and what makes it different from traditional journalism?

Chapter notes
Cultural norms. Journalists do not work alone. They are part of a larger culture that has its conventions and norms. It's important to understand some of these cultural norms: Objectivity and fairness. This is a much debated idea. Can anyone be truly objective? Probably not, but journalists still have the obligation to consider many sides of an issue and to question how people will react to their presentation of information. Accuracy. The chief goal of the journalist is to present accurate information in an accurate context so that people will understand it as the journalist understands it. Much of the reporting, editing and production process of journalism is directed to ensuring that accurate information is the consistent product of the media. This goal, too, is an ideal. Often inaccurate information in an inaccurate context is produced by the journalist. The goal, however, never changes. Attention to detail. Part of the accuracy mantra is attention to detail. Reporters must check the spelling of every name they use; they must be exact in the wording of direct quotations; they must often confirm what they think they know or what they have heard with other, reliable sources. Because many people will read or hear what they report, they can leave very little to chance. Mix of individual and corporate effort. Reporters understand that while much of their effort is individual, they represent a news organization that in itself has certain values and objectives. Reporters must balance their loyalties to their employers, their profession and their personal beliefs. In most cases, there is no conflict among these, but occasionally there is. Deadlines. Print reporters lack two things: time and space. Broadcast reporters lack time and time. In both cases, the first time refers to the lack of time to do a story as completely as they would like. Deadlines always intrude on a reporter's work. In the print media, presses must roll at certain times of the day or night, and the work of the journalist must be finished for that to happen. In broadcasting, deadlines are even more arbitrary. They occur when the newscast begins, and they cannot be wished away. In both cases, reporters often have to go with what they have rather than taking the time to be more complete or thorough. Skepticism. Journalists attempt never to be gullible. They do not want to be taken in by those who give them false information. At the same time, they should not be cynical, disbelieving everything that is said to them. Instead, they should always be willing to question their source and check what they have against other information they might receive. Sense of greater good. Reporters generally believe they are in journalism for a reason other than making money or making a living or even for satisfying their personal desires. They generally hold to the belief that good information is good for society; that sharing that information helps society function.

Chapter 2

25

Multiple choice questions


1. On television and in the movies, journalists are portrayed as a. moral people who follow a code of ethics b. people with addictions to drugs and alcohol c. jackals who are unconcerned about who they hurt or harm d. stuffy, lying businessmen who create stories to sell copies and make money 2. Newsrooms are a. calm places without many distractions b. noisy and distractive rooms with an unseen order c. chaotic rooms with no order d. closed off sections where no one is bothered 3. Journalism is primarily chosen as a career because people believe that as a journalist they can a. make a good living b. have regular hours every week c. get to know a variety of people d. serve the public by supplying news 4. Which of the following is not one of the essential traits for journalists to have? a. experience b. curiosity c. persistence d. assertiveness 5. Young reporters can expect which of the following: a. their stories will not be altered by editors b. a code of ethics will be required of them c. they will only be required to work on stories assigned to them d. sources usually respond positively to reporters 6. Objectivity is achieved by not allowing reporters to do all of the following except: a. report on organizations in which they are involved b. have political agendas in their writing c. maintain separation from sources d. report on issues of which they have interest

7. Journalists are normally allowed to a. use confidential sources if editor approves the source b. work for other publications c. alter photographs for better appearance in publication d. use material from other sources without crediting them 8. Publications are like all other businesses because they have to do all of the following except: a. pay federal and local taxes b. pay minimum wage to employees c. have their product regulated d. follow state health codes 9. Which of the following is not a consequence that publications must face if they make mistakes? a. loss of profit b. libel suits c. government take-over of publication d. offended constituents 10. Competition exists among publications for all of the following except? a. publications want to present the news first b. publications dislike each other c. publications want to present the news most adequately d. publications want praise from the public

26 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. Journalists must pass the News Career Writing Exam to be able to work in the field of journalism. FALSE 2. Journalists do their job, even when it is unpopular, because they have a commitment to the ideal of public service. TRUE 3. Because their jobs are so demanding and they are already overworked, most journalists learn to ignore the world and extra things going on around them. FALSE 4. Reporters should become skeptical not cynical. TRUE 5. In most news organizations, editors will allow reporters to respond to changes that are made to stories. TRUE 6. News organizations allow sources to review information before it is printed as a courtesy. FALSE 7. Editors should take full responsibility for mistakes made in reporting. FALSE 8. If fabrications are found to have occurred, reporters are usually warned and the event is forgotten. FALSE 9. Publications are required to follow all federal business regulations including paying taxes. TRUE 10. No laws exist that allow any individual or agency to review the content of a newspaper or news broadcast before it is presented to the public. TRUE

Chapter 2

27

Culture of journalism crossword


This is a challenging crossword puzzle that students should try only after a careful reading of Chapter 2.

Across 3. A picture of his funeral appears in the chapter 5. A story one journalist has while others dont 10. New York ______ (newspaper) 14. Sticking with it 15. Other side of liberal, politically 17. Washington ______ _ (newspaper) 20. She won a Pulitzer by fabricating a story 22. Journalism is an ______ profession 23. Covering all sides of the story 26. ________ of interest 28. Miami _______ (newspaper) 30. Copying someone elses work Down 1. Should never be altered 2. Doubts 4. What journalists work for (two words) 6. What news organizations demand when mistakes are made 7. Woodward and Bernstein story 8. Many believe the news media are this 9. Good for a journalist, but it killed the cat 11. Code of _______ 12. Chief goal of a journalist 13. Boston _______ (newspaper) 16. What news organizations are supposed to make 18. A story about the

Chicago ________ begins the chapter 19. The big prize 21. Whos in charge 24. What Duke Ellington needs 25. Press, a plural noun 26. Type of journalism oriented toward solving problems 27. What all journalists must know 29. What journalism requires (two words)

Words and clues by Jim Stovall 2004; Crossword frame created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoverySchool.com

ANSWERS PUBLICGOOD OPEN LANGUAGE ACCURACY PROFIT HARDWORk SKEPTICISM PERSISTENCE EDITOR OBJECTIVITY LIBERAL COOKE PLAGIARISM CORRECTION MEDIA PHOTOS CONFLICT DEADLINE SCOOP WATERGATE CIVIC PULITZER TRIBUNE JFK TIMES POST HERALD GLOBE CONSERVATIVE ETHICS CURIOSITY

28 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter 3

29

Becoming a journalist

Anyone can be a journalist. The First Amendment guarantees that. Anyone can declare himself or herself a journalist -- and in this day of web logs, many people have done so. But getting to be a professional journalist -- a person who is paid to do journalistic work -- is no easy task. This chapter explains some of the steps a person should take to become a professional journalist. A journalist should have certain personal characteristics -- curiosity, persistence and the willingness to work hard. He or she should have a wide ranging knowledge of history and politics because journalists deal with so many different topics of public importance. The person who would be a journalist should take advantage of every educational opportunity. An aspiring journalist must go beyond classroom studies. The profession expects those who enter it to have as much practical experience as possible. If any such opportunities to practice journalism arise -- from the high school newspaper to professional internships during college -- people who want to enter the profession should take full advantage of them.

Study questions
Why is working professionally so important to entering the field of journalism? What is an internship? How do you go about getting one? What are some of the best ways to learn about the field? The book says a journalist should have a wide range of knowledge. What does that mean? Why is it important?

Chapter notes
Why go into journalism. The American Society of Newspaper Editors has put together a booklet about why students should consider a career in journalism. The booklet is titled Why Choose Journalism?: A Guide to Determining if a Career in Newspapers

30 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How is Right for You. It is available on the ASNE web site, along with a couple of other pamphlets that will help students start their journalism careers. Keeping up. Whether in high school or college, the student who wants to enter the field of journalism should start keeping up with the field. One of the best ways to do that is to subscribe to the Society for Professional Journalist's daily email newsletter, PressNotes. (http:// spj.org/pressNotes_list.asp) Another source of information is Jim Romonesko's web log, which can be found at the web site for the Poynter Institute (http://www.poynter.org). Journalistic organizations. The chapter lists a number of journalism organizations, and students should not be shy about joining them or at least finding out about them. The web sites for these organizations often list jobs and internships. Resumes. A well-designed, accurate and up-to-date resume is vital for getting a job. As part of the work with this chapter, all students should develop or update their resumes and turn them in for inspection and critiquing. A sample resume is found on page 49 of the book; it can also be accessed on this site by clicking here or on the image to the right. If you are wondering how to get started writing a resume, take a look at the Resume Tutor (http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/ ecep/ resume), a web site set up by the University of Minnesota. There are also many other sites on the web that can give you information about writing a resume. State press associations. Another place to look for jobs and internships is at the state press association web site. Go to any good search engine and type in the name of your state and the words press association, and chances are that you will come up with the site. Take a close look at the job listings.

Chapter 3

31

Multiple choice questions


1. An essential key to a career in journalism is a. enthusiasm b. reading c. commitment d. desire for money 2. The number one skill employers look for in a journalist is someone who a. knows lots of sources b. works well with others c. has good phone etiquette d. can write well 3. Which of the following does not belong? A journalist is expected to have the knowledge of rules of a. grammar b. punctuation c. etiquette d. spelling 4. An organization for high school journalists is the a. SPJ b. Quill and Scroll Society c. National Conference of Editorial Writers d. NAHJ 5. Which is not a trade publication mentioned by in this chapter? a. Journalism Today b. Editor and Publisher c. Presstime d. American Journalism Review 6. Which of the following is true about All the President's Men? a. It was based on the Pentagon Paper scandal. b. The issue was uncovered by reporters from the New York Times. c. It details a money laundering scandal. d. It describes the reporting techniques used by the authors. 7. No more than ______ percent of the courses you take in college should be related to journalism or mass communication? a. 25 b. 50 c. 33 d. 66

8. When looking at collegiate programs, a journalism student should examine a. Student media on campus b. Faculty commitment to program c. Amount of freedom of expression on campus d. All of the above 9. Students should build a portfolio of their work called a (n) a. experience packet b. clip file c. workings case d. letters portfolio 10. Advanced degrees programs in journalism include all of the following except: a. academic master's program b. doctoral program c. professional master's program d. teaching certificate program

32 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. Journalists have to understand events from the past in order to understand current events. TRUE 2. While working toward a career in journalism, students should read material they think they will enjoy. FALSE 3. The field of media is dynamic. TRUE 4. Good journalism programs are only at large universities. FALSE 5. The courses you take in college should contribute to your knowledge of a broad range of topics. TRUE 6. Most campus media require experience before a student can work for them. FALSE 7. All internships are short, paying trial experiences with a publication. FALSE 8. Many employers will not hire someone unless they have had a good internship experience. TRUE 9. Even for those who want to go into academia and teach, professional experience can be a valuable asset in gaining a job. TRUE 10. Students can wait to find work and experience after college and still find a good job. FALSE

Chapter 4

33

Newspapers

Despite an aging and declining readership, newspapers remain the major organizations for the practice of journalism. Newspapers control the culture of journalism and offer the most readily available jobs to those who want to enter the profession. Interactive newspaper Newspapers are highly profitable businesses, in organizational chart part because most of them operate in monopolistic environments. Few cities in the early 21st century Check it out on the web site have competing daily newspapers, unlike the situafor this book: tion in most cities at the beginning of the 20th century. www.ablongman.com/stovall1e Consequently newspapers can charge premium rates to advertisers, and they can raise subscription prices without fear of being undercut by competing newspapers. Most newspapers have similar organizational structures, beginning with the publisher at the top and an editor or editor-in-chief, who is the most visible member of the newspaper's editorial staff. The managing editor is the person who has the responsibility of getting the newspaper out every day. The editorial staff of a newspaper is divided into sections or desks. Normally, these include city or metro desks, sports, business, and features or lifestyles. Supporting section are the copydesk, the graphics section and the photo desk. Take a look at the newspaper profiles (New York Times, Washington Post, etc.) found in this chapter. Assign your students to write similar (or more extensive) profiles of the newspapers in your area. The starting point for this assignment would be the latest Editor and Publisher Yearbook, which the local library is likely to have.

Study questions
What are some of the things that make newspapers distinctive from other news media? What are the biggest challenges facing newspapers today? What is meant by concentration of ownership?

34 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

How do newspapers make money? What are the two major ways newspapers have of gaining revenue? What does a managing editor do? Describe in general the organization of a newspaper? Why are the editorial page and the editorial section of a newspaper so important? What are the aspects of small town journalism that would make people consider working in that realm? Chapter notes Job definitions. Take a look at the newspaper organizational chart on page 64 of the book. On the web site for this book (www.ablongman.com/stovall1e), the chart is interactive.. By clicking on some of the rectangles of the major positions, viewers will open up a new window that gives a description of that position. Those descriptions are included in this section of the Instructors Manual. Newspaper circulation. In the fall of 2004, a report was issued by the Audit Bureau of Circulations showing another decline in newspaper readership. Here is part of what the New York Times story said about the report: The losses were widespread, with two-thirds of papers reporting flat or declining circulation, including The Washington Post and The Daily News, according to an analysis by the Newspaper Association of America of figures released yesterday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. And the industry's decline was more evident on Sundays. The average daily circulation for the nation's 841 daily newspapers fell 0.9 percent, to 47,711,751, for the six months ended Sept. 30, as compared with the period a year earlier, according to the newspaper association. For those 662 papers that publish Sundays, the drop over the same period was 1.5 percent, to 51,625,241, according to the association's analysis. An annual report on the news media. For an up-to-date report on newspapers, check out the annual report of the Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Committee of Concerned Journalists (http://www.journalism.org). The report has sections on each media, including newspapers (2004 report). This report talks about the overall state of newspapers, economic conditions, content, readership, news investment, and ownership.

Chapter 4

35

Multiple choice questions


1. In the 1920's, newspaper was challenged by the innovation of a. television b. magazines c. radio d. mass produced books 2. Which television station was a first competition to newspapers because it provided 24-hour news? a. Cable News Network b. Fox News Network c. American Broadcasting Company d. Headline News 3. In 1970, more than ____ percent of the population reported reading a newspaper each weekday. a. 54 b. 90 c. 25 d. 77 4. Which of the following people is most likely to be a newspaper reader? a. 50-year-old college educated man b. 25-year-old high school educated woman c. 65-year-old high school educated man d. 30-year-old college educated woman 5. The company that owns the largest percentage of the nation's newspapers is a. Knight Ridder b. Hearst c. Gannett d. Tribune 6. Which of the following is not a responsibility of the business side of newspapers? a. advertising b. graphics c. production d. circulation

7. Circulation generates ______ percent of revenue for the newspaper. a. 10-15 b. 20-40 c. 15-30 d. 45-50 8. Which of the following is a responsibility of the editor? a. hire and fire employees b. assign stories to reporters c. select photographs d. decide what stories will go into paper 9. The ________ decides who will cover local stories. a. managing editor b. lifestyles editor c. city editor d. national editor 10. Which newspaper has been a traditionally strong leader in the fight for the free press? a. Washington Post b. New York Times c. USA Today d. Chicago Tribune

36 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. Newspapers have always been a loved news medium by consumers. FALSE 2. By 2001, newspaper readership had declined to 25 percent. FALSE 3. Most newspapers are part of a group or chain of media outlets. TRUE 4. A positive aspect with newspaper chains is that they are more likely to emphasize profits than journalism. FALSE 5. The two divisions of newspapers are editorial and advertising. FALSE 6. Display advertising is the small type ads at the back of a newspaper. FALSE 7. Newspapers are sold two ways: by subscriptions and on news stands. TRUE 8. The Managing Editor is the public face of the newspaper. FALSE 9. The sports editor can plan pages way ahead of time. FALSE 10. News staffs and editorial staffs should keep in constant contact. FALSE

Chapter 4

37

Newspaper organizational chart


Chief copy editor. The chief copy editor is in charge of the newspaper's copydesk. The people on the copydesk read news stories (and sometimes stories from other sections) to make sure they are written according to the newspaper's standards. The chief copy editor makes final decisions about the copy and is in charge of the staffing of the desk. City editor. The city editor -sometimes called the metro editor -- is in charge of the news coverage of the area in which the newspaper is located. That position is one of the most important on the staff. The city editor usually has the largest staff and assigns most of the local news reporters. Copy editor. A copy editor is specially trained to read the stories that other have written and make sure they conform with the rules of grammar and style. A copy editor also writes headlines and performs other duties that help produce the newspaper every day. Editor. The editor is responsible for all of the editorial content of the newspaper and for the budgets and money spent by the editorial side of the newspaper. Often on smaller papers, the publisher and editor are the same person. Editorial page editor. The editorial page editor is responsible for the editorial page and the "op-ed" page of the newspaper. These pages are where the newspaper's editorials are printed as well as letters to the editor, columns by syndicated columnists and guest columns by local people. Graphics editor. The graphics editor is the head of the graphics department, sometimes called the "art department." This editor is in charge of all of the graphics and illustrations produced for the newspaper. Graphics reporter. A graphics reporter researches and designs informational graphics that support news stories the paper. A graphics reporter is an expert in graphic forms and also must be able to local information that can be used to build graphics. Managing editor. The is the person who is in charge of the day-to-day production of the newspaper. News reporter. A news reporter rather information about news stories in the local area. A beat reporter covers the same subject or location all the time; a general assignment reporter covers any story assigned by the city editor or assistant city editor. Photo editor. A photo editor is not a photographer, although it is often the case that the photo editor is a former photographer. This editor assigns photographers and helps select the photos that the newspaper prints. Photographer. A photographer takes pictures of local news events for the newspaper. A photographer might have a variety of assignments each day. Larger newspapers have a staff of sports photographers, but on most newspaper, a photographer will be assigned to shoot sports stories as well as news events. Publisher. The publisher is responsible for all of the operations of the newspaper, both editorial and business. The main job of the publisher is to see that the newspaper remains financially healthy.

38 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter 5

39

Magazines

Magazines are an important part of the profession of journalism. They have a long and distinguished history, and they continue to make significant contributions to the news of the day. Magazines have contributed or pioneered a numMagazines and ber of important aspects to American journalism, Photojournalisms including Golden Age investigative reporting photojournalism the personality profile Mark Twain and travel narrative journalistic writing (in the newsmagawriting zine style) Magazine journalism is attractive to young people Interactive magazine who are interested in the field because they do not have to work under daily deadlines, magazine articles organizational chart are long and more in-depth, the articles receive better Check it out on the web site display, magazines have more prestige than newspafor this book: pers or television journalism, and magazine journalwww.ablongman.com/stovall1e ism allows for a more creative writing style. Still, the journalism for magazines is just as difficult to produce -- maybe even more so -- than that of newspapers. Most magazines have surprisingly small staffs. That is because, most of the writing is contracted to freelance writers -- people who are hired by the magazine to write a single article. Some people make their living doing freelance magazine writing, but it is very difficult to do that. A few magazines pay very well for articles, but many do not. Magazines are much less stable financially than newspapers. They have to appeal to an audience that is much more narrowly defined than that of a newspaper, and the audience is generally harder to find. Many magazines go out of business after only a few issues. One estimate is that between 50 and 75 new magazines are begun each month, but most do not survive.

Study questions

40 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

What makes a magazine distinctive from other news media? Describe the general organization of a magazine staff What are the three major elements necessary to produce a magazine? What are some of the factors that make magazine journalism attractive to people? Describe the way a freelanced article makes it into print. What is demassification? Why is that concept important?

Chapter notes
Mr. Magazine. One of the most interesting and up-to-date people keeping up with the magazine world is Samir Husni -- or, as he has tagged himself, Mr. Magazine. Husni is especially interested in monitoring magazine startup. These are new magazines that appear on the scene. Take a look at his web site (http://www. mrmagazine.com) and look at some of the latest magazines that are just begun. This chapter says that any magazine needs a clear editorial idea, an well-defined audience, and a set of advertisers that wants to sell products to that audience. Select one of the magazines that has just started and see if you can identify each of these three elements for that magazine. Photography's golden age. One of the extras on the books web site is a short essay about the golden age of photojournalism. That age was spawned by magazines, particularly Life magazine, which began publishing in 1936. You can find more about this topic at the Library of Congress' American Memory web site, particularly in a collection from the 1930s and 1940s. It's worth noting that many of the great photographers of this era were women such as Dorthea Lange, who took the often seen photograph of a migrant mother in the 1930s (left). (With a little digging on the web, you can probably find the story of how this photo was taken.) State of magazine journalism. The Project for Excellence in Journalism has produced an extensive report on the state of the news media in 2004. The section on magazines begins this way: Magazines often are harbingers of change. When large social, economic or technological shifts begin to reshape the culture, magazines frequently are the first media to move, and the structure of the industry is one reason. Unlike newspapers, most magazines are not so tied to a specific geographic area, but are instead centered on interests or niches. Writers are looking for trends. Publishers can more quickly than in other media add and subtract titles aimed at specific audience segments or interests. Advertisers, in turn, can take their dollars to hot titles of the moment aimed at particular demographics. (Read more at www.journalism.org)

Chapter 5

41

Multiple choice
1. Over _______ magazines titles exist currently. a. 20,000 b. 12,000 c. 30,000 d. 17,000 2. Which of the following is not a reason people are drawn to write for magazines rather than newspapers? a. Magazine journalists get to write about more interesting topics. b. Magazine journalists make more money. c. Magazines have a bigger impact on audiences. d. Magazine writers do not have daily deadlines. 3. Association magazines receive most of their revenue from a. sponsoring organization b. advertising c. subscriptions d. news stand sales 4. What is a small, low-cost periodical that may have an erratic publication cycle and distribution system? a. limited magazine b. zine c. mini-mag d. pamphlet 5. The three parts of the magazine triad are a. editorial, circulation, readership b. circulation, advertising, readership c. editorial, circulation, advertising d. editorial, advertising, readership 6. Demassification is a. a model of magazine production b. how magazines are distributed c. how large magazines are printed

d. studies of magazines sales 7. Which of the following is the correct chain of command from higher to lower? a. Copy Editor-Managing Editor--photographer b. Editor-writer-photographer c. Publisher-writer-section editor d. Editor-in-Chief-Freelancer-writer 8. Magazine journalism is different from that of newspapers because it a. is less stressful b. does not worry about day-to-day news c. requires less communication between departments d. follows simpler rules 9. All of the following are parts of an extended feature story except: a. it is longer than 1000 words b. story can develop slowly c. descriptions in story can be created by writer d. it can include the writer's point of view 10. Advantages to freelance writing include all of the following except: a. freelance writers make suggestions to editors about stories b. freelance writers can work as much or little as they like. b. magazines have more options choosing writers d. magazines can require writers to write on any topic

42 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. Statistics from national surveys say that 60 percent of adults in the nation regularly read magazines. FALSE 2. A magazines job is concerned with gathering and disseminating news and information in a nondaily publication. TRUE 3. Like newspapers, most magazines can be subdivided by demographics. FALSE 4. Trade magazines are normally sold by subscription. TRUE 5. Advertisers are more likely to advertise in publications in which the content is not related to their product. FALSE 6. The editor is responsible for the financial health of the magazine. FALSE 7. The four major divisions of magazines are production, editorial, advertising, and circulation. TRUE 8. A contributing editor is a person who agrees to produce an article and be paid for it but is not on salary for the magazine. FALSE 9. One of the most common types of articles found in modern magazines is the travel article. FALSE 10. In personality profiles, writers talk only to the person they are interviewing and express their point of view. FALSE

Chapter 5

43

Magazine organizational chart


Those who view this chart on the web site for the book will find it interactive. Clicking on each checked position will bring up a window with a position description. The descriptions are below. President/publisher. This is the person responsible for the entire operation of the magazine. The president oversees and coordinates the activities of the editorial, advertising and circulation departments. Editor. The editor is in charge of the non-advertising content of the magazine. The editor's job is to see that the magazine stays true to its vision so that it will continue to appeal to subscribers and advertisers. Managing editor. The managing editor is in charge of producing each issue of the magazine. Not only does this person need to stay on top of the production of the upcoming issue, but he or she must also think several issues ahead. A Christmas issue, for instance, should be planned during the summer. Section editor. A section editor is in charge of the staff of a section of the magazine. This editor makes assignments and controls the budget of the section and is responsible for what the section produces. Depending on its content and organization, a magazine may have several sections. Design editor. The design editor, sometimes called art director, is in charge of the overall look of the magazine. This editor may have several designers or artists working in the section to lay out the magazine. One of the most important jobs of the design editor is to commission the cover of a magazine. often done by a freelance artist. Copyeditor. The copyeditor is charged with reading all of the editorial copy that appears in the magazine to make sure it is properly written and factually correct. Fact checkers. These people use a variety of methods to assure that the articles and listings in a magazine are factually correct. In addition to looking facts up in stored sources, they may go so far as calling sources cited in the article to make sure their information and quotations are correct. Online editor. This person is in charge of the web site of the magazine. Magazine web sites are used not only to display a magazine's editorial content but also to attract and sign up subscribers. Writers/contributing editors. These people are paid staff members and are expected to produce certain kinds of copy and articles for each issue of the magazine. Most magazines have relatively free writers on staff. Freelancers. Freelancers are technically not part of the magazine's organization since they are not paid staff members. They receive reporting and writing assignments from a section editor and are paid for each article they produce. (See page 97 of the book for a chart on how freelancing works.)

44 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter 6

45

Television and radio

Broadcasting is an entirely different medium from print or the web, and its journalism is necessarily different. But broadcast journalists adhere to most of the basic tenets of journalism that we have discussed previously in the book. Interactive television Broadcasting is a 20th century phenomenon. The organizational chart development of radio in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was one of the great inventions of mankind. It not only revolutionized our way of communicating, Interactive radio but it also sparked vast changes in the way we lived organizational chart our personal, civic and economic lives. The first great news event involving radio was Check it out on the web site the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Information about for this book: that event was sent by radio from ships close by, and www.ablongman.com/stovall1e people were astonished at how quickly the news was transmitted. From the 1920s, broadcasting -- first radio and then television in the 1950s -- has been at the forefront of coverage of every major news event. The immediacy and impact of television news has continued, but television itself has changed drastically in the last half century. Three national networks dominated television for the first three decades of its popularity, but in the 1980s that dominance was challenged by the development of cable. Specialized news channels, particularly Cable News Network, delivered news all day every day, and the audience for network news has been steadily shrinking. Local television news -- that produced by local stations -- varies widely in quality, but it still attracts a large audience for local stations and gives those stations an identity. Unlike newspapers, most local television stations have direct competition for audience and advertisers.

