Overview:
What is news?
It’s a simple question that reveals the fragile relationship among society, its institutions and the individual.
News, in its simplest form, is information that is new, timely and interesting:
You bought a lottery ticket yesterday? Not news.
You won the lottery last night? News.
Deciding what news merits reporting (what is newsworthy) is a complex and highly subjective exercise, offering intersecting opportunities that can empower, enlighten and enjoin a society to improve and safeguard its institutions, and enhance and preserve the rights of its individuals.
The subjective nature of news, however, often opens the door to acts of deception
and manipulation, and abuses of power that can weaken the foundation of a democratic
society and subvert the rights of its individuals.
To that end, the Committee of Concerned Journalists offers the following:
“The central purpose of journalism is to provide citizens
with accurate and reliable information they need to function in a free society
… . This encompasses myriad roles – helping define community, creating
common language and common knowledge, identifying a community's goals, heroes
and villains, and pushing people beyond complacency.…”
This course will examine the unique role of the American news media, with particular emphasis on identifying and understanding the forces and conflicts that come to bear on journalism’s ability to fulfill its compact with a democratic society.
Required Reading:
1. Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy, Robert W. McChesney, Open Media
Pamphlet Series
2. Peepshow, Larry J. Sabato, with Mark Stencel and S. Robert Lichter, Rowan
& Littlefield
3. Forgive Us Our Press Passes, Selected works by Daniel Schorr, Hastings Communications
and Entertainment Law Journal, University of California
4. Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda (on order), Noam
Chomsky, Seven Stories Press
5. Media Unlimited (on order), Todd Gitlin, Owl Books
6. Toxic Sludge is Good for You (on order), John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton,
Common Courage Press
7. The Elements of Journalism (on order), Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, Crown
Publishing Group
You also will be assigned readings to be placed on electronic reserve and posted
on the course Blackboard site.
BE ADVISED THAT A GOOD PORTION OF YOUR EXAMS WILL COME FROM ASSIGNED
READINGS, IN ADDITION TO CLASS LECTURE AND DISCUSSION.
Grading:
My grading philosophy is simple: you begin a course at zero, and proceed through
the semester to construct a final grade (I’ll explain further during your
first class). Therefore, it’s useful to fully understand the “construction
materials” with which you will build your final grade:
Semester Research Project 25 points
Mid-term - 20 points
Final - 25 points
Quizzes - 20 points
*Class participation/homework (this component is subjective, to be decided by
my evaluation) - 10 points
*Participation is an important and required part of this class. Lively discussion not only helps you and your classmates to better understand the coursework, it’s simply more fun – for me and you – than just sitting and being bombarded with lecture. Evaluation of class discussion is subjective and at my discretion. So, come prepared to get involved!
Grading:
A+ (96-100); A (91-95); A- (89-90); B+ (86-88); B (81-85); B- (79-80); C+ (76-78);
C (71-75); C- (69-70); D+ (66-68); D (60-65); F (59 and below).
Attendance Policy:
Because this class requires your participation, attendance is mandatory. I
TAKE ATTENDANCE EVERY CLASS. Attendance will figure into the class
participation portion of your grade AND recurring unexcused absences will result
in a lowering of your final grade as follows:
Two unexcused absences will lower your final grade to the next letter grade (example: a B will be lowered to a B-minus). Further, each subsequent unexcused absence after two will result in a lowering of your final grade to the next letter grade (example: four unexcused absences will lower a B to a C). Seven (7) unexcused absences will result in an automatic F, regardless of your performance on exams, quizzes, projects or other course work.
The consequences of not attending class are yours to shoulder. To quote the deans of both colleges on this matter: “As deans, we do not excuse students for illness, family emergencies, court dates, etc. Acceptance of any excuse… is at the discretion of the faculty member.” That said, requests by deans that a student be allowed to miss a class will be accepted, but you will be responsible for making up any missed work.
Deadlines:
All assignments are due at the beginning of class; do not skip class
in order to complete an assignment. I will, however, accept assignments turned
in late if I feel you present a valid excuse. DO NOT RELY ON MY GENEROSITY.
Invalid excuses often are generated when students begin work too near a deadline. Examples of invalid excuses: erased computer disk, broken printer, broken or busy computer. Anticipate such problems, start early, and get the assignment in on time.
Blackboard:
I use Blackboard extensively for this course. Please see me immediately if you
do not have access to the course web site, or if you do not know how to use
Blackboard. I will post all reading and homework assignments on the site, and
will conduct other course exercises – such as real-time discussion sessions
– using Blackboard’s tools.
Research Projects:
You are responsible for conducting and completing a research project. Briefly,
the project involves online research of specific news Web sites over a defined
period of time using valid and consistent methodology. I will discuss the specifics
of the project later this month. NOTE: PROJECTS ARE DUE ON THEIR ASSIGNED
DATE. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Honor Code and Plagiarism:
You are required to write and sign the honor pledge at the end of each quiz,
exam and the term research project.
“I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance
during completion of this work.”
In addition, all instance of plagiarism will be dealt with in the severest terms. We will discuss what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. Please consider the following, courtesy of Prof. Steve Nash:
Plagiarism is representing someone else's work, words, ideas or data as your own. It's plagiarism whether you use a whole document, a paragraph, a single sentence, a distinctive phrase, specific data, or a graphic element of any kind without attribution or acknowledgement of the source. It's also plagiarism if you use an idea developed by another as if it were your own. If you use any work created by someone else as your own without acknowledging the creator, and if you hand in the work – whether it is a news story or a research paper – with your name on it, thus implying that it is your work, then you commit plagiarism. On the other hand, when you carefully acknowledge your sources, you demonstrate the range and depth of your research and reporting.