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JOURN 1100: EXAM 2
Knowledge Problem |
-Journalists accuracy is compromised by reliance on sources
-Public officials are primary sources
-politicians have adopted to "he said she said"
-Journalistic truth: pg 61 of Patterson |
Journalistic Truth |
-provide truth
-sorting-out process
-conversation |
What is missing from journalistic truth |
complexity
context |
end result of journalistic truth |
"narrow conception" of the truth
inverted pyramid |
inverted pyramid |
who, what, when, where, why, how
-supporting details
-background details
-general details |
benefits of journalistic truth |
-recognizable structure
-standardized practice
-boosts new judgement
-pushes journalists to write well
-leads |
drawbacks |
-medium-centric
-dated format
-front-loads info
-superficial |
lack of complexity |
-Lippman: "journalism does not deal well with complexity"
-leading to
--flashes of insight, questionable assertions
--too little time, too much uncertainty |
Journalism's challenge |
lack of disciplinary, systematic knowledge,
(example: law, medicine) |
Lack of Knowledge drawbacks |
-autonomy is less protected
-judgement is less informed
-facts commanded by others
--public officials
--manipulation
--he said/she said journalism |
knowledge |
-"The more precise the system of record, the more precise the news coverage"
(example: change in obesity coverage) |
Accuracy Improves |
-ex: 538
-"the surest way to improve the accuracy of news is for journalists to make fuller use of knowledge"
-journalists should prove "comprehensive and intelligent account of the days events in a context that gives them meaning"
-to be in the know, you have to know |
knowledge |
-starting point and ending product
-the goal: journalists who are more than "common carriers" |
skills journalists need |
-adaptability
-accountability
-writing
-curiosity
-time management
-determination
-creativity
-media skills
-resourcefulness
-compassion
-ingenuity
-versatility
-realism
-personality
-diligence
-motivation
-empathy
-vocabulary |
benefits of knowledge |
-guidance
-proportion
-plausibility
-verification
-truth |
Science of reporting |
-never add anything
-never deceive audience
-be transparent
-exercise humility |
who pays for journalism |
-pg. 86 of Craft and Davis
-Tension: Public Service vs. profit |
Commercial vs. Public |
US- market based
UK- public service based (controlled by government |
radio's role |
telecommunications act of 1934
-created FCC
-Fairness Doctrine |
Advantages and Disadvantages of Market Based |
ASK ABOUT THIS
-a lot of competition
-a lot of similarity in coverage |
Advantages and Disadvantages of Public Service |
ASK
-less watchdog journalism |
Dual-Product Model
-Two-sided market |
See Diagram in notes |
Why does audience value news? |
entertainment
info
representation |
why do advertisers news? |
free advertising
money |
business execs who pay for digital news |
finance (47%)
consulting (40%)
media and advertising (40%)
tech (40%)
total (37%) |
reasons |
brand reputation (46%)
access to exclusive info (45%)
quality of journalism (41%)
unobtrusive ads (23%) |
network effect |
platforms and products being more useful as more people use them |
Market Orientation vs. Public Orientation |
Market Model- unregulated, no regulation
Public- can't meet all needs, government has a role |
are media like other products? |
market- yes
public - no |
public viewed as |
market- consumers
public- citizens |
market model advantages |
efficiency, responsiveness, flexibility, innovation |
propublica |
investigative journalism in the public interest
-established in 2007 |
nonprofit |
create social value
-unique, relative content
-attracts, understands, engages with audiences
creates economic value
-multiple revenue streams, foundations, sponsorships ads, events, donors
Adapts and innovates
-invests in technology, marketing, business development |
paywalls |
-a system that prevents internet users from accessing webpage content without a paid subscription
first: wall street journal |
hard paywalls |
-minimal or no access to content without a subscription
-risky: some see as a major deterrent to attracting users |
soft paywall (metered model) |
more flexibility in what viewers can see without subscription
-some free content
-unlimited access requires a subscription |
hyperlocal |
a form of journalism marked by its intense focus on locality
-community news, defined by geography
-citizen produced
-often distributed through blogs
-citizen content welcome |
Patch |
national network of one person bureaus
-hyperlocal coverage of suburbs
-purchased by AOL in 2009
-majority stake sold to Hale Global in 2014 |
Legacy Media |
-old approach
-predate internet
-newspapers, radio, television, and magazines
-depend on heterogeneous (diverse) mass audience and advertising revenue
-one-way communication |
digital first |
-new approach
-serve audience quickly on digital news platforms
-legacy media reorganize to break news on digital platform first |
Hybrid Platforms |
aggregators and curators
-pulls stories from around the web to appeal to audience's interest
-some platforms summarize a story for social networks
-personality fueled blogs/single issue sites
--begin with a single topic but morph outward |
disruptors |
startups delivering content in new ways that altered the marketplace |
The Education Problem (info problem) |
public deeply misinformed on key public policy issues
-dangerous to democracy |
Education Problem (source problem) |
-reliance on official sources
-he said, she said, journalism, with no independent verification |
Education Problem (knowledge problem) |
-what is trade off between skills and knowledge? |
is journalism fulfilling responsibilities? |
Patterson says no
-calls for knowledge-based journalism
-contemporary journalism is filled with "untrustworthy " and "pointless" info
