Activities
Chapter 1
1. To explore how the press performs its five core functions in a democracy, examine a local or national
media outlet (newspaper, website, newscast, etc.) and find at least one example of content that
illustrates each of the functions (Informs, analyzes, interprets and explains; Investigates; Creates a public
conversation; Helps generate social empathy; Encourages accountability). You can do this in small
groups or as an independent activity. Share your findings with the rest of the class. Did you find content
that performed multiple functions? Was it more difficult to find examples of some functions than
others?
2. Although the functions played by the press in a democracy are not dependent on delivery format, a
specific medium might be better suited for one function or another. Split up into different groups in
3. Watch Associated Press officials talk about “accountability journalism” and the watchdog role of the
4. In an era of digital delivery of information and social networks, where everyone is a publisher and
average citizens can attract tens of thousands of followers on Twitter, does American democracy need
journalists to provide information dissemination, accountability, representation, deliberation and
conflict resolution? Some could argue that the role of traditional journalists in fulfilling these needs has
5. To learn more about journalism history, read the article “Early American Newspapering” from
history.org (http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/spring03/journalism.cfm). How does the
Chapter 2
1. Parking on campus. On virtually every campus, students think it’s too expensive, too inconvenient and
2. To illustrate the confusing mix of news, punditry and advocacy, select a hot-button topic in your
community (one example was a debate over a proposed “fair tax” in Missouri) and have students search
online for information. This activity works well with pairs or small groups. First, make an unfiltered
Google search for the information on the issue. Critically evaluate the content you find. How much of it
3. Invite a journalist and a local newsmaker (politician, official, etc.) to class and interview them about
how they define journalism and journalism’s role in democracy. Read this chapter and prepare questions
4. Find the NPR ethics guidelines at http://ethics.npr.org. Under “Impartiality,” several guidelines talk
about journalistic independence and the appearance of objectivity. Choose one guideline (for example:
5. Find a breaking news story online on a major news outlet (CNN, a national newspaper, ESPN.com).
Note the attribution (sources quoted or paraphrased) used in the story. How many sources are used?
What percentage of the story is attributed? Now find people writing about the same story on Twitter,
Facebook or on a general blog site. Does the attribution differ on these posts from the writing for the
1. When the Pulitzer committee awarded The Tuscaloosa News the 2012 prize for breaking news
coverage of a devastating local tornado, it cited the paper’s social media efforts as a factor in its
decision. Read the Twitter feed submitted as part of the entry
2. Pick a news story that interests you and either bring it to class or keep it for homework (if this activity
as an at-home assignment). Analyze the story for the presence of the seven news values (timeliness,
3. Invite a local journalist (or Skype with a journalist from another community) to class to talk about how
he or she live Tweets a breaking news event. What information should be included? What writing style
is used? What consideration is given to the audience in writing these updates? How does he or she do
4. Watch how “The Daily Show” critiqued CNN’s error in reporting the June 2012 Supreme Court
decision on the Obama health care plan. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jon-stewart-
daily-show-cnn-supreme-court-343537). Discuss: How might the rush to be first have played a part in
5. Replicate the “Cover it Live” real-time reporting experience by covering a television event live on
1. Pick two or three local news outlets in your region (a newspaper, a television station, a radio outlet).
Find information about the ownership. Are the outlets owned by families, chains, a non-profit group?
What other entities does the company own? How easy is it for students (and the public) to find this
information? How transparent is ownership? Can you find evidence of cross-promotion and content
sharing across entities? The findings can be shared through a class discussion or written up by students
in a short report.
