Instructor Resource
Trager, The Law of Journalism and Mass Communication 6e
CQ Press, 2018
Class Activities
Chapter 7: Newsgathering
1. Using the guidelines provided in Chapter 7, have students submit a Freedom of Information
request to a selected federal agency. This possibly can be done in conjunction with a
reporting class. Divide a large class into groups with each group submitting different
requests to multiple agencies.
2. Similar to the exercise above, learn about your state’s access–to-information laws and then
submit requests to one or more state agencies. A state’s press association usually is able to
provide information about access laws. This activity can also be expanded to look regionally
across state lines to show how day-to-day newsgathering activities can run afoul of different
standards of access and penalties.
3. Discuss with the class whether the Freedom of Information Act would or could be adopted
in the current political climate. Discuss how the subjective nature of interpreting the FOIA’s
exemptions results in fluctuations in the strength of the law’s intended purpose. Compare,
for example, the FOIA memo from the Obama administration and guidelines to federal
agencies promulgated under President Trump to see how they differ.
4. Have the class discuss the First Amendment implications of ag-gag and anti-GMO labeling
laws. Why is it constitutional to prevent individuals from disseminating and receiving
truthful information about the food they consume? On the one hand, (private) property rights
override the right to free speech. On the other hand, it is freedom from compelled speech (for
corporations) that impedes the public’s ability to know what they are eating. What is the
significance here of recent Supreme Court decisions that enhance the First Amendment rights
of corporations? Would these laws remain constitutional if the Supreme Court recognized an
explicit First Amendment right of newsgathering?
5. Discuss how the rush to be first, rather than accurate, often involves reliance on tips or
hearsay from anonymous sources. Do students distinguish between named and fully
identified sources, confidential sources, and uncertain anonymous sources? Studies across
three decades suggest that some readers fail to distinguish among them or differentiate their
Instructor Resource
Trager, The Law of Journalism and Mass Communication 6e
CQ Press, 2018
credibility. As critical consumers of the news, should we? Why? (The Pew Center and the
Poynter Institute feature relevant studies as well as related discussions about the public’s
uncertain trust in the media.)