What makes one thing worth reporting, while another thing is not? We offer a test for news which can work in all societies. We consider what makes some news stories stronger than others. Finally, we look at how news comes to journalists, and the areas of life where we most often find it.
This course looks at the role of the media on international, national, state, local, and school-wide levels. Although the content is constantly changing there are recurrent themes including domestic and foreign policy, the economy, war, crime, and the environment. Let's look back at the stories that made the headlines the past year and, make some predictions about what we may study this year.
What do you think was the biggest story of the Summer? What predictions do you make about this Fall?
Available in over 30 languages and able to transmit bespoke news stories faster than ever, its threat to the mainstream media is clear. But can we trust it? And would anybody actually watch a channel that lacks the human touch? The Guardian visited the channel’s creators in Los Angeles to find out more - and to audition for a role.
Emerging artificial intelligence technology is making it even more difficult to discern what's real and what's not, worrying some about the potential impacts on politics. ABC News senior reporter Emmanuelle Saliba has more on the risks the emerging technology presents for misinformation, and how to spot fake images.
Q. How can we ensure that our development as moral and social animals keeps pace with our rapidly evolving communications technology?
A. By playing an active role in our media consumption, trusting reporters who demonstrate fairness and reliability over time, offering corrections when they get something wrong, and when we care enough--reading the original documents they worked from.
Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, an alien researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."Do movie trailers appeal to our 'deep' or 'hyper' attention?
Douglas Adams cult classic may have been the stuff of Science Fiction in the 1970s, but one can't help compare his fictitious guide to existing modern-day technology. Never before have we had access to so much information at our fingertips. So why is it we seem to know so little?
R.E.M. had a hit song in 1983 named after "Radio Free Europe," inspired by the federally funded news service that helped spread American ideals abroad. Now, the struggling organization, which says the Trump administration is withholding millions in funding that Congress had appropriated, is hoping a little bit of rock and roll can help keep them afloat.
The iconic rock band answered their call: They're now giving their 45-year-old smash a remix, sharing all of the proceeds from it directly to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. It's being issued on digital and on vinyl, with four other R.E.M. rarities.
1) What is 'Radio Free Europe?'
2) How was it important, especially during the Cold War?
3) Why is it ironic that President Trump wants to shut it down?
You can see it when you look out your window... when you turn on your television... when you go to work. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. The truth that like everyone else you were born into a prison that you can not smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind. More precisely the prison OF your mind.
CBS News’ ‘“60 Minutes” addressed the surprise exit of its longtime executive producer Bill Owens on Sunday’s program, with anchor Scott Pelley saying that “no one is happy” about his departure.
In an extraordinarily blunt final segment of the news magazine show, Pelley revealed that CBS’ parent company Paramount “began to supervise our content in new ways” as it tries to complete a merger with Skydance Media, with Pelley adding that Owens “felt he had lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
Owens announced last week he was leaving “60 Minutes” after 24 years with the program and 37 years at CBS News. No replacement was immediately named.
Pelley said that topics the show has pursued in its roughly 60-year history are “often controversial,” noting recent stories have included Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and the Trump administration.
“Bill made sure they were accurate and fair,” Pelley said. “He was tough that way, but our parent company Paramount is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it.”
Pelley said Owens’ resignation last Tuesday “was hard on him and hard on us, but he did it for us and you.”
“No one here is happy about it, but in resigning, Bill proved one thing: He was the right person to lead ’60 Minutes’ all along,” Pelley concluded.
The segment was also shared on various “60 Minutes” social media accounts with many of its correspondents reposting it, including Cecilia Vargas, Jon Wertheim, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
CBS News and Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In Owens’ resignation letter, he said that in the the last few months it was made it clear that he “would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it” or make “independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes.”
Owens’ decision to step down comes as Americans’ trust in media outlets has hit a low and as outlets find themselves under attack — including frequent jabs from the White House. In November, President Donald Trump slapped CBS News and its parent company, Paramount Global, with a $10 billion lawsuit that claims a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris was grossly mis-edited by CBS at the Harris campaign’s direction.