2. Read Ken Doctor’s 2011 Neiman Journalism Lab blog post about media concentration
(http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/07/the-newsonomics-of-u-s-media-concentration/). After reading this
3. Invite the publisher of your local newspaper or the general manager of a local broadcast outlet to
class to discuss issues raised in this chapter. What pressures does he or she feel from above to maximize
4. An alternative if you cannot connect with a local media executive is a video on the same issues. In
2015, some former members of the Federal Communications Commission were part of a panel
discussion on “Regulation of Digital Media and Communications.” Watch this short clip — http://www.c-
span.org/video/?c4532616/media-ownership — and consider how the commissioners’ views
5. Visit an interactive Sanford University history project on the spread of American Newspapers
Chapter 5
1. If there is one thing the modern media economy has given us, it’s a never-ending supply of brand-new
media companies. Research and find a list of interesting media startups. Use the list to contact someone
2. Spend about 10 minutes in class looking at job listings for journalists (a good site is
www.journalismjobs.com). What jobs can you find that might not have existed 10 years ago? Are jobs
3. Watch this clip from “The Colbert Report” about CNN’s layoff of editors and photojournalists:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/403149/november-28-2011/stephen-colbert-
s-me–reporters. Lead a discussion on the points Colbert was trying to make by poking fun at CNN’s
“iReport” social network news gathering concept. What are the risks of relying too heavily on the public
4. Go take a look at one of Gannett’s many news organizations, at http://www.gannett.com/brands/
and pick one of interest. Show students features not common on other community newspapers. Review
5. Spend one week reading ProPublica (http://www.propublica.org/; or if you have a local non-profit
news site, use that). Keep a diary of each day’s experience. Was there new content daily on the site?
Chapter 6
1. Meeting your ethical responsibilities as a journalist involves having a good sense of what your general
responsibilities are. Think about the type of job you’d like to have after graduation (TV producer, sports
2. Discuss with your classmates how you use journalism in your daily life. Should standards be different
for journalists? Read this post from Poynter.org on how to use Facebook ethically:
3. Watch the last 10 minutes of Jayson Blair’s address to students at Washington and Lee University,
found online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFePfsBlocA&feature=related. (The best
4. Watch some excerpts from recent movies or television shows about journalists. (One good one is
“State of Play,” starring Russell Crowe. Or see other suggestions at:
http://teachj.wordpress.com/2007/05/28/10-great-journalism-movies-for-summer/). Where do the
5. Select a case from the Indiana University page listing a variety of journalistic ethical scenarios (found
Chapter 7
1. Conduct a moot court hearing in your class. The class should split up into teams (ranging from three
2. Create a First Amendment Storify project. Select a key First Amendment case from the many
discussed on the First Amendment Center’s site
(http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/category/press), then search for and gather elements from
3. Have a conversation with a First Amendment “user.” Of course, we’re all users of the First
Amendment, but many of us don’t come in daily contact with someone who really leans on their right to
free speech. Invite to class (in person or through Skype) a member of a group in your community who
really speaks out on issues. Examples might include a drive-time radio host, a member of your local
newspaper editorial board, a representative of a local or state political party office, a leader of the ACLU
4. To reinforce the information in the chapter, watch a nine-minute video about the New York Times v.
Sullivan case produced by Thinkwell Videos:
5. Visit the Student Press Law Center online at http://www.splc.org/. Under “Classroom Resources,”
locate the First Amendment quiz. The quiz has 30 questions and takes 10 minutes to complete. The last
screen will report your score and tell you how you did. Take a screen capture of that result and e-mail it
Chapter 8
1. Journalism scholar Andrew Cline talks about nine structural biases. These, of course, are closely
aligned with the news values and the way journalists do their jobs as discussed in Chapter 3. Split into
2. How forceful are journalists and news outlets at declaring their independence? Working
independently or in small groups, pick a major news outlet. Can you find statements about the
organization’s stance on being objective or independent? These might be on the organization’s website
or might be found on other source (for example, a Q&A interview with a publisher or news executive).
Share their experiences with the rest of the class. How hard were these statements to find? What did
3. Invite a reporter either via Skype or in person to discuss with the class how he or she works to be
“fair” to all sides when reporting a political issue. Prepare questions based on the chapter. Questions
4. Reflect on the criticism of Edward Snowden for leaking top-secret documents. Compare this with the
criticism leveled at Daniel Ellsberg, the source of the Pentagon Papers, in the early 1970s. Ellsberg and
5. Political bias has been debated ever since printing press started running in the American colonies. In
fact, early newspapers were based on having a political bias. While most news outlets strive for to