Chapter 1
1. How was the “seditious libel” of the 1700s contrary to what the founders of American
democracy wanted in their new government?
2. If speech is free, in what way is the press a “marketplace of ideas”?
3. Accountability is described as oversight. Journalism alone has this function in a democracy.
4. Social empathy contains elements of tolerance and pluralism.
5. Pick the letter that best completes the following sentence. Journalism functions to
6. The terms “press” and “news media” are interchangeable.
7. The Hutchins Commission said that free expression is unique among liberties because:
8. When the press acts as a mirror, what is being reflected?
9. When investigative reporters take an adversarial tone, they are seeking to challenge the
concentrated power of government and other powers that be in society.
10. For journalism to provide what democracy requires, its first allegiance must be to the public
instead of to those who wield power.
Chapter 2
1. Verification is vital to journalism. *True or false?
2. Journalism describes the process through which news gets made. *True or false?
3. Confirmation bias could explain why journalists sometimes get stories wrong. *True or false?
4. Short answer question.
Why should journalists strive for independence from those they cover?
5. Confirmation bias could explain why journalists sometimes get stories wrong. What is
confirmation bias?
independence)
8. Some definitions of journalism stress the collection and dissemination of facts. The textbook
stresses characteristics in between those steps. What are they?
9. How does “the public” factor into the definition of journalism?
10. Journalism of assertion relies on what people say. To get beyond that, journalists should:
Chapter 3
1. Which story is likely to have more impact – one about a pseudo event or an enterprise story?
Why?
2. “Tools change. Audiences change. The work doesn’t.” That quotation is a subhead in chapter
3. What does it mean in regard to journalism?
3. List and describe the seven news values from chapter 3.
4. In what way are the seven news values listed in the chapter descriptive instead of
prescriptive? The seven are timeliness, impact, currency, conflict, novelty/emotions,
prominence and proximity.
5. Breaking news is defined as:
6. The news value of impact describes:
7. The news value of currency describes:
8. The news value of prominence describes:
9. The news value of proximity describes:
10. The textbook authors say journalists must demonstrate their loyalty to citizens by:
11. When a newspaper prints a picture of the president eating a hamburger, the most
significant news value at work is:
Chapter 4
1. What does it mean for the press in the U.S. to be “commercial”?
2. How do newspaper companies sell their newspapers to readers for so little money?
5. Those who favor public sphere ownership of media may say that private ownership causes
media outlets to serve owners instead of the citizens. Those who favor private ownership may
say that public ownership causes media to serve government demands instead of the needs of
citizens. Is one side correct? What is at stake?
6. In business terms, horizontal integration means:
7. In business terms, vertical integration means:
8. In the dual-product model, media companies sell two products. The products are:
9. True or *false? According to the textbook authors, economic structure of mass media has no
effect on how journalism is practiced.
10. Describe the dual-product model in the context of a television news program.
11. According to the textbook description of the “dual–product model,” media companies sell
two products:
Chapter 5
1. The term “legacy media” describes media products that:
2. According to the textbook, non-profit organizations have been organized to do investigative
3. For drawing ad revenue, a digital news organization needs:
4. In regard to a media consumer, engagement describes:
5. “Digital–first” strategy means even legacy media break news over digital media rather than
waiting for their scheduled print publication or broadcast time slot. *True or false?
8. “Sponsored content” is a distinct section of news that is paid for by an advertiser The subject
matter of the content often matches that of the advertising. *True or false?
Chapter 6
1. What’s the difference between “perfect duties” and “imperfect duties” as the chapter
describes ethics?
2. A reporter waits to report the names of those arrested at a campus rally until formal charges
are filed with the court. What section of the SPJ Code of Ethics most applies?
3. Passing off someone else’s words or ideas as your own is known as:
4. An editor holds a live chat on the news website to invite dialogue about recently published
crime stories. What section of the SPJ Code of Ethics most applies?
5. An editor digitally removes a politician from a group photo so the photo shows only the
current candidates. What section of the SPJ Code of Ethics most applies?
6. A reporter refuses to accept free food in exchange for reporting a story about a restaurant.
What section of the SPJ Code of Ethics most applies?
7. A form of intellectual theft in which one passes off someone else’s work and ideas as his own
is called:
9. Which of the following is not a main section in the Society of Professional Journalists Code of
Ethics?
10. Pick one of the ethics codes mentioned in the chapter and apply it to a story you have seen
on the news recently.
Chapter 7
1. In regard to shield laws, what exactly is being shielded?
3. For the most part, journalists have no greater rights than those of the general public — a
4. What’s the difference between defamation and libel?
6. Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects press freedom?
7. Government prohibition of speech in advance of publication is called:
8. A statement printed or broadcast that damages a person’s reputation is called:
9. Appropriation is:
10. What is the best defense for a reporter accused of libel?
Chapter 8
1. Define independence for journalism practitioners.
2. Independence, verification and transparency are vital to journalism. Why?
3. What does the involvement of journalists with Edward Snowden bring to the Wikileaks story
4. Scholar Andrew Cline describes “structural biases” of journalism that are built into
5. By framing one side against another, “fairness bias” can create the illusion that politics is
6. By framing one side against another, “fairness bias” can create the illusion that politics is
7. An essential component of journalism practice in which journalists are free to pursue truth
with loyalty only to citizens and not to particular interests, causes or other pressures is called:
8. Because people can’t be entirely objective, the textbook authors advocate the use of an
objective method of journalistic inquiry rather than saying journalists should be objective as
9. An approach that favors certain kinds of news topics and presentations over others is called: