AJR in the Classroom

Discussion questions for the October / November 2006 issue, along with suggestions for further readings on coverage of national security issues and foreign affairs, the equitableness of the Pulitzer Prizes and spoof Web sites.


Story 1: "Judgment Calls" | Story 2: "The Pulitzer Cartel" | Story 3: "Artful Disguises" | Story 4: "The Limits of the Parachute"



STORY 1: "Judgment Calls: How top editors decide whether to publish national security stories based on classified information."  By Rachel Smolkin 

 

MORE INFO FROM THE STORY:  Smolkin writes that the clash between the First Amendment's guarantee of a free press and the press' duty to protect American lives and uphold national security has repeatedly over the years put reporters, editors and publishers at odds with U.S. government officials. Two stories published during the last year in The New York Times - exposing secret programs in the government's war on terror (see first two links below) - again raise questions about how the media make decisions on whether or not to publish classified information. "The editors described a deliberative process guided by intense questioning, a willingness to pull back on technical details that could endanger lives and, ultimately, a commitment to informing the public about the government's use of power," Smolkin writes. Former CIA Director Jim Woolsey asked reporters to consider three factors to guide their publication decisions on stories involving national-security issues: "Is there some oversight mechanism" in place, such as briefings to some members of Congress; "is there abuse?" such as the burglary of the Democratic National Committee during Watergate; and is the program being exposed "important in collecting intelligence on terrorist threats to the country?"

 

CLASS DISCUSSION AND RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT:

 
  • Invite editors or publishers from one or two major newspapers in your metropolitan area to come to class to discuss the thought and questioning process they go through with reporters --and government officials -- when deciding whether or not to publish sensitive material. Stories may have dealt with national security issues, but they may also have dealt with sensitive local government topics.

  • Conflicts between reporters and government officials over publication of confidential material often arise in times of war. Two high-profile cases highlighting this tug of war have included the Chicago Tribune's June 7, 1942, story on the Battle of Midway, headlined "Navy Had Word of Jap Plan to Strike at Sea," and The New York Times' publication of the Pentagon Papers in 1971.
    • Ask students to write a 1,500-word research paper on another historical case of their choice, in which government officials have sought to prevent publication of a story, to re-shape the direction of a story, or to punish reporters post-publication, citing national security interests. The research paper should give a summary of the facts of the story and the newspaper's arguments for publishing; a summary of the government's reaction and/or interference pre- or post-publication; and an analysis by the student of whether or not the news publication should have published the story. The research paper should include footnotes or end notes for all citations.

    RELATED STORIES AND REPORTS:




    STORY 2: "The Pulitzer Cartel: Four large papers, long dominant in the Pulitzer sweepstakes, have tightened their stranglehold on the competition in the current decade. Why is that the case, and is there a better way?"  By Donna Shaw 

     

    MORE INFO FROM THE STORY:  Shaw reports that the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal won 15 percent of the journalism Pulitzers in the 1960s; since 2000, the big four have won more than half the prizes. Some believe favoritism and politics play a role in their dominance. Others argue that with the removal of the word "local" from all but one contest category, it makes it difficult for the smaller or mid-sized papers to compete with the better-staffed large dailies. Some say it might be beneficial to add more journalists from small papers to the Pulitzer Board.  

     

    CLASS DISCUSSIONS AND RESEARCH:

     
  • How important are news contests such as the Pulitzer Prizes to encouraging quality work that will best serve a community? Do reporters spend too much time writing for contests, rather than writing for readers? Invite in a local professional reporter or editor, an officer of a professional journalism organization and a community activist or two to participate in what could be a spirited debate. Be sure to ask the panelists if they believe there are stories being missed while journalism prizes are being pursued.

  • Currently there are no set criteria for choosing Pulitzer winners in journalism. The definitions of each of the 14 categories serve as guidelines. Divide you class up into small teams, and ask each team to attempt to craft more specific guidelines for some of the Pulitzer categories. In doing so, the teams should refer to criteria cited in other prestigious journalism contests (such as those run by Investigative Reporters & Editors, Hearst, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Radio-Television News Directors Association & Foundation). The teams should ultimately be considering: What makes a strong story or news visual? What final products should journalists be striving for? The teams should draft their recommendations as a memo to the class and be prepared to present them verbally.