Shortly after reports of Owens’ resignation emerged, two “60 Minutes” producers spoke anonymously with CNN’s Jake Tapper. One source called Trump’s lawsuit “baseless” and stressed Owens’ refusal to apologize or bend while noting the top producer “fought for the broadcast and for independent journalism and that cost him his job.”
A second source was blunter.
“It‘s like a guy who has been battling for months against an attack,” this person said. “He sacrificed himself hoping it might make our corporate overlords wake up and realize they risk destroying what makes 60 Minutes great.”
1) Why did Bill Owen resign?
2) What was President Trump's lawsuit against CBS?
In Chapter 9 Brooke proposed that reporters aren't supposed to make the world better.
Their job is to tell us what is going on, so WE can make it better...
Would you trust them more if you knew more about them?
Video conferencing is pulling back the curtain on our private lives, as our friends & colleagues finally get a peek into our homes. Correspondent Mo Rocca talks with designer Jonathan Adler, fashion commentator Simon Doonan, and New York Times critic-at-large Amanda Hess about what Zoom is divulging about us.
1) What can we learn about our reporters and celebrities by 'peeking' into their living rooms and offices?
2) Do you trust them more or less? Why?
3) What is in your 'Zoom' background and what does it 'disclose' about you?
A pioneer broadcast journalist who began his distinguished career as a wire service reporter, Cronkite was a longtime champion of journalism values who was often referred to as the most trusted man in America.
By the mid-1950s more than half the nation's living rooms have a TV set, which serves as a kind of national mirror. It reflects a populace that is white, Christian, and middle-class. It has no accent. It defines normal. It defines America.
When Walter Cronkite ends his CBS newscast with his rock-solid assertion, 'And that's the way it is,' it's a sweet finish to his nightly suppertime slice of reality. Facts, unseasoned and served deadpan. (Gladstone, pg. 103)
If the highest law of journalism is 'to the tell the Truth and shame the devil' then the Golden Age of Objectivity was the 1950s. The 1951 government film 'Duck and Cover' advised on what to do if the see the flash of a nuclear bomb. Fear of Communism and the threat of atomic war moved us into the 'donut hole' of consensus.
Historian Daniel Hallin uses donuts as a metaphor for the news. (Hallin, 2010) The donut hole is the ‘sphere of consensus;’ unquestionable values and unchallengeable truths. The donut itself is ‘legitimate controversy.’ This is the literal ‘sweet spot’ where undecided issues can be debated and discussed. Outside the donut is the ‘sphere of deviance’ reserved for opinions outside the mainstream of society.
Objectivity emerged as a selling point in American Journalism when the price of a newspaper dropped to a penny. In 1833 The New York Sun slashed the price of their paper to multiply readership and increase advertising. Profits soared.
Yet all around their was a grinding, dehumanizing poverty reflected in the eyes of these 'newsies' selling papers on city streets. Before WWI people viewed the world as being cruel but rich with opportunity. Horatio Alger novels told stories of how the humblest orphans could ascend into the middle class through hard work.
This view changed following the war. As damaged soldiers returned home with stories and the hideous and meaningless death of millions of young men a deep cynicism sets in and 'Dadaism' is born. Its basic philosophy: everything is meaningless.
Many journalists were 'embedded' with the troops in WWII. The legendary Ernie Pyle from western Indiana wrote columns on their grinding ordeal and uncomplicated courage. Armed only with a typewriter, Pyle personalized war reporting, creating a bridge between the everyday soldier, whom he dubbed GI Joe, and the American populace.
As a roving correspondent for the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain, he earned wide acclaim for his accounts of ordinary people in rural America, and later, of ordinary American soldiers during World War II. His syndicated column ran in more than 300 newspapers nationwide.