46 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Study questions
Describe some of the particular challenges that broadcast journalism faces today. What are some of the characteristics that make radio different as a news medium What are some of the characteristics that make television different as a news medium? What were the three events of the 1950s and 1960s that had a major impact on the development of television news? The chapter describes radio news as poor or nearly non-existent. What are some of the reasons for this? Is this description accurate for where you live? What is the major government agency that regulates broadcasting?

Chapter notes
Network news sites. Each of the major television news networks maintains extensive news web sites. That makes it convenient to see how each is covering a news story. Select a major news story of the day and go to each of these sites to see what they have said about it. Does one site have more or different information than another? This is a good project to do when there is a big, breaking news story. CNN (www.cnn.com) CBS News (www.cbsnews.com) ABC News (www.abcnews.com) MSNBC (www.msnbc.com) FOX News (www.foxnews.com) Osama videotapes. Should television news broadcast videotapes made by nefarious characters such as Osama Bin Laden? That is a continuing dilemma for broadcasters. On the one hand, they are committed to bringing information to their audiences. On the other, they do not want to advance the cause of people such as Osama. What do you think? (Pictured at the right is a picture from a tape that Bin Laden made in December 2001; he is laughing with an associate about the attacks of September 11, 2001.) VOA News. One of the best broadcast news sites is that of the Voice of America. VOA is operated by the U.S. government and broadcasts news around the world in more than 50 languages. VOA has a tradition of presenting the news in an unbiased way -- even when the news is not favorable or is embarrassing to the government. An additional benefit of the VOA news web site is that you can hear the broadcasts in various languages as well as read the news in those languages. If you are trying to learn a language, the VOA news site might be of great help to you.

Chapter 6

47

RTNDA. One of the best ways to keep up with the state of broadcast news is at the Radio and Television News Directors Association web site. The foundation for the organization produces an extensive report each year on broadcast news and the public's reaction to it. Those reports are usually in PDF forms, and they may take a while to download, but they contain some excellent information. State of radio and television. The Project for Excellence in Journalism has produced an extensive report on American news media. The report contains separate sections on network television, local television, cable television and radio, all of which are worth reading. The section on local television begins this way: In nearly every aspect of local television - from viewership to economics to ownership structure - there are mixed signals of health and challenge. The next few years may determine whether the industry ultimately heads up or down. But at least one survey shows more people who work in local television news are pessimistic than optimistic about the industry's future. Viewership of local news has begun to decline, much as it did years earlier in network news. Since 1997, the share of available viewers commanded by local early evening newscasts around the country has dropped 18 percent. . . (Read more at www.journalism.org)

48 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Multiple choice
1. Which of the following is not a characteristic of broadcast news? a. it is instantaneous b. it is everywhere c. it begins with reporting as print journalism does d. it demands audiences full attention 2. The Morse code was invented by a. Guglielmo Marconi b. Reginald Fessenden c. Lee De Forest d. Gerald Levin 3. The first major news event in which radio played a role was the a. death of President Roosevelt b. sinking of The Titanic c. U.S. entrance into WWI d. none of the above 4. There are over ______ radio stations in America presently. a. 20,000 b. 8,000 c. 22,000 d. 12,000 5. Morning Edition and All Things Considered are produced by a. CBS News b. National Public Radio c. Sirius Radio d. Cable News Network 6. What percent of programming do local affiliates get from networks? a. 90 b. 60 c. 50 d. 70

7. According to the author, the influence of network news broadcasts has waned because a. twenty-four hour news networks b. the Internet c. lack of interest among consumers d. aging of anchors 8. The most profitable cable television companies is a. Viacom b. Comcast Corp. c. AOL Time Warner d. Charter Communications 9. The television news structure that most networks follow today was started in the 1940s by a. NBC News b. CBS News c. ABC News d. Fox News 10. According to the author, all of the following are common criticisms of television news except: a. stories are too short b. writers depend on clichs c. sensationalism drives stories d. reporters don't have to be talented, just attractive

Chapter 6

49

True-False
1. The term global village refers to the ability of people to see what is occurring in other parts of the world. FALSE 2. Broadcasting was supported by advertising since its beginning. FALSE 3. The two major formats of radio are music and news/talk. TRUE 4. Two challenges to the current radio system include Internet radio and portable media players. FALSE 5. There are over 2,000 full-powered television stations in the country. FALSE 6. The most commonly locally produced programming is sports. FALSE 7. The governing body of broadcasting is the National Broadcasting Commission. FALSE 8. Broadcast journalists do not carry the same burden of prior restraint as do print journalists. TRUE 9. One criticism of television news is that sensational images drive the story. TRUE 10. Broadcast reporters are held to the same criteria in their stories as print reporters. FALSE

50 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter 7

51

News web sites

The World Wide Web developed as a news medium during the late 1990s and early years of the 21st century. Users recognized the information presentation qualities of the web before many newspaper or television journalists did. The web's unique combination Interactive news web of characteristics -- capacity, flexibility, permanence, site organizational immediacy and interactivity -- make it a powerful chart medium for the practice of journalism. The news event that demonstrated the power of the web was the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Much like what the sinking of the Titanic did for Check it out on the web site radio in 1912, this event showed that the web could be for this book: used by people to gain far more information than what www.ablongman.com/stovall1e could be presented on television and with far more speed than what could be delivered by newspapers. Many questions about the web as a news medium have yet to be resolved. Those questions include what new forms of information presentation will be developed, how news organizations will make money from advertisers and users, and how users and journalists will interact. One example of the new uses of the web are web logs, journal-like web sites that present periodic entries from a writer to an audience. Web logs were originally used mostly by non-journalists, but they have been adopted by many journalists and news organizations, particularly to cover ongoing news events such as trials or political campaigns. The web is a medium of convergence; that is, it provides a place for a variety of information styles and formats. No converged form of news presentation has yet emerged, however. Journalists on the web still rely on the traditional forms, such as the inverted pyramid news story.

Study questions
What are the five characteristics of the web that make it different from other news media? Which of these characteristics is most likely to have the greatest impact on the prac-

52 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How tice of journalism? What happens to the traditional idea of a deadline in web journalism? What is shovelware? What are weblogs? Why are they an important part of the debate about web journalism? What effect did the events of September 11 have on web journalism? The book says that the web has made news web sites out of sites that did not originally intend to be that. What is meant by that statement? What are some examples that you can cite?

Chapter notes
Accelerated news. The chapter begins with the example of the capture of Saddam Hussein (left) in December 2003. The news came early on Sunday morning, after most newspapers in America had been printed. There would not be another newspaper for 24 hours. The example shows how newspapers, bound by their printing schedules, can be far behind the news. What other examples since Saddam's capture can you think of that leave newspapers behind? How have they responded? Shovelware or not. The book chapter outlines several different approaches that news organizations may take to populating a site -- from shovelware (see definition below) to developing original content. Look at the web site for the newspaper in your area. How would you characterize it according to the descriptions in the book? Characteristics of the web. Make sure you understand the web's characteristics as a news medium -- capacity, flexibility, immediacy, permanence, and interactivity. They are vital to understanding how the web operates -- and will operate -- as a news medium. It is important to realize that the web is still under development. We do not know what the web will be like in 10 years or if it will even be recognizable to us. Keeping up. If you are interested in keeping up with the latest developments of the web as a news medium, you should subscribe to the daily email newsletter E-Media Tidbits. The newsletter is edited by Steve Outing, and you can subscribe to it at the Poynter Institute web site (http://www.poynter.org). Many new ideas about the web will occur even during the time you are reading this book. E-Media Tidbits is a great way of staying current with those ideas. The book on web journalism. The author of Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How has also written a book about journalism on the web titled Web Journalism: Practice and Promise of a New Medium. You can find out more about this

Chapter 7 book at the Allyn and Bacon publishers web site. You can also order the book from Amazon (where the title is incorrectly listed) or Barnes and Noble. State of online news media. The Project for Excellence in Journalism has produced an extensive report on the state of the news media in 2004. One section deals with the online news media and begins this way: Although the economics are still evolving, the Internet has now become a major source of news in America. In September 2003, over half of the people in the United States - 150 million - went online, a record for Web use. And half to two-thirds of those who go online use it at least some of the time to get news. Whether the new medium is replacing the old, however, at this point is less clear. . . . (Read more at www. journalism.org)

53

54 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Multiple choice
1. In 1991, Swiss physicist ____ developed the first hypertext system to allow people to share what they had through the Internet. a. Vannevar Bush b. Tim Berners-Lee c. Ted Nelson d. Glenn Reynolds 2. What are the ways web journalism differs from other media, as outlined in the text? a. Variety, expansion, depth, context b. Timeliness, content, convenience, writing style c. Newsgathering, graphics, design, type of reader d. Capacity, flexibility, immediacy, permanence, interactivity 3. How long has the web been in existence as we know it today (2004)? a. 10 years b. 20 years c. 40 years d. 50 years 4. What limitations do the web, as a news medium, practically eliminate, as explained in the text? a. lack of content and creativity b. lack of breaking news and coverage c. lack of photos and other images d. lack of time and space 5. In what way does the web as a news medium offer immediacy that is different from broadcasting? a. variety b. expansion c. depth 6. What is the MAJOR disadvantage of the web to the web producer? a. It is confusing or frustrating b. The web is not as convenient as broadcast or newspaper c. The web is too expensive to users d. Relatively few people have the web habit 7. Which is NOT a characteristic of shovelware? a. expensive and difficult to operate b. cheap and easy to operate c. shifts content with little or no change d. it works 8. Which is NOT a disadvantage for using shovelware for updating a web site? a. It does not offer new information to entice readers to

check back often. b. It does not link readers to past stories about an issue. c. It does not feature independent information from another source. d. It requires extensive maintenance 9. The events of September 11, 2000, moved most shovelware web sites into the _____________ updating category at least for the day. a. moderate b. aggressive c. slow d. excessive 10. Having the site change every few minutes or even every few hours is one of the hallmarks of ___________________ updating. a. shovelware b. aggressive c. moderate d. original content 11. Which is NOT an example of a web-only publication? a. salon.com b. slate.com c. BlackPressUSA.com d. chicagotribune.com 12. Which of the following best describes the rate in which news web sites are expected to change during the first decade of this century? a. Little, if any, change will occur. b. Substantial, if not radical, changes will occur. c. Moderate changes will occur. 13. Which news web site formed a partnership with Time and Sports Illustrated magazines to attract more readers? a. msnbc.com b. nytimes.com c. foxnews.com d. cnn.com 14. What was the underlying philosophy of Newhouse Newspapers in the 1990s in reference to building news web sites? a. It attempted to build partnerships with well-known magazines to attract readers. b. It attempted to build a new brand name for its web sites. c. It shifted its focus to national news rather than regional news. d. It attempted to build partnerships with nationally recognized newspapers.

Chapter 7

55

True-False
1. One advantage to web journalism is that it is more convenient than newspapers. o False o 2. All information put onto the web can be saved permanently if done correctly. o True o 3. Information that was lost during the first 10 years of the web was a result of faulty medium. o True 4. People often return to their favorite web site, even if it is not updated frequently. o False 6. A survey by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2001 found that more than 75 percent of the population was using the Internet. o True o 7. ARPA introduced the first Internet in 1979. o True o 8. Shovelware is an expensive but easy way for a web site to update its content. False. Shovelware is a relatively low cost method. 9. Having a site change every few minutes or every few hours is one of the hallmarks of moderate updating. False. These are characteristics of aggressive updating. 10. Some weblogs have rules that participants must follow. True. 11. Communicating is the central function of the web. True. 12. Webzines are more likely to resemble traditional newspapers. False. They are more likely to resemble traditional magazines. 13. Sites like Major League Baseball and Court TV can not be considered news web sites because they are not sponsored by traditional news organizations. False. Sites like these have contributed to an expanded definition of web journalism. 14. A typical weblog entry is short (50 to 100 words) and introduces a topic or refers to a previous entry. True. 15. Weblog contributors usually remain anonymous. False. Contributors to weblogs are usually identified.

56 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Fill in the blank


1. A _________________________ is a site that is devoted to delivering timely news and information to its audience. ANSWER: news web site 2. _________________________ refers to the practice of simply shifting the content produced by the organization for another medium (newspaper, radio, or television) to the web site with little or no change. ANSWER: Shovelware 3. A web site that employs staff members who post new items on the site throughout the day, and utilizes software that easily facilitates this process, uses ________________ updating to change its content. ANSWER: aggressive 4. _________________________ is the central function of the web. ANSWER: Communicating 5. The New York Times Learning Network is a good example of an _______________ site because it offers additional information and activities that are valuable to the reader, but are not available on the organization's main web site. ANSWER: extension 6. Web-only publications that are more likely to resemble traditional magazines than newspapers are referred to as ____________________. ANSWER: webzines 7. Web sites such as Major League Baseball (MLB.com) and Court TV (courttv.com) can attribute much of their success as news web sites to the fact that they have instant _____________________ because of the organizations they represent. ANSWER: credibility 8. A _________________________ is an interactive form of journalism that can begin as an entry in a personal journal that is posted on a web site with an invitation for anyone to respond; or, it can start as an entry that will lead to a directed discussion by a specific set of participants. ANSWER: weblog 9. Participating in a weblog is called ______________________. ANSWER: blogging 10. A term to describe a weblog entry is ______________________, which refers to the brevity of the writing that has become a standards expectation of bloggers. ANSWER: microcontent (Test questions in this section were produced by Emily Patterson and Susan Hopper as part of a class project.)

Chapter 7

57

News web site organizational chart


Those who view this chart on the web site for the book will find it interactive. Clicking on each checked position will bring up a window with a position description. The descriptions are below. Vice president for digital media - Because many news web sites are part of larger news organization, this person is in charge of the web operation and reports to a publisher or president. This position has the overall responsibility of the content and technical operation of the web. This person may be responsible for technical or computer systems for the entire organization. General manager - The general manager is responsible for the budget and staffing of the web site operation. This person is also in charge of promotion of the web site. Managing editor/producer - This person holds the chief editorial position of the web site and is responsible for the content of each department. The managing editor sets the schedules for when material is posted. News editor/producer - As with a newspaper, a web site staff is divided into sections. Chief among them is the news section, which is responsible for keep fresh, up-to-date information on the site. Columnists/weblog writers - These bloggers are likely to concentrate on a particular subject, such as the city government, the local music scene or a local professional football team. They may be expected to post a number of items each day. Creative director - This person is charged with developing special projects that usually take advantage of the flexibility of the web. That is, these projects may include audio, video and interactive graphics, as well as articles and photographs. Operations manager - This is the chief technical officer of the web site and is responsible for keeping the site live. This person is also responsible for the site's content management system. Often, too, this person is in charge of training staff members on the best ways to post item onto the site.

58 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter 8

59

Reporters

Reporters start the journalistic process by gathering information. Without them, journalism in its truest form cannot take place. In gathering information, reporters follow certain journalistic practices. They have an idea of the kind Great sports writers of information they need before they ever begin writing their stories. This idea comes from experience and Lauren Cabell: How to training. They also have an idea about what sources - the people and places that have information -- will be become your editor's available to them and which are the best to use. Again, favorite this idea is based on their experience and the experiences of others in the news organization. Check it out on the web site Good reporters try to develop a wide range of for this book: knowledge to use their pursuit of information and in www.ablongman.com/stovall1e evaluating that information. Personally, they must be curious, persistent and honest in dealing with others around them. They must understand journalism in order to develop a nose for news -- a sense of what might develop into a good story. They must be able to sense when someone is lying or shading the truth or when the information and events they encounter simply do not add up. Good reporters try to gather accurate information. They recognize they may have points of view about the information or people they deal with, but they try to set those biases aside as much as humanly possible. They are competitive and understand that one of the standards of being good at journalism is getting information before anyone else has it. Accuracy in gathering and presenting information is their chief goal, however.

Study questions
Describe the day of a newspaper reporter based on the things you have read in this chapter and elsewhere in the book. What are the most important personal characteristics a person should have to be a good reporter?

60 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

What are the most important jobs of a reporter? What is the most important job? How does a person become a reporter?

Chapter notes
Do reporters have more fun? The chapter emphasizes how difficult it is to be a reporter. Thats certainly true. But its also fun. Thats what Jack Hamilton says: . . . as much responsibility as our profession carries, we have a comparative advantage in having fun. Being a journalist is endlessly exhilarating. Most people stop taking field trips after they leave grade school. Journalism is one field trip after another. We can knock on any door and ask questions. And if they dont let us in, we can go around to the back. John Maxwell Hamilton was a foreign correspondent, reporting for ABC radio and the Christian Science Monitor, and also worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Bank. He is dean of the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University and of author of several books including Hold the Press: The Inside Story on Newspapers (with George A. Krimsky). Hamilton is right, and students should be reminded about how much fun they can have if they decide to become a reporter. All the Presidents Men. Possibly the best book yet on the day-to-day slog of putting together a big story is All the Presidents Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. These are the two reporters that broke the Watergate story, and their reporting eventually led to the resignation of Richard Nixon as president in 1974. If you are going to read one book about reporters, read this one. But there are many others. One good one is H.L. Menckens Newspaper Days. Reporting to fiction writing. Many newspaper reporters began their careers as newspaper reporters. They werent writing fiction then (we hope), but they were talking to people, listening to what they said and how they said it. They were observing how people interacted with one another and how they reacted to certain situations. It would be easy to produce a long string of reporters-turned-fiction writers. You could begin with Mark Twain. Get to know a reporter. One of the best reporters of the past two generations is Seymour Hersh. Working for a small news service in the 1960s, Hersh exposed the story of the My Lai massacre -- a 1968 incident in Vietnam during which U.S. soldiers killed many civilians in a small village. Hersh was still going strong in 2004 when, as a writer for the New Yorker magazine, he exposed the abuses of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison. There have been many big stories in between those two. Find out more about Hersh. Start at the Wikipedia site. devoted to him. (http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Seymour_Hersh) Sports reporters. Many people aspire to be sports writers simply because they enjoy watching sports. Being a sports writer is a noble aspiration, but the very best sports writers have

Chapter 8 gone beyond the games they watch and lifted their writing -- and their readers -- into the realms of literature. Three of the best of the 20th century were Grantland Rice, Red Smith and Shirley Povich. Rice wrote the most famous sports lead paragraph of all time comparing the Notre Dame football backfield to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Read more about them. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Reporters depend not only on the First Amendment freedom to publish but also the implied First Amendment freedom to gather the news. Issues surrounding how reporters work -- and the legal and quasilegal obstacles they encounter -- are covered by an organization called the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Check out this organizations web site (http:// www.rcfp.org) on a regular basis if you want to keep up with the world of reporting.

61

62 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Multiple choice
1. What is the essential act of journalism? a. expressing opinions b. communicating with the widest audience possible c. editing someone elses copy d. gathering information 2. The time that an article is due is called a. an embargo b. a stop-work order c. an exclusive d. a deadline 3. News reporters generally gather most of their information by what method? a. interviewing b. reading other newspapers c. observation d. sneaking around 4. An area or subject that is covered regularly by a reporter is called a. a major b. a topic c. a beat d. a book 5. In an office situation, who is likely to know the most about what is going on there? a. the director or president b. the vice president c. the mailroom people d. the secretary 6. One of the most important principles that a reporter must adhere to in dealing with news sources is a. to promise them anything to get the information they have b. to be honest c. to inflate their egos d. to give advice to them on how to do their jobs 7. A reporter who does not have a regular and continuing area of coverage is called a. a general assignment reporter b. a floater c. a columnist d. an deadbeat 8. A reporter should be tenacious, which means a. the reporter should always be polite, no matter what b. the reporter should not give up easily c. the reporter must pay attention to detail d. the reporter should always be honest

9. One reason people are likely to cooperate with reporters and become sources of information is a. they are usually paid a good amount of money b. they are forced to by their bosses c. they see if as a civic duty d. they are curious about the process of journalism 10. A journalistic term for getting a story that no other news organization has is a. slug b. cred c. slug d. daily 11. In a sidebar in this chapter, a reporter told how she once did a story on a woman who did what for a living? a. washed windows in a skyscraper b. was a hairdresser in a morturary c. was a construction foreman d. found guest for a TV talk show

True-False
1. In journalism, most people work alone. False 2. Reporters cannot compel people to talk to them. True 3. An editor should know what a reporter is doing at all times. True 4. Reporters must be willing to ask embarrassing questions. True 5. Good reporters are likely to gain a certain amount of local fame. True 6. Most people dont discover they want to be reporter until they become adults. False 7. Reporters rarely work overtime. False

Chapter 9

63

Reporting

The practice of reporting -- gathering information that can be used in the presentation of news -- is one of the basic acts of journalism. How reporting takes place is of extraordinary importance to the field itself. Simply put, good reporting produces good journalism. Stephen Downes: The number one act of any reporting is to produce Giving context to accurate information. Getting information is a diffireporting cult and often frustrating task. Reporters cannot make people talk to them. Instead, they rely on the voluntary cooperation of people who have information. In many Basic references for cases, those people will benefit themselves by talking reporters with reporters. In other cases, they may feel a sense of civic responsibility to be cooperative. In yet other Check it out on the web site cases, they may fear that a reporter will not be able to for this book: tell their side of the story. www.ablongman.com/stovall1e Whatever the case, reporters must follow certain conventions of behavior if they are to adhere to the standards of the profession. For instance, reporters should identify themselves when they are talking with potential sources so that those sources will have a choice about whether or not they want to cooperate with the news media. Reporters must deal honestly with their sources, making every attempt to be fair, accurate and complete in the information they gather. Interviewing is the formal practice of talking with people in order to obtain information from them. Reporting requires skilled interviewing, which often takes place over the phone and under deadline pressure. Reporting also requires great attention to details. Reporters must make accurate observations, and they must go to some lengths to make sure that they spell names correctly and double-check other important information.

Study questions

64 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

What are the five Ws and why are they important? What are the three types of sources of information a reporter may use? Of the three types of sources, which type is used most often by reporters? What is a beat? What are some of the aspects of interviewing a reporter should always practice? What is the difference between open-ended and close-ended questions? Accuracy -- gathering accurate information -- is the chief goal of the reporter. Why? Why is getting the same information from more than one source a good idea?

Chapter notes
Context in reporting. One of the criticisms of journalism is that reporters report events as events only, rather than giving them any context. That is, they do not relate these events to other events or information that would help a reader understand them more fully. Stephen Downes, a Canadian educator, has written a short essay on how reporters can introduce more context into their reporting. This essay can be found on the book's web site (www.ablongman.com/stovall1e) Interviewing. One of the skills a reporter must develop is the art of interviewing. The text pays a good deal of attention to helping students develop this skill. For more information about interviewing, start with this article, The Art of Asking Questions (http:// poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=60848) from the Poynter Institute. Math. Many journalists say (sometimes jokingly, sometimes not) that they got into the profession because they would not have to deal with a lot of math. For most working reporters, however, that turns out not to be the case. They have to deal with math every day. A good reporter should know how to figure a ratio, an average, a median and a percentage. Here are some web sites that will help you out: NilesOnline.com (http://nilesonline.com/stats/) Investigative Reporters and Editors (with a terrific math test: http://www.ire.org/education/math_test.html) University of North Carolina math competency test for journalists (http://www.unc.edu/~pmeyer/carstat/mathtestquestions.html) Poynter.org: Why Math Matters by Chip Scanlan (with additional links) (http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=71048) Plagiarism. Students sometimes get mixed up about what constitutes plagiarism, but journalists should never let that happen. They should understand that plagiarism is one of the worst things they can do, and they should know how to avoid it. Here is what the Detroit Free Press has to say about plagiarism: When material is used in a story from sources other than the writers own reporting,

Chapter 9 those sources--other publications, previous Free Press stories, radio or TV newscasts, etc.--should be indicated in the story. That attribution need not be made for simple, verifiable facts like dates, but is essential for information that goes beyond simple fact-quotations or descriptions not heard or seen by the current reporter, characterizations or other generalizations not based on the writers own reporting, etc... Using someone elses work without attribution -whether deliberately or thoughtlessly--is a serious ethical breach. Staff members should be alert to the potential for even small, unintentional acts of plagiarism, especially in the reporting of complicated stories involving many sources. Borrowing ideas from elsewhere, however, is considered fair journalistic practice. Problems arise in the gray areas between the acceptable borrowing of inspiration and the unacceptable stealing of anothers work. Our standards: Words directly quoted from sources other than the writers own reporting should be attributed. That may mean saying the material came from a previous Free Press story, from a television interview, from a magazine or book or wire service report. When other work is used as the source of ideas or stylistic inspiration, the result must be clearly your own work. That is, what is acceptable to learn from another are the elements of style and approach-tone, rhythm, vocabulary, topic ideas-and not specific words, phrases, images. You can find what other codes of ethics have to say about plagiarism at Journalism. org (http://www.journalism.org/resources/tools/ethics/plagiarism/excerpts.asp) Sources. The chapter lists three kinds of sources: observational, stored and personal. Take a look at a news story in your local paper or on its web site. Try to ascertain all of the sources that the reporter used to gather information for this story. Repeat this exercise until you have a good feeling for what kind of information a reporter tries to get for a news story and for what sources he or she is likely to use. References for reporters. Any good newsroom should have a basic set of references on its bookshelf: a good, extensive dictionary, atlas and thesaurus, a good set of encyclopedias, phone books, city directories and other directories. A list of other references with which a reporter should be familiar can be found on the book's web site. (www.ablongman.com/stovall1e)

65

Exercises
9.1. The questions referred to in exercise 9.1 are found at the end of exercise 9.2. 9.2. The questions at the end of this exercise may be used for a discussion of other news stories. A student could be assigned to find a news story and answer the questions before coming to class.

66 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Multiple choice
1. Which four of the 5 Ws and H are usually contained in a lead paragraph for a newspaper story? a. time, day, month and year b. why, how, who and what c. who, what, when, and where. 2. The chief goal of a journalist is a. accuracy b. brevity c. clarity d. human interest 3. Information which may not need attribution in a news story includes a. context or background information b. direct quotes c. indirect quotes d. information from stored sources 4. What are the three major sources of information for a journalist? a. personal, observational and stored b. fractional, hidden, truthful c. personal, stored, open 5. In most news stories, most of the information is likely to come from what type of source? a. personal b. observational c. stored 6. Attribution in a news story means a. writing using only peoples last names b. using only official rather than non-official sources c. telling only what can be confirmed by two or more sources d. telling the reader where the information in that story comes from. 7. The best news stories should come from a. a minimum of 10 sources b. only one source c. more than one source d. two sources but only those that have directly opposing views 8. Which of the following is true? a. All of the major pieces of information in a news story should be attributed. b. Every piece of information in a news story should be attributed. c. No more than one or two pieces of information in a news story should be attributed.

