AJR in the Classroom Discussion questions for the August/September 2005 issue, along with suggestions for further readings:     Story 1: Journalism's Backseat Drivers | Story 2: I'll Be Brief | Story 3: A Source of Encouragement | Story 4: Confronting the Culture   STORY 1: “Journalism's Backseat Drivers: The ascendant blogosphere has rattled the news media with its tough critiques and nonstop scrutiny of their reporting. But the relationship between the two is more complex than it might seem. Poynter's Bill Mitchell In fact, if they stay out of the defensive crouch, the battered mainstream media may profit from the often vexing encounters.” By Barb Palser   MORE INFO: The Poynter Institute's Bill Mitchell says many journalists are recognizing that "on a lot of stories, readers necessarily know more about it than they do." He says they are "coming to grips with being too defensive." And to boost credibility and transparency, many newsrooms are reviewing their reporting guidelines, adopting more stringent policies regarding unidentified sources.   CLASS DISCUSSION AND ASSIGNMENT: According to Pew's May 2005 report, "Buzz, Blogs and Beyond," (see additional readings below), journalists consult political blogs as a guide to what's going on in the rest of the Internet. Lead a class discussion with students on their take on political blogs: Do they read any on a regular basis? If so, which ones, and why do they find them valuable? If not, why not? Some proponents of media transparency and interactivity say more traditional news outlets should be hosting blogs on their sites. Ask students to write a 500-word argument, either supporting or opposing this position, with concrete examples of news-sponsored blogs that they believe work or don't. What are the positives and negatives for the newspaper and the community of such an arrangement? ADDITIONAL READINGS AND LINKS: "Buzz, Blogs and Beyond: The Internet and the National Discourse in the Fall of 2004," for the Pew Internet and American Life Project, published May 2005 (in .pdf format) "Gallup Probes Blogs: Finds Most Americans Have Never Heard of Them," by Editor and Publisher staff, March 11, 2005 “National Poll of Journalists and American Public on First Amendment and the Media Released,” a press release from the University of Connecticut, May 16, 2005 Blog tracking sites: Technorati and The Truth Laid Bare STORY 2: “I'll Be Brief: In a world of tight newsholes, no-jump edicts and time-starved readers, newspapers are turning to short-form narratives in an effort to bring heightened creativity to small spaces.” By Carl Sessions Stepp    MORE INFO: According to Stepp, one feature story that really connected with Oregonian readers "was Joseph Rose's rollicking play-by-play of the fight over a giant doughnut at Voodoo Doughnut and Wedding Chapel, a funky 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. Portland nightspot."   CLASS ASSIGNMENTS: Challenge students to report and write their own short-form narratives of 400 words or less. They should embrace some tips from the pros: Focus on one point or one theme from a larger story, limit their number of characters, and try to write from a character's point of view. Ask students to search area papers for examples of well-done short-form narratives. Students should bring copies of the stories to share with the class and be prepared to discuss how well the stories work.  ADDITIONAL READINGS AND LINKS: "How to Write a Good Story in 800 Words of Less," by Roy Peter Clark of The Poynter Institute, published Oct. 6, 2003 "Five Myths about Short Writing," by Roy Peter Clark and Tim McGuire, for The Poynter Institute, published Feb. 9, 2004 The Readership Institute at Northwestern University STORY 3: “A Source of Encouragement: A new First Amendment Center/AJR survey finds that 69 percent of the public thinks journalists should be allowed to keep a news source confidential.” By Rachel Smolkin   MORE INFO: Meanwhile, Smolkin reports, USA Today, the New York Times and the Washington Post have tightened their anonymous source policies.  RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS/DISCUSSION: Ask students to read all the Washington-datelined stories for one week in their local daily. Ask them to keep track of/ tally how many stories anonymous sources were used in, how well the anonymous sources were referenced (i.e., was it possible to tell from which political party the sources came from), if the quotes from these sources were fact-based or opinion-based, and if the anonymous source's comments were critical to the story. Students should write up their findings in a 600- to 800-word analysis of the paper's use of anonymous sources for that week, and include in their analysis whether or not they believe the paper needs better guidelines for reporters on the use of anonymous sources.  Divide the class into three groups, and ask one group to repeat the above analysis for The Washington Post, another for The New York Times, and the third for USA Today. How do these papers' uses of anonymous sources compare to the local daily's?   ADDITIONAL READINGS: "The State of the First Amendment 2005," from the First Amendment Center and AJR “When the Post Banned Anonymous Sources,” by Ben Bagdikian, from the August/September 2005 issue of AJR "In Praise of Judith Miller," Web-only column by AJR Editor Rem Rieder, posted August 2005 "USA Tomorrow," by Rachel Smolkin, from the August/September 2005 issue of AJR "Is Crackdown on Anonymous Sources Going Too Far?" by Joe Strupp, in the July 25, 2005, edition of Editor and Publisher "Leak Riddle: Who's Playing Whom?" by Mark Feldstein, in the July 24, 2005, issue of The Washington Post "Under Fire," by Rachel Smolkin, from the February/March 2005 issue of AJR   STORY 4: “Confronting the Culture: The culprit behind the recurring clusters of plagiarism and fabrication scandals isn't just irresponsible youth or a few bad apples or the temptations of the Internet. It may be the newsroom culture itself.” By Lori Robertson   MORE INFO: Both experienced writers and rookies need editors' support in demanding situations, scholars say--especially when many news organizations are demanding "more bang for fewer bucks," Robertson reports. Meanwhile, some say newsrooms need to end the confusion about their own basic conventions--when to attribute, what's in the public domain.   CLASS ASSIGNMENT AND DISCUSSIONS: As Robertson notes, most reporters know it's not OK to write about people they've made up, or to steal large chunks of others' stories. But some journalistic guidelines are less clear: When is it acceptable to repeat boilerplate background paragraphs from another story in a new story? What information is considered common knowledge, and free from requirements to attribute? (Info that's been published by three publications? Two?) How should quotes taken from the Associated Press or another wire service be attributed? How should quotes taken from a televised news show be attributed? Ask each student to interview three professional editors on some of these less-clear-cut newsroom guidelines. Students should type up the editors' responses and be prepared to present their findings to the class. Invite area print and broadcast journalists to class to lead a discussion on some of the ethical pressures they've faced as reporters and how they've overcome them or learned from them. If their newsrooms offer minimal support, who do they turn to for guidance and mentoring? ADDITIONAL READINGS AND LINKS: The Goodwork Project examines how market forces affect a person's ability to do good work. The Cheating Culture Weblog provides commentary from author David Callahan. Ethics guidelines and links for journalists are offered on The Poynter Institute site. The Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics   Top of Page  |  Index Page Teachers' guide written by Chris Harvey, online bureau director at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism and former managing editor of AJR. Published Aug. 9, 2005; additional material added Aug. 10, 2005. Copyright © 2005 University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Permission is granted to freely print, for classroom use, up to 100 copies of the most up-to-date version of this document, as long as the document is not modified.