At the time of his death he was among the best-known American war correspondents. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for his spare, poignant accounts of "dogface" infantry soldiers from a first-person perspective. "No man in this war has so well told the story of the American fighting man as American fighting men wanted it told", wrote Harry Truman. "He deserves the gratitude of all his countrymen."
Bias is hard to avoid, but it can be really damaging - leading us to make poor choices without fairly weighing up the facts.
As human beings, we all bring a point of view into the world, and that point of view colors how we learn about and interact with it. This is built up from the moment we are born and will continue to evolve until we die. With that in mind, we should always be aware that we cannot react to anything in a completely objective manner.
That same logic holds true for media. All news outlets are organizations and made up of people. This means that editors, reporters, commentators, and researchers that work in journalism bring their point of view to work with them every day, and it is borderline impossible for them to completely separate themselves from the stories they report. It is therefore logical to assume that even the hardest news will be colored, to a certain extent, by the person reporting it. At a microlevel, when looking at a story, this point of view can manifest itself in a variety of ways that we should be on the lookout for:
Value as fact: In softer news, the presenter might attempt to pass off their beliefs as fact. This is especially true of punditry and opinion sections (think Tucker Carlson, Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity, or Stephen Colbert) where the presenter is often attempting to confirm their own worldview and make that worldview more presentable to the consumer. If a worldview or set of values is stated, we should automatically be on the lookout for bias in how the story is presented.
Presentation of the facts: In hard news, it’s important to keep an eye on how the facts are presented. Were questions left unanswered? Was information omitted that could have been vital to building a clear picture of events?
Credibility and accuracy of sourcing: Did the story source a diverse array of credible viewpoints and make the effort to flesh out who or what they are and put the information gleaned from them in context? The less you notice this in a story, the more on guard you should be for bias.
Cherry-picking: How are sources represented in the story? Are they analyzed in depth or just at a glance?
Sensationalism: Does the language in the headline or body provoke an emotional response? If it does, it’s likely that you’re consuming something intentionally biased and seeking to elicit that reaction to further the agenda of its author.
Commentary: Does the story draw a specific conclusion? Do they tell you in the presentation of facts whether they judge a source to be credible or portray them in a positive or negative light? In general, we should be skeptical of any reporting that attempts to pass judgement on a source. It may be accurate, but further research will be needed on the part of the consumers to independently confirm this judgement for themselves.
Fighting BIAS can be even harder than detecting it, especially when we already have strong preconceived opinions...
From now until the NCAA basketball championship in April, experts and prognosticators, along with millions of amateurs
competing in office pools, will attempt to predict the outcomes of all
67 of the tournament’s games.
People have all sorts of reasons to pick one team over another. Some
break down game footage; others look at advanced statistics; and still
others give preference to schools they or their friends attended.
But what if we took a different approach and picked teams based on the strength of their mascots?
Few reporters proclaim their convictions. Fewer still act on them to serve what they believe to be the greater good. In times of profound moral crisis, most reporters make the 'Great Refusal.' The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity.
In his poem 'Inferno' Dante tours the underworld and sees a swarm of anguished souls barred from heaven and hell doomed to limbo. They are the neutrals, whose lives meant nothing because they refused to commit themselves. They have all made what Dante calls the 'Great Refusal.'
“The Most Recently Discovered Wild Beast” (1881) is one of a series of nineteenth-century images portraying the Irish as violent and subhuman. Native-born Americans criticized Irish immigrants for their poverty and manners, their supposed laziness and lack of discipline, their public drinking style, their catholic religion, and their capacity for criminality and collective violence. In both words and pictures, critics of the Irish measured character by perceived physical appearance.
Political cartoons such as the “Wild Beast” offered an exaggerated version of these complaints. The Irish-American “Dynamite Skunk,” clad in patriotic stars and stripes, has diabolical ears and feet and he sports an extraordinary tail. around his waist he is wearing an “infernal machine,” a terrorist bomb that was usually disguised as a harmless everyday object, in this case a book. in the cage next to him, sketched in outline, is a second beast.