9. In dealing with quoted material in a news story, a. it is better to have more paraphrased material than direct quotes b. it is better to have more direct quotes than paraphrased material c. no more than one direct quote should be used in any story 10. In most situations, the most important consideration that a news reporter will have about a set of facts is a. whether or not television news has already covered the event b. are readers really interested in the event c. whether or not people were killed or injured d. how much money was involved in the event 11. Information such as books, articles, press releases and computer databases are called: a. observational sources b. stored sources c. personal sources 12. Which of the following is NOT one of the fundamental sources of information for news stories? a. observation b. records, i.e., written sources c. intuition/guesswork d. personal sources, i.e., interviews e. none of the above are sources of information for news stories 13. The highest standard that writers for the news media, a standard that always must be met, is the following: a. meet all deadlines b. write in a grammatically correct form c. be certain that all writing meets news value criteria d. be accurate e. follow AP style in all forms of writing 14. One of the reasons that attribution is important in a news story is a. it lends credibility to a news story. b. it's against the law to print a story that's not attributed. c. attribution makes the writing of a story easier. d. attribution must be included for every fact in a story. e. Attribution is NOT important for news stories and is unnecessary for most of them.

Chapter 9

67

True-False
1. Information from personal sources in a news story usually comes in the form of a direct or indirect quote. True 2. Stored sources are located only in local libraries. False 3. One of the most important things a reporter must do is spell peoples names correctly. True 4. Direct quotations may or may not be the exact words that a person used. False

68 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

10

Chapter 10

69

Writing news and features

Writing for the mass media begins with learning how to write news. This chapter gives students a basic introduction to the forms and conventions of writing news and feature stories for print and the web. Journalistic writing is formal, structured and Verbs of attribution demanding. The presentation of information -- accurate information in an accurate context -- is the main goal of writing, rather than the presentation and devel- Clichs opment of an individual writers style. All media writing attempts to present information Simple words accurately, precisely, clearly and efficiently. Meeting those goals are the main things involved in learning to write for the media. Check it out on the web site A number of important conventions must be for this book: learned about media writing. One is modesty -- a www.ablongman.com/stovall1e writer attempts to stay in the background. Another is attribution -- telling the reader the source of the information. Feature writing, also included in this chapter, generally emphasizes the people involved in news and of interest to the general public.

Study questions
The book describes four characteristics that should be in all media writing -- accuracy, precision, clarity and efficiency. What is meant by each? What is attribution and why is it important in journalistic writing? Are there good substitutes for said as a verb of attribution? When should they be used? What is the inverted pyramid? What are its characteristics?

70 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How What are the requirements for a lead paragraph in a news story? An inverted pyramid news story is not a chronological account of an event. Why not? How does feature writing differ from news writing? How is it similar? The book says one of the best ways to learn news writing is to read, analyze and emulate. What is mean by that?

Chapter notes
The verb said. In journalistic writing, there is no good substitute for the verb said. Still, beginning students are sometimes self-conscious about using said so much in their writing, and they try to find substitutes. The problem with a substitute is that they are laden with added meanings that the writer may not want to include. For instance, a writer might try to use claimed instead of said. Claimed implies doubt -- as if to say, he claimed he did it, but were not sure. Be care about using verbs of attribution; they may say more than you want to say. Stick with the verb said. Its simple and straightforward, and you wont have to carry any extra baggage by adding to its meaning. (Theres more on this site about verbs of attribution.) Writing for the Mass Media. The author of Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How is also the author of a writing textbook titled Writing for the Mass Media. The book introduces students to all of the major forms of writing for the mass media: the inverted pyramid news story, the dramatic unity broadcasting story, summaries for the web, advertising copywriting, and public relations forms such as the news release and the speech and statement. The book is in its fifth edition; a sixth edition should be out in 2006. More information about this book can be found at Allyn and Bacon, which also maintains a web site (www.ablongman.com/ stovall) for the book itself. The web site contains many additional resources and materials for both students and

teachers.

Clichs. One of the most dangerous traps a writer can fall into -- especially a beginning writer -- is the use of clichs. Clichs are overused expressions that have lost their freshness and vitality. Chances are, if you hear a new expression more than once among your friends, it has already reached the status of a clich -- and it should be avoided like the plague (!! CLICHE ALERT!!). Weve included a list of clichs that should be avoided on the web site, but the list is not complete. You can probably add to it yourself. Simple words. A lot of people dont believe this: Simple words are the most powerful and most effective words you can use. If you want to get your message across to a reader (or a listener), express yourself in the simplest way possible. Many people believe the opposite. They think the more elaborate and complex the words, the more effective the message. A short essay on the topic can be found on the book's web site.

Chapter 10

71

Exercises
10.1 - 10.4. These exercises are designed to give students some practice in writing in some practical forms. The emphasis should be on presenting information in a most efficient form. Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation should be emphasized. In all of these exercises, the opinions and feelings of the writer should be kept to a minimum or eliminated entirely. Students should begin learning what writing in a professional environment means. 10.5. Students should begin to recognize words and phrases that are unnecessary. wore a white goatee on his chin wore a white goatee throughout the length and width of the entire nation throughout the nation was positively identified was identified appeared to be ill appeared ill a dead body was found a body was found in the city of Los Angeles in Los Angeles cost the sum of ten dollars cost ten dollars (or $10 in AP style) broke an existing rule broke a rule for the month of May for May for a short space of time in a short time an old pioneer a pioneer the present incumbent the incumbent will draw to a close will close (or will end) at the corner of Sixth and Elm streets at Sixth and Elm streets for the purpose of shocking in order to shock 10.6. Try to get students to reduce these sentences to the fewest words possible and still retain the meaning and information. You might even try to make this a contest to see who can rewrite these sentences using the fewest words. A good answer to the first sentence is, "He was big and stupid." 10.7. Students should be talked through this exercise by first reminding them of the conventions of an inverted pyramid news story outlined in the chapter. Then they should make a list of the facts that should be included in the story. After that, they need to decide what is the most important fact they have to tell the reader. They should use that fact to construct a lead paragraph that is one sentence and no more than 30 to 35 words. It should be emphasized to students that none of this process is particularly easy. 10.8. One of the best ways to help students learn how to write a news story is through modeling -- something this exercise allows. Study and discuss the first story carefully, especially its structure. What is in the lead paragraph? the second paragraph? the third? After that, go over the facts of the new story. They are similar to the ones in the first story but not exactly the same, of course. Some students may say that the most important item for this story is that Bubba Bowers was murdered. Others may say it is the fact that she was convicted of first degree murder. Neither of these is correct. One happened six months ago; the other happened last week. Tell students that the nature of new is to give the latest, most up-to-date information. What just happened? (Answer: Hattie Bowers was sentenced to life without parole.)

72 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Multiple choice
1. The correct structure for direct quotes in print is a. direct quote, verb, speaker b. speaker, verb, direct quote c. direct quote, speaker, verb 2. The most common structure for a print news story is the inverted pyramid. That means: a. the most important information should be in the last part of the story b. the most important information should be somewhere in the third to fifth paragraphs of the story c. the writer should not make any judgments about the importance of the information but should tell what happened in chronological order d. the most important information should be in the first paragraph of the story 3. What is the preferred verb for attribution? a. said b. confessed c. explained d. admitted 4. Two technical guidelines for writing a lead paragraph for a news story are that a lead should be one sentence long and that a. it must never contain a direct quotation b. it should be a maximum of 30 to 33 words long c. it should always contain a direct quotation 5. Using quotes in a story a. gives the story credibility b. enlivens the story c. breaks the story visually for the reader d. all of the above 6. One of the reasons that attribution is important in a news story is a. it lends credibility to a story b. its against the law to print a story thats not attributed c. attribution makes the writing of a story easier d. nothing is worth putting in a story unless it must be attributed 7. A lead paragraph should a. State the most important fact of the story. b. Incorporate as much information as the reporter can get into the sentence. c. Tell the reader the first thing that happened (in chronological order). d. All of the above.

8. Why is the inverted pyramid useful? a. It is convenient for editors to cut the least important facts. b. It allows the reader to quickly locate the important information in a story. c. All of the above. 9. The inverted pyramid writing style refers to: a. Starting a story with generalizations and narrowing down to the main point b. Most important information first, followed by explanation and details c. Facts first, quotes at the end d. Highlighting prominent sources at the beginning and less important sources at the end 10 In dealing with quoted material in a news story, a. it is better to have more paraphrased material than direct quotes b. it is better to have more direct quotes than paraphrased material c. no more than one direct quote should be used in any story 11. In most situations, the most important consideration that a news reporter will have about a set of facts is a. whether or not television news has already covered the event b. are readers really interested in the event c. whether or not people were killed or injured d. how much money was involved in the event 12. The when element in the lead should be a. included at the very beginning of the lead most of the time b. included in the lead, preferably near the verb, but NOT at the beginning of the lead c. excluded from the lead whenever possible d. ALWAYS left at the very end of the lead 13. What should the second paragraph of a news article contain, according to the principles we discussed in lecture? a. it should answer questions raised in the lead paragraph. b. it should never contain more than 25 words. c. it should contain no more than five sentences. d. it should contain the most important element of the news story 14. What is the chief goal of a journalist? a. clarity b. accuracy c. great writing

Chapter 10

73

True-False
1. You should use words other than "said" for attribution as much as possible to add
variety for your reader. False 2. News writers should use more direct quotes than indirect quotes in a news story for print. False 3. Repeating information in a direct quote that you have already included elsewhere in the story is a good way of emphasizing that information for the reader. False 4. In a blind lead, the name is given in the lead, but full identification is held off until the second paragraph or even later. True 5. First- and second-person pronouns may be used in print news writing, but only in direct quotes. True 6. Journalists usually dont have to worry about getting the exact words of a person to put into direct quotations; if the words are approximately what the person said, thats okay. False

74 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

11
Study questions
Why is style important? Make sure you know at least two reasons. What stylebook is the most important one to journalists? What is meant by the impersonal reporter?

Chapter 11

75

Style

All professional writing is subject to some kind of style -- the rules of writing for the medium in which the writing will appear. Style rules impose a consistency on the writing, and all writers need to learn and apply style rules to their writing. Style also involves an attitude that journalists should develop about their writing. Journalists should be interested in the language and how it develops. They should be willing to take special care to make sure their writing is efficient, precise and accurate. They should understand that their own opinions and attitudes are of little consequence to the reader, who simply wants the information they have to provide.

Why is it important for a journalist to be careful in describing people?

Chapter notes
Other stylebooks. The chapter refers to a number of stylebooks other than the AP stylebook, which is the chief style manual for journalists. Here are some links to the web sites of some other major stylebooks: Chicago Manual of Style http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/ Chicago/cmosfaq/about.html U.S. Government Printing Office Manual of Style http://www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/browse.html Modern Language Association (MLA) stylebook http://www.mla.org/style United Press International Stylebook and Guide to News Writing http://about.upi.com/news/books/upi_stylebook_and_guide.bk

76 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How AP style quizzes. Style rules are not difficult, but they must be learned committed to memory and then applied to copy. The wb site for this book has a set of 20-to-25-question quizzes on some of the most important common AP style rules. The first one is the AP style quiz that appears on pages 207-209 of the book. More than the rules. Style is more than learning the AP style rules (although that is most important). The concept of style includes the approach the journalist takes toward the job. That is why the chapter includes short discussions of balance and fairness, the inverted pyramid and the impersonality of reporting. A good journalist must take on the mean of the humble servant and must be modest both in writing and in demeanor. Unfortunately, we are living in an immodest age, where people are taught to reveal everything about themselves and to be proud of their deficiencies. Russell Baker, the retired New York Times columnist, articulates this at the beginning of his review of a set of books about the journalist and critic A. J. Liebling: Rereading A.J. Liebling carries me happily back to an age when all good journalists knew they had plenty to be modest about, and were. From the 1920s through the Eisenhower years modesty was a clearly defined style in the American press, but it was already fading when Liebling died in 1963. By then what had once been the press had turned into the media and contracted the imperial state of mind, which is never conducive to modesty, whether in tsars of all the Russias or Washington correspondents. Bakers entire review can be found at http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17552. Language sensitivity. Take a look at the section on language sensitivity in this chapter. Are the concerns expressed in this section valid? Are there concerns about this issue that the author does not address? Students should be allowed to have a wide-ranging discussion about this issue. They should try to articulate their feelings about the topic, and they should be able to react civilly, of course to the opinions of others.

Exercises
A downloadable copy of these exercises can be found on the books web site in the chapter 11 section. Students can print these copies out and do the exercise by hand. 11.1. Students should get practice using the stylebook by looking up each of the items in this exercise. Some of these entries may be difficult to find in the stylebook. Thats fine. Students may have to struggle some, but in doing so, they will get a sense of what is in the stylebook and how it is organized. 1. co-operate, preeelection, preheat, preflight, pre-dawn, post-mortem 2. The Rev. Johnny Milton led the Easter services at 4:30 this morning. 3. Flowers adorned both sides of the altar at the Brown-Morris wedding. 4. Bronson's Co., Inc., is opening a new factory near Wilsonville next month. 5. 8 a.m., 8 o'clock in the morning, noon, 12 p.m., 1:36 a.m. 6. More than 50,000 people attended the midsummer All-Star baseball game. 7. Bill Brody, the school's best runner, placed 22nd in the regional track meet this year; Howard Wilson, a freshman, was 1st. 8. The French and U.S. Army joined forces today in an effort to keep the peace in wartorn Lebanon. 9. Mix the ingredients in a ratio of 12-to-1.

Chapter 11 10. A 12-to-1 majority in the voice vote expressed the widespread approval of the bill. 11. Karl Teague, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will address the graduating class at 11:15 a.m. 12. freelancer, duffel bag, sisters-in-law (plural), T-shirt 13. The Gross Domestic Product rose significantly in January, 1994. 14. The case in question is now in U.S. District Court. 15. I found my material in the Encyclopedia Britannica, in The Autobiography of LIncoln Steffens, and in several magazine articles. 11.2. This exercise builds on Ex. 11.1 and should be given to students within a day or two after they complete 11.1. 1. More than 50,000 people attended the Major League All-Star Game. 2. Jill Brody, normally the team's best runner, placed 22nd in the 5,000 meter run; Janice Wilson, a freshmen walkon, was first. 3. In the 5,000-meter run, Janice Wilson, a freshman walk-on, was first. 4. By a 12-to-1 majority, the decision was to mix the ingredients in a ratio of 2 to 1. 5. A freelancer should always pack an extra T-shirt before going deep sea fishing with a group of attorneys-general. 6. The Gross Domestic Product rose a tenth of a percent in the first quarter. 7. The researcher took her material from the Encyclopedia Britannica and the Autobiography of Lincoln Steffens. 8. The precious stone was 20 carats. 9. The group held a fund-raiser. 10. John Phelps served as his father's lawyer. 11. The median is the middle score in a group. 12. The mode is the most frequent score. 13. The mean is determined by adding the scores and dividing by the number of scores 14. dance troupe, Boy Scout troop 15. Texarkana, Ark. 16. Harlingen, Texas 17. Salt Lake City, Utah 18. Sioux, City, Iowa 19. Albany, N.Y. 20. Honolulu, Hawaii 11.3. The version below has many of the problems corrected. Three classes of second-graders at Midville Elementary School have made use pf 40 pounds of things most people would rather throw away: toilet paper cylinders, egg cartons and empty spools. The products of the student's efforts are on display in the school's art gallery. Caterpillars, bunnies, Easter baskets, and puppets are included in the display along with more ambitious efforts such as Jo Anna Moore's model of a steamship made entirely of styrofoam. The art project was one component of an environmental awareness program formulated by the state Environmental Association in a booklet called Recycling: Using the Unusable. The entire Woodvale School System has adopted the program, which includes collection of aluminum, showing film strips, and a campus clean-up day. The purpose is to make children more aware of the potential value of things we normally throw away, Woodvale Principal Donna Estill said.

77

78 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Exercise 11-4 AP style test 1


The correct answers are in bold type. 1. The kickoff is set for 11:45 ______. a. AM b. A.M. c. a.m. 2. The public address announcer asked, Is there a _________ in the house? a. doctor b. Dr. c. Doctor 3. He lives at 127 Elm __________ . a. Street b. St. c. Str. 4. The philosopher was born in 360 ____ __ . a. Before Christ b. B.C. c. BC 5. The operation was performed by _____ _ Louise Smith and Fred Jones. a. Doctors b. doctors c. Drs. 6. Early this ________ he opened his eyes for the first time in a week. a. a.m. b. A.M. c. morning 7. Tennessee became a state on _______ 1, 1796. a. June b. Jun. c. date should read 6-1-1796

8. He became a _________ citizen only last year. a. United States b. U.S. c. US 9. ____________ called for a summit meeting with European leaders. a. The President b. Pres. Bush c. President Bush 10. I looked for him somewhere along ______ Avenue. a. 5th b. Fifth c. fifth 11. The soldier had already gone through two _________________ . a. courts martial b. court martials c. court-martials 12. The Jefferson County ____________ failed to indict anyone for the crime. a. Grand Jury b. grand jury c. grand Jury 13. Ken Griffey ______ is now on the same team with his father. a. junior b. Junior c. Jr. 14. He had to take the exam _____ times before he passed it. a. 2 b. two c. twice

Chapter 11 15. His October _______ deadline was drawing close. a. thirty-first b. 31 c. 31st 16. The colors of the flag are red, white __ and blue. a. comma b. semicolon c. no punctuation 17. Exxon ________ announced it was raising its prices for oil. a. Corp. b. Corporation c. corporation 18. His inauguration took place on the steps of the __________ . a. capital b. capitol c. Capitol 19. The neighborhood group decided to withdraw ______ lawsuit. a. its b. their c. theyre 20. ______________ Joseph Barlow appointed all of the members of the committee. a. Lieutenant governor b. Lt. Gov. c. Lieutenant Governor 21. The __________ was a term used to describe conflicts between the United States and the former Soviet Union. a. Cold War b. cold war c. Cold war 22. His first thought was to get in touch with the __________ . a. Federal Bureau of Investigation b. FBI c. U.S. FBI 23. The ______________ comes on Wednesday this year. a. fourth of July b. Fourth of July c. 4th of July 24. The president summoned __________ _ Smith to the Oval Office. a. Sec. of State b. Secretary of State c. secretary of state 25. With ____________ of the game left, the star player was injured. a. two-thirds b. two thirds c. 2/3

79

80 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Multiple choice
1. What is the general AP style rule concerning numbers? a. numbers should always be spelled out b. numbers should never be spelled out c. spell out numbers zero through nine; use figures for others d. use figures for numbers 100 or higher 2. Stylebooks promote consistency in writing by establishing two things: a. rules of writing and rules of usage b. rules of usage and grammar rules c. rules of writing and punctuation rules 3. What is the AP Stylebook attitude in general toward abbreviation? a. avoid excessive abbreviation b. abbreviate whenever possible c. only one abbreviation per story d. only abbreviate if the abbreviation spells out a word 4. What is the AP Stylebook attitude in general toward capitalization? a. capitalize all nouns b. capitalize proper nouns and the first words in a sentence c. capitalize a word whenever you think it is appropriate d. capitalize only the names of people, not of places 5. Distinguish between official and unofficial sources. a. Official sources have some position or title; unofficial sources do not. b. Official sources are government employees; unofficial sources are not. c. Official sources generally wont talk to reporters; unofficial sources often will. d. There is no real difference. 6. The most influential style in the field of book publishing is a. University of Chicago Manual of Style b. New York Times Stylebook c. Associated Press Stylebook d. Style Manual of the U.S. Government Printing Office 7. Most newspaper have their own stylebooks that are used in conjunction with one of the major stylebooks, such as the AP stylebook. Why? a. They are dissatisfied with the AP stylebook. b. They are not members of the Associated Press and are therefore prevented from using all of the AP stylebook. c. The AP stylebook rules are very inconsistent with general rules of usage. d. The AP stylebook does not cover many local style questions and problems.

8. If you're in doubt about the spelling of a word, you should first consult a. a good dictionary b. a friend who is a good speller c. the AP stylebook first; then a dictionary d. your instructor 9. Whats the problem with a sentence such as All men are created equal.? a. It contains a punctual error. b. It contains a grammatical error. c. It can be seen as using sexist language d. It was written a long time ago. 10. How would AP style advise that you should refer to the time of day? a. 8 p.m. b. 8 PM c. 8 oclock in the evening d. 8 P.M.

True-False
1. Occasionally you should try to use obscure spellings for words in order to get the reader's attention and to educate him or her. False 2. Sometimes a word will have more than one commonly used spelling; in those cases, either spelling is correct when we are writing for the mass media. False 3. As far as the rules are concerned, there is virtually no difference between the AP stylebook and the UPI stylebook. True 4. The AP stylebook is the chief arbiter of style rules in print and web journalism. True 5. Journalists should avoid using trademarked names and should use generic terms instead. True

Chapter 11

81

Compiling a local stylebook


Every publication needs its own stylebook -- a set of rules for referring to local items and guidelines for solving problems and questions that the AP Stylebook does not address. (Courses in writing, even if they are not producing a publication or web site, should have a set of rules that students should learn and observe.) Compiling such a stylebook has a number of advantages for a publications staff or a class in writing: It can serve as an easy reference for writing questions that come up in class. It is a good demonstration of the importance of consistency in writing. It can get students to think and make decisions about style -- decisions that they and others will have to abide by. Any stylebook is a work in progress. You will not think about all of the questions and problems that need to be solved initially. Rather, those questions will arise naturally as students are doing their work. One method of building a stylebook is to put a student -- one who demonstrates a natural interest in the language -- in charge of keeping the stylebook and making it available to others. That student might be the final arbiter of style questions, but style rules should be discussed and decided by a group. This group might consist of a small committee of students or the class as a whole. (Students should feel as if the local style is something they are creating themselves rather than something that is imposed on them.) Here are a few suggestions for getting started with a local stylebook: Identification. How do you identify the people in your stories? Here might be an entry in a stylebook for a college publication or writing class. Identification Students are generally identified by rank and major. Example: John Jones, a junior in journalism, was elected study body president. If within the context of the story a student has a relevant title, that title should be used. Example: Mary Smith, president of the Outdoors Club, said the next outing will be Saturday. Faculty should be identified by rank and department. Do not use the courtesy of Dr. to refer to faculty members. Administrators, even though they have faculty status, should be identified by their administrative title. Examples: Alex Johnson, an associate professor of biology, is leaving at the end of the year to take a position in private industry. Paul Blaney, dean of the faculty, said salaries would stay the same as last year. Buildings. How do you refer to buildings that will appear in the stories the students write? Building have formal names, but those may not be the names that are the most familiar or the ones that people are likely to use. Your staff will have to decide. Each major building should have a separate entry in your stylebook. For example:

82 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How Reese Phifer Hall Reese Phifer Hall or simply Phifer Hall is appropriate. The building has had several names since it was built in 1929: Student Union, Old Union, Communication Building. Do not use any of these older names unless the context of the story demands it. Place names. Sometimes people refer to places by a variety of names, and it is not always clear what they are talking about. You should use the local stylebook to make it clear to the staff and readers what is being referred to when you use a place name. For instance: Emory and Emory Village Emory is the town of Emory, Va., where Emory and Henry College is located. Emory Village is the set of buildings on Hillman Highway close to the Emory Crossings Deli. Courtesy titles. Some school publications choose to ignore the general dictum of AP style that says that no courtesy titles should be use. It is certainly appropriate to do that, particularly in a high school setting where the use of courtesy titles such as Mr. and Mrs. is expected by students. Your local stylebook should contain an entry about that: Courtesy titles Refer to teachers on first reference with their first and last names and title. Example: Horace Lardner, mathematics teacher On second reference use Mr. for males and Ms. for females. (This rule contradicts the AP style rule of not using courtesy titles.) Do not use Mrs. unless it is necessary in the story to distinguish a husband from a wife. Use the term Coach on second reference if referring to an athletic team coach, whether or a head coach or assistant coach. Sports and nicknames. A good deal of thought should be given to the way sports teams are referred to and how you handle nicknames. Female sports teams at the high school and college level often use the term Lady in front of the schools nickname to distinguish their team from their male counterparts, such as the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Your students may want to consult with the coaches or the athletic department to see what they would prefer or what the schools official names are. You will find many variations in this area. For instance, despite its official nickname or mascot, a team might be commonly referred by a derivation of the name of a longtime coach (the Stanleys for Coach Stanley Smith). Heres a sample entry concerning mascots: Panthers The official school mascot is the Panther, and the male sports teams should be referred to as the Panthers. The female sports teams should be referred to as the Pantherettes, not Lady Panthers. Other references for which you might want to establish local style rules include the following: Clichs. Compile a list of clichd expression that students are using but should NOT be used in student writing.

Chapter 11 Trademaks. Are there trademarks in common usage that you should be careful about? Check the AP Stylebooks references to trademarks and look on page 198 of Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How for some of the trademarks referred to the in the stylebook. Are there others that have come into use by your students? You should establish rules that follow the AP guidelines for using trademarks. The purpose of style rules is to help the writer achieve consistency clarity simplicity Style rules should not be onerous. They should be rational and logical. As you are compiling a local style, remind the staff, students and yourself constantly of this principle.

83

84 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

12

Chapter 12

85

Editors

The editors job is one of the most important in journalism. The editor takes on the responsibilities of the publication. Journalism is a collaborative effort in that it takes the efforts of many people to produce good journalism. An editor assumes the responsibility Anne Glover: The of making that collaboration work. Seven Deadly Copy Editors and reporters must develop a special relationship. The tenor and tone of their relationship is up Editing Sins to the editor. An editor must allow reporters enough leeway to do their work and to exercise their best judg- Check it out on the web site for this book: ments on the stories they choose and the way they www.ablongman.com/stovall1e write those stories. But an editor also has to impose and maintain the standards of the publication. They have the final word on how the publication works and what it produces. Getting to be an editor is not an easy task. An editor must have a mastery of the language -- enough to recognize when it is not being used correctly and the courage to demand that it be changed. Editors must have a wide-ranging knowledge that allows them to put events into perspective. They must also have an innate understanding of their news organization and how it puts into practice the tenets of the profession of journalism.

Study questions
The books says the job of the editor is one of the most important, if not the most important, in journalism. Why? What lessons about journalism can be learned from the story about Jayson Blair, Howell Raines and the New York Times that opens the chapter? List some of the duties editors are required to perform. What are the traits a person should have to be a good editor?

86 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

What are some of the things an editor should do in building a relationship with a writer? How does one get to be an editor?

