Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 2: Being Accurate, Relying on the Facts
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Accuracy is ______.
A. the most important aspect of your job, regardless of if you are publishing a
newspaper, broadcasting a news report, issuing a press release, or sending out an
advertisement
B. a waste of time
C. impossible to achieve
D. optional
2. The goal of good media writers is ______.
A. to entertain the audience
B. to inform the readers of something that will benefit the media organization and the
audience members
C. to persuade the audience
D. to reinforce the audience’s beliefs
3. In the past, a selection process known as ______ allowed media officials to
determine what people would and would not see.
A. sequestering
B. gatekeeping
C. publishing
D. editing
4. The primary rule in media writing is ______.
A. to define your sources
B. to define your quotes
C. to define your facts
D. to look up everything you want to include in anything you write
5. Fake news ______.
A. takes on a variety of meanings, depending on who uses the term
B. does not exist in current times
C. only includes things like hoaxes
D. is easy to distinguish from real news
6. When you are researching a topic or interviewing a source, ______.
A. seek e-mail correspondence, meeting minutes, official documents, and other similar
items to check your work
B. go by memory as much as possible
C. don’t bother checking your work
D. write as quickly as possible so you don’t forget as much
7. Newspapers, magazines, books, and other publications ______.
A. are too old to be useful in researching your topic
B. can be useful in researching your topic
C. are not recommended to use by the author of this book
D. no longer exist in the digital age
8. Official websites that end in .gov or .edu ______.
A. are not trustworthy sites
B. are not as trustworthy as .com, .net, or .us sites
C. can be more trustworthy than .com, .net, or .us sites, which anyone can start
D. should be avoided
9. A simple fact check ______.
A. is rarely necessary
B. is not a good idea
C. is often overlooked
D. can take a significant amount of time if you do it right
10. When it comes to spelling, you should ______.
A. always run a computer-based spell-check on every piece you do and examine each
spelling suggestion carefully
B. always assume the first choice is correct
C. go through it as quickly as possible
D. avoid using the computer-based spell check
11. You need to do a ______ examination of every proper noun in anything you write.
A. word-for-word
B. computer-based spell-check
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
C. visual
D. letter–by-letter
12. Look at the ______ in your writing and make sure it’s right.
A. length
B. flow
C. math
D. rhythm
13. When you list places for your events, ______.
A. go by memory
B. don’t bother checking the address
C. Google it
D. double-check the address against a map and a directory
14. When you have to write something and attribute it to a source, you want to ______.
A. stick to what the person said
B. go by memory
C. make it as powerful a quote as possible
D. paraphrase as often as possible
15. When you are writing, you need to make sure you ______.
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
A. make it sound as interesting as possible no matter what.
B. only say what you know for sure.
C. enhance concrete details.
D. use a lot of adjectives.
16. In most cases, stating a(n) ______ is the first step toward trouble.
A. absolute
B. truism
C. theory
D. opposite
17. The ability to support an argument often rests on ______.
A. hearsay
B. the truth
C. how loud you argue
D. the quality and quantity of your source material
18. A ______ source allows you to take information from someone or something that
was present for whatever it is you are researching.
A. secondary
B. primary
C. quantitative
D. qualitative
19. ______ sources retell or interpret what the primary sources provided them.
A. Primary
B. Qualitative
C. Quantitative
D. Secondary
20. Wikipedia is an example of a ______.
A. quantitative source
B. primary source
C. secondary source
D. qualitative source
21. ______ is another Internet trend that can cause problems for media outlets.
A. focus
B. fame
C. death hoaxes
D. oddity
22. Hoaxes and Internet myths can ______.
A. cost you the trust of your readers
B. be worthy of a second look
C. be good to publish without checking
D. be entertaining
23. Of all the skills you will learn as you read this book, ______ is the most important
one.
A. writing
B. accuracy
C. editing
D. publishing
24. If you don’t know something for sure, ______.
A. guess
B. skip it
C. look it up
D. ignore it
1. Accuracy is the most important aspect of your job, regardless of if you are publishing
a newspaper, broadcasting a news report, issuing a press release, or sending out an
advertisement.
2. The goal of good media writers is strictly to provide entertainment.
3. The more mistakes we make in journalism, the harder it is to maintain trust with our
audiences.
4. In the past, gatekeeping allowed media officials to determine what people would and
would not see.
5. Just because a quick Google search reveals dozens of stories on a given topic, it
doesn’t always follow that the information is true.
6. Links in source information always lead to credible sources.
7. If you find only one source for your story, it’s a pretty safe bet you’re looking at some
level of fake news.
8. Where information comes from is not important in determining how much credence
you should put into a story.
9. Any error, no matter how minor, really has no effect on credibility.
10. It’s a good idea to get copies of original documents so you can compare what
people have told you with what someone wrote.
11. Newspapers, magazines, books, and other publications are not good sources of
information for media writers.
12. In most cases, .gov and .edu sites can be more trustworthy than .com, .net, or .us
sites, which anyone can start.
13. It’s rarely a good idea to use yourself as a source, even if you’ve become an expert
on the topic.
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
14. Don’t assume that something is true, even if you believe it to be.
15. Spelling errors have no effect on credibility.
1. Why is accuracy important in media writing?
2. What is “fake news”?
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
3. What are some ways to avoid spreading fake news?
4. What are some places to verify information?
5. What are some of the basic items you need to look at during a basic fact check?
1. Why is journalism so picky?
2. Why do media professionals matter now more than ever?
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
3. What are the best ways to fight fake news?
4. What are some tips for basic fact checking?
5. Where can you go to verify information?
