Journalistic Values V

Do you think the code of ethics for public relations professionals should be different from the code of ethics for journalists? Why or why not?

Their code of ethics should be different. A journalist's job is to inform the public and bring truth to any story whereas a public relations professional's job is to protect their client and shade them from any slander.

Journalist Values IV

A photographer who works for you has been 'caught' using Photoshop to alter images. What would you tell him or her about this practice?

It would depend on what he was altering. If he was using Photoshop to cover zits or to delete something from the picture that detracts from the main focus I would not care. But if he is using Photoshop to make people look thinner or bigger or to add or delete something to fit a story that would otherwise be proving a story false, I would tell him he needs to stop. If he does not stop I will fire him.

Journalistic Values III

Car repair shops in a college town are suspected of telling students that their cars need unnecessary repairs that often cost hundreds of dollars. Your editor asks you to loosen a spark plug wire on your car and take it to five garages to find out what they would charge to fix the engine's problem. At the very first garage you visit, the mechanic asks, "You're not a report, are you?" What would you say?

First off, a reporter is under no obligation to tell some their job. Also, someone's job does not affect how a mechanic would fix their car. I would evade the question. If I am asked point blank, I would ask why they are asking; I just came in to get my car fixed, the knowledge of my occupation should not be required for him to do his job. Furthermore, if the mechanic is asking me if I am a reporter, it is probably because he has something to hide.

Journalistic Values II

An elderly woman calls the city desk and asks the newspaper not to publish her name or address in the story about a burglary at her home. She is afraid because she lives alone. Would you carry out your paper's policy of carrying her full name, age and address? Use only her name but no address address? Comply with her request?

For the most part, I would comply with her request. I would not print her name, but I will print her age, I will not print her address but I will print what area of the town she lives in and perhaps her street. The reason I would do that is because the burglar could be targeting elderly people who live alone, or be targeting her area. Not printing any information could be putting other people at risk to be burglerized.

Journalistic Values

A colleague on your news staff has written a blog that was published online. As you read it, you discover that a couple of sentences seem familiar. You do some investigating and find that your colleague has plagiarized from a newspaper column. What do you do?

First, I would approach my colleague and show him my finding, perhaps he did not realized he plagiarized. I would then have him retract the article and release a formal apology. If I discover he intentionally plagiarized, I would report him to whoever is in charge of the blog.

The Inverted Pyramid

Identify the answers to the six w's then indicate which two question the writer believes to be the most important.

1. NEW YORK–A scientist dismissed from an Environmental Protection Agency panel on secondhand cigarette smoke after vigorous lobbying by the tobacco industry says he will fight to be reinstated.

1. Who? A scientist
2. What? dismissed from a panel
3. Where? Environmental Protection Agency
4. When? Unknown
5. Why? vigorous lobbying
6. How? 

The two most important questions are Who and What.

2. Springfield police arrested a local woman Thursday for allegedly filing a false police report of a rape last month.

1. Who? local woman
2. What? filed a false rape report
3. Where? Springfield
4. When? Last month/Thursday
5. Why? unknown
6. How? 

The two most important question are Who and What.

3. The United Way Board of Directors will announce how it plans to allocate $425,000 when it meets at 2pm tomorrow at the board's offices.

1. Who? United Way Board of Directors
2. What? allocating funds
3. Where? board's offices
4. When? 2pm tomorrow
5. Why? allocating funds
6. How? they will meet and discuss

The two most important questions are Who and What.

4. After 400 students protested a proposed tuition increase at Springfield University on Friday, university President Michael R. Quinn agreed to reconsider his recommendation.

1. Who? President Michael R. Quinn
2. What? reconsider tuition increase
3. Where? Springfield University
4. When? Friday/unknown
5. Why? 400 students protested
6. How? due to a protest of students

The two most important questions are What and Why.

Press and Libel & Slander

Define "libel"

When a journalist publishes something based on assumptions and not fact-checking the information and the story becomes slander and damages someones job.

What four categories do courts use to determine if a person's reputation has been damaged?

1. Truth
2. Consent
3. Absolute Privileges 
4. Conditional Privileges

What are the three traditional defenses for the press in a libel action?

1. The plaintiff is unable to prove the falsity of the statement.
2. The plaintiff gave consent by being in the public eye.
3. The defendant has absolute privilege.

Ethics

"Do you think the news organization for which you will work should have a code of ethics? Why or why not? How should a new organization enforce its code of ethics?"

I am very on the fence about codes of ethics because some things maybe should not be posted due to privacy rights of the person or group being reported on but at the same time, I believe the public deserves to know what is going on in their country. I am really not sure how to answer this–I am very divided on the matter.

However, if a news organization chooses to have a code of ethics the organization will need to lay out consequences to each employee for what will happen if the code of ethics is broken. And they will need to enforce the consequences whenever an ethic from the code is broken.

Writing for Public Relations

"People working in public relations are journalists in every sense of the word."

People who work in public relations need to know the entire story and every aspect of the story and need to know how to turn the story in any way they can. So, yes, public relations people are journalists in every sense of the word.

Stories Covering Crime and the Courts

In almost any crime story, there are three major sources of information. List those sources, and briefly describe what kind of information you would expect to obtain from each.

Police–basic information on the crime scene, do not expect much information from them
Witness–more detailed information on the crime, but likely to be skewed
Victim–most information on the crime, but, likely, the victim will be unable to talk to the press

Writing for Broadcast

A teach in a local elementary school has found a gun in a student's backpack. List at least six related stories you could write to accompany the primary story.

"Remembering Columbine"
"Does the NRA have a place in our schools?"
"Discussing the Second Amendment"
"Yuma sophomore dies in accidental shooting"
"Country reeling, mourns death of students"
"Vigil held for students killed in shooting"

One of the stories is a real story, but it just happened in my home town, but it is relevant.

Sports Story

I was hesitant about this assignment because I have no interest in sports or business. But, I have a friend, Ean Eschenburg, on the Rocky football team so I decided to interview him.

I ended up really enjoying this assignment because my story became a success story. It was fun for me to turn the story to be inspiring.

Law & Ethics

If I was applying for a job in Public Relations I would give them my resume. I don't know why I am expected to write 300 words, it is fairly case-in-point. I give them my resume, they call me for an interview, I wait, they call again to say one of 3 things: I got the job, I lost the job, they would like another interview. If they would like another interview, repeat steps 2-4 until they need no more interviews.

Profiling

I wrote my profile on Ty Nitsud, a young man who left his home and family to go on an adventure. The story he told me was very interesting and I loved writing it. The profile could be extended into a novel, it was so interesting. Things happened to him that I though only happened in books and movies.

I did, however, have a really hard time finding someone to profile. I have very high anxiety to do not like approaching people. My original plan was to profile Leon Bruner, but every time I came close to asking for an interview, I'd have a panic attack. Lucky, for me, Ty was around and I felt comfortable talking to him.

Gathering Information

Whenever a journalist uses an anonymous source I am hesitant to trust the source. What is the person hiding for them to not allow their name being used?

Usually, when I see a journalist use an anonymous source, it is in a gossip magazine. Once I see that anonymous source, the article immediately loses all credibility for me.