Chapter notes
Howell Raines. This chapter in the book leads off with the story of Howell Raines and what happened when he was executive editor of the New York Times. Raines is a controversial figure, and some people blame him for the Jayson Blair fiasco; others say it was the whole system and atmosphere of the Times that allowed the scandal to develop. After he resigned, Raines wrote a long article (http://www.theatlantic.com/ doc/prem/200405/raines) for the Atlantic Monthly magazine (May 2004) about what had happened. Its worth reading to get his side of the story. (You have to be a subscriber to the magazine to read the entire article on the web; if you are not, you might be able to get the magazine from a local library.) In addition, Seth Mnookin has written a book about the affair titled Hard News.(http://www.randomhouse.com/ catalog/display. pperl?1-58836-418-6) The book, which is highly critical of Raines management of the Times, has received a number of good reviews (including this one in the Washington Post) and is also worth reading. Leadership. Journalists have been notoriously bad personnel managers. Most journalists over 40 years old (and some considerably younger) can tell you stories about the horrible editors they worked under and the abuse they suffered. The newsroom can be a tough environment in which to work. Many current editors are trying to do better than their predecessors, however. The Poynter Institute (http://www.poynter.org) runs regular leadership workshops to help editors manage people better. Seven deadly sins. Anne Glover, assistant managing editor for the copy desk of the St. Petersburg Times, has written an excellent piece on the seven deadly sins of a copy editor. (This was originally put together for the Poynter Institute.) Those sins are arrogance, assumptions, sloppiness, indifference, ignorance, laziness and inflexibility. Her article is reproduced in full on the book's web site. Love the language. A basic requirement for any good editor is that he or she know how to use the language. But good editors go beyond just knowing how to use the language. They take an active interest in the language itself particularly to its misuses in the news media. One editor who does just that is Bill Walsh of the Washington Post who has an excellent web site on the use of the language called The Slot (http://www.theslot. com/). Walsh has an e-newsletter to which you can subscribe to get his latest observations. Other copyediting sites that are maintained by individuals include (and these are just a few of many): Word Police, Barbara Wallraff of the Atlantic Monthly Newsthinking.org, Bob Baker of the Los Angeles Times Newroom101, Ron Hartung of the Tallahassee Democrat Gudie to Grammar and Style, Jack Lynch of Rutgers University

Chapter 12

87

Multiple choice
1. The job of the editor is important because a. the editor is usually paid more than anyone else b. the editor is in charge of the process of journalism c. the editor has more education than anyone else d. the editor is likely to know more people 2. The most important attribute of a copyeditor is a. that he or she gets along well with other people b. a facility with the language c. that he or she can do budgets d. that he or she have a good rapport with the publisher 3. This chapter begins with the story of Howell Raines, executive editor of the New York Times. What happened to him? a. He had to sell his shares of stock in the New York Times. b. He had to resign because of his management techniques. c. He had to leave the country. d. He took a job teaching journalism at a small college in Appalachia. 4. One of the jobs of the editor is a. to be innovative with the use of the language b. to enforce the standards of the organization c. to make sure the circulation department runs smoothly d. to help secure new advertisers 5. A major responsibility of the editor is a. to develop a good relationship with reporters b. to make sure the reporters are paid above-average wages c. to make sure others in the organization put the newsroom first d. to make sure that local businesses like the newspaper 6. In dealing with reporters, editors should a. be forceful to show them who is boss b. raise questions about stories that readers would be likely to raise c. write lead paragraphs on all stories and then let the reporters finish them d. let the staff know who are the best reporters and who are not 7. Most editors begin as a. reporters or copyeditors b. circulation managers c. graduates of MBA programs d. layout and graphics journalists 8. Editors have the responsibility of assuring precision in writing. That means a. making sure reporters meet their deadlines

b. making sure every writer is exact in the use of the language c. making sure all reporters are well spoken d. being in the right place at the right time.

True-False
1. Being an editor is a job that anyone in journalism should aspire to. False 2. Editors have the responsibility of assuring that stories are accurate and complete. True 3. Editors should not pay much attention to what reporters think; editors usually have more knowledge and experience than reporters do. False 4. The job of the editor on a daily basis rarely goes beyond fixing copy. False 5. Editors must understand not only the information their news organizations gather and distribute but also the context in which that information is presented. True 6. Editors need to develop a relationship of trust with reporters. True 7. Editors differ from reporters essentially because of the larger responsibility they have to the news organization. True

88 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

13

Chapter 13

89

Editing and headline writing

Good copyediting is indispensible to any publication, and good copyeditors are extremely valuable people to have around. They can lift the quality of the publication in ways that no other journalists can match. Grammar, Spelling, Mastery of the language -- from the rules of gramPunctuation and mar and punctuation to the nuances of meaning -- is Diction Guide the basic skill necessary for good copyediting and headline writing. Copyediting is more than just fixing the mistakes in a story, however. A copyeditor must Check it out on the web site have the courage to decide when a story is incorrect or for this book: www.ablongman.com/stovall1e when it has the wrong emphasis, and he or she must take on the responsibility of putting it right. Writing headlines is one of the most difficult tasks a journalists takes on. Headlines use only a few words, but those words must be accurate and must give the reader a sense of the story and specific information about it. In addition, the headline writer has to produce headlines under deadline pressure. The headline writer has to think precisely and creatively at the same time. Writing a good headline can be as difficult an intellectual problem as solving a complicated math problem. Copyediting and headline writing may not at first seem like exciting or interesting jobs for the journalist, but they carry great prestige within the profession. Many people find them to be interesting and challenging, and people who are good copyeditors are never lacking for opportunities to work.

Study questions
What is the chief goal of the copyeditor? What particular items should a copyeditor check when trying to make a piece of writing accurate? Nora Shoptaws essay on A Day in the Life of a Copy Editor (page 225) talks

90 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How about some of her experiences as an editor. What are some of the larger lessons to be learned from this essay? What is meant by a storys inner logic? What are some of the steps an editor should take to achieve clarity in writing? What is the difference between a direct quotation and an indirect quotation? What is another word for an indirect quotation? What are the characteristics of a good headline? Why are good headlines important to a publication or a web site? Why are good headlines harder to write than good paragraphs?

Chapter notes
Copyediting quizzes. A number of web sites offer some copyediting quizzes that are easy to access for those with Internet connections. Some of the links to those are below. Among them is a whole battery of quizzes put together on the American Copyeditors Society (http://www.copydesk.org), which asks about a variety of topics such as history, geography and current events. The point is that good copyeditors need to know a lot about many different topics if they are going to be able to spot errors and inconsistencies and if they are going to be able to judge the context of the copy they read. A key to good editing. One of the most difficult things to teach beginning editing students is, somewhat oddly, attitude. While no one should be cocky or uncivil, a good copyeditor must have the confidence not only to spot errors but also to change the copy to make it better. That is reasonably easy to do when they are dealing with technical matters spelling, grammar, style rules, etc. where the rules are explicit. It is much more difficult when changing copy calls upon editors to use their judgment and to have confidence in that judgment. An editor must consider any piece of copy his or her own must take possession of it, in the modern phrase. A good editor does not hesitate to see what it wrong, recognize how it should be changed and then change it. Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation and Diction exam. The author, when he taught at the University of Alabama, would give a 100-question grammar, spelling, punctuation and diction exam to beginning writing students. The test was a difficult one, but students had to make at least a 75 on the exam to pass the beginning writing course offered by the College of Communication and Information Sciences. That exam is not available on the book's web site, but the study guide developed for it is. This is an excellent primer on the basic grammar and spelling rules and concepts that a student should know. The Complete Editor. The author of Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How is the co-author of The Complete Editor (with Ed Mullins of the University of Alabama). This is a widely-used editing textbook that takes on many editing issues in depth and offers an array of exercises for classroom use. A second edition of The Complete Editor will be published by Allyn and Bacon in 2005.

Chapter 13

91

Exercises
Many of the exercises in this chapter are available in downloadable form on the books web site. These exercises can be printed out and photocopied so students can complete them by hand. 13.1 - 13.3. Each of these exercises emphasizes efficiency in the use of the language. Students should learn to spot the use of excess words and should be willing to change what is there to make it more efficient. Exercise 13.3 is the same as Exercise 10.6. 13.4. Some of the redundancies are underlined below. There are other errors as well.
Zipping through the sky, like 7 irate super-charged bees, they dart and flit trying to cut off each other's tail. Its all part of combat. In attempting a kill, quite often one will plunge down to the ground. If you've ever wished there was something different and exciting you could do on a Sunday afternoon, then mark the third Sunday of every month on your calendar. That's when the Azalea City Model Aero Club meets at its field on the old Irvington landfill site to do battle, get together and fly remote-controlled airplanes. ``Each plane trails a long colorful crepe paper tail,'' said President Richard Moore. ``The goal is to cut off the other plane's tail. The pilot who registers the most cuts is the winner.'' ACMA holds an open combat event every third Sunday of each month. Heat times are 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. All pilots are welcome, however, they must be AMA members. ``Open'' means anything that is airworthy can be flown. (This sentence contains a grammar error: however is not a coordinating conjunction.) ``Combat is where a number of people can fly any type plane,'' said Frits Jetten, the club's Vice President. ``But you don't want to fly an expensive plane. The plane that most pilots fly is basically just a wing with a small fuselage. One that is fast and agile. You certainly don't want to fly your best plane. I've seen as many as eleven go up with no collisions, but sometimes there is a kill, and you might lose the entire plane.'' All the planes go up into the air at once. Each pilot has a spotter who helps him keep an eye on his plane. Pilots and spotters stand more than 100 yards from the planes which are flying overhead. There might be other planes with similar colors, but with the aid of the spotter, the pilot can concentrate on their own flying skills, while the spotter keeps an eye on the entire field and tells the pilot when his plane is straying away. Frits Jetten's present combate plane is a blue and white plane, Scat Cat, that has been crashed several times, but after each crash Jetten has been able to make repairs and continue to fly, and make cuts. Gordon Barton's flying wing (the Spook) revealed pilot error in a recent heat race. Gordon was keeping too close to the ground and apparently lost concentration for a couple seconds, and the Spook fell down to the ground below. ``A few pilots do not think they are good enough, or are not ready to fly combat.'' Barton says. ``If you have graduated past the high wing trainer and can do the standard aerobatic maneuvers rolls, loops, fly inverted, and land smoothly you can fly combat. Anyone wanting to fly can touch base with any of our combat pilots, and they will be willing to provide advice and insight to anyone wanting to get active into combat.` You do not need to own a plane or be a member of the club to enjoy the flying activities. The events are free to spectators, and the public is invited at no charge.

13.5. Some of the errors in this story are identified below.


Flooding due to last nights rain storm, (Flooding from a rainstorm on <day of the week>) has damaged sevierely (omit severely, which is misspelled) consturction work on the city's newest radio station. WXXg, (WXXG) which was secheduled to go on the air next month, has had it's (its)

92 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How


air date moved back at least a mont, according to station spokesman (spokesperson) Linda Rival. Miss (no courtesy title) Rival, who is also one of the station's co-owners and has been advertised as planning to be one of the station's (delete the phrase and . . .stations) diskjockeys, said the floods severely damaged the interiro (interior) of the station and knowked (knocked) down the half-completed towar. (tower) We haven't detemined the full extent of the damage, said Miss Rival, but I's sure its going to be bad.(We havent determined the full extent of the damage, Rival said, but Im sure its going to be bad.) She said the station would be delayed at least a month in going on the air. The flooding was caused by some (delete some) heavy rains that feel (fell) throughout the state earlier in the weak (on <day of the week>). Several homs (homes) and businessses in the area of the station known as Flat plains (Flat Plains) was (were(fell) ) reported damaged.

13.6. Some of the errors in this story are identified below. There may be other parts that need to be corrected or rewritten.
A majority of people in the state favor the raising of Federal taxes on cigaretes (cigarettes) and alcoholic beverages, according to the poll conducted by the state's lagest newspaper. The propsed sin taxes were endorsed as a means of raisng tax revenues and to discourage smoking and drinking, according to the Oct. 25-26 telephone poll of 1,598 adults in a scientific random sample. Fifty-two per cent (percent) said they think state taxes on cigarettes should be raised, while 41% (percent) said they should not. The 52 per cent (percent) who said cigarettes taxes should be raised broke down this way: 5 percent said taxes should be reasied to increase revenues, 10 percent to discourage smoking and 33 percent both. (These numbers do not add up. Change the final number to make it right.) (The 55)Fifty-five per cent (percent who) said Federal taxes on alcoholic beverages should be raised broke down this way:(:) 11 percent said taxes should be raised to increase revenues, 9 percent to discourage drinking and 35 percent both. The state Senate Budget Committee recently drew up a number of proposals to raise taxes next year, including one which would double the excise taxes on cigarettes, liquor, wine and beer. The proposed increases, which Senate leaders say will be considered next year, would raise the price of a pack of cigarettes by 8 cents, the price of a gallon of liquor by $10.50, a barrel of beer by $9 and a gallon of wine by 34 cents. These increases will riase (raise) the prices of cigaretts (cigarettes) and alcohol significatly (significantly) over the price (prices) in neighboring states. Sixty-two percent of the poll respondents said they drink alcoholic beverages, while 32 percent said they smoke cigarettes. the (The) results of the polls can vary from the opinions of all Americans because of chance variations in the sample. For a poll based on about 1,600 interviews, the results are subject to an error margin of 3 percentage points either way because of chance variations.

13.7. Some of the errors in this story are identified below.


The Green County Comission borrowed more than $500,000 from restricted accounts to meet current expenses. Thats according to (. . .expenses, according to . . .) a state audit released last Friday. Much of the indebtitude (debt) remains in an unpaid condition (remains unpaid) , according to county officials. Loans totaling (of) at least $320,000 were made from the countys (countys) road fund to the gasoline tax fund (comma) according to the audit that covered the period from

Chapter 13
October (Oct.). 1, 1990 through September (Sept.) 30 (comma)1994. By law, the county's road fund -- called the ``RRR fund'' -- only can be used for resurfacing, restoring and the rehabilitation of county roads. The other loan totaling $100,000 was made from proceeds of the county's 1998 general obligations warrant to the general fund to meet current expenditures. The money from the warrant can be used only for capitol (capital) outlay expenditures. The county was notified at the end of July by the state and started a repayment plan then, officials said. Examiners found the county did not follow the bid law on the purchase of cleaning supplies for 1998 (comma) and the minutes of county commission meetings was (were) not indexed from June 1997 through Sept., (no comma)1998. ``Several county funds had deficit fund balances,'' the audit states. County Commission Clerk Tony Sanks says (said) that steps were taken to repay the loans, with about $175,000 of the road fund loan already repaid. "We're taking steps now to pay it off, (end quotation) he said.

93

13.8. This story contains numerous errors and items that need to be changed. Students should be practiced in making these changes and should spent a good bit of time with this story. You may even want to discuss the story and some of the things that need to be changed with the class before they begin. 13.9. Review the rules for writing headlines in the chapter. Apply the rules and principles of headline writing to the headlines in this exercise. The following are some of the problems with the headlines in this exercise. Earlier deadlines and new nightmares for some taxpayers
vague no verb use of and

Senate panel questions HHS nominee


no specific information

24 candidates say they will run for Los Angeles mayor

use infinitive to indicate future tense split at end of second line

Iraq yields to UN on two points

split at end of second line no specific information

New car from Ford is a solid winner

use of linking verb; use of article a editorial, no attribution

13.10. Review the rules for writing headlines in the chapter. Apply the rules and prin-

94 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How ciples of headline writing to the headlines in this exercise. The following are some of the problems with the headlines in this exercise. Jackson mayor cites 3% drop in crime last year

split at end of first line

Bill may allow residents to buy vacant city land


vague

Lawmakers dislike new system


vague, no specific information

Two children caught in house fire die from smoke


top line too short difficult syntax

Sergeant gets calls offering aid to five motherless children

split at end of second line somewhat vague

13.11. You will need to establish the specifications for the headlines students write for the stories in this section.

Chapter 13

95

Multiple choice
1. Good copyediting begins with a. excellent reporting skills b. a good foundation of knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling c. good eyesight d. a knowledge of the history of journalism 2. A good headline for a newspaper or web site a. should never give away the point of the story b. simulates a complete sentence in that it has a subject and a verb c. should have a subject but not a verb d. should always have the reader asking questions 3. The major task of a copyeditor is a. checking for AP style errors b. checking for grammar and punctuation mistakes c. checking for logical inconsistencies within the story d. assuring the accuracy of story 4. A good copyeditor should check a storys inner logic, which means a. making sure thee same grammar rules are applied throughout the story b. making sure words are spelled consistently c. applying AP style rules no matter what d. making sure facts or statements in a story do not contradict themselves 5. One is one of the key factors in achieving clarity in writing? a. including only essential facts b. simplicity c. redundancy d. writing in the first or second person 6. What is jargon? a. a specialized language used by a small group of people b. another term for grammar mistakes c. lack of clarity in writing d. use of small words rather than large ones 7. Whats the problem with the phrase Easter Sunday? a. redundancy b. jargon c. complexity d. specificity 8. The words inside quotation marks should be a. a general approximation of what a speaker has said b. a complete sentence c. the exact words of the speaker d. a memorable phrase

9. The first duty of a headline is to a. catch the readers eye b. contain a rhyme or play on words c. contain an alliteration d. tell accurately what a story contains 10. Which of the following should be avoided in headlines? a. names of people in the story b. short words rather than longer ones c. all verbs d. to be verb forms

True-False
1. Good copyediting requires that copyeditors have a wide-ranging knowledge about many subjects. True 2. A copyeditor should have an attitude that allows him or her to make changes in someone elses writing. True 3. Essential for good copyediting is at least five years of reporting experience. False 4. Headline writing takes a skills that only a few people possess. False 5. People are not likely to get too upset when a journalist misspells their names; they generally understand how that can happen. False 6. A redundancy is a phrase that uses more words than necessary to say what it has to say. True 7. Wordiness is one of the major problems a copyeditor has to deal with. True 8. A headline should be words generally rather than giving the reader any specific information. False 9. Illogic in a headline is a good thing; it makes the reader want to read a story. False 10. A headline on a news story should more or less repeat what is in the lead paragraph of the story. False

96 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Time and Place 1


Many of the clues in this puzzle ask you to associate a place with a date or set of dates. Starter clue: 17 across is near the coast of North Carolina

Across 2. Second city 4. Jan. 28, 1986 6. June 6, 1944 7. Maos place 9. British capital 11. Nov. 22, 1963 13. Place of Revolutionary fervor 14. 1861-1864 17. Wright brothers site, 1903 19. Surrendered to Grant, 1965 20. Texas capital 21. President 1977-1981 24. Crimson Tide 25. South Seas and coffee 26. 1919-1933 27. War during early 1950s Down 1. The Dodgers and the bridge 3. Carters nemesis 4. Crisis of 1962 5. Scopes Monkey Trial site, 1925 6. Washington crossed it, 1776 8. President 1993-2000 10. Irish capital 12. Month Lincoln was shot 15. Bushs nemesis 16. 1996 Olympics 18. May 4, 1970 22. ND town of movie fame 23. Miamis county 27. Russian city

Words and clues by Jim Stovall 2004; Crossword frame created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoverySchool.com

Across 2. Second city CHICAGO 4. Jan. 28, 1986 CHALLENGER 6. June 6, 1944 DDAY 7. Maos place CHINA 9. British capital LONDON 11. Nov. 22, 1963 DALLAS 13. Place of Revolutionary fervor BOSTON 14. 1861-1864 CIVILWAR 17. Wright brothers site, 1903 KITTYHAWK 19. Surrendered to Grant, 1965 LEE

20. 21. 24. 25. 26. 27.

Texas capital AUSTIN President 1977-1981 CARTER Crimson Tide ALABAMA South Seas and coffee JAVA 1919-1933 PROHIBITION War during early 1950s KOREA

Down 1. The Dodgers and the bridge BROOKLYN 3. Carters nemesis IRAN 4. Crisis of 1962 CUBAN

5. Scopes Monkey Trial site, 1925 DAYTON 6. Washington crossed it, 1776 DELAWARE 8. President 1993-2000 CLINTON 10. Irish capital DUBLIN 12. Month Lincoln was shot APRIL 15. Bushs nemesis IRAQ 16. 1996 Olympics ATLANTA 18. May 4, 1970 KENTSTATE 22. ND town of movie fame FARGO 23. Miamis county DADE 27. Russian city KIEV

Chapter 13

97

Time and Place 2


Many of the clues in this puzzle ask you to associate a place with a date or set of dates. Starter clue: 7 across is Alabama's capital

Words and clues by Jim Stovall 2004; Crossword frame created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoverySchool.com Across 2. 2000 election dispute state 3. Dixieland and all that jazz 7. Dec. 1, 1955 11. War during the 1960s 13. Spanish capital 17. July 4, 1776 20. Lincoln shot at one 22. Italian capital 23. Aug. 6, 1945 25. President 1981-1989 28. April 15, 1995 29. Oct. 29, 1929 30. King assassination site 32. 1930s Down 1. 1939-1945 3. Sept. 11 crash site 4. Taras home state 5. 1914-1918 6. Month World War I ended 8. Gambling mecca 9. Aug. 8, 1974 10. Elvis birthplace 12. July 20, 1969 14. June 17, 1972 15. Mormans settled there 16. July 1-3, 1863 18. President 1953-1960 19. Country with a canal 21. Gateway arch 24. Memorial Day month 26. Tenn., country music capital 27. Dec. 7, 1941 site 31. French capital

Answers include: Florida Georgia Gettysburg GreatDepression

Hiroshima Panama Paris Pearl Philadelphia

Theater Madrid May Memphis Reagan

Reno Rome Montgomery StLouis Stockmarketcrash

Tupelo Utah Vietnam Watergate WorldWarI

WorldWarII Moonwalk Nashville Ike NewOrleans

Nixonquits Nov NYC Okcity

98 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

14

Chapter 14

99

Visual journalism

While many people enter the profession of journalism because they like to write and consider themselves word people, the importance of visual presentation of information in journalism cannot be overestimated. Visual journalism takes in photojournalism, graphics journalism and publication design. Few things in our culture have more impact than the single, still photograph. Photographs have a way of grabbing our attention and telling a story that stays with the viewer long after we have stopped looking. Capturing such images is no accident. They take time and planning on the part of the photojournalist. Graphics journalism -- presenting information through charts, graphs, maps and illustration -- is a growing part of the profession. Publications understand that some information is more efficiently and effectively presented through these means than by the paragraph. Many publications are actively seeking people who understand graphic forms and the kind of information that is necessary for their use. No publication or web site exists without the hand of a designer, someone who understands how information should be presented visually so that the news consumer can see it and so that the news organization has a distinctive look that reflects its goals and philosophy. The best news designers know not just design but also have excellent news judgment. They understand the profession, and at many publications they end up making key decisions not just about design and layout but also about the content itself.

Study questions
What are the reasons that news publications should pay attention to the visual aspects of journalism? What is different about photojournalism that distinguishes it from other parts of journalism? What are the qualities of a photo that make it a good picture? What is the digital revolution described in this chapter? Describe the importance of the impact of a still image.

100 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How In general, what is it that designers do? Why is good graphics journalism so difficult to achieve?

Chapter notes
The father of visual journalism. Take a look at some of the pages of the journals of Leonardo da Vinci (heres one). You probably wont be able to read them (unless you can read Italian backwards), but they are interesting to look at. Leonardo, who lived in the latter part of the 1400s, was interested in many things and studied closely what he observed. He did this by both drawing (pictures) and words (text). To him, both were necessary if he was going to understand what he was looking at. What Leonardo did 500 years ago is not so different from what many visual journalists try to do today marry words and pictures. The life and work of Leonardo are worth close examination. Here are a few web sites to get you started: Leonardo da Vinci Museum (http://www.leonardo.net/main.html) Leonardo da Vinci -- a fun web site devoted to his life and works (http://www.mos.org/leonardo/) Web Museum: Leonardo da Vinci (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/ paint/auth/vinci/)

A thought about the printing press. The printing press has been hailed as the greatest invention of the millennium. No doubt, thats correct. Yet, when you look at the journals of Leonardo, you might understand that the printing press had at least one negative effect. Leonardo seemed to see no difference between words and pictures; he used them both equally well to explain what he saw. The printing press, however, separated words from pictures, elevated the importance of words and lowered the importance of pictures. Words were easier than pictures to deal with and reproduce. It is only now more than 500 years after the invention of the printing press that our modern computer technology and software are allowing words and pictures to get back together in the way in which Leonardo used them.

Chapter 14

101

Multiple choice
1. Visual journalism includes which of the following: a. copyediting b. beat reporting c. graphics journalism d. headline writing 2. One of the reasons photography is so important to journalism is that a. so many people want to be photojournalists b. so very few people want to be photojournalists c. still photographs have great visual and emotional impact d. technology allows us to take more photos than ever before 3. Until the current era, visual journalists a. were nearly non-existent b. had little influence on how journalism was presented c. were often treated as second-class citizens in journalism d. had few opportunities to practice their craft 4. Modern photography came into being in a. 1800 b. the late 1830s c. 1900 d. the early 1920s 5. Photojournalists bring what two things to a story? a. illustration and visual context b. illustration and color c. action and emotion d. sweep and perspective

6. One of the most prized qualities of a photo is a. color b. depth c. expression d. sweep 7. The 1990s witnessed what profound change in the nature of photojournalism? a. more versatile single-lens reflex cameras b. the switch to digital photography c. a new wave of photojournalists with attitude d. more newspapers giving up their photojournalism departments 8. Page designers, because of advanced technology, a. have little to do b. have become proofreaders more than designers c. have little impact on the publication d. have a great impact on the publication because they have to make so many decisions about the page 9. The general look of a publication is called its a. graphic personality b. show and tell c. open face d. external vision 10. Graphics journalists have very few words to work with in an informational graphic a fact that makes their job a. relatively easy since they dont have to write very much b. very difficult because they must choose their words carefully c. the envy of the newsroom d. the bane of the newsroom

102 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. Despite the importance of visual presentation, journalism is a craft dominated by words. True 2. The flexibility of the web as a news medium is forcing many journalists to pay more attention to the visual aspects of reporting. True 3. Photographers have often been thought of as scruffy outcasts of journalism. True 4. Most people who want to be visual journalists enter the profession with little or no training. False 5. Until the last few years, there has not been much crossover between photographers and other journalists that is, not many reporters have become photographers and vice versa. True 6. A still photo that shows action can make the view imagine what came before and what came immediately after the photo was taken. True 7. The switch to digital photography has actually slowed down the process by which pictures get taken and published. False 8. Many people who have little experience in taking photographs are now competent photo editors because they have learned the technology and have a good eye for good pictures. True 9. If a graphic is easy to read, chances are it was pretty easy for the graphics journalist to put together. False 10. Even though Matthew Brady the photographer is famous now for his Civil War photographs, it was illustrators such as Alfred Waud who were able to bring vision of the war home to people during that time. True 11. Graphics journalists often have to take a broader, less focused look at a news story than a news reporter. False 12. Visual journalists present news and information like other journalists, but they also control the graphic personality of the publication. True

15

Chapter 15

103

Graphics journalism

Graphics journalism is a specialized form of journalism that uses graphic forms to present information. These forms often use words as well as illustration, so the graphics journalist must have the ability to write -especially to use words efficiently. Parts of a chart (interGraphics journalism generally backs up and adds active) information to other reporting and writing that the publication has done. Graphics journalists usually take Check it out on the web site one part of a story -- that which lends itself to graphic for this book: presentation -- and do additional reporting so that a graphic can be developed for the story. Such reporting www.ablongman.com/stovall1e is very difficult because it must be precise and complete. And it must produce the information that can be properly used in a graphic form. The most common types of charts the journalist uses are bar charts, line charts and pie charts. These are used to present numerical data. Certain principles apply to using these different kinds of charts, and the graphics journalists must know what they are and follow those principles precisely. For instance, a pie chart can only be used to show the parts of a whole and for no other purpose. Maps are widely-used graphic forms for many publications, and a good map can give the reader a sense of place and location for the events being reported on. Maps are also subject to certain conventions. For instance, the top part of the map is usually the most northern point. Graphics journalists must understand and observe these conventions. Even a simple map -- if it is to be informative for the reader -- takes a good deal of skill to report and construct. The chief goal of the graphics journalist is to present accurate information in a form that is understandable and engaging.