    RELATED STORIES AND LINKS:




    STORY 3: "Artful Disguises: Sultans of spin masquerade as amateurs on citizen media Web sites."      Column by Barb Palser 

     

    MORE INFO FROM THE COLUMN:  Palser writes, "While most of the video, images and ideas on shared content sites and personal blogs are raw and genuine, fakers and posers were bound to show up eventually." The Wall Street Journal recently pointed out that a two-minute movie titled "Al Gore's Penguin Army" was submitted to YouTube by a user under the login "toutsmith." But the user, whose video spoofed Gore's recent documentary on global climate change, may have undisclosed political connections. The Journal said he worked from a computer registered to DCI Group, a Republican public relations firm whose clients include Exxon. Palser also notes that in an August story by the Associated Press, "a political consultant likened YouTube clips to 'video press releases' that have a greater chance of getting into news coverage than traditional campaign materials." Another concern about citizen sites, Palser says, is that fraudulent video posted on them could be republished by a news organization.

     

    CLASS DISCUSSION AND RESEARCH:

  • Ask students to spend an hour surfing YouTube or on any of the blog sites registered with Technorati (see link below). Students should make a list of sites they believe may not be what they purport to be: Example, sites masquerading as citizen sites that may actually be political or PR sites. Students should be prepared to talk about their findings and the criteria they used to evaluate the sites' credibility, or lack thereof. How can they work to prevent being fooled in the future--by the content or the author?
  • Spoof and hoax sites and stories predate YouTube and even the Internet. Journalist Patrick Boyle wrote in an April 1992 AJR story (see link below) about some who've spent an inordinate amount of time trying to dupe journalists. Ask students to write a 1,000-word research paper on Internet, newspaper or TV hoaxes, giving examples and a summary of at least three that made it into publication, and adding thoughts on how the reporters may have prevented perpetuating the misinformation. Papers should include attribution and end notes or foot notes.

    • RELATED VIDEO, STORIES AND LINKS:


    STORY 4: "The Limits of the Parachute: Many news organizations rushed reporters from far-flung locales to the Middle East when fighting erupted between Israel and Hezbollah. But there's no substitute for coverage by correspondents based in a region and knowledgeable about its history and culture."      By Sherry Ricchiardi 

     

    MORE INFO FROM THE STORY:  Ted Koppel, former anchor of ABC's "Nightline," said in an interview in August, according to Ricciardi: "The approach now is, 'Well, don't worry about it. When something happens, we can take a jet and we can access satellites and we'll have it for you in 24 hours.' Have what?" he asks. "You'll have the aftereffects. You'll have the result of what you should have been telling America about for the last six months." Reporters say history, nuance and context get lost with "parachute" journalism. But Rome Hartman, executive producer of "CBS Evening News," says modern technology helps fill the gaps.

     

    CLASS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS:

  • Select a two-week period to do a spot analysis of news coverage (not columns or editorials) of foreign affairs. Ask half the class to do their analysis of three of the nation's most respected newspapers: The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. Students should jot down notes on how many foreign stories each publishes, what regions of the world and countries they're reporting on, and how well they're explaining key issues in the stories. They should also note what these publications might do better. Ask the other half of the class to analyze world coverage on an English-language news site overseas, such as the BBC --again asking the same questions as team one, and again jotting down their findings. Have the teams report their findings in a wide-ranging class discussion.

  • How much time and effort are local news stations devoting to foreign news coverage? Break the class into groups, asking each group to monitor the 11 p.m. news show on a different local news station for a week (not during a sweeps week). How many foreign news stories make it into the news show? On what topics? How well are they covering those topics, and foreign affairs in general? Ask students to bring their tallies and thoughts to class for a discussion.

    • RELATED STORIES AND LINKS:

     

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    Teachers' guide written and produced by Chris Harvey, online bureau director at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism and a former managing editor of AJR.
    First     item for this issue published Oct. 11, 2006; second item added Oct. 15, 2006; third item added Oct. 16, 2006; fourth item added Oct. 19, 2006.

    Copyright © 2004, 2005 and 2006 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.