The University of Maryland

FALL 2006

Media Coverage of Government and Politics

JOUR 420 3 credits

Professor Haynes Johnson

Office: Journalism 2100

Office Hours: Mondays 12-1 p.m. and by appointment

Office Phone: 5-2408 E-mail: hjohnson@jmail.umd.edu

Home Phone: 202-387-3901. Home email: haynesjohnson@hotmail.com

Seminar: Tuesdays 9 a.m.-12 noon. Room: Journalism 1116

Brief Description

An examination of the inner workings of the media and its influence on politics, government, and the public, with critical emphasis on the role of the press and public affairs reporting.

Objective

To assess the performance of reporting—print and electronic—on important public issues, whether local, national, or international.

Questions to be Raised

How powerful is the media, and what are the limits upon its power? To what extent is the media responsible for growing public cynicism about government and politicians? What are the conflicts between the public's right to know and the government's right to operate, within specified and legitimate limitations, in confidence and secrecy? Has the mass media, and particularly television, become "the fourth branch of government?" How has the media's obsession with scandal affected the workings of government for better or worse? Has the "culture of celebrity and entertainment" affected media values and influenced the nature of reporting? Have the 24-hour cable news networks affected mainstream press performance and standards? What are the standards for effective public affairs reporting? Can they be set, if so how and by whom? How influential is our media on our political process, particularly in choosing a president, defining major issues, and in advancing —or destroying—the career potential for lesser known political candidates? To whom is the media accountable? Is it accountable to any or one institution? Should it be? What is the role of the political consultants and the pollsters on government and public attitudes in our media-saturated society? Finally, but not inclusively, what is the impact of the new "talk show electronic democracy" and scandal coverage upon our government, political process, and people?

This seminar takes place amid rising criticism of the media. Some stem from ideological attacks on the media; others are the result of serious ethical lapses in the media, most notably, but by no means all, the Jayson Blair case at The New York
Times. We will examine these topics and also look at some of the sources of the present pervasive public distrust of media performance through use of such devices as growing reliance on anonymous sources; false accusations; plagiarism; inaccuracies in coverage and reportage, and the spread of a mass media culture of scandal and celebrity coverage in an era of around-the-clock cable TV newscasts. We will also examine how these kinds of media blemishes rob it, and the public it is supposed to serve, of necessary context and perspective and detract from examination of vital science and technology issues, including cloning, and from adequate coverage of foreign affairs, and such issues as health, welfare, education, and the economy.

Procedures

We will meet for 14 sessions, each devoted to a specific topic and discussion of assigned work, with appropriate readings and participant reports. In some cases, a guest from the media/government world will assist in discussion.

Seminar grades will be allocated as follows: 50 percent to be determined by the final research paper, 25 percent by the mid-term paper, and 25-percent by the quality of classroom participation.

Each unexplained absence will drop your final grade. So will blatant, repeated tardiness. If you are going to be absent you must inform the professor or his assistant by voicemail.

The underlying assumption of this seminar is that each of you cares about public affairs and about journalism. If you do not, another course may serve you better. A second assumption is that you are able to write clear, concise English. Third, each of you is expected to read all the assigned material.

We have only 14 sessions together: the first devoted to opening logistics and an overview of the course work, and the last to overall conclusions and summations. Consequently, each of the other 12 meetings matters greatly.

Full participation in classroom discussion is a must. Dialogue, not monologue, is the objective. In this seminar, silence in not golden.

For final and mid-term examinations, each student will write two substantial papers. The mid-term paper (10-12 pages) should deal with an aspect of public affairs coverage and from the seminar, reflecting discussions and studies during the first half of the course. It should be written in critical essay form as if for publication in a journalism review or Sunday supplement. The subject of the papers will be worked out with the instructor, who will act as advisor for the topics selected. Since this will be written as if for publication in a newspaper, magazine, or journalism review, footnotes will not be required. But it must show familiarity with sources, fully attributed in the text.