Study questions
What are the basic principles of design presented in this chapter? Figure 15.1 presents six way to show essentially the same information. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each form of presentation? What information do

104 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How some of these forms have that others do not? What is meant by proportionality and depth? What are some of the different forms that type-based graphics can take? What are the three basic types of charts used in journalism? What kind of data does each require? Describe the conventions of maps. For instance, which way should a map be oriented? Describe how infographics can be developed from a typical news story.

Chapter notes
Tips for beginners. Students who are learning about charts and how to produce them should remember the following: Study charts that have been professionally produced by newspapers or news web sites. The Associated Press has a graphics department that produces many charts used by newspapers every day. Look closely at the way they are put together. Dont try to put too much data in a chart. A line chart should not have more than three lines of data. A pie chart should not have more than six or seven sections at most. Use an explainer box to help the reader understand the chart. An explainer box is the text under the headline. Try to keep the idea of a chart what you are attempting to show as simple as possible. Data is plural. The word data is a plural noun and should have a plural verb. The word media is plural also. Graphics reporting. Finding the appropriate data to build a good chart is not always easy. Graphics reporters often find that the data they need are not available or are incomplete. Try to find as much statistical information about the students at your college or school. Begin with the number of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Who would have that information? See what you can come up with and how many different kinds of charts you can build. Finding maps to use. If you are working for a publication high school or college you should not use maps created by MapQuest or some other professional service without specific permission from that service. To do so is a violation of copyright laws. Maps that are free from those restrictions are available from other sources, however. For national and state maps, try the U.S. Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/geo/ www/maps/). For local maps, look on the web sites of city and county governments. University libraries and geography departments often create maps of the areas they serve, and those can often be used without permission. Before using any map, check to make sure there are no restrictions on its use.

Chapter 15

105

Exercises
Students will find these exercises far more difficult than they appear at first. That's ok. They should struggle a bit with these problems to get a sense of how hard it is to produce good, simple graphics for news presentation. After assigning some or all of these exercises, you might want to get some good charts from the local newspaper or a newsmagazine and discuss how the graphics journalist went about finding the information and putting the chart together. The charts the students put together should have the five basic elements of a chartbased graphic: headline, explainer box, chart, source line and credit line. They should look like the generic charts found on page 284 and 285.

106 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Multiple choice
1. Depth in graphics journalism refers to a. the kind of information a graphic contains b. making the graphic forms appear three dimensional c. the ability of the graphics journalist to product the graphic quickly d. the relationship of the length to the width of a graphic 2. The chief goal of an informational graphic is a. catching the eye of the reader b. presenting information in an unusual form c. presenting information the reader would not otherwise see d. the accurate presentation of information 3. As the news reporter does with writing, the graphics journalists tries to follow the principle of a. speed get it finished quickly b. the simpler the better c. big words imply big thoughts d. close enough is good enough 4. A pie chart should be used for data that show a. change over time b. comparative relationships c. parts of a whole d. location and time 5. A line chart should be use for data that show a. change over time b. comparative relationships c. parts of a whole d. location and time 6. Type-based graphics include items such as a. pictures and illustrations b. lines and dingbats c. lists, pull quotes and summaries d. headlines and cutlines

7. An organizational chart typically does two things: it lists the positions in an organization and a. it shows their hierarchal relationship b. it shows pictures of the people who hold those positions c. it compares those positions in terms of salary d. it compares those positions to positions in other organizations 8. The data on a pie chart are usually expressed in a. whole numbers b. percentages c. primary numbers d. fractions 9. What are the two major types of maps? a. locator and data b. color and grayscale c. large and small d. detailed and non-detailed 10. The top of a map is usually its most __________ part. a. northern b. southern c. eastern d. western 11. Dr. John Snows 1854 map of London dealt with finding what? a. the location of Jack the Ripper b. the source of a cholera outbreak c. the best places of a newly planned subway system d. the citys pockets of poverty 12. A strength of journalistic illustration is that drawings a. can show things that cannot be photographed b. are fairly cheap to produce c. are not subject to copyright laws d. can take up space when there is nothing else to put there

Chapter 15

107

True-False
1. Purpose and content are the chief considerations in the design of an informational graphic. True 2. Graphics journalists should explore the limits of their computer software and always try to present information in new and exciting ways. False 3. Any article that deals with numbers is a candidate for a supplemental informational graphic. True 4. Lots of extra artwork in a graphic will always help the reader understand the information in a graphic. False 5. Graphics should have a unity that draws attention to the information and away from the design. True 6. Graphic forms are as old as writing itself. True 7. Depth and perspective should be used whenever possible to enhance a graphic. False 8. Chart-based graphics depend on standard graphic forms but use no words to present information to the reader. False 9. A bar chart in which the bars run vertically is sometimes called a column chart. True 10. Newspaper illustrations are a fairly recent innovation in journalism. False

108 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Parts of a chart
The book's web site (www.ablongman.com/stovall1e) contains an interactive version of the chart below. Clicking on the name or the part of the chart designated brings up a new window with a description of that part of the chart. Those descriptions are below: Headline. A chart's headline is more of a title or label than a headline. It does not have to have a subject and verb. Still it must be accurate and descriptive. It may also be clever in order to gain the reader's attention. Explainer box. An explainer box usually consists of two or three sentences that help the reader understand the chart. A good explainer box is often difficult to write because the number of words is some limited, and yet it must be information. Legend. A legend identifies different parts of a chart. A good legend should be easy for the reader to see and follow. A legend should be included only if it is necessary. For instance, charts that contain only one type of data do not need a legend. Also, if the parts can be easily identified on the chart, you should use that method rather than the legend. x-axis. The x-axis is the horizontal base of the chart. y-axis. The y-axis is the left vertical side of the chart. It usually represents the amounts that the chart is supposed to represent. Credit. The credit line tells who created the chart. Some publications include the name of the staff member who did the chart. Source. The source tells where the information in the chart comes from. This allows the readers to judge the credibility of the information, and it gives them a place to go if they want more information.

16

Chapter 16

109

Photojournalism
Taking good journalistic pictures is far more difficult than simply snapping the shutter of a camera. Good pictures take considerable knowledge, skill, and planning -- with a little luck thrown in. Photojournalists must understand the essentials The Associated Press of a good picture. Subjects should be expressive and policy on handling active. The framing and composition of the photo must photographs present the subject in an understandable and interesting way. The technical quality of the photo should be Check it out on the web site such that it allows the viewer to see what the photogfor this book: rapher wants to show. None of these is particularly www.ablongman.com/stovall1e easy to achieve. Photojournalists must begin their work with an understanding of what makes a good photograph and how it is an essential part of journalism. They should also know their equipment well enough to understand how they can use it to take good pictures. Finally, on any photo assignment they have, they should do a lot of thinking and planning about how they will shoot that assignment. Many of these qualities become instinctive for experienced photojournalists, but experience is the key. Those who aspire to become photojournalists should start taking pictures right away.

Study questions
Describe some of the things a photojournalist must do to take a good picture. What are the three types of news photos? What is the value of each? Which is generally the easiest to take? the hardest? Why? What tools are as important to a photojournalist as the camera? What are the characteristics of a good news photograph? Describe the process of photo editing. What steps are usually taken to get photographs ready for publication?

110 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

What is accomplished by cropping a picture? What formula does the book present for scaling a picture? Scaling should always be proportional. What does that mean? How has digital photography changed photojournalism? What are some of the major ethical principles and practices a photojournalist and photo editor must observe? What are the general rules for writing a cutline?

Chapter notes
Three shots. The chapter discusses three types of photos based on how far away the photographer is from the subject: establishing shots, mid-range shots and close-ups. Students should know the differences among the three and should understand why each is important. The collage at the right shows an establishing shot at the top, a mid-range shot in the middle, and a closeup at the bottom. The hardest shots to take for most students are the closeups. Beginning photographers often feel self-conscious about what they are doing and believe they will irritate their subjects if they get to close. They should work to overcome those feelings. Cutlines. The book mentions cutlines at the end of the chapter but because of space reasons does not give any examples. Cutlines are sometimes hard to construct, but they are very important. Photographers do not always have to write the cutlines for their pictures (although they should do so whenever they get the chance). They should always gather the information needed for a cutline, including the names (spelled correctly) of the people visible in their photos. Planning. The chapter emphasizes the importance of planning for photographers. They should think about what they will be doing at a news event where they will be, what kind of shots they will be taking, who will be in the pictures, what is likely to happen. Drawing a sketch of the scene and making notes on it is a good idea. Discuss an upcoming news event at your school or college and how a photographer might plan for it. National News Photographers Association. For those interested in photojournalism, this is one of the best organizations to be affiliated with. Visit the organizations web site (http://www.nppa.org) and find out whats required to join. Youll also find a lot more there. Digital manipulation. All good photojournalists want to protect the integrity of a photograph. That is, they do not want to distort or photograph or change the content so that it is not true to its subject. Unfortunately, digital photography and electronic editing make such manipulation all too easy. That is a constant worry for photojournalists. The Associated Press has issued guidelines on electronic handling of photographs that are well worth reading.

Chapter 16

111

Exercises
16.2. This exercise asks students to crop and re-size a picture. (The picture may be photocopied and enlarged to any size for students to begin.) Step. 1. The pictures should be cropped. One way of cropping it is that shown below:

Step 2. Measure the width and height of the cropped picture. (In this example, the width is 4.1 inches and the height is 4.6 inches.) Step 3. Let's say that in our (mythical) page layout, we need to use this picture in a two-column space. According to the table on page 301, two columns is 4 inches wide. Consequently, the picture will have to be reduced to 4 inches wide. The problem then becomes figuring out the depth of the picture. We can do this by using the formula on page 295. 4.1 = 4.6 x Cross-multplying, we get 4.1x = 18.4; x then equals 4.5 inches. 4 This gives the layout editor the information he or she needs to draw the picture on the layout sheet. Step 4. Have the students write a cutline for this picture. On the following page is another picture that students may crop and size.

112 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Cutline information Two kids on bikes; one of them is in the picture with his head down; he's Marshall Grey; riding on Fifth Street about 8 o'clock last night with buddy, Sanders Ferry; car pulled in front of them; Marshall not hurt but Sanders taken to the hospital with broken leg; guy driving the car was Abraham Remington; police charged him with drunk driving.

Chapter 16

113

Multiple choice
1. An establishing shot, in photojournalism terms, a. focuses on the faces and emotions of the people in the picture b. tries to capture the movement of people in a picture c. gives a sense of the relationship of the people and objects in a picture to their environment d. is usually shot at a distance and give the over an overall sense of where the picture is being taken 2. A midrange shot, in photojournalism terms, a. focuses on the faces and emotions of the people in the picture b. tries to capture the movement of people in a picture c. gives a sense of the relationship of the people and objects in a picture to their environment d. is usually shot at a distance and give the over an overall sense of where the picture is being taken 3. Three of the most important elements of content that make for a good pictures are a. action, unusualness and tolerance b. action, drama and emotion c. emotion, elevation and unusualness d. variety, elevation and tolerance 4. The common journalistic term for a picture of a persons head and shoulders is a. a scoop shot b. an eyeball shot c. a model shot d. a mug shot 5. What is one of the reasons pictures are cropped? a. viewers cannot understand them unless they are cropped b. photo editors rarely like them the way a photographer takes them c. they may contain unnecessary content that can be eliminated d. cropping is the only way to re-size a picture 6. Scaling means to change the size of a picture. That should always be done a. proportionally b. by the photographer not the editor c. by the editor not the photographer d. disproportionally 7. Cutlines for pictures in most journalistic publications

are written a. in the present tense b. in the past tense c. in any tense that is appropriate; it doesnt matter d. as an afterthought because theyre not very important 8. When an object in a picture is irrelevant and distracts from the content of the picture, the photo editor should a. ask the photographer to retake the picture and not accept the first one b. try to crop the distracting object out but if that is not possible, leave it in c. remove the object digitally d. remove the object by physically cutting it out so the viewer can tell it has been removed 9. One of the common mistakes that young photojournalists make in taking pictures is that they a. fail to take wide-angle shots b. leave the film out of their cameras c. fail to get close enough to their subjects to take good pictures d. leave out important people in their photos 10. A good cutline is necessary for the reader to understand a photograph and a. should use standard phrases such as Shown here and Looking on are . . . b. identify everyone who can be seen in the photo c. be no more than one sentence and 15 words long d. should say no more than exactly what is in the picture

114 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. Todays technology has made photojournalism a relatively simple and easy task. False 2. No matter what, pictures never lie; they always show a scene for what it is. False 3. A pen and a notebook are as important to a photojournalist as a camera. True 4. When we talk about changing the size of a picture proportionally, we mean changing its width and depth at the same rate. True 5. Typically, a photojournalist on a newspaper will be given a wide variety of assignment each day. True 6. Good photojournalism is usually just a matter of good luck; planning rarely has anything to do with it. False 7. In completing photo assignments, photojournalists should consider taking pictures from odd or unusual angles. True 8. Natural light outdoors light or light near a window is usually better than artificial light. True 9. Photojournalists should avoid taking pictures of prominent people in public places because that can really irritate them. False 10. Unlike other journalists, photojournalists rarely have to deal with ethical questions. False

17

Chapter 17

115

Design

Design is an extremely important, and often highly controversial, part of journalism. Any news organization (including broadcasting) projects much of its personality and attitudes, as well as its content, through its design. People who design publications and lay Parts of a newspaper them out on a day-to-day basis must be highly skilled page (interactive) professionals. The basic concepts of visual logic must be understood completely by a good designer. A good designer must also have some knowledge of the traditions and Check it out on the web site for this book: practices of the medium (newspapers, magazines, newsletters, web sites, etc.) in which he or she is work- www.ablongman.com/stovall1e ing. For instance, a newspaper looks a certain way because the design is fulfilling a purpose for the publication. In the newspapers case, this purpose is the efficient use of space in presenting news and information. A good designer has a sense of these purposes. Understanding the concepts of publication design is also a requirement for an effective designer. Balance, contrast, focus and unity are the things a publication designer must keep in mind. The designer should also be able to work creatively within the confines and guidelines that a publication has established for itself. A designer should have a good sense of news and should know what his or her publication believes is a good news judgment. A design editor makes many important decisions about the presentation of news for a publication each day. Finally, a designer should know how to use the hardware and software available for producing the publication. Confidence in that knowledge allows a good designer to work creatively.

Study questions
Describe the different levels on which a designer must think as he or she is doing the job of producing a publication. What are some of the basic principles of visual logic? Why is it important to under-

116 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How stand them? What is meant by balance, contrast and focus? What are the three basic tools of design? Describe the different parts of type. What do typesize, leading and kerning mean? Why is the consideration of white space important to the designer and layout editor? What are the major considerations for good web site design?

Chapter notes
SND. The Society for News Design is the leading professional organization for people interested in visual journalism. The society holds a variety of meetings and workshops throughout the year and offers many services. It is especially interested in having students join and in having student chapters form on college campuses. Visit the societys web site and find out what its all about. Multi-tasking in your mind. Publication design requires the ability to think at many levels at the same time. To put together a good page, a layout editor has to consider the following simultaneously: elements present on a daily basis (news stories, pictures, graphics, etc.) where these elements can best be used and how they might fit together the general rules of good design the specific layout requirements of the publication. Not an easy thing to do. Dummy sheets. A dummy sheet is a sheet with a grid on it and is used to draw publication layouts, such as the one you can see on page 315 (Figure 17.4) of the text. This instructor's manual contains blank dummy sheets for tabloid and full size publications. You may reproduce them if you need them for your school publication. Finding a newspapers graphic personality. Select a newspaper in your area. What makes that newspaper look different from other newspapers? (Have some other newspapers on hand for comparison.) Consider what typefaces are used, how pictures and graphics are handled and what uses the paper makes of white space. All of these will give you clues about the newspapers graphic personality.

Exercises
17.3 - 17.4. Use the dummy sheets found later in this section to have students rough out a page with these stories. Refer to the dummy sheet found on page 315 of the book for guidance on what a dummy sheet should include.

Chapter 17

117

Multiple choice
1. One of the modern principles of visual logic that has to do with how we read is a. left to right b. up and down c. zig-zag d. big to little 2. One of the modern principles of visual logic that has to do with the order in which we see things is a. left to right b. dark to light c. zig-zag d. top to bottom 3. The way in which we distinguish the different elements in design is through a. balance b. focus c. contrast d. unity 4. The three major elements or tools of design are a. type, balance and contrast b. type, illustration and white space c. illustration, pictures and line d. focus, balance and contrast 5. Designing a web site with a short load time is important because a. its much easier on the designer of the site b. visitors to a site get impatient if the site take long to load c. quick load times mean that the site can have more pictures d. computers generally are getting slower and slower 6. Typefaces with large x-heights are usually a. less readable b. less flexible in design work c. more readable d. work better with pictures than other typefaces 7. Type can be divided into two major groups: serif and san serif. A serif is a. a small extension at the end of a stroke of type b. another word for boldface type c. an indication of the baseline of the typeface d. a measure of the size of the type

8. The space between the lines of type is called a. kerning b. tracking c. sizing d. leading 9. The value of good illustration as a design element is that it a. takes up relatively little room on a page b. can draw the attention of the reader c. is always an efficient way to relate content d. can be produced very easily 10. One way to think of white space is a. that it provides breathing room on the page for the viewer b. that there should be as much of it as possible c. that there should be as little of it as possible d. that it always detracts from other elements on the page 11. Three basic types of newspaper design are a. open, closed and circular b. finished, partial and unfinished c. vertical, horizontal and modular d. balanced, modulated and unbalanced 12. A sheet on which a layout is drawn is called a a. tearsheet b. story sheet c. page sheet d. dummy sheet 13. Tombstoning in headlines occurs when a. two similar headlines are next to each other on the page b. headlines have no verb, just nouns c. headlines are written for obituaries d. headlines are stacked on top of each other on a page 14. In newspaper layout, every page should have a. at least two pictures b. some kind of type-based graphic c. a focus a place the designer means for the reader to look first d. perfectly balanced elements

118 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. Publication design is artificial; that is, everything is created by a human decision; nothing is natural. True 2. Design considerations are very important to print publications, but they are of relatively little importance to web site. False 3. Having good news judgment is certainly a necessity in other parts of the newspaper, but it is relatively unimportant for designers. False 4. Serif type is usually more readable for body copy than san serif type. True 5. Italic type is usually easier to read than Roman or regular type. False 6. Reverse type is very easy to read and designers should use that form more often. False 7. If it werent for white space, we would not be able to distinguish other elements on the page. True 8. One of the chief considerations in web site design is readability. True

Chapter 17

119

Parts of a newspaper page


The book's web site (www.ablongman.com/stovall1e) contains an interactive version of the page below. Clicking on the name or the part of the page designated brings up a new window with a description of that part of the chart. Those descriptions are follow:
Box. A box is a black line that surrounds an element or set of elements on a page In this case the box surrounds the murder story package -- the headline, story and map. You should use a box to group things and set them off from other elements on the page. A box is a good visual indicator for the reader but should not be over used. Catchline. A catchline is the few words above a cutline and act as a title for the cutline. The writer of a catchline will try to be clever and catch the reader's attention -- thus, the name. Cutline. A cutline describes what is in a photograph. A cutline should add information to what the viewer is seeing in the picture. In newspapers and magazines, cutlines are generally written using present tense verbs. See chapter 16 in the text for more information about cutlines. Flag. The flag is the term given to the name of the newspaper at the top of the front page. A publication devotes much time and thought to designing a distinctive flag because it is used in many ways to represent the organization and to distinguish it from other publications. The type font of a flag is probably not used anywhere else in the publication. Gray screen. A gray screen is a part of the publication's page where the background is not white. The purpose of a gray screen is to distinguish that part of the page visually from other parts. If there is type on the screen, the screen should be light enough so the type can be seen easily. Gutter. The white space between the columns of type is call a gutter (or sometimes an alley). This white space, while seemingly insignificant, is very important to the look of the publication to the ability of the reader to see what is on the page. Generally, the width of gutters should be uniform throughout the publication. Head shot. A head shot is the term given to a picture that shows only a person's head and face.

120 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How


The best headshots show some expression on the person's face. These are more interesting to the reader than just a static shot. Headline. The headline is the most important typographic element on a newspaper page. Readers are likely to look at headlines before they look at any other element on the page except pictures. Headlines also give specific information about the content of stories. Good newspapers devote much effort to producing good headlines. Jump line. In newspapers, the term "jump" is used to indicate that a story is continued on another page. The part of the story that appears on another page is called the "jump." The headline above that story is called a "jump head." The line indicating that the story is continued -- what you see on this page -- is called the "jump line." Reverse type. Reverse type simply means that type is placed on a dark background. The type itself must be lighter than the background -- significantly lighter so that it can be seen. Reverse type calls attention to the type but is sometimes hard to read and should be used sparingly.

Chapter 17

121

Full size dummy sheet

122 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Tabloid dummy sheet

18

Chapter 18

123

Broadcasters

Broadcasting is an entirely different medium from print, using sight and sound to communicate with its audience. Still, broadcast journalists are fully a part of the journalistic profession and subject to all of the basic conventions and demands of presenting news and information accurately. Broadcast journalists must know how to use the language in both a spoken and written form. Broadcast news stories are limited by the amount of time allotted to those stories, and often that time is very limited. Broadcasters must be good enough with the language that they can write quickly and efficiently, present information accurately and clearly. Clarity is a key to broadcast writing. Viewers and listeners do not have the opportunity to hear again what a broadcaster has said. It must be clear the first time it is spoken. Broadcast journalism is a highly competitive field. Unlike the situation for many newspapers, television stations do not have a monopoly in many areas, and news departments find themselves competing against one another. Within the profession, the normal career route is to begin in a small market and then to jump to larger markets (with higher salaries) as the opportunities arise. The competition to do this can be intense.

Study questions
What are the qualities that make a good broadcast journalist? What are the factors involved in the selection of news for broadcasting? Broadcasters are said to have great impact on their audiences. What does that mean? In addition to the reporter who is on screen, who are some of the other people who help get a story ready for broadcast? What are the basic broadcast news formats? What are the steps one should take to become a broadcast journalist?

124 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter notes
American Sportscasters Association. Some students may be interested in getting into sports broadcasting. Those who are serious about it -- and its not easy to do -- should take a look at the web site of the American Sportscasters Association. The site has a lot of excellent information about the field and how to break into it. Information and opinion. With all of the talk shows on television -- especially in the field of politics and sports -- it might seem that the lines between news and opinion have been blurred beyond recognition. Thats not true, however. Most television journalists remain serious about giving their viewers information rather than their analysis or opinions about what they cover. When you watch television news, listen carefully to what you are getting. Is it information or opinion? No matter how articulate the broadcaster, it wont take you long to discern the difference. Salary information. The book includes broadcast news salary information for 2001 from the Radio-Television News Directors Association. Additional and updated information can be found at the RTNDA web site (http://rtnda.org/research/research.shtml). The salary survey is updated annually. Radio news. Radio news -- particularly local radio news -- is a sadly neglected part of journalism. The only local radio news of any quality seems to occur in the large cities where there is competition for audiences. Otherwise, radio news seems to be either bad or neglected. Talk radio is not news, although some people seem to believe that it is. Most midsize and small town radio stations do not believe there is an audience for local news. Two of the best places on the web to find good radio news are National Public Radio and Voice of America.

Chapter 18

125

Multiple choice
1. The most important news value for broadcast news is: a. good film or video b. timeliness c. reporter on the scene d. eyewitness report 2. The major difference between print and broadcast writing is: a. Broadcasters are more personal and have a better opportunity to explain the news b. Writing for print means tighter deadlines c. Broadcast news writing is developed around a theme and emphasizes the climax d. There are no major differences between broadcast and print news writing 3. The availability of broadcast news a. has grown phenomenally in the last 25 years b. has grown slightly in the last 25 years c. has actually decreased as people buy more personal computers 4. The major concept that a writer of broadcast news should keep in mind is a. the news should always involved prominent people b. the news is written to be heard, not read silently c. hundreds of thousands of people are likely to hear any broadcast report d. the broadcast story should be as superficial as possible 5. Which format refers to when a story is read by an anchor or reporter without visual or audio aid? a. reader copy b. voice-over c. actuality 7. When a newsmaker is interviewed on camera, and a snippet of this interview is shown on the television news, this snippet is called a a. voiceover b. voiceover to a sound bite c. reader copy d. sound bite

8. A television reporter's report is introduced. The report includes a mix of video, sound-bites, and concludes with a reporter "stand-up." This report is called a a. voiceover b. voiceover to a sound bite c. reader copy d. package story 9. One of the most important qualities broadcasters must have is a. the ability to ad lib b. the ability to edit video c. the ability to ask tough questions d. the ability to write 10. Who normally heads a broadcast news department? a. the news director b. the news producer c. the editor in chief d. the videographer

126 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. Compared to print media, broadcasting is a pretty laid back profession. False 2. When a broadcast story is accompanied by audio or video, it is often elevated in importance in a broadcast newsroom. True 3. Timeliness is less important as a news value for broadcasting than for print. False 4. "Space" in print corresponds to time in broadcast. True 5. The reporter and photographer on a story usually work separately until they get together for the final edit. False 6. Broadcasting salaries are standardized; that is, people who work in small markets make just as much money as those who work in larger markets. False 7. An internship is usually necessary for someone who is trying to break into broadcast journalism. True

19
Broadcast writing demands a special set of skills and knowledge from the journalist. Broadcast copy is written to be read out loud by a news reader rather than to be read silently by a news consumer. The words and sentences must be constructed so they are accurate and clear. They must also complement the pictures, video and audio that accompany a story. Broadcast news stories are generally shorter than news stories for print, but they are no less difficult to write. In some ways, they are more difficult, because writers have to find the shortest words that will tell the viewers and listeners the most. Reading a story out loud is the best way of telling whether or not the story is good enough for broadcasting. The story should be easy to read, conversational and understandable. It should also meet the basic journalistic requirement of accuracy of fact and context.

