Deck 2: What Is Journalism

Question 1

The New York Times reported incorrectly that Penn State Coach Joe Paterno had died and it didn't attribute its sources.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The watchdog role is most closely linked with what need fulfilled by the press?

A) deliberation
B) conflict resolution
C) accountability
D) information suppression
E) representation

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which media outlet published unattributed reports of Michael Jackson's death?

A) CNN
B) CBS News
C) TMZ
D) The Los Angeles Times
E) Onward State

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Credibility is based on what?

A) expertise
B) trustworthiness
C) official standing
D) all of the above
E) a and b only

Question 5

The U.S. Supreme Court in its 1972 decision in Branzburg v. Hayes decided that individuals disseminating information

A) had less freedoms as traditional news organizations
B) had the same freedoms as traditional news organizations
C) had more freedoms as traditional news organizations
D) did not fall into ""categories of newsmen""
E) only had press freedoms if they had attended journalism school

Question 6

In the case In re Madden, which of the following were included in the three-part test for whether to consider someone a journalist?

A) be engaged in investigative reporting
B) have the intention of making that news public
C) work for a newspaper, television station or magazine
D) all of the above
E) a and b only

Question 7

How journalists determine which events and information are important enough to cover as news and how to cover them is the definition of what term?

A) news gathering
B) investigative reporting
C) news judgment
D) journalism
E) credibility

Question 8

Kovach and Rosenstiel write: "The essence of journalism is a discipline of -----------."

A) verification
B) transparency
C) truth seeking
D) information gathering
E) assertion

Question 9

Which "element" of journalism defined by Kovach and Rosenstiel is most closely linked to journalists having undivided loyalties?

A) verification
B) transparency
C) truth seeking
D) independence
E) commitment to citizens

Question 10

Which news organization prohibited its employees from attending Jon Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity,"" even those on their own time?

A) CNN
B) The Los Angeles Times
C) The New York Times
D) FOX
E) National Public Radio

Question 11

The policy prohibiting journalists from advocating for political or other polarizing issues online is linked to which element?

A) verification
B) transparency
C) independence
D) commitment to citizens
E) information gathering

Question 12

Which is NOT a characteristic of democracy?

A) an individual or small group holding power
B) freedom of expression
C) self governance
D) an independent judiciary
E) all of the above are characteristics of democracy

Question 13

The colonists' reasons for revolt largely centered on the tyranny of British rulers in what areas?

A) political and religious
B) religious and economic
C) political and economic
D) religious and personal privacy
E) personal privacy and economic

Question 14

Credibility is based on what?

A) expertise
B) trustworthiness
C) official standing
D) expertise and trustworthiness

Question 15

Attributing key information to a specific, named person helps the reader decide how believable a source might be.

Question 16

YouTube was the social media site discussed in the book as a possible reason that the traditional news media incorrectly reported Joe Paterno's death.

Question 17

Courts define a journalist by focusing mainly on the activity in which a person is engaged.

Question 18

"What makes journalism journalism is not its format but its content" was the ruling in In re Madden.

Question 19

The terms "news" "information" and "journalism" are synonyms.

Question 20

Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel argue that journalism really only makes sense in the context of democracy.

Question 21

The process of verification is similar to the scientific method.

Question 22

Pundits offering their opinions on Fox News or CNN are doing journalism.

Question 23

Neutrality can get in the way of journalists' truth-telling mission if it reduces journalism to merely reporting what each "side" of an issue says.

Question 24

Columnist Leonard Pitts argues that even if a citizen journalist meets the definition of a journalist based on their actions, they shouldn't meet the definition if they are not experts in journalism.

Question 25

Name 3 Elements of Journalism

Question 26

Verification is vital to journalism.

Question 27

Journalism describes the process through which news gets made.

Question 28

Confirmation bias could explain why journalists sometimes get stories wrong.

Question 29

Short answer question.
Why should journalists strive for independence from those they cover?

Question 30

Confirmation bias could explain why journalists sometimes get stories wrong. What is confirmation bias?

Question 31

The textbook definition of journalism is: "Journalism is a set of transparent, independent procedures aimed at gathering, verifying and reporting truthful information of consequence to citizens in a democracy." If a journalist gets a story wrong, such as in "A Rape on Campus," is the story not journalism?

Question 32

Some definitions of journalism stress the collection and dissemination of facts. The textbook stresses characteristics in between those steps. What are they?

Question 33

Some definitions of journalism stress the collection and dissemination of facts. The textbook stresses characteristics in between those steps. What are they?

A) verification, transparency, independence
B) video, audio and online
C) interviewing and writing
D) none of the above.

Question 34

How does "the public" factor into the definition of journalism?

A) The public isn't a factor. Journalism is about facts alone.
B) Journalism is a profession, so the public is not a factor.
C) News is constructed by professionals, not by the public.
D) Journalism is for the public. Citizens are the reason for its being.

Question 35

Journalism of assertion relies on what people say. To get beyond that, journalists should:

A) Ask more than two people.
B) Apply verification principles.
C) Use an objective method.
D) All of the above.