Your final research paper (14 to 16 pages) should explore in greater depth an analysis of a public affairs reporting, press-government, or press-public issue of significance. Quality of writing counts heavily. Use of jargon and cliché will result in a lower grade.

Papers that fall below the minimum or above the maximum length will automatically be rejected. Both mid-term and final research papers must be double-spaced, with normal margins, and printed, either by word-processing or typewriter. In addition, your last name must be printed on each page alongside the page number. Please note that all papers must be turned in as hard copy; no emailed papers will be accepted.

In addition to the two papers, further supplementary reading will be required. Two persons will be designated each week, beginning with the third week, to present reports from a book selected from an outside reading list, summarizing it to members of the seminar, and relating it to the topic under discussion. All students are expected to be prepared to discuss the topic at hand.

PLEASE NOTE THAT DEADLINES ARE ABSOLUTE. Allowances will be made only for genuine emergencies. If you have an emergency, you must speak with me personally to obtain approval. Leaving a phone message or speaking with my assistant is not sufficient.

Grading

Seminar grades will be allocated as follows: 50 percent to be determined by the final research paper, 25 percent by the mid-term paper, and 25 percent by the quality of classroom participation.

Academic Integrity

The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html.

Sequence of Weekly Topics

Sept. 5 Overview and Introduction

Sept. 12 Media and government: Inevitable conflicts

Sept. 19 Congress, executive agencies, and the media

Sept. 26 The media and the president

Oct. 3 The media and scandals

Oct. 10 TV, entertainment and the celebrity culture

Oct. 17 The media and campaigns. MID-TERM PAPER DUE

Oct. 24 Interest groups and pollsters. Research paper topics due

Oct. 31 Policy issues, secrecy, and sources

Nov. 7 Investigative reporting: Print and electronic

Nov. 14 Foreign and military reporting

Nov. 21 Media and government: Accessibility and accountability

Nov. 28 The media and public opinion

Dec. 5 Public, or civic, journalism. FINAL PAPER DUE

Dec. 12 Conclusion

NOTE: FINAL RESEARCH PAPERS DUE IN CLASS ON 12/05

Readings

Sept. 12 White, Theodore H. The Making of the President, 1960. Atheneum.

Reedy, George. The Twilight of the Presidency. World.

Sept. 19 Crouse, Timothy. The Boys on the Bus. Random House.

Cramer, Richard Ben. What It Takes.

Liebling, A.J. The Press. Pantheon. 1975.

Sept. 26 Halberstam, David. The Best and the Brightest. Fawcett. Hohen.

Perry, James M. Us and Them: How the Press Covered the 1972 Campaign. Potter.

Oct. 3 Sabato, Larry and Glenn R. Simpson. Dirty Little Secrets: The Persistence of Corruption in American Politics. Times Books.

Garment, Suzanne. Scandal: The Culture of Mistrust in American Politics.

Collins, Gail. Scorpion Tongues. Morrow.

Oct. 10 Kurtz, Howard. Spin Cycle. Free Press.

Oct. 17 Ephron, Nora. Scribble Scribble: Notes on the Media. Knopf.

MID-TERM PAPERS DUE

Oct. 24 Johnson, Haynes and David S. Broder. The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point. Little, Brown (paperback edition) 1996.

Oct. 31 Woodward, Bob and Carl Bernstein. All the President's Men. Simon & Schuster.

Nov. 7 Bradlee, Benjamin C. Conversations with Kennedy. Norton.

Bradlee, Benjamin C. A Good Life. Simon and Schuster.

Nov. 14 Broder, David S. The Party's Over: The Failure of Politics in America.

Harper & Row.

Nov. 21 Reichley, A. James. The Life of the Parties: A History of American Political Parties. Free Press.

Nov. 28 Lippmann, Walter. Public Opinion.

Dec. 5 Johnson, Haynes. The Best of Times. FINAL PAPERS DUE

Dec. 12 No assigned readings