Chapter 19

127

Broadcast writing

Broadcast writing style tips Broadcast writing examples How would Shakespeare do in a writing class
Check it out on the web site for this book: www.ablongman.com/stovall1e

Study questions
What are the characteristics of writing that distinguish broadcast news writing from writing for print or the web?

Why is writing for broadcast different from writing for print? Dramatic unity is the major story structure for writing broadcast news. What are its three parts? Why are regional accents not useful in broadcast journalism? What are sibilants? What do they have to do with broadcast writing? What are the important factors involved with putting together a newscast?

128 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter notes
Broadcast writing examples. The book has a number of examples of broadcast news writing. There are more on the book's web site (www.ablongman.com/stovall1e). Consider the questions at the end of each story. Breaking in. Want to get into broadcasting? The Poynter Institute (which has a whole section on broadcasting journalism) has a timely article on tips on getting started in broadcast journalism. Heres how it starts: Dig hard, write well, and maybe even sweep a few floors. Broadcast professionals say thats what young journalists should do if theyre serious about pursuing a career in the competitive field of news broadcasting. Television and radio students who want to stand out from the crowd must become enterprising, information-sniffing archaeologists, said Al Tompkins, Poynters broadcast journalism group leader. (Read more at www.poynter.org) Poynter has a wide variety of articles about all phases of journalism. The people at Poynter also respond daily to the major issues and controversies facing the profession. Broadcast writing tips. If you learned to write for print first (and most of us did), you may have a bit of trouble switching to writing in broadcast style. Laurie Lattimore has compiled a list of tips for making the switch, which you can find on the book's web site.

Exercises
These exercises are designed to give students some practice in writing news in the dramatic unity structure discussed in this chapter. Exercise 19.2 asks students to put together a two-minute newscast by writing at least four stories based on the information in the exercise. This can be turned into a fun exercise by having student tape record their stories with an "anchor" doing an introduction for each story. Because broadcast stories are written to be read out loud, this method demonstrates the importance of the way the story sounds when it is finally read. Some teachers require that students turn in only the recording, not the written copy.

Chapter 19

129

Multiple choice
1. What are the "three c's" of broadcast writing? a. climax, cause, conclusion b. correctness, clarity, color c. creative, concise, clean 2. Which is the best broadcast lead? a. At a press conference this morning, Paul Artman, mayor of Greenville, said that he will not seek re-election. b. Paul Artman, at a press conference held this morning, said that he will not seek re-election as mayor of Greenville. c. Greenville mayor Paul artman said that he will not seek re-election. 3. When writing for broadcast, which form should you use? a. inverted pyramid b. dramatic unity c. BBC standard broadcast style 4. The most important news value for broadcast news is: a. good film b. timeliness c. reporter on the scene d. eyewitness report 5. One of the times when it is appropriate to use the present tense in broadcast news is when a. someone has died in the distant past b. someone has died in the immediate past c. the action of the story is in the immediate past and has some continuing effect d. the characters in a story are all still living

6. Which would be more correct, according to broadcast style? a. The robbers stole $10,233 from First National Bank. b. The robbers stole ten thousand, two hundred and thirty three dollars from First National Bank. c. The robbers stole more than ten thousand dollars from First National Bank. 7. Broadcast copy is prepared for: a. the listener b. the viewer c. the announcer 10. When writing for broadcast, which principle should be upheld? a. Write using a simple and direct style, much like a conversation. b. Write using technical terms and jargon to appear more credible to your audience. c. Write using humor as much as possible to ensure the retention of viewers. 11. Attribution in broadcast news should generally be placed a. at the end of the sentence. b. nowhere! It should be avoided! c. in the middle of the sentence. d. at the beginning of the sentence.

130 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. Apposition should be avoided in broadcast writing. True 2. Never round off numbers used in broadcast copy. False 3. In broadcast writing, the attribution should be placed at the beginning of a direct quote or indirect quote. True 4. One of the most important considerations of a broadcast journalist is the timeliness of the copy he or she is writing. True 5. Writing is not as important for broadcasting as it is for other media because little of what is spoken over the air is written down first. False 6. Avoid using the present tense in broadcasting. False 7. Deadlines are less important to the broadcast writer than the print journalist. False 8. For broadcast writing, it is preferable to use the passive voice for copy. False 9. In broadcasting, you should frequently include dependent clauses at the beginning of sentences. False 10. Broadcasting is written in conversational style. True

20

Chapter 20

131

Beginnings of journalism

The history of journalism is tied to the history of the development of human society. Both individuals and societies have needed information to form communities. That information must be timely and relevant, and journalism -- in some form or another -has the job of providing that information. The modern profession of journalism is a story of the development of journalistic information and the means of gathering that information, the technological means of producing and distributing that information in some medium, and the development of audience expectations for that information. Journalism is particularly tied to technology, and changes in the technology of information usually mean changes in the profession of journalism. The most profound technological change in the last 1,000 years was the printing press. Its development allowed the efficient duplication of information in a form that could be easily distributed. The development of the printing press occurred in a larger environment of profound change in the 1400s and 1500s. A part of that change was the increasing value given to individual thought and analysis and the increasing rate of literacy among the populations of western Europe. The development of journalism followed these changes. In America in the 1700s, news and information became a tool used by those who wanted to break away from the English empire. Their interpretation of the events of the day, such as the Stamp Act, allowed them to make the argument for change, and the printing technology allowed them to disseminate those arguments to great effect.

Study questions
What was the importance of news to ancient civilizations? What was the daily newspaper of the Roman Empire? Although copies of it do not exist, what do we know about it? What was the impact of the printing press in the century after it was invented? When did daily newspapers as we know them today first appear? Who paid for them?

132 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

What was the role of women in journalism in the 1600s and 1700s? What was the first daily newspaper in America to survive for more than one issue? What contributions did Benjamin Franklin make to journalism? How did newspapers contribute to the debate that led to the Revolutionary War? Explain some of the aspects of the partisanship that characterized newspapers in the first years of the American republic?

Chapter notes
Americas first newspaper. The Boston News-Letter, thought to be Americas first continuing newspaper, is pictured on page 364 of the book. It was first published by John Campbell in 1704. William David Sloan, a professor of journalism at the University of Alabama and one of Americas distinguished journalism historians, has put together an extensive history of this newspaper for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. You can read his article at the AEJMC web site (www.aejmc.org). Franklin in vogue. If anyone was the father of American journalism, it was Ben Franklin. But he was also the father of the American post office, the volunteer fire department and many other societal innovations that have lasted far longer than his life. A number of good biographies examining all aspects of Franklins life have been published. A couple of good web sites where you can find out much more about the life of Franklin are the companion web site for a Public Broadcasting System special on Franklin and the U.S. History. org web site, which contains a whole section on Franklin.

Chapter 20

133

Multiple choice
1. The first group of people to develop a system of writing that used standard symbols was the A. Egyptians B. Sumerians C. Chinese D. Romans 2. The first postal system was created by the A. Greeks B. Phoenicians C. Chinese D. Romans 3. The first daily newspaper was ___________ begun by ____________. A. Oxford Gazette . . . Henry Muddiman B. Actu Diurna . . .Henry Muddiman C. Oxford Gazette . . .Julius Caesar D. Actu Diurna . . . Julius Caesar 4. The ________ were the first to create paper. A. Romans B. Greeks C. Chinese D. Egyptians 5. Johann Gutenberg is credited with the invention of A. moveable type B. paper C. the first newspaper D. duplicating machines 6. The first newspaper in the modern since was the A. Daily Courant B. Oxford Gazette C. Boston News-Letter D. Ninety-five Theses

7. The Boston News-Letter was different than previous papers because it included A. editorials B. public records C. advertising D. news only 8. The most noted individual in journalism in the 1700s was A. Benjamin Franklin B. James Franklin C. Benjamin Harris D. John Campbell 9. The biggest problem with covering the Revolutionary War was that A. it was expensive B. people couldn't read C. there were few first-hand accounts D. all of the above 10. Which of the following is not true about the Federalist Papers? A. They were written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay B. They were a series of essays published in newspapers. C. Their ideas were opposed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. D. They argued for states' rights over the national government.

134 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. Journalism began when people began writing. FALSE 2. The Sumerians were known more for their printing than their writing. TRUE 3. The Chinese created a system of symbols representing the sounds of speech. FALSE 4. Most Ancient Greeks were literate and literacy was valued in their society. FALSE 5. In early Europe, printing was mainly the job of the church and copying took place by monks in monasteries. TRUE 6. The Ninety-five Theses was written in 1517 as a response to the government's taxation policy. FALSE 7. The first daily newspaper was the Oxford Gazette. FALSE 8. The Daily Courant was real journalism because it contained news and opinion, datelines, and an attempt at fair presentation of information. TRUE 9. The first newspaper in America was called Public Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestic, and it only lasted one issue. TRUE 10. The Alien and Sedition Acts were written while George Washington was President in an effort to control those people who were not American citizens. FALSE

21

Chapter 21

135

Journalism comes of age

The 19th century was the time when modern journalism took shape. The system of communication we had in America was revolutionized during that century by speed and pictures. Human beings developed the technological means of sending and receiving George Smalley and information faster than anyone in previous centuries the battle of Antietam had conceived. Along with the technology, we developed a greater What did Lincoln really sense of the necessity for immediate news. James look like? Gordon Bennett, publisher of the New York Herald, sensed this and made special efforts to get news into the Herald before any other newspaper could do so. Modern photography was developed in the 1830s, Check it out on the web site and its popularization transformed our vision of the for this book: www.ablongman.com/stovall1e world. Photography produced images of people and places that had never been seen before. It produced them quickly (compared to previous methods). Most photography was black and white, so the images were stark and highly informational. Photography was also highly believable. Once photography became widely available, we never looked at the world in the same way again. The greatest debate of the 19th century -- slavery and abolition -- culminated in 1861 with the centurys greatest news story -- the Civil War. The war transformed America in many ways. One was in the increasing demand for news. The war affected many people personally, and citizens on both sides of the war were starved for information. Newspapers and magazines did their best to keep up with those demands, and in doing so, they changed the operation of journalism.

Study questions
What are some of the major changes that occurred in the 19th century -- particularly those that affected the practice of journalism? The journalism of the 19th century is filled with major characters. Who were some of them, and what roles did they play in the development of journalism?

136 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

What contributions did James Gordon Bennett make to the practice of journalism? What was his greatest contribution? What was the great political and social issue of the first half of the 19th century? What effect did this issue have on journalism? Who was Samuel Morse? What was his contribution to journalism? Why did the growth of magazines occur in the mid 19th century? Discuss the impact of the Civil War on the practice of journalism.

Chapter notes
Correction. The battle of Fredericksburg was fought in December 1862, not December 1863 as stated on page 391 of the book. History of photography. One of the profound changes in communication -- and journalism -- in the 19th century, as we have noted elsewhere, was the development of photography. By the early 1840s, cameras, film and developing procedures were in place, and many people were using photography both commercially and as a hobby. We still had not developed a way to mass produce photographs, however, so publications that wanted to use pictures had to use woodcuts. Getting pictures ready for a printing press would not come until a half century later with the development of the half-toning process. If you are interested in learning more about the history of photography, here are a few web sites to check out: A timeline of the history of photography from Photo.net (http://www.photo.net/ history/timeline) Museum of American Photography (http://www.photographymuseum.com/) The American Memory section of the Library of Congress (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/) What did Lincoln look like? The sidebar on page 389 tells about a famous photo of Abraham Lincoln that was used in the election campaign of 1860. The photo is very flattering to Lincoln, but is that what he really looked like? Thats the question a short essay on the book's web site (www.ablongman.com/stovall1e) with photos considers. History of the telegraph. Communication and journalism were changed by the increase in speed in the 19th century -- particularly the invention of the telegraph. Few scientific developments have changed life for everyone so radically. A sidebar in the book on page 384 talks about the role that Samuel F. B. Morse played in the development of the telegraph. Learn more about the history of the telegraph beginning at the About.com web

Chapter 21 site. (http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltelegraph.htm) Battlefield coverage. What was it like to be a reporter covering a major battle during the Civil War? A number of good books about reporters in the Civil War are available. -Also recommended is the chapter on news coverage of the battle of Fredericksburg in George Rables award winning Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg! (In fact, you should read the whole book.) Rable notes how difficult it was to cover such an encounter between armies and how hard it was to get information from the field to the publication for which the reporter worked. One other difficulty that reporters had: figuring out who won. It was not always apparent. A winning army might not pursue a retreating one, leaving the outcome in doubt. Picking a winner and loser was important, however, because how the public perceived the war was going had important implications for political support for the war. Antietam. One of the most dramatic stories of a correspondent covering a battle in the Civil War is that of George Smalley of the New York Tribune and his adventure in getting his description of the battle of Antietam back to New York. Smalleys first accounts of the 1862 battle were read by President Abraham Lincoln before they got to New York -- simply because they were sent by the telegraph operator to the wrong place. But that mistake was small potatoes to what Smalley had to endure during the next few days. Go to the book's web site and read a short article about what happened to him.

137

138 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Multiple choice
1. The two most important developments during the nineteenth century in the field of journalism were the A. invention of printing press and invention of photography B. invention of photography and speed of information C. invention of printing press and speed of information D. freedom of speech and invention of photography 2. Which of the following names is not usually associated with the penny press? A. Horatio David Sheppard B. William Lloyd Garrison C. Horace Greeley D. Benjamin Day 3. With his New York Herald, James Gordon Bennett's most important contribution to the definition of news was A. timeliness B. proximity C. accuracy D. impact 4. Which of the following is not a first that Bennett introduced? A. women's news B. sports journalism C. personals classifieds D. shipping notices 5. The first abolitionist newspaper was A. The Liberator B. The Genius of Universal Emancipation C. The Manumission Intelligencer D. The North Star

6. The editor who promoted abolition, socialism, Marxism, and prohibition was A. Frederick Douglass B. William Lloyd Garrison C. Horace Greeley D. Robert Rhett 7. All of the following is true about magazines except: A. magazines competed heavily with newspapers B. magazines fed America's craving for reading material C. magazines helped educate people D. magazines allowed a peaceful opportunity to slow down life 8. The first modern method of __________ was seen during the Civil War. A. war tactics B. censorship C. interviewing D. editing 9. Which of the following people was known for their photographs taken during the civil war? A. Alfred Waud B. Frank Leslie C. Matthew Brady D. Henry Villard 10. The biggest news story following the Civil War was A. impeachment of Andrew Johnson B. murder of Abraham Lincoln C. invention of the automobile D. South's resistance to Union control

Chapter 21

139

True-False
1. A penny press is a cheap newspaper paid for at time of purchase. TRUE 2. The New York Sun changed newspapers forever because it used words of the street instead of words of the parlor. FALSE 3. The first telegraph line was established between Washington and New York City. FALSE 4. The greatest abolitionist editor was William Lloyd Garrison. TRUE 5. The first female reporter was hired by Horace Greeley. TRUE 6. Writers liked magazines because they offered a perfect outlet for their work. TRUE 7. The most successful of the early women's magazines was Ladies' Magazine by Sara Josepha Hale. FALSE 8. After the invention of photography, readers could immediately see actual photographs in the pages of their favorite magazines. FALSE 9. Most southern newspapers were very proslavery, but newspapers in the north were very divided. TRUE 10. More than anything, Americans during the Civil War starting wanting to know news, good and bad. TRUE

140 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

22
Study questions

Chapter 22

141

New realities, new journalism

During the latter half of the 19th century, news organizations completed their journey from being politically dependent and oriented organizations to independent economic entities of great power and wealth. That journey had begun in the 1820s and 1830s with the development of the penny press (see chapter 21). By the end of the century, news organizations might still be identified with political parties, but they were far from dependent on them. Technological developments continued to have a profound effect on journalism. Newspaper printing presses could run faster and faster, increasing the number of copies of the paper that could be sold. Innovations such as electric lights and power and the telephone brought changes in the way news and information were gathered. Advertising popularized products and created national markets for them. Despite the rise of advertising and the increasing amount of income that it produced for newspapers, many papers engaged in circulation wars that grew in intensity during the 1890s. Those wars culminated in the fight between the New York World and the New York Herald that produced the Yellow Journalism era.

The chapter starts with a continuation of the story about the man who lived through the 19th century. What lessons about what happened in journalism can we draw from the man's life? Why are William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer significant to the journalism of this era? Photography and the telegraph were discussed in the previous chapter. What are the most important technological changes that changed journalism during this period? Why did many newspapers become such large and profitable businesses? The idea of the press as the "watchdog" for society developed during this time. What factors went into that development?

142 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How Read the sidebar on page 404 about the "most famous" editorial in history. What is so appealing about that editorial? How did reporting and reporters change during this period? What is yellow journalism? How did it develop? What is stunt journalism?

Chapter notes
Beyond stunt journalism. Nellie Bly is featured in a sidebar on pages 412-413 of the book. She made important contributions to journalism and for womens journalism in the 19th century, but there were other female journalists who took a different route in their careers. One was Jane Cunningham Croly, known to most of America by her pen name Jennie June. Croley was probably the nations first female syndicated columnist (a person whose regular writings appeared in newspapers across the country). She began her writing career in New York in the 1850s and for about 10 years was the womens editor for the New York World. She was associated with many other publications. She was instrumental in establishing womens clubs around the nation. Many of these groups started local libraries in their towns. She also fought consistently for a greater role for women in public life. In 1892 she was named a journalism professor at Rutgers University. Find out more about her life at the following links: Encyclopedia Britannica (http://search.eb.com/women/articles/Croly_Jane_ Cunningham.html) Loretta Codys Womens Rights Page (http://home.att.net/~womensrights/croly_bio.htm) Advertising in the 19th century. Advertising products nationally was one of the great developments associated with 19th century journalism. National advertising enabled newspapers to grow, and it also provided products to people who had never known about them or had access to them. The advertising was unregulated, however, and claims were made about many products that were simply untrue. The era was one of caveat emptor, or let the buyer beware. The American Memory section of the Library of Congress has an excellent online exhibit of late 19th century advertising. You can get a good idea of the kinds of products that were sold and the claims made about them. Newspaper humorists. The humorists featured on page 415 of the book were all made famous by their writing for newspapers. Some achieved great fame and are now counted among the greats of American literature. While most people have read some of the works of Mark Twain, the other writers may not be as familiar to modern readers. Their works are still worth some attention, however. On the book's web site, you will find some links to their lives and works.

Chapter 22

143

Multiple choice
1. By 1880, there were __________ million newspapers circulated each day. A. 1.4 B. 2.0 C. 3.2 D. 3.5 2. There was an increase in demand for newspapers because all of the following except: A. the price of newspapers had decreased B. more Americans had traveled with the Army C. people had nothing better to do than read newspapers D. more people were educated and literate 3. Which newspaper editor lost his sight and became ill and spent the end of his career on his yacht and worked from there? A. William Randolph Hearst B. Joseph Pulitzer C. Charles Dana D. James Gordon Bennett, Jr. 4. William Randolph Hearst did which of the following? A. crusaded against pornography B. hired away competitors' staff C. helped urge the start of the Spanish-American war D. both B and C 5. The use of a single color other than black on a newspaper page is called A. spot color B. single color C. uni-color D. strip color

6. All of the following were famous female journalists except: A. Nellie Bly B. Molly Walton C. Ida Tarbell D. Frank Leslie 7. All of the following were inventions that helped journalism during this period except: A. telegraph B. telephone C. typewriter D. street-cars 8. Which of the following is true about changes in advertising during this period? A. advertisers believed they had the right to control the content of the newspaper B. ties to political parties had been severed C. both A and B D. none of the above 9. Which newspaper worked to expose the Boss Tweed Ring in the New York Government? A. New York Journal B. New York Times C. Sunday World D. New York Sun 10. Which newspaper editor took a chance of cutting the price of his paper in half? A. Joseph Pulitzer B. Adolph Ochs C. William Randolph Hearst D. Charles Dana

144 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. 1. By 1900, two-thirds of all adults were literate in America. FALSE 2. The editor of the New York Sun was Charles Dana. TRUE 3. Yellow Journalism is the term used for newspapers in the nineteenth century that used yellow spot color. FALSE 4. The newspaper industry hit a roadblock after the Civil War because paper became more expensive to make. FALSE 5. The beat system is where one reporter covered the same area day after day. TRUE 6. Richard Harding Davis was a reporter for the New York Journal who was better known for his looks than his reporting. TRUE 7. One change in advertising was the development of brand names that created brand loyalty among consumers. TRUE 8. Ida Tarbell is known for her experience when she faked her insanity and spent time in an insane asylum only to write a story exposing the system. FALSE 9. The process of photography had changed to photoengraving during this period. TRUE 10. Increased advertising in newspapers forced all advertisers to stay competitive. TRUE

23

Chapter 23

145

20th century and beyond

Broadcasting was the most profound development for 20th century journalism. The century began with newspapers and magazines firmly entrenched as sources of news and information, but the taming of electromagnetic waves was well underway. Within a Edward R. Murrow decade, radio had advanced far enough so that many people could see its possibilities. When the Titanic Check it out on the web site sank in 1912, radio helped spread the news faster than for this book: it had ever been sent from a remote area. The world www.ablongman.com/stovall1e was never the same. Just as radio burst onto the scene, newspapers began a long, slow decline. The levethian newspaper companies of the late 19th century found that they had outgrown their markets, and after the 1920s many died or were consolidated. That trend continued into the 1970s. Competing with newspapers for the attention of news consumers were not only radio but the newly invented newsmagazine. Time, with its weekly publication schedule, gave readers a different perspective on the news and entertained them with a lively and distinct writing style. Beginning in 1936, Life magazine showed readers the world in pictures as they had never seen it before. When the world exploded into war in 1939, these new media were ready to bring consumers information in ways they had never received it before. After the war, television entered American homes with visual versions of all of the formats that radio had pioneered -- news, game shows, dramas, comedies, variety shows, etc. Television news took over as the nations chief source of news and information, and by the end of the century, it had not relinquished that position. But by the end of the century, television had a challenger on the horizon. The World Wide Web was developing as a new and, in some ways, completely different news medium. It gave users more control and offered them more choices than any medium had ever done. Its potency for journalism in the 21st century was apparent, and in the first decade of the new century, it is being realized. Edward R. Murrow

146 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Study questions
What was the most important development in journalism in the 20th century? Why did newspapers decline? The chapter discusses the development of the audience "as an important consideration in the practice and economics of journalism." What is meant by that? What were some of the problems that had to be overcome in the development of radio? What were the three events of the 1960s that were important in the development of television news? How is the development of the World Wide Web as a news medium likely to change journalism?

Chapter notes
Father of broadcast news. Even by the 1930s, when radio was entering its second decade as a news medium. the concept of presenting news had not been completely formed or standardized. The man who did that was Edward R. Murrow. But more than give broadcasters a form and structure, Murrow was known for his hard rock integrity and -- when the situation called for it -- his courage. Read this short biography and then follow the links to find out more about his life. History of the Internet. The Internet (and thus the World Wide Web) is the confluence of two strands of post-World War II thinking: one, information is multiplying faster than any one individual can keep up with it; and two, information needs to be transferred over long distances, or conversely, individuals in many places need to have access to information. A third consideration was the Cold War -- the 40-year period after World War II when the world was divided into eastern (Soviet) and western (American) camps. A timeline of the history of the Internet can be found at this URL, http:// www. w3.org/History.html, with links to other sites that expand on these concepts. Scopes monkey trial. One of the most important events of the 20th century was the Scopes Monkey Trial (see pages 428-429 of the book) -- not because the trial itself was so important but because of the societal and cultural forces represented there. Simply put, it was science versus religion. Many people felt then that Darwins theory of evolution contradicted what they thought the Bible said about the way the earth was created. That same cultural division is still echoing through American society today, nearly 100 years after the event. The Scopes Monkey trial is mentioned in the book because it is one of the first big news events to be covered by radio, but its importance to American history goes beyond that. If you are curious, heres some additional information about the trial: Court TV: The Greatest Trials of All Time (http://www.courttv.com/archive/ greatesttrials/scopes/) PBS: The American Experience: The Scopes Monkey Trial (http://www.pbs. org/wgbh/amex/monkeytrial/); there is a section of this site on the WGN broadcast. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/monkeytrial/peopleevents/e_wgn.html)

Chapter 23

147

Multiple choice
1. Which English ruler was influential in the popularity of radio because he announced his abdication on the radio and it was heard around the world? A. Charles II B. Edward VI C. Henry X D. Edward VIII 2. All of the following is true about the decline of newspapers except: A. people no longer had time to read B. there were too many newspapers in print C. larger newspapers were creating monopolies D. the magazine became popular 3. Tabloid newspapers A. have larger headlines and pictures B. were known for accurate journalism C. were half the size of a full-size newspaper D. both A and C 4. The Radio Act of 1927 established all of the following except: A. the electromagnet spectrum belongs to the public B. gave the Federal Communications Commission power of all communication structures including telephones, cables, etc. C. broadcast is protected by the First Amendment D. the government has the power to regulate the airwaves 5. The first newsmagazine that was a weekly publication that summarized news events was A. Life B. Newsweek C. Time D. U.S. News

6. The first person to transmit pictures by electromagnet waves was A. Henry Luce B. Philo Farnsworth C. Edward R. Murrow D. Lowell Thomas 7. Which major news event in November of 1963 was actually shown live on TV? A. assassination of President Kennedy B. inauguration of Lyndon Johnson on Air Force One C. murder of Lee Harvey Oswald D. both A and C 8. Although there was a decline in newspapers after broadcasting was invented, newspapers still occasionally break major stories . One of them has been the A. assassination of President Kennedy B. Watergate scandal by President Nixon C. resignation of President Nixon D. assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. 9. The first article that presented the idea of the Internet was written by A. Ted Nelson B. Ted Turner C. Vannevar Bush D. Tim Berners-Lee 10. By September 2001, the U.S. Department of Commerce said that ______ percent of 14- to 17year-olds were on the Internet. A. 50 B. 70 C. 75 D. 90

148 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

True-False
1. According to the author, the two biggest developments in technology during the twentieth century were the invention of television and the invention of the Internet. FALSE 2. Lincoln Steffens was known as a muckraker because he wrote to energize reform movements. TRUE 3. Guglielmo Marconi is solely credited for the invention of the radio. FALSE 4. One of the first uses for the radio was during the Titanic disaster of 1912. TRUE 5. The first radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh. TRUE 6. President Herbert Hoover is known for started the famous radio fireside chats. FALSE 7. Writing for broadcasting is much simpler and shorter than for print. TRUE 8. For most of the 1950s and 60s, there were only four national networks. FALSE 9. Many people thought the idea of a twenty-four hour news television network would not work because it was too expensive and no one would watch it. TRUE 10. Ted Nelson called what we consider the precursor to the World Wide Web Nelsnet. FALSE

24

Chapter 24

149

Law and the journalist

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the nation freedom of the press, but what does that mean? Most of us have at least a vague notion of freedom of the press, but even after 200 years of the republic, we still have not nailed State of the First it down definitively. This chapter explores some of Amendment 2004 the history and precedents that have helped us arrive (PDF) where we are today in our ideas of a free press. One of the major ideas on which America operCheck it out on the web site ates is that the nation is an open society. That is, we for this book: expect information to flow freely within the society, www.ablongman.com/stovall1e and we expect it to be available to us. The freedoms named in the First Amendment (the practice of religion, speech, press, assembly and petitioning the government) reflect this idea of openness. So do our education, social and economic systems. But the idea has its limits. Not everything is openly known or available. Journalism, however, assumes this open environment, and many of the practices of journalism are based on the idea that information will (or should) be available. Another basic idea is that in America we are not restrained from speaking (or printing or posting on a web site) whatever we like. No government entity checks presses, broadcast outlets or web servers before information is disseminated. It is only after information is disseminated (in most cases) that legal consequences of that dissemination can be brought to bear. Those consequences may include libel, copyright and trademark infringement, privacy violations, national security concerns and other torts. Generally, journalists understand the limits of these consequences and, for the most part, do not feel hindered by them. Still, society often entertains many proposals that would limit the free speech, free press and openness that we enjoy, and journalists should remain diligent in opposing these limits and should also work actively to make sure that society remains as open as possible.