-page 10 |
Knowledge-based journalism |
-can't just blame the public
-"talk show" model of journalism takes over in 1990s
-more opinion than ever before
-this model appeals to herd mentality in the audience
-leads to polarization of audience in "cyber-ghettos" |
Bias |
no evidence exists of partisan bias in mainstream media
-the real bias, is journalists' tendency toward the negative (patterson)
--when the economy tanks, it makes the front page
-the public routinely overplays crime rates, which has a public policy impact result: cynicism among voters |
Mizzou's education problem |
professional skill in the concept of broad-based liberal journalism |
liberal arts |
-knowledge essential to be free
-classically grammar, logic, rhetorics
-today: arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences |
past and present |
Journalism can be very good at describing the present
-news values
-focus is what's happening
Journalism not always good at describing past
-parachute journalism
--come in when something is going on without key understandings
time, resources, personel need to fill time slot
-pressures on journalists add to problem
Journalism increasingly focused on "breaking news" and dramatization |
infotainment |
blurred lines between journalism and entertainment |
multifaceted problem |
part problem of pressure, also of knowledge
-focused on who/what/when/where but not why
-collecting the dots vs. connecting the dots
-problem of using news values as sole criteria
--seeking out reporting conflict for its own sake
--or ignoring long term issues until they appear to have immediacy |
framing |
episodic: single-event oriented, isolated incidents
Thematic: context, broader narratives |
What journalists need |
awareness of relevant history, current affairs, analytical thinking
-subject expertise
-knowledge of journalism process
-ethical awareness
-practical skills
|
Primary tools: observation and interviews |
observation: what you see
interviews: what others see |
Ethical Theory |
Jayson Blair
-claimed to report from various states
-fabricated comments
-made up scenes
-lifted material from other papers, wire services
-selected details from photos to create impression he was on the scene |
cardinal sins |
-fabrication: manufacturing or falsifying any facts, quotes, or events for a story
-Plagiarism: a kind of intellectual theft, in which someone passes off another person's work and ideas as her/her own without attribution |
Bad because... |
seriously undermines a publication's integrity
-ripple effect: if one is doing it, are others doing it?
-audience questions if they can trust the news they hear/see/read |
Market Model |
influenced by economics of scale
-cost advantages businesses obtain due to expansion
horizontal integration
-a single large media corporation owns a group of other organizations within the industry
vertical integration
-single company owns other companies across multiple industries |
6 media companies |
own 90% of media in US
-Disney, Comcast, Newscorp, Viacom, CBS, Timewarner |
Market Ideal |
market model is best with competition because
-improved products
-attractive money
-innovation
-happy consumers
-no competition leads to government regulation |
Public Sphere |
news media space for public dialogue
-info is free flowing and in public interest
-citizen participation
-diversity of ideas and voices
-market success does not equal civic success
-media's role in democracy (act for public, not entertainment) |
minor markets |
Hearst Corporation: owns part of ESPN
-grown from William Randolph Hearst and Newspaper Business
--owns Cosmo magazines
Other companies such as McGlatchy and Tribune held power |
journalisms first obligation is to |
the truth |
journalism defined |
a set of transparent, independent procedures aimed at gathering, verifying, and reporting truthful info at conslavence to citizens in a democracy |
ethics is not |
-the same thing as morality
-just about personal feelings
-just about customs or social norms
-the same thing as law |
ethics is |
standards of right and wrong that prescribe what you ought to do
-beliefs are person to person, ethics are across the board |
WD Ross |
intuition can tell us our ethical duties |
prima facie duties |
self-evident, obvious, common sense duties
-duties that you must act on when all other things are equal |
perfect ethical duties |
strictly binding, must be done, they come first |
examples of perfect duties |
-fidelity: keep promises
-nonmaleficence: avoid causing harm
-reparation: perfect only is harm was intentional, otherwise its imperfect. make up for harm
-respect for persons: including yourself
-formal justice: giving people what they earned, treat them equal |
imperfect ethical duties |
strongly encouraged- do if you can but wont always be able to act on |
examples of imperfect |
beneficence: doing what you can to improve the lives of others
-gratitude: showing appreciation for what others have done for you
-distributive justice: distributing social goods in a way that benefits the least advantage people
-honesty: avoid misleading people to believing what is false - some forms of deception are made to avoid harm
-self improvement: working to improve your moral, intellectual, and physical qualities |
deontology |
duties or roles |
teleology |
consequences |
code of ethics |
1. seek truth and report it
2. minimize harm
3. act independently
4. be accountable and transparent |
the process of ethical decision making |
1. start with open mind
2. get all the facts you can
3. listen to your gut
4. identify which duties are at stake
5. figure out the conflict you are facing
6. brainstorm and analyze
7. reach a conclusion with coworkers
8. try to minimize the harm your decision could do
9. look toward the future |
ethics in practice |
balance sensitivity to victims and the demands of verification
-collaboration of survivor accounts |