Dr. Tim Gilmore
Media Literacy Assignment
1) Read the following “Readers’ Guide,” which I have pasted below, from The New York Times and answer the question below in paragraph form.
Readers’ Guide
In its daily news pages, The Times presents both straightforward news coverage and other journalistic forms that provide additional perspective on events. These special forms — news analysis articles, columns and others — adhere to standards different from those of the editorial and Op-Ed pages. The news and editorial departments do not coordinate coverage and maintain a strict separation in staff and management.
All articles, columns, editorials and contributions in the newspaper are subject to the same requirements of factual accuracy.
Here are descriptions of the various forms:
IN THE DAILY NEWS SECTIONS
Man or Woman in the News: A portrait of a central figure in a news situation. It is not primarily analytical, but highlights aspects of the subject’s background and career that shed light on that figure’s role in the current event.
Reporter’s Notebook: A writer’s collection of several anecdotes or brief reports, often supplementing coverage of a major news event like a summit meeting or an important trial. The items provide glimpses behind the scenes that flesh out the reader’s sense of a major story.
Memo: A reflective article, often with an informal or conversational tone, offering a look behind the scenes at issues or political developments. The article (with a title like Political Memo, White House Memo or Memo From London) may draw connections among several events, or tell the reader who or what shaped them.
Journal: A sharply drawn feature article focusing on a place or event (and labeled with the place name, whether foreign, national or regional). A Journal article is closely observed and stylishly written, often light or humorous in tone. It is intended to give the reader a vivid sense of a place and time.
News Analysis: A close examination of the ramifications of an important news situation. It includes thorough reporting, but also draws heavily on the expertise of the writer. The article helps the reader understand underlying causes or possible consequences of a news event, but does not reflect the writer’s personal opinion.
Appraisal: A broad evaluation, generally by a critic or a specialized writer, of the career and work of a major figure who has died. The article often accompanies the obituary.
Review: A specialized critic’s appraisal of works of creativity — movies, books, restaurants, fashion collections. Unlike other feature writers, critics are expected to render opinions in their areas of expertise.
News-Page Column: A writer’s regularly scheduled essay, offering original insight and perspective on the news. The column often has a distinctive point of view and makes a case for it with reporting. (Columns in the newspaper are displayed with the writer’s name and the column’s title inset into the text.)
The news sections also present a number of regular feature articles that carry labels indicating the topics — for example, the Saturday Profile in the foreign pages and Market Place in Business Day.
IN THE OPINION PAGES
Editorial: A sharply written, generally brief article about any issue of public interest. Editorials are written by the editorial board of The Times, which includes the editorial page editor, the deputy and assistant editors, and a group of writers with expertise in a variety of fields. While the writers’ opinions are of great importance, the editorials also reflect the longtime core beliefs of the page. Unlike the editors of the news sections, the editorial page editor not only reports to the publisher, but consults with him on the page’s positions. Editorials are based on reporting, often original and in-depth, but they are not intended to give a balanced look at both sides of a debate. Rather, they offer clear opinion and distinct positions.
Editorial Observer: A signed article by a member of the editorial board. These articles have a more distinct personal voice than an editorial. They often reflect personal experiences or observations, and may be written in the first person. These articles are not intended to be policy pronouncements, but do not contradict the board’s positions.
Op-Ed Column: An essay by a columnist on the staff of The Times, reflecting the opinions of the writer on any topic. Columnists are expected to do original reporting. Some travel extensively. Op-Ed columns are edited only for style and usage, not for content. Columnists do not submit their topics for approval, and are free to agree or disagree with editorial positions.
Op-Ed Contribution: An article by a person not on the staff of The Times, reflecting opinions about a topic on which the author is an expert or has provocative and well-reasoned ideas. These articles, most of which are solicited by the editors, are not intended to reflect the positions of the editorial board. Indeed, the Op-Ed page is seen as a forum to air diverse and challenging viewpoints.
Answer the following question with at least one substantial paragraph.
In what kinds of journalistic writing are you more likely to find the personal opinion of the journalist or writer? In what kinds are you least likely to do so? Why?
2) What is bias? Please consider each following topic and discuss, in a few sentences each, whether and how a writer should, or should not, be biased toward or against it.
a) Nazism
b) Slavery
c) Jim Crow
d) Women’s rights
e) A particular tax policy
f) Academic freedom
g) Municipal policies on animal control and no-kill shelters
3) What is “fake news”?
Here are two pieces of writing about “fake news” from The Washington Post. What’s the difference in writer’s intention between these two stories?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fake-news-writers-need-to-meet-the-real-reporters-who-die-trying-to-do-their-jobs/2016/11/21/2d116308-afdc-11e6-8616-52b15787add0_story.html?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.f76f3cc91a31
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pizzagate-from-rumor-to-hashtag-to-gunfire-in-dc/2016/12/06/4c7def50-bbd4-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_comet-reconstruct-852pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.7b46ced7583e
4) Consider tabloid publications, like The National Enquirer. Please read the following article and then answer, with at least one substantial paragraph the following questions.
The National Enquirer http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/04/news/how-the-supermarket-tabloids-stay-out-of-court.html
Are individuals safe from libel in the United States? If not, why not? How does a publication like The National Enquirer differ from publications like The New York Times in terms of libel?
5) Read the following article and answer, with at least one substantial paragraph, the following question.
If there are lots of people who believe Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States or that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax, how do you know what sources to trust? And the answer is not just “You don’t.”
6) Find an article or news story from each of the following sources and apply the so-called CRAAP Test (see link below) to the article or story you find. You don’t have to include every point from the test, but you should indicate, with at least several strong sentences, how the test’s criteria relate to the sources you find.
https://researchguides.ben.edu/source-evaluation
Apply to an article or story from:
The Boston Globe
Gawker
PBS NewsHour
Mental Floss
National Geographic
Journal of the American Medical Association
National Public Radio
National Review
Folio Weekly
Info Wars
The Nation
The Onion