150 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Study questions
What are the five specific freedoms covered by the First Amendment? What are the legal lessons to be learned from the story of the Cherry sisters? the Saturday Press in Minneapolis? What is the significance of a legal precedent? What is defamation? What must be proven in a defamation case? What are the defenses against defamation? What is actual malice and how did the concept develop? What is "fair use" in terms of copyright law? How much does the concept of privacy mean to journalists legally? What is a shield law?

Chapter notes
Shield laws. Most states have laws that protect reporters, under certain circumstances, from having to reveal their confidential sources to courts or law enforcement officials. (No such law exists at the federal level.) These laws do not offer absolute protection, however, and reporters live in fear that they will be subpoenaed and asked to name their sources. The first years of this century have been perilous for reporters in this regard. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has put together a report about journalists being subpoenaed. Heres how it starts: In 2001, freelance book author Vanessa Leggett broke a record she never aspired to challenge. Serving what would turn out to be a 168-day prison term, she became the longest-jailed journalist in U.S. history held for refusing to disclose a confidential source. Leggett chose to go to prison rather than comply with a subpoena from a federal grand jury. She had claimed that a reporters privilege protected her from having to disclose her confidential sources for a book she was writing about a murder case in Texas. After a U.S. District Court judge and an appeals court ordered her to disclose her interviews or go to jail, Leggett stood her ground and turned herself in to prison officials. I just feel like Im doing what I have to do to protect my First Amendment right to freedom of the press, Leggett told an Associated Press reporter on her way to jail. I feel like what they are doing is wrong. After her release almost six months later, Leggett said she would be more than willing to go back to jail if she were subpoenaed again. (Read more at http://www.rcfp. org/ agents/intro.html) Open records, open government. Many governmental bodies particularly on the local

Chapter 24 level like to operate in secret. That is, bodies such as school boards and zoning authorities find it easier to make decisions when they are not under public scrutiny. Sometimes these decisions are questionable, and those serving on these boards would rather not be questioned. Such an attitude, however, runs counter to how Americans view their government and in fact limits the First Amendment right to petition the government. The National Freedom of Information Center (http://www.nfoic.org/) is an organization set up to fight secrecy in government. Check out NFOICs web site, and see if there is a Freedom of Information center in your state. Student Press Law Center. The Student Press Law Center is one of the most valuable legal resources in the field of journalism. The center keeps up with the many challenges to student press freedom throughout the country. It also offers advice to those who might be facing such a challenge. The web site has many resources for students, plus a good list of links (http://splc.org/links.asp) to other organizations with the same interests. State of the First Amendment. A sidebar on page 452 of the book talks about public opinion toward the First Amendment. The survey cited there, conducted by the First Amendment Center (http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/), has been updated. The following is the introduction to the report on that survey: In 2004, Americans support for their First Amendment freedoms deeply shaken by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 continues to rebound and is back at pre9/11 levels, according to the annual State of the First Amendment survey, conducted by the First Amendment Center in collaboration with American Journalism Review magazine. The 2004 survey found that just 30 percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement, The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees, with 65 percent disagreeing. The nation was split evenly, 49 percent to 49 percent, on that same question two years ago, in the survey following the 9/11 attacks, said Gene Policinski, acting director of the First Amendment Center. (The entire report is available on the book's web site as a PDF file.) Need to know more about copyright and fair use? Chances are, you do (even if you have read the section on fair use on page 457). If so, you can take the University of Texas crash course in copyright (http://www.utsystem.edu/ OGC/ IntellectualProperty/cprtindx.htm) online. Another good web site concerning copyright and fair use is the Stanford University Center for Copyright and Fair Use (http://fairuse.stanford.edu/). Make sure you understand the concepts of copyright and fair use before you use something that you did not create yourself. Being involved with an educational institution does not mean that you can use anything you want to use. James Madison. The author of the First Amendment was James Madison, one of the brightest and most politically astute of the Founding Fathers. Madison studied and thought deeply about many of the political issues confronting the young republic. Here are a couple of the things he wrote about the value of the press in a free society:

151

152 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How Whatever facilitates a general intercourse of sentiments, as good roads, domestic commerce, a free press, and particularly a circulation of newspapers through the entire body of the people ... is favorable to liberty. National Gazette, 1791 It is to the press mankind are indebted for having dispelled the clouds which long encompassed religion, for disclosing her genuine lustre, and disseminating her salutary doctrines. Speech in the Virginia Assembly, 1799

Chapter 24

153

Multiple choice
1. Media businesses a. are granted special exemptions from workplace safety laws b. must abide by standard business practices and laws c. are exempt from most business laws because of the First Amendment d. do not have to pay minimum wages 2. Most agree that the First Amendment means at least a. citizens have the right to a fair trial b. freedom from prior restraint c. freedom from ex post facto laws 3. The First Amendment was written by a. Sir Thomas More b. Thomas Jefferson c. James Madison 4. The concept that, in some limited circumstances, copyrighted material may be used without permission is known as a. limited liability b. fair use c. freeholding 5. The First Amendment has come to mean more than just the words contained in it. The reason for this is a. additional amendments later in the Constitution b. United Nations expectations c. inference and court decisions 6. What five freedoms are named in the First Amendment? a. press, speech, religion, assembly, petition b. press, speech, religion, speedy trial, right to counsel c. press, speech, petition, speedy trial, right to bear arms 7. The First Amendment should be viewed not just as a legal document a. but as a plan for the future of the nation b. but as an outline for an open society c. but as a means for the government to crack down on dissent 8. Actual malice is defined as a. hate b. reckless disregard of the truth c. inappropriate attitudes by media professionals

9. The concept of the "public figure" in libel suits is important because a. libel trials should be open to the public b. people who are public figures have to meet a higher standard of proof than others c. they can be easily identified, and they don't have to prove that in a libel suit 10. Libel suits are seen as a threat to media organizations because a. they cost a lot of money to defend b. they are fairly easy to win when a popular person is involved c. they are often used by political parties to keep the media under control 11. A law protecting reporters from having to reveal their sources is called a a. shield law b. absence of malice law c. First Amendment extension 12. The concept of the public's right to know is based on a. the new Republican Party agenda for the nation b. a longstanding common law that makes the government responsible to the public c. the First Amendment 13. The murder trial of Dr. Sam Sheppard in Cleveland in the 1950s was a classic case of a. the conflict between a free press and the right of the accused to have a fair trial b. the media living in fear of libel suits c. the privacy of an individual outweighing the right of the free press 14. The Near v. Minnesota case was important because it established a. the government could not shut down a publication it did not like b. the press could criticize public figures c. the First Amendment applied to state laws as well as Federal laws 15. The concept of defamation is a. fairly recent, only developed within the last decade b. a matter of criminal rather than civil law c. an old common law principle 16. The concept of defamation assumes a. that reputations have value b. that the mass media needs, somehow, to be controlled c. that organizations are more valuable than individuals

154 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How


17. One of the areas of proof that needs to be met in a defamation suit is identification. That means a. a person bringing the suit need only be associate with a large group that has been defamed b. a person has to be named in a defamatory article c. a person need not be named but simply associated with a fairly small group that has been defamed 18. In addition to identification and defamation, a person bringing a libel suit needs to prove three other things: a. publication, fault and harm b. publication, inference and violation c. negligence, timeliness and conflict 19. Truth is generally seen to be a strong defense against a libel suit. What is its weakness? a. not all states recognize truth as a defense b. truth is sometimes hard to prove c. truth can never be discerned 20. A person is arrested and charged with drunk driving. The local newspaper runs a story about the arrest. The person is later acquitted of the charges. What defense would be best for the newspaper in case that person sued for libel? a. truth (that is, the person really was drunk but wasn't convicted) b. absolute privilege c. qualified privilege 21. Statute of limitations means a. a jury cannot award more than a certain amount in libel cases b. legislators are not subject to libel suits c. libel suits must be filed within a certain time after the publication of a libel 22. New York Times v. Sullivan established a. the potency of truth as a defense for libel b. a Constitutional defense for libel c. the ability of foreigners to sue U.S. media outlets for libel

True-False
1. The concept of the right of privacy is not explicitly referred to in the U.S. Constitution. True 2. Once a copyright has been established, it never expires. False 3. Copyright only applied to works in print; it does not apply to anything you find on the Internet. False 4. Privacy constitutes more of a social restraint than a legal one on journalists these days. True 5. A journalist may trespass on private property to pursue a story that is for the good of the public. False

25

Chapter 25

155

Ethical practices

As professionals, journalists are expected to live up to certain standards of behavior. Basic honesty -- both to oneself and to others -- lies at the heart of ethical behavior. A journalist who is not honest violates the trust that a news organization, the audience and the journalists colleagues place in him or her. Even with this basic honesty and a determination to do right, journalists encounter situations that are ambiguous and challenge their ability to apply moral certainties. One means of resolving these situations is for journalists to develop an understanding of the loyalties they are expected to have. Those loyalties include the ones they have to their news organizations, their colleagues, the news consumers who depend on them for information and themselves and their own moral principles. Certain practices are not tolerated by the profession. One is falsification -- making things up. Another is plagiarism -- copying the work of others without giving proper credit. Journalists are also expected to work for one news organization, and before they do work for another (while still being compensated by the first), they need to get the approval of the editors of that organization. They are also expected to reveal any connections they have with people or organizations in the news that might call into question their fairness and objectivity.

Study questions
What are the basic ethical considerations of the profession of journalism? What is the job of the journalist? What are the major ethical violations that journalists are likely to commit? Who was Billy Sipple, and what does his case tell us about journalistic ethics? The chapter suggests approaching ethical dilemmas, and their solutions, in terms of loyalties. What does that mean?

156 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter notes
Naming rape victims. One of the stickiest dilemmas news organizations have is how to handle rape cases. Rape is a crime that involves extreme invasion of privacy, and many victims of rape do not want their names published. But what happens when the person accused of rape is famous and the case draws a lot of publicity? That happened in 2003 when Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was accused of rape by a woman in Colorado. Bryant was a highly popular basketball star, and his supporters quickly found out who the woman was and posted her name (and later picture) on a number of web sites. That posed a difficulty for mainstream news organizations that, for the most part, refused to publish her name. If you would like to read more about how the news media handled this situation, the Poynter Institute has a section on the whole topic (http:// poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=72875&sid=32) on its web site. Pictures. How photographers, photo editors and editors deal with pictures is a continuing ethical problem. Most journalists will tell you that the substance of pictures should not be changed. (See the AP guidelines in section 16 of the book's web site.) One of the mistakes that many beginning students make is electronically distorting a photograph so that it fits into a certain space. Such distortions (such as the one on the right) are easy to detect and constitute an ethical lapse on the part of those who do it. Remember when you are resizing a picture, it must be done proportionally. That is, the width and the depth should be changed by the same percentage. An equally bad violation (if not worse) is changing the content of a picture. An example of such changes is the photo to the left and below. Digital technology makes such changes relatively easy and difficulty to detect. Even professionals occasionally fall victim to the thinking that changing the content (taking elements out of the picture or moving them around) is acceptable in certain situations. It is not.

SPJ Code. The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics is one of the standard ethical references for the field of journalism. Take

Chapter 25 a careful look at the code. Are there provisions that are unclear or open to question? Are there provisions that discuss situations that would rarely occur? Has anything been left out of the code that you think should be included? Another ethics statement worth reading is that of the Associated Press Managing Editors organization. It does not substantially differ from the SPJ code, but there are differences in emphasis. Case studies of journalistic practice. One of the situations with which the chapter begins is that of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The newspaper developed solid evidence of NCAA violations by the hometown University of Minnesota basketball team in 1999. The newspaper had this story just before the team was set to play its first game in that years NCAA tournament. An extensive description (http://journalism.org/resources/ education/case_studies/minnesota.asp) of this case -- how the newspaper got the information, how it made the decision to run the story, and what the fallout was -- can be found at the Journalism.org web site. Another case that makes for good reading and good class discussion is that of Richard Jewell, the man originally accused of planting a bomb in a crowd in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympic games. That case is also described in full (http://journalism.org/resources/education/case_studies/jewell.asp) on the Journalism.org web site.

157

158 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Multiple choice
1. Our mothers or some other adult in our lives taught us as small children a. to ask So what? and Who cares? b. to always question authority c. to be good and do right 2. One of our most basic ethical obligations is to be a. honest b. loyal c. persistent 3. Journalists must observe what may be term professional practices; these include a. self identification as journalists b. advocating a particular point of view c. understanding that the First Amendment gives them the freedom to do anything they have to do to get information 4. The case of Billy Sipple, a man credited with helping save the life of President Gerald Ford, is one in which a. a newspaper held off reporting what it knew to save the life of a person b. a newspaper invaded the privacy of a person, possibly without good cause c. a television broadcast private facts about a very public person 5. One way of examining ethical dilemmas is to look at them in terms of a. what is the simplest solution b. loyalties c. inconsistencies 6. One of the worst professional acts a journalist can commit is a. to photograph someone who is grieving b. to delay publication of known facts c. to make up information and publish it 7. Plagiarism is defined as a. not identifying oneself properly b. not identifying the source of information properly; not giving proper credit for information c. obtaining information by subterfuge 8. A journalist who works for a news organization but also gets paid by another organization (and does not let the editor know about it) is guilty of a. prior restraint b. conflict of interest c. blind review

9. The area of privacy in which journalists are most like to have ethical dilemmas is a. intrusion b. false light c. misappropriation 10. When journalists cover a news story, they are expected to do so a. by not letting their personal points of view get in the way of their reporting b. by letting sources come to them rather than seeking out all points of view c. by taking the side of those sources who seem to be most helpful because chance are, they have the least

to hide

True-False
1. Journalists have been considering ethical problems for so long that they pretty much have standard answers and procedures for every ethical dilemma that arises. False 2. In considering media ethics, we must look at situations on three levels: individual, professional and societal. True 3. Most journalists would say that it is ok for a person who a member of a church to cover the activities of that church for the news organization he or she is working for. False

26
Study questions

Chapter 26

159

Present and future

One of the most honorable things about journalism is its willingness to question itself openly and to discuss issues surrounding its practice and its results. People within the profession have many points of view about the issues of journalism, so that referring to the media or the news media as a solid bloc of people and organizations is misleading and often betrays a misunderstanding on the part of those who use those terms. This chapter outlines some of the concerns that journalism faces and how some people see those concerns as affecting journalisms future. What journalism will be like five, ten or twenty years from now is impossible to say. What is safest to predict is that journalism -- especially with the continued development of the web -- will change. Another safe prediction is that the profession will continue to need people who are well educated, widely read, facile with the language, and able to analyze and distill information with confidence and accuracy. Those people will make the best journalists of the future.

What, if anything, does the story of Jessica Lynch tell us about the state of journalism? What is mean by journalism being an "open profession"? In general, what the financial state of news media organizations? In what ways is bias a problem for journalists? How is the audience for the news media changing? What are the recruitment problems that the field of journalism faces?

160 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Chapter notes
State of the news media. The Committee of Concerned Journalists annually produces an extensive report on The State of the News Media. The report is a long one but certainly worth the time of anyone concerned about the practice of journalism. Changes coming. The author of Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How is also the author of Web Journalism: Practice and Promise of a New Medium. (http://www.ablongman.com/ catalog/academic/product/ 0,1144, 0205353983,00. html) In that book, he studies how the web will change the practice of journalism in the near future. The most profound change, he says, will come from the webs characteristic of interactivity. That will bring the audience closer to journalists and the practice of journalism. One example of this is the practice of web logging -- or blogging -- where non-journalists can publish information and opinions and build an audience for their web logs. If you do not read a web log regularly, try these two for a few days and see what you think: Instapundit by Glenn Reynolds and Wonkette by Ana Marie Cox. Jessica Lynch. The chapter begins with the story of Jessica Lynch, the soldier who was captured the first weeks of the Iraqi war in 2003 and later rescued by fellow soldiers. The Project for Excellence in Journalism has researched the coverage of her case, and the report about it (http://journalism.org/resources/research/reports/war/ postwar/ lynch.asp) can be found on the Journalism.org web site.

Chapter x

161

Multiple choice
1. The opening story in the chapter involves a. a Civil War soldier b. a soldier in the War in Iraq c. a young New York Times reporter d. a CNN reporter 2. One of the points made throughout the book is that journalism is a. a closed profession b. a profession with declining numbers of participants c. a profession where a person can make some real money d. an open profession 3. The First Amendment applies a. only to certified journalists b. only to certified publishers c. to many but not all citizens beyond the field of journalism d. to all citizens 4. Economically, most news organizations a. are about bankrupt b. have mounting debts that eventually they will be unable to pay c. are financially healthy d. have little or no debt 5. Of all media organizations, _________ are probably the most financially unstable. a. magazines b. newspapers c. television stations d. radio stations

6. The top media company in terms of total revenue in 2002 was a. AOL Time Warner b. Gannett c. Viacom d. Hearst Corp. 7. Most critics and commentators see this as a major problem for the news media: a. investigative reporting b. rapidly declining literacy rates c. intrusiveness on peoples lives d. loss of money covering wars around the world 8. One way of recruiting people to the field of journalism is to a. promise them better retirement benefits b. reduce the number of hours they have to work c. offer stock options d. increase salary and benefits generally

True-False
1. One of the good things about journalism is that it is a profession willing to openly criticize itself. True 2. All news web sites are still losing money for their parent companies. False

162 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Quizzes and exercises

163

Additional quizzes and exercises


This section contains a variety of quizzes and exercises that might be useful in your classes. Please let the author know if you have any difficulties with these, spot any corrections that need to be made or have any suggestions or contributions for future editions of the text or this manual.

164 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Quizzes and exercises

165

Grammar 01
1. Which of the words below is a coordinating conjunction? a. and b. to c. except 2. What kind of clause is the one underlined in the sentence below? The office will be closed because it is a national holiday. a. subordinate clause b. appositive clause c. independent clause 3. What is the combination of words that are underlined in the sentence below? The television network canceled all its new shows. subject-verb a. pronoun-antecedent b. restrictive-non-restrictive 4. What is a pronoun? a. A word that substitutes for a noun. b. A word that substitutes for verb. c. A word that denotes action or state of being. 5. What is the subject of the sentence below? Two of the boys were missing from the hiking group. a. Two b. boys c. were missing 6. Correspondence in number between a subject and verb or pronoun and antecedent is known as __________. a. parallelism b. modification c. agreement 7. What type of verbal is underlined in the sentence below? Borrowing money is usually a mistake. a. gerund b. participle c. infinitive

sentence below? The new comedy, which is on Tuesday night, stars Bill Cosby. non-essential clause a. prepositional clause b. infinitive clause c. 9. What is the problem with the sentence below? The senator did not wait, he started his speech immediately. a. run-on sentence b. sentence fragment c. complex sentence 10. What part of speech is the word underlined in the sentence below? The president criticized the congress for its lack of action. a. noun b. preposition c. verb 11. What is an infinitive? a very long paragraph a. a verbal primarily used as a noun; it is usually in the present tense and preceded by the word to b. a verbal primarily used as a noun; it is usually c. in the present tense and preceded by the word for 12. Identify the sentence fragment below. a. Throughout all of the trial and later during the appeals process, which took several years. b. The new exercise machine, which I bought only yesterday, was defective, and I had to return it. c. Watching television was about all that he did during the weekend. 13. What is the antecedent of the pronoun underlined in the sentence below? The court will not issue its decision until July. a. court b. issue c. decision

8. What type of clause is the one underlined in the

166 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How 14. What part of speech is the word underlined in the sentence below? New details have been reported in the murder case. a. adjective b. adverb c. noun 15. What is the problem with the sentence below? She likes reading, running and to swim three times a week. a. agreement b. modification c. parallelism 16. The sentence below is an example of what? Driving through the night was Joe and his friend George. a. run-on sentence b. inverted sentence c. sentence fragment 17. Which is the definition of an antecedent? a. a word or group of words that shows action or state of being b. a word that limits the meaning of another word c. a word of group of words to which a pronoun refers 18. What is the problem with the sentence below? A ton of fruit and vegetables were sitting on the dock, rotting in the hot sun. a. subject-verb agreement b. pronoun-antecedent agreement c. parallelism 19. What kind of verbal is underlined in the sentence below? Laughing at the teacher, the students ran out of the room. a. gerund b. participle c. infinitive 20. What type of clause is underlined in the sentence below? All of the students who cheated were expelled. a. non-essential clause b. essential clause c. main clause 21. What part of speech is the word underlined in the sentence below? He spoke quickly and decisively when questioned by the lawyer. a. adverb b. adjective c. preposition 22. What is the problem with the sentence below? The bride looked lovely, the groom appeared to be in pain. a. comma splice b. sentence fragment c. pronoun-antecedent agreement 23. What is the word underlined in the sentence below? Leslie is the one who likes to go to baseball games. a. non-essential clause b. interjection c. relative pronoun 24. What is the definition of a sentence? a. a group of words that contains a subject and verb b. a group of words that contains a subject and predicate and expresses a complete thought c. a group of words that contains all eight parts of speech 25. The word underlined in the sentence below is an example of what? Facing me when I awoke was a dark, ominous sky. a. verbal b. fragment c. modifier

Quizzes and exercises

167

Grammar 01 (answers)
1. Which of the words below is a coordinating conjunction? and to except The words and and but are the two most commonly used coordinating conjunction. 2. What kind of clause is the one underlined in the sentence below? The office will be closed because it is a national holiday. subordinate clause appositive clause independent clause An independent clause is one that can stand alone as a complete sentence. 3. What is the combination of words that are underlined in the sentence below? The television network canceled all its new shows. subject-verb pronoun-antecedent restrictive-non-restrictive The pronoun its refers to the noun network. They are both singular. 4. What is a pronoun? A word that substitutes for a noun. A word that substitutes for verb. A word that denotes action or state of being. Pronouns are words such as I, you, me, he, she, it, him and her. 5. What is the subject of the sentence below? Two of the boys were missing from the hiking group. Two boys were missing The subject is Two. The phrase of the boys is a prepositional phrase. 6. Correspondence in number between a subject and verb or pronoun and antecedent is known as __________. parallelism modification agreement Singular antecedents must have singular pronouns referring to them. 7. What type of verbal is underlined in the sentence below? Borrowing money is usually a mistake. gerund participle infinitive A gerund is a verbal that ending in -ing and is used as a noun.

8. What type of clause is the one underlined in the sentence below? The new comedy, which is on Tuesday night, stars Bill Cosby. non-essential clause prepositional clause infinitive clause A non-essential clause is one that is not necessary for the reader to understand the meaning of the sentence. It may add information but leaving it out will not confuse or mislead the reader. 9. What is the problem with the sentence below? The senator did not wait, he started his speech immediately. run-on sentence sentence fragment complex sentence These are two independent clauses joined only by a comma. They should be joined by a semicolon or by a comma and coordinating conjunction. 10. What part of speech is the word underlined in the sentence below? The president criticized the congress for its lack of action. noun preposition verb Verbs are words that show action or state of being. 11. What is an infinitive? a very long paragraph a verbal primarily used as a noun; it is usually in the present tense and preceded by the word to a verbal primarily used as a noun; it is usually in the present tense and preceded by the word for Infinitives are easy to spot because they are root verbs with to in front of them. 12. Identify the sentence fragment below. Throughout all of the trial and later during the appeals process, which took several years. The new exercise machine, which I bought only yesterday, was defective, and I had to return it. Watching television was about all that he did during the weekend. A fragment is a group of words that does not express a complete thought and cannot stand independently. 13 What is the antecedent of the pronoun underlined in the sentence below? The court will not issue its decision until July. court issue decision An antecedent is a noun or pronoun to which another pronoun in the sentence refers. The two must agree in number.

