Name:_________________________________________ Date:_____________________

Journalism Midterm

1. The first American newspapers were often how many sheets long?

a. One
b. Two
c. Three
d. Ten

2. Along with material borrowed from whatever source an editor could find, what did journalists include
in early newspapers?

a. Advertisements & pictures

b. Facts & polls
c. Letters & essays
d. Interviews & profiles

3. Which court case established "truth" as a defense against libel charges?

a. Dean v. Utica
b. Zenger v. New York
c. Branzburg v. Hayes
d. Chandler v. Florida

4. Which amendment guarantees freedom of speech and press?

a. Second Amendment
b. Fifth Amendment
c. Third Amendment
d. First Amendment

5. What pays the cost of producing newspapers and getting newscasts on the air?

a. Investors
b. Advertisements
c. Government
d. Donations

6. Reporters at Civil War battle sites made use of the ________________________ to transmit their
stories.

a. Telephone
b. Walkie-talkie
c. Television
d. Telegraph
7. The end of yellow journalism ushered in a period during which American newspapers developed a
significant ___________________ ______________________.

a. Racist tone
b. Social consciousness
c. Political consciousness
d. Economic consciousness

8. Dr. Lee De Forest made improvements in the __________________ ________________ that made it
possible for the new medium of radio.

a. Vacuum tube
b. Wavelength transmission
c. Broadcasting antenna
d. Tuning coil

9. The first ________________________ newscast took place in the late 1940s.

a. Radio
b. Internet
c. Television
d. Telegraph

10. The ________________________ was the last great media advance of the 20th century.

a. Radio
b. Internet
c. Television
d. Telegraph

11. The _____________________ function describes the obligation to cover in detail the activities of the
government.

a. Economic
b. Political
c. Sentry
d. Entertainment

12. The _____________________ function states the press must report not only what is happening
today, but also what is likely to happen tomorrow.

a. Sentry
b. Marketplace
c. Social
d. Political

13. Today the mass media performs the _______________________ function by getting people to
discuss their world.

a. Entertainment
 b. Record-keeping
c. Agenda-setting
d. Social

14. The ___________________________________ function states that the mass media should reflect an
accurate record of local, national, and world news.

a. Agenda-setting
b. Sentry
c. Record-keeping
d. Economic

15. The ___________________________________ function reflects the idea that the media has the
power to determine what we talk about as individuals and address as a nation.

a. Political
b. Agenda-setting
c. Social
d. Entertainment

16. The _____________________________ function states that consumers need diversion as well as
information.

a. Entertainment
b. Social
c. Economic
d. Political

17. The public needs information about products, goods, and services according to the
___________________________ function.

a. Agenda-setting
b. Marketplace
c. Political
d. Economic

18. The _________________________ function explains how the press provides a forum in which all
sorts of ideas are presented.

a. Record-keeping
b. Marketplace
c. Social
d. Sentry

19. ____________________ & _____________________ are perhaps the two most imprtant ethical
principles journalists try to live by.

a. Objectivity & accuracy

b. Credibility & objectivity
c. Accuracy & credibility
 d. Credibility & objectivity

20. A quick shortcut to news judgment can be found in the "____________ _____________" method.

a. I care
b. Who cares
c. We care
d. They care

21. Some of the most interesting news stories are based on the results of ________________.

a. Questionnaires
b. Tips
c. Polls
d. Surveys

22. Journalists now have _______________________ resources available to them, yet

___________________ sources available to their readers.

a. More, fewer
b. New, more
c. Fewer, new
d. Fewer, more

23. For the most part, audiences today do not read __________________ stories.

a. Long
b. Short
c. Any
d. Many

24. Commercial newspapers receive a considerable amount of their news from _________________
_____________________.

a. The public
b. Other newspapers
c. Wire services
d. The internet

25. Many ideas for news stories come in the form of __________________.

a. Polls
b. Tips
c. Surveys
d. Questionnaires

26. _____________________ are the eyes and ears of the news staff, but they cannot do the job alone.

a. Editors
b. Reporters
c. Photographers
 d. Printers

27. Prepare your questions ____________________ the interview; which often requires doing some
research.

a. After
b. During
c. Right before
d. Before

28. If you want to make the reader "see" your subject, look for quotes that convey the subject's
________________________.

a. Ideas
b. Personality
c. Appearance
d. Views

29. Try to develop an atmosphere of ___________________.

a. Malice
b. Pleasantness
c. Trust
d. Confusion

30. The purpose of prepublication checking is to ensure _____________________ of information.

a. Credibility
b. Objectivity
c. No plagiarism
d. Accuracy