This year though, I think St. Patrick’s Day deserves a little bit more attention and respect for what the history of Ireland and Irish culture represents, especially the Irish diaspora in the U.S. I am, of course, talking about the current battle taking place in the U.S. regarding immigration.
In many ways, the events of today are similar to those that took place from the mid-19th century through the early 20th century, with an increasing number of Irish citizens traveling to the U.S. They came to escape starvation during the potato famine, to find work or to escape the tyranny rule of imperial Great Britain. But what many who came soon discovered is they weren’t necessarily welcome here.
That sounds a lot like what’s happening to immigrants coming from Mexico and refugees coming from the Middle East. Though the phrases used to describe modern immigrants are different and it’s now illegal, to some extent, to hire based solely on ethnicity, the same sentiment still seems clear from many Americans: “We don’t want you here.”
The lesson to be learned here is where the Irish population in the U.S. is today. Descendants of the Irish who were once denigrated for their heritage are now some of the most influential people in America. Many of us are mayors, senators, presidents and CEOs.
For the first time in a while, those who control our government have displayed the same intolerance toward modern immigrants that those in the 19th and 20th centuries displayed to the Irish.
Just be forewarned: If you are anti-immigrant, history will likely frown upon you. For more than a hundred years now, Americans have been fighting back against newly arrived cultures. You know what happens just about every time? The immigrants end up becoming a major backbone of our country.
It will be particularly ironic when those who are anti-immigrant have their grandchildren and future generations celebrating holidays associated with those groups, the same way we now celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Citizen Kane was a brutal portrait of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. When Hearst learned through Hopper of Welles' film, he set out to protect his reputation by shutting the film down. Hollywood executives, led by Louis B. Mayer, rallied around Hearst, attempting to buy Citizen Kane in order to burn the negative. At the same time, Hearst's defenders moved to intimidate exhibitors into refusing to show the movie. Threats of blackmail, smears in the newspapers, and FBI investigations were used in the effort.
A "fnord" is a pop-culture term used to describe something in the news media that subconsciously generates a feeling of uneasiness and confusion, preventing rationality, and creating fear. The term originally comes from conspiracy theorists who claim we are surrounded by 'fnords' every day and that the governments of the world are using them to control us.
Roll out the red carpet! Last night was a big night for Hollywood. The Academy Awards, or "Oscars", is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements.
After watching these memorable Oscar Speeches, imagine you have just won an Oscar! What will you say? Who will you thank? Will you laugh? Cry? Will you have an inspirational or political message? Write and record your speech using your phone or think pad and share the link on Google Classroom.
Brooke Gladstone compares the press to blackbirds perched on a wire, saying, “one bird will fly to another wire, and when it doesn’t get electrocuted, all the birds will fly to that other wire.”
Senator Eugene McCarthy came up with that; but what does it mean?
Reporters are celebrated not because of the truth of their story, but according to whether their story fits the public's mood.
Without a free press doing its job as a journalistic watchdog, citizens are left to guess if their elected officials are doing their jobs, or if the people they have entrusted have earned that trust.
When NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked details of massive government surveillance programs in 2013, he ignited a raging debate over digital privacy and security. That debate came to a head this year, when Apple refused an FBI court order to access the iPhone of alleged San Bernardino Terrorist Syed Farook. Meanwhile, journalists and activists are under increasing attack from foreign agents. To find out the government's real capabilities, and whether any of us can truly protect our sensitive information, VICE founder Shane Smith heads to Moscow to meet the man who started the conversation, Edward Snowden. Watch the episode.
Described by WIRED as “the most wanted man in the world,” Edward Snowden is being sought for leaking top-secret documents that unveiled widespread surveillance programs overseen by the federal government. He currently is hiding out in an undisclosed community in Russia, where he says he goes mostly unrecognized.
1) Is Edward Snowden a 'traitor & a coward' or a 'patriotic hero? You decide.
2) What does Tulsi Gabbard, our new Director of National Intelligence, think?
3) Should we have secrets from our Government? Explain.
4) Should our Government have secrets from us? Explain.
At more than $8 million for a 30 second spot, Superbowl commercials are 8x more expensive than what it cost to broadcast the original game in 1967. Why are companies willing to spend so much?
In more than half the world’s countries, banning, confiscation and censorship of publications are everyday occurrences. Even today, nearly two billion men and women live under governments which restrict their right to know the truth. More than 1 billion of those people live in China.
A press that is free to investigate and criticize the government is absolutely essential in a nation that practices self-government and is therefore dependent on an educated and enlightened citizenry.
On the other hand, newspapers too often take advantage of their freedom and publish lies and scurrilous gossip that could only deceive and mislead the people. Jefferson himself suffered greatly under the latter kind of press during his presidency. But he was a great believer in the ultimate triumph of truth in the free marketplace of ideas, and looked to that for his final vindication.
1) How is our Freedom of Press essential to our Democracy?
2) What does the 1st amendment say about Freeodom of Press?
3) In what ways is our Freedom of Press unique?
4) In what ways has the Press been limited throughout our History?
5) What were the 'Pentagon Papers' and how did they challenge the 1st Amendment?
...there were no journalists. But in every place written language emerges, you can find publicists.
The ancient Maya civilization of Central America left behind a riddle: an intricate and mysterious hieroglyphic script carved on stone monuments and painted on pottery and bark books. Because the invading Spanish suppressed nearly all knowledge of how the script worked, unlocking its meaning posed one of archaeology's fiercest challenges. Until now.
President Donald J. Trump’s plan to return Denali, the Alaska Native name for North America’s tallest peak, to its earlier name, Mount McKinley, has run into opposition from Alaska lawmakers.
Shortly after taking the oath of office on Monday, Mr. Trump surprised many in the state when he announced “we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley where it should be and where it belongs.”
But Alaska’s two senators, Lisa Murkowsi and Dan Sullivan, both Republicans, said they wanted to keep Denali National Park and Preserve as is, calling Denali the rightful name of the awe-inspiring white peaks, 20,310 feet above sea level in the home of the Koyukon people and other Alaska Native groups.
President Trump promised a record number of executive orders on his first day in office. As of Monday, he has already signed several executive orders and issued several pardons.
For a closer look at the power of these orders and their limits, watch the following story and then answer these questions:
1) What is an 'Executive Order?'
2) How does it work?
3) How is it different than a 'Bill?'
4) Which of Trump's executive orders do you most agree with? Least?
5) If you were President what 'executive orders' would you sign on the first day?
This expression has been attributed to everyone from Voltaire to Uncle Ben in the Spider-Man comic book; but what does it mean?
The phrase “Great powers bring great responsibilities” is said by Peter’s foster father and uncle, “Uncle Ben”, in the form of advice or warning. Ignoring what would be the last words he would hear from his uncle, Peter decides to employ his new superpowers to win money in a wrestling tournament. He wins the fight, but ends up being deceived by the event's promoter. When a thief steals the promoter’s money, Peter takes revenge by omission: he chooses to let the thief escape. He later learns that his uncle had been shot to death. He starts looking for the killer. When he finally finds him, the hero-in-the-making finds out that it was the same thief that he had let go. The fact naturally awakens a heavy sense of guilt and an acute sense of responsibility and heroism. It is later repeated by Aunt Mae in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Welcome to the home page of Mr. Kelly's Current Events class. This course looks at the role of the media on international, national, state, local, and school wide levels. Although the content is constantly changing there are recurrent themes including domestic and foreign policy, the economy, war, crime, and the environment. Here you will find assignments, online discussions, and your grades. Be prepared to keep up with weekly reading assignments and be respectful of each others opinions on this site.