168 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How


14. What part of speech is the word underlined in the sentence below? New details have been reported in the murder case. adjective adverb noun An adjective is a word that modifies or limits a noun. 15. What is the problem with the sentence below? She likes reading, running and to swim three times a week. agreement modification parallelism Parallelism is using grammatically equal and corresponding words or word groups together in a sentences. Here the sentence should read, She like reading, running and swimming three times a week. 16. The sentence below is an example of what? Driving through the night was Joe and his friend George. run-on sentence inverted sentence sentence fragment An inverted sentence is one in which the usual or expected word order is changed. 17. Which is the definition of an antecedent? a word or group of words that shows action or state of being a word that limits the meaning of another word a word of group of words to which a pronoun refers Singular antecedents must have singular pronouns referring to them; plural antecedents require plural pronouns. 18. What is the problem with the sentence below? A ton of fruit and vegetables were sitting on the dock, rotting in the hot sun. subject-verb agreement pronoun-antecedent agreement parallelism The subject of the sentence is ton, a singular noun, and the verb should be the singular was instead of were. 19. What kind of verbal is underlined in the sentence below? Laughing at the teacher, the students ran out of the room. gerund participle infinitive A participle is a verb form that may function as part of a verb phrase (such as was laughing) or in this case as a modifier to a noun. 20. What type of clause is underlined in the sentence below? All of the students who cheated were expelled. non-essential clause essential clause main clause An essential clause is one that is necessary for the reader to understand the meaning of the sentence. Essential clauses should not be set off by commas. 21. What part of speech is the word underlined in the sentence below? He spoke quickly and decisively when questioned by the lawyer. adverb adjective preposition An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb. Many adverbs end in -ly, and that is the easiest way to spot them. 22. What is the problem with the sentence below? The bride looked lovely, the groom appeared to be in pain. comma splice sentence fragment pronoun-antecedent agreement A comma splice is another name for a run-on sentence. The comma splice connects two independent clauses with only a comma. There should also be a coordinating conjunction. 23. What is the word underlined in the sentence below? Leslie is the one who likes to go to baseball games. non-essential clause interjection relative pronoun A relative pronoun is one that refers to another noun or pronoun elsewhere in the sentence. 24 What is the definition of a sentence? a group of words that contains a subject and verb a group of words that contains a subject and predicate and expresses a complete thought a group of words that contains all eight parts of speech The sentence is the basic unit of written communication. Learning all you can about sentences will help you become a better writer. 25 The word underlined in the sentence below is an example of what? Facing me when I awoke was a dark, ominous sky. verbal fragment modifier A modifier is a word or group of words that describes, limits or modifies another word.

Quizzes and exercises

169

AP style quiz-01
Select which of the following sets are correct according to AP style rules. (20 questions) 1 a. He is schedule to arrive at 3 p.m. this afternoon. b. He is scheduled to arrive at 3 p.m. c. He is scheduled to arrive at 3 P.M. this afternoon. 2 I do not choose to run. Calvin Coolidge said. a. I do not choose to run, Calvin Coolidge said. b. I do not choose to run, Calvin Coolidge said. c. 3 a. The coach knew his team would be good when the 7-foot, 3-inch player showed up. b. The coach knew his team would be good when the 7 foot 3 inch player showed up. c. The coach knew his team would be good when the 7, 3 player showed up. 4 a. The college scheduled a speech by author Stephen King. b. The college scheduled a speech by Author Stephen King. c. The college scheduled a speech by author, Stephen King. 5 a. Teams of news reporters flew to Tenn. for the big story. b. Teams of news reporters flew to Tn. for the big story. c. Teams of news reporters flew to Tennessee for the big story. 6 A new county executive has taken office in the bankrupt Orange County. a. A new county executive has taken office in the bankrupt Orange Co. b. A new county executive has taken office in the bankrupt Orange C. c. 7 a. The car, which he sold only last Tuesday, was a vintage 1967 Mustang. b. The car which he sold only last Tuesday, was a vintage 1967 Mustang. c. The car which he sold only last Tuesday was a vintage 1967 Mustang. 8 a. The Lt. Gov. was sworn into office right after the governor too the oath. b. The Lieutenant Governor was sworn into office right after the governor too the oath. c. The lieutenant governor was sworn into office right after the governor too the oath. 9 a. She is a student in the college of Communication at the University of Alabama. b. She is a student in the College of Communication at the University of Alabama. c. She is a student in the College of communication at the University of Alabama. 10 a. He pointed out that he had the same birthday, Nov. 12, 1952. b. He pointed out that he had the same birthday, November 12, 1952. c. He pointed out that he had the same birthday, Nov. 12th, 1952. 11 a. Earl Salty Dog Draper was elected sheriff of Neshoba County in the last election. b. Earl, Salty Dog, Draper was elected sheriff of Neshoba County in the last election. c. Earl Salty Dog Draper was elected sheriff of Neshoba County in the last election.

170 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How


12 a. AP style says you should use yesterday, today and tomorrow rather than the day of the week. b. AP style says you should use the day of the week rather than yesterday, today and tomorrow. c. AP style discourages using any reference to time in any stories. 13 a. The speaker will be ex-President Jimmy Carter. b. The speaker will be Ex-President Jimmy Carter. c. The speaker will be ex-president Jimmy Carter. 14 a. Alabama is a state with nearly 4.5 million people. b. Alabama is a state with nearly 4,5 million people. c. Alabama is a state with nearly 4,500,000 people. 15 a. I decided not to watch the Andy Griffith Show last night after all. b. I decided not to watch the Andy Griffith Show last night after all. c. I decided not to watch the Andy Griffith Show last night after all. 16 a. She announced that the team would move to St. Louis, Missouri next season. b. She announced that the team would move to St. Louis, Mo. next season. c. She announced that the team would move to St. Louis, Mo., next season. 17 a. He decided to appeal the E.P.A.s ruling. b. He decided to appeal the EPAs ruling. c. He decided to appeal the Environmental Protection Agencys ruling. (Assume that this is the first reference to the organization.) 18 a. A cold southwest wind blew across the playing field just before the game. b. A cold Southwest wind blew across the playing field just before the game. c. A cold South West wind blew across the playing field just before the game. 19 a. During the first day of the trial, the defendant sat stoically in the courtroom. b. During the First Day of the trial, the defendant sat stoically in the courtroom. c. During the 1st day of the trial, the defendant sat stoically in the courtroom. 20 a. He grew up in the turbulent 1960s. b. He grew up in the turbulent nineteen-sixties. c. He grew up in the turbulent 1960s.

Answers
1b, 2c, 3a, 4a, 5c, 6a, 7a, 8c, 9b, 10a, 11a, 12b, 13a, 14a, 15a, 16c, 17c, 18a, 19a, 20c

Quizzes and exercises

171

AP style test 2
This exam is consists of 50 sentences like the one on the right. Each of the sentences has a blank space, and below it are three choices for what should go in that space. One of those choices is correct according to AP style. Click on the box next to the choice you think is correct. If you change your mind, just click on another box. You can also go back to questions you have already answered. 1. On Tuesdays I have my first class at 9:45 _______ _____ . a. AM b. A.M. c. a.m. 2. any a. b. c. The nurse said that ________ Jones would not see more patients today. doctor Dr. Doctor

9. ers a. b. c.

____________ hosted a meeting of European leadlast week. PM Major Prime minister Major Prime Minister Major

10. Just since last year _________ Street has become a haven for drug dealers. a. 5th b. Fifth c. fifth 11. The old man felt fortunate in the _______ he had acquired. a. daughters-in-law b. daughters-in-laws c. daughter-in-laws 12. The ___________ he used to write letters reflected his personality. a. stationery b. stationary c. stationiry 13. Ken Griffey__ Jr is now on the same team with his father a. comma b. period c. no punctuation 14. The saying is that a cat has ____ lives, and I believe it. a. nine b. 9 c. IX 15. a. b. c. 16. a. b. c. He had a June ____ appointment with his doctor. first one 1st The _______ old building was a campus landmark. vunerable venerable venarible

3. The address on the arrest record was 5369 Airline __________ . a. Boulevard b. Blvd. c. Bld. 4. a. b. c. Scholars think that St. Paul died about 55 ______ . Anno Domini A.D. AD

5. On Friday _________ William Spong and Howard Baker voted against the bill. a. Senators b. senators c. Sens. 6. Late that ________ the train finally pulled into the station. a. p.m. b. P.M. c. evening 7. a. b. c. Her birthday is _______ 16, 1960. October Oct. should read 10-16-60

17. The Torchmark ________ has decided to locate its new plant here. a. Corp. b. Corporation c. Corporation 18. a. b. c. Tuscaloosa was once the _______ city of Alabama. capital capitol Capitol

8. The woman made her appeal to the ______ Supreme Court. a. United States b. U.S. c. US

172 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How


19. The team members decided to vote for the quarterback as _______ captain. a. its b. their c. they're 20. city a. b. c. 21. the a. b. c. _____________ Harry Smith convened the council. Vice mayor Vice Mayor Vi. May. The ______________ began in 1929 with stock market crash. Great Depression great depression great Depression 29. Harold Brown, the former ___________ , was critical of the president a. Secretary of Defense b. secretary of defense c. secretary of Defense 30. I doubt that I will be able to go__ I have a lot of homework to do. a. comma b. preposition c. semicolon 31. The opening day of the baseball season is on __________ 4. a. Apr. b. Ap. c. April 32. __________ clothes is he wearing if not his own. a. Who's b. Whos c. Whose 33. The governor said he would not _____ his plans to engage in a debate. a. alter b. altar c. altur 34. There were many in the ________ who were sympathetic to the Confederacy. a. north b. Northward c. North 35. Alabama's ______ loss has put more pressure on the team. a. 17-16 b. 17 to 16 c. seventeen to sixteen 36. a. b. c. The train is due to arrive at ________ p.m. 15 after eight eight-fifteen 8:15

22. The ______ of the new building is an abandoned cemetery. a. cite b. site c. sight 23. The _________________ celebration will begin with a parade that morning. a. Independence day b. Independence Day c. independence day 24. The president summoned the __________ _ to the Oval Office. a. secretary of State b. Secretary of State c. secretary of state 25. the a. b. c. 26. a. b. c. He had only finished about _________ of exam when the bell rang. one-fourth one fourth 1/4 Temperatures will be in the low _____ . 20's 20s' 20s

27. The mass media _______ the subject of much criticism in this country. a. is b. are c. has been 28. and a. b. c. The soldier was shot at _______ range died immediately. point-blank point blank point Blank

37. ______________ is the second Sunday in May. a. Mothers Day b. Mother's Day c. Mother's day 38. He thought Smith was the most ________ of the three judges. a. equitable b. equal c. equitible

Quizzes and exercises


39. Many people from ___________ have a distinct accent. a. new England b. new england c. New England 40. The student gave a(n) __________ report of her findings. a. verbal b. oral c. orel 41. The ballplayer's annual salary will be about ______________ . a. four million dollars b. $4 million c. 4 million dollars 42. __________ was the hottest day of the year. a. August twentieth b. Aug. 20th c. Aug. 20 43. The mayor said he would be a candidate for ____________. a. reelection b. re-election c. re election 44. He promised to meet me here at _______ _____ . a. 12 midnight b. 12:00 a.m. c. midnight 45. The lawyer looked for a machine to _____ _ his brief. a. xerox b. photocopy c. Xerox 46. John wrestled with his ________ before making the decision. a. conscious b. conscience c. conscientious 47. ___________ people attended the study session before the exam. a. 21 b. Twenty one c. Twenty-one 48. ___________ he won't start his drinking again. a. Hopefully b. I hope c. Hope fully 49. The astronauts offered their final words of ______ before takeoff. a. goodbye b. goodby c. good-bye 50. The teacher said that what she had turned in was _______________. a. alright b. all right c. allright

173

174 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Answers
1c, 2b, 3b, 4b, 5c, 6c, 7b, 8b, 9c, 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a, 15c, 16b, 17a, 18a, 19b, 20b, 21a, 22b, 23b, 24c, 25a. 26c, 27b, 28a, 29b, 30c, 31c, 32c, 33a, 34c, 35a, 36c, 37b, 38a, 39c, 40b, 41b, 42c, 43b, 44c, 45b, 46b, 47b, 48b, 49a, 50b

Quizzes and exercises

175

Using the inverted pyramid-1


Write a 200 to 250-word inverted pyramid news story using the following information. In writing the story, refer to the inverted pyramid checklist on page 176 of the text. Fire last month in neighboring Ticonderoga County; burned thirty-five hundred acres of forestland and woods; several hunting cabins burned; fire burned for 3 days, while firemen from several states came to fight the blaze; fire was helped by dry conditions; its only rained one inch in the last month; winds also helped the fire along. Estimates of damage from the Ticonderoga County sheriffs department: three point five million dollars, a lot of money by anybodys standard. Sheriff Billy Hubert: This is the worst fire were had in this county in more than a decade. We appreciate the fine work of our own fire departments in the county in putting out this blaze and the help we received from our neighbors. About 25 people from outside the area came to help in putting out the fire. Sheriff says they suspect arson, they are investigating. Today two boys, along with their parents, showed up in the sheriffs office saying they the boys, that is had been the cause of the fire; fire had begun as a campfire; sheriff says signs had been posted saying that camp fires were illegal. Names of the boys are not being released because they are juveniles. They are 14 and 15 years old. Sheriff says boys have been charged with misdemeanors violating sheriffs notices concerning public safety and have been released to the custody of their parents; a hearing in juvenile court has been scheduled for two weeks from today. Sheriff: Im glad we got this cleared up. I believe that our investigation would have eventually produced those who started this fire. Now we wont have to go through all of that. What will happen to the boys? That will be up to the juvenile judge to decide. I would hope that if they are held responsible, they will have to do some type of community service to get them to realize the seriousness and the consequences of their actions. Sheriff says boys claim they thought they had put the fire out when they left the campsite; they thought they had smothered it with pine needles, but apparently it had smoldered after they left. Boys were old enough to no better but you know how kids are these days. Fire burned trees and land and other assorted stuff from two miles east of Highway 14 to the edge of the Ponderosa Valley subdivision, across the southern part of the county. On the following page are two examples of how this story might be written.

176 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Using the inverted pyramid-1 Example 1


Two juveniles say campfire sparked fires in south Ticonderoga County
Two juveniles claimed responsibility Tuesday for a campfire that sparked a three-day fire that raged across southern Ticonderoga County last month. The boys, ages 14 and 15, came to the sheriffs office with their parents today and said they believed that it was their campfire that had begun the blaze. They were charged with ignoring sheriffs safety signs concerning fires and have been released to the custody of their parents. The fire charred 3,500 acres of forest and caused $3.5 million in damage, making it the worst fire in more than a decade, according to Sheriff Billy Hubert. Hubert said the boys and their parents came to his office and explained that the boys had been camping in the area the night before. They thought they had put out their campfire, but it had apparently smoldered after they left. The flames were helped along by dry conditions and strong winds. Im glad we got this cleared up, he said. I believe that our investigation would have eventually produced those who started this fire. Now we wont have to go through all of that. Hubert said that a hearing in juvenile court will be held for the boys in two weeks. I would hope that if they are held responsible, they will have to do some type of community service to get them to realize the seriousness and the consequences of their actions, he said. The names of the boys have not been released because they are juveniles.

Using the inverted pyramid-1 Example 2


Teenagers claim responsibility for sparking blaze in Ticonderoga
Two teenage boys confessed Monday to starting a forest fire in Ticonderoga County last month that burned 3,500 acres of forestland, destroyed several hunting cabins and caused $3.5 million in damage. The boys, whose names were not released, told Sheriff Billy Hubert that they built a campfire in the woods that started the blaze. The boys thought they had smothered the campfire with pine needles, but it apparently smoldered and reignited after the boys left the site. Campfires in the forest are illegal, Hubert said. The boys, age 14 and 15, were charged with violating sheriffs notices concerning public safety, a misdemeanor offense. Im glad we got this cleared up, Hubert said. I believe that our investigation would have eventually produced those who started this fire. Now we wont have to go through all of that. The boys were released to their parents custody, Hubert said. They will have a hearing in juvenile court in two weeks, and their punishment will be decided by the juvenile court judge. I would hope that if they are held responsible, they will have to do some type of community service to get them to realize the seriousness and the consequences of their actions, Hubert said. The fire, which burned for three days, drew fire fighters from three states. About 25 people from outside Ticonderoga County worked to put out the blaze. The fire burned across the southern part of the county from two miles east of Highway 14 to the edge of the Ponderosa Valley subdivision. This is the worst fire weve had in this county in more than a decade, Hubert said. We appreciate the fine work of our own fire department in the county in putting out this blaze and the help we received from our neighbors. The fire was intensified by dry conditions and strong winds. Ticonderoga county received only one inch of rain in the last month.

Quizzes and exercises

177

Using the inverted pyramid-2


Write a 200 to 250-word inverted pyramid news story using the following information. In writing the story, refer to the inverted pyramid checklist on page 176 of the text. City council meeting last night; opened with prayer and reading of the minutes from last meeting. Discussed bids for running cafeteria in the city police station; no action taken. Discussing proposal by member Darden Clarke to strengthen citys leash law; proposal would make it a misdemeanor (a crime) to own a dog that had bitten someone; a person convicted for owning such a dog could be fined up to five hundred dollars and spent five nights in jail; large crowd in the city council room to hear this debate 200, about half in favor of the law and half against. Clarke: We got to do something to stop this plague of dog bites in this city. Over the past month Ive had complaints from at least five people in my district who have complained about being bitten or threatened by dog. This is a problem of irresponsible ownership. I believe that we need this law to get the attention of dog owners and tell them we expect them to act responsibly. John Simpson: This is an idiotic approach to what may or may not be a serious problem. I havent had any complaints about dogs from my constituents. You dont stop dog biting by incarcerating the owners. Simpson is another member of the city council. Debate lasts for over 1 hour; during which time, some of the people who were there were given a chance to speak. One man brought in his three dogs, right there into the council chamber. Mayor ordered him to leave when they started barking. Mayor is Cathy Marshall. Randy Noble: I believe the laws we have are strong enough. The city should just enforce them better. Most dog owners like I we dont have no problem with the laws as they now stand, but it dont do no good to threaten us with jail. Noble list at 1717 Carriage Lane and is a welder with Empire Steel Company. Bradley Carden: No dog owner in the city is going to vote for you guys again if you pass a law like this one. Carden lives at 6512 Mimosa Tree Road. Diane Wallace: Look at this little girl and tell me who is responsible for this. Tell me who should be held accountable for the pain that this little girl has and the fear she had to carry with her when she plays in her own neighborhood. Diane was highly emotional and distraught and crying when she spoke to the city council; she cried during her speech; she had her child, Denise, who she said was five years old, there with her; Denises legs were bandaged; Diane said she had been bitten three times by a neighbors dog last week. Lots of debate and argument on this; most council members spoke on the issue so that by the time the vote was taken it was no surprise to anyone at all that the city council defeated the proposal by a 5 to two vote, and nobody abstained. On the following page are two examples of how this story might be written.

178 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Using the inverted pyramid-2 Example 1


City council rejects bid to toughen leash law by making owners liable
The City Council rejected a proposal Monday that would charge dog owners whose pets bite people with a misdemeanor offense carrying penalties of up to $500 and five days in jail. After an emotional one-hour debate, the council voted 5-2 against the measure introduced by council member Darden Clarke. Clarke said he has received at least five complaints about dog bites in his district during the past month. We got to do something to stop this plague of dog bites in the city, Clarke said. This is a problem of irresponsible ownership. I believe that we need this law to get the attention of dog owners and tell them we expect them to act responsibly. In an emotional speech before the council, Diane Wallace presented her 5-year-old daughter, Denise, whose legs were bandaged after a neighbors dog bit the girl three times last week. Look at this little girl and tell me who is responsible for this. Tell me who should be held accountable for the pain that this little girl has and the fear she had to carry with her when she plays in her own neighborhood, Wallace said. Council member John Simpson opposed the measure. He questioned whether citizens are truly threatened by vicious dogs. This is an idiotic approach to what may or may not be a serious problem, Simpson said. I havent had any complaints about dogs from my constituents. You dont stop dog biting by incarcerating the owners. About 200 people attended the council meeting. Half favored Clarkes proposal, and half opposed it. One opponent, Randy Noble, of 1717 Carriage Lane, said the citys leash laws are strong enough, but they are not properly enforced.

Using the inverted pyramid-2 Example 2


Emotional plea for new leash law fails to move city council to action
Despite an emotional plea from a mother whose daughter had been bitten three times, the city council Monday refused to change the citys leash law to make owners liable for their dogs. The council voted five to two against a proposal by Councilman Darden Clark that would have made owning a dog that had bitten someone a misdemeanor. Owners could be punished with up to five days in jail and a $500 fine. Some 200 people crowded into the council room to hear the debate. Clark said he had heard many complaints from his constituents and argued that the city should do something to stop this plague of dog bites in this city. The strongest plea for a tougher law came from Diane Wallace, who brought her 5-year-old daughter Denise with her. Denise had bandages on both of her legs, and her mother tearfully told the council that the girl had been bitten three times by a neighbors dog. Look at this little girl, she said. Tell me who should be held accountable for the pain that this little girl has and the fear she had to carry with her when she plays in her own neighborhood. But Clarks proposal was denounced by fellow Councilman John Simpson. This is an idiotic approach to what may or may not be a serious problem, Simpson said. You dont stop dog biting by incarcerating the owners. Many people in the crowd spoke on the issue, and debate lasted for more than an hour before the vote was taken.

Quizzes and exercises

179

Using the inverted pyramid-3


Write a 200 to 250-word inverted pyramid news story using the following information. In writing the story, refer to the inverted pyramid checklist on page 176 of the text. City school board met last night; big issue on their agenda was to select a new principle for Haraway High School Board did some other things like approve some tenure applications for about a dozen teachers. Most of the debate centered on the two finals for the Haraway job: Juli McCorvey, who is currently now the assistant principal at Haraway and has held that job for six years; Mike Coleman, the principle of a high school in Louisiana. Over 40 people applied for the job; search committee of the school board narrowed the choices down to these two. Harley Duncan: We have two fine candidates here. I find it very difficult to choose between them. Both of them have accomplished a lot during their careers, and I believe they each would do a good job for us at Haraway. Harley is a member of the board, weighs 270 pounds and speaks very slowly. Crowd of 200 people there; some supporters of McCorvey, some not. McCorvey and Coleman were not in the room; they were waiting in another room in the city board offices while the debate was going on. Alex McCreless, 1615 Ireland Dr. : I have a child who is about to graduate from Haraway, and while I have nothing against Ms. McCorvey, I think it high time we got some new blood into our school system. We need some fresh thinking and new ideas. I think we need a change. Taylor Whitson: I have a daughter in the 10th grade at Haraway, and we have been helped a great deal by Mrs. McCorvey. Haraway is a good school, and I dont see . . . I mean, like I think thats because Mrs. McCorvey has worked so hard. I think she deserves this chance to be in charge and that she will do a good job. Taylor has a daughter in the 10th grade at Haraway and lives at 2121 Blackoak Drive. Darren McGarity: Let me tell you something. My son done real well because of the extra time and attention that Mrs. McCorvey give him. He was having some problems in the 9th grade, and she was able to figure out what help he need and got him that help. Hes going to graduate in June, and its because of her. She deserves that job. He was real excited and talked real fast. About a dozen other people spoke, three of them in favor of Coleman and the rest in favor of McCorvey, thus proving where the crowd stood; board voted after an hour of debate and discussion to hire Coleman; vote was five to 4. Coleman was born and grew up and has lived most of his life in Louisiana and has a bachelors and masters degrees from Backwater State University in Tennessee. He is the principal of Sandy Bar High School in Sandy Bar, LA. Hes done that for about 10 years. On the following page are two examples of how this story might be written.

180 Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Using the inverted pyramid-3 Example 1


School board bypasses assistant principal, gives top job at Hardaway to Louisiana man
The City School Board named Mike Coleman, principal of Sandy Bar High School in Sandy Bar, La., to the top post at Haraway High School during its Monday meeting. In a 5-4 vote, the board picked Coleman over Haraway assistant principal Juli McCorvey. Coleman and McCorvey were the finalists in a search that drew more than 40 applicants. We have two fine candidates here. I find it very difficult to choose between them, school board member Harley Duncan said. Both of them have accomplished a lot during their careers, and I believe they each would do a good job for us at Haraway. In the end, however, the board opted for the lesser known Coleman, who has been principal at Sandy Bar High School for about 10 years. Although she was not picked, McCorvey had support among the 200 people attending the meeting. Three-fourths of the dozen or so citizens who spoke out supported McCorvey. I have a daughter in the tenth grade at Haraway, and we have been helped a great deal by Mrs. McCorvey. I think she deserves this chance to be in charge and that she will do a good job, Taylor Whitson, of 2121 Blackoak Drive, told the board. Another parent, Darren McGarity, agreed with Whitson. He said that McCorvey paid special attention to his son who had problems in the ninth grade at Haraway. I think she deserves this chance to be in charge and that she will do a good job, McGarity said. Only three people supported Coleman. One of them was Alex McCreless, of 1615 Ireland Drive. I have a child who is about to graduate from Haraway, and while I have nothing against Mrs. McCorvey, I think it is high time we got some new blood into our school system, McCreless said. We need some fresh thinking and new ideas. I think we need a change. McCorvey and Coleman were not in the room while the one-hour discussion took place. Coleman, a Louisiana native, has bachelors and masters degrees from Backwater State University in Tennessee.

Using the inverted pyramid-3 Example 2


Coleman, principal in Louisiana, chosen by board over McCorvey
The City School Board chose Mike Coleman, a high school principal in Louisiana, as the new principal of Haraway High School in a meeting Monday that drew some 200 people. Coleman received five votes while Juli McCorvey, assistant principal at Haraway, had four votes from board members. Coleman is the principal of Sandy Bar High School in Sandy Bar, La., a position he has held for 10 years. He has a bachelors and masters degree from Backwater State University in Tennessee. Coleman and McCorvey were the two finalists selected from more than 40 applicants who applied for the job. Many of those attending last nights meeting spoke on behalf of McCorvey. Darren McGarity, the parent of a Haraway senior, gave credit to McCorvey for the fact that his son is about to graduate. McGarity said his son was having problems in the ninth grade, and McCorvey was able to get him the help that he needed. Hes going to graduate in June, and its because of her, he said. Another parent, Alex McCreless of 1615 Ireland Drive, said he had nothing against McCorvey but the school system needed new blood. We need some fresh thinking and some new ideas, he said. I think we need a change. Both Coleman and McCorvey were at the school board offices last night, but they were not present in the board room while the discussion was going on. In addition to naming the new principal, the board approved tenure applications for a dozen teachers.

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen