Question 1

Arthur Sulzberger,former publisher of the New York Times,has said which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Arthur Sulzberger has explicitly stated that the New York Times is in the business of "selling news and advertising space." This statement encompasses both the print and digital aspects of the business, as the Times sells digital advertising space as well as print advertising space. Option B is too narrow, as it only mentions selling newspapers, and Option C is speculative and not based on any statement by Sulzberger. Option D is a quote from Sulzberger taken out of context, and does not provide a comprehensive answer to the question of what business the New York Times is in.

Question 2

Reporter Nellie Bly's style of reporting from the yellow journalism era would best fit in today at which of the following newspapers?

Accepted Answer

Nellie Bly's style of sensational reporting and undercover investigative journalism is similar to the approach of the New York Post, which is known for its tabloid style and emphasis on eye-catching headlines. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are more focused on traditional, in-depth reporting, while the Chicago Tribune has adopted a more neutral tone in their journalism.

Question 3

The New York Times gets most of its readership from ______.

Accepted Answer

According to the provided information, the New York Times gets most of its readership from online readers, many of whom are using mobile devices.

Question 4

Which one of the following newspapers most clearly defines what will be news in the United States?

Accepted Answer

The New York Times is widely regarded as a national "newspaper of record" in the United States, meaning it sets a standard for news coverage and often defines what will be considered newsworthy across the country.

Question 5

Alternative weekly papers are having ______ circulation.

Accepted Answer

Alternative weekly papers have been experiencing a declining circulation in recent years due to the increasing shift towards digital media consumption and the decline in print newspaper readership.

Question 6

According to Professor Jay Rosen,when journalists adopt a neutral style of reporting that gives equal emphasis to two sides of an issue when one side is objectively false,this is known as ______.

Accepted Answer

The phrase "the view from nowhere" is often used to describe the practice of "balanced reporting" where journalists try to remain neutral and give equal weight to both sides of an issue, even if one side is objectively false. This can create a false equivalence and mislead readers or viewers. Therefore, the correct answer is C.

Question 7

USA Today runs a photo and story about singer and celebrity Lady Gaga on the front page of its Life section.This is an example of the ______ news value.

Accepted Answer

The story about Lady Gaga is featured on the Life section of USA Today, indicating that it falls under the category of human interest. This news value pertains to stories that have emotional appeal or human elements that can connect with readers' interests beyond the basic news of an event.

Question 8

Joseph Pulitzer wanted his paper,the New York World,to appeal to women for which of the following reasons?

Accepted Answer

Advertisers wanted to reach women, as they were the primary purchasers of household goods and had a significant influence on family purchasing decisions. Pulitzer recognized this and wanted to appeal to women readers to attract more advertisers to his paper.

Question 9

Which of the following is generally true about tabloid newspapers?

Accepted Answer

Tabloid newspapers are generally printed on a half-page format, written in a livelier style than broadsheet newspapers, and have covers rather than front pages.

Question 10

In recent years,war photographers have been killed ____.

Accepted Answer

War photographers have been killed by all of the mentioned reasons in recent years. They have been targeted by terrorists who beheaded them, died due to accidents occurring while covering live fire exercises, and lost their lives while covering combat zones.

Question 11

As of 2017,which newspaper had the largest circulation in the United States?

Accepted Answer

According to the Alliance for Audited Media, USA Today has the largest circulation as of 2017, with an average of 1.3 million daily print copies sold. The New York Times comes in second with an average of 571,000 daily print copies sold.

Question 12

The biggest number of newspapers in the United States would be considered ______.

Accepted Answer

Local newspapers are newspapers that are published for a specific geographic area, such as a city or town. There are thousands of local newspapers in the United States, making them the biggest category of newspapers in the country. National newspapers, on the other hand, are newspapers that are published for readers across the entire country, and there are relatively few of them. Metropolitan newspapers are published in large cities and their suburbs, while state newspapers focus on news and events within a particular state.

Question 13

The stories about contaminated water in Flint,Michigan included reports of ______.

Accepted Answer

The stories about contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, included reports of all these issues: lead contamination, E.coli bacterial contamination, and high levels of chlorides in the water.

Question 14

Colonial newspapers could be characterized by which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Colonial newspapers were often highly partisan and used opinion writing as a means of promoting political agendas. Objective reporting and in-depth investigative reporting were not common at that time, and sensationalistic crime news was not a primary focus of colonial newspapers.

Question 15

Frederick Douglass was the editor of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Frederick Douglass was the editor of the North Star, an abolitionist newspaper aimed at African American readership.

Question 16

The only comic strip to be published in the New York Times in 2017 was ______.

Accepted Answer

The question states that the comic strip was published in 2017 and is about a Syrian refugee family arriving in New York in 2016. Only option B fits this description.

Question 17

In Lincoln,Nebraska,Lincoln Star Journal newspaper ran a large photo of a University of Nebraska volleyball tournament in today's paper.The Denver Post did not.This is an example of the ______ news value.

Accepted Answer

The news value in this case is proximity because the location of the event (Lincoln, Nebraska) gives it local significance and relevance to readers in that area. The fact that it was not covered by a newspaper (Denver Post) outside of the immediate location further reinforces the importance of proximity in this news value decision.

Question 18

The New York Times runs a photo and story about American and Russian pilots conducting air raids in Syria.This is an example of the ______ news value.

Accepted Answer

The story about American and Russian pilots conducting air raids in Syria has consequences for the ongoing conflict in Syria and the international relations between the United States and Russia. It is therefore an example of the consequence news value.

Question 19

The Washington Post runs a photo and story about a baby panda born at the National Zoo in Washington,D.C.yesterday.This is an example of the ______ news value.

Accepted Answer

This news story is an example of all three news values. The proximity value is present because the event occurred in the National Zoo in Washington D.C. The rarity value is present because a baby panda being born is not a common occurrence. The human interest value is present because the story has emotional appeal and interest for the audience, as people generally find cute baby animals appealing.

Question 20

The change to objective reporting that took place in the 1800s was driven by which of the following reasons?

Accepted Answer

The rise of a literate working class in the 1800s contributed to the change towards objective reporting. As literacy rates increased among the working class, the demand for news grew, leading to a shift in how news was reported to appeal to a broader, more diverse audience. This shift was part of broader social changes and technological advancements that made news more accessible and required a more objective approach to reporting to cater to the varied interests and viewpoints of a growing readership.

Quiz 6: Newspapers and the News: Reflection of a Democratic Society