Today we talked about journalism ethics. It's a complex topic and the answers to what is right and wrong aren't always apparent. As I mentioned, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has a code of ethics, as do the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA, which recently changed its name from Radio Television News Directors Association) and the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA).
One of those very complex issues involves WikiLeaks, and its release of classified documents about the wars in Iran and Afghanistan. Here's what SPJ had to say about it.
And below are just a few of the questions you might ask, plus guidelines to follow, when trying to make ethical decisions.
•Seek truth and report it as fully as possible
•Act independently
•Minimize harm
Questions to ask:
•What are the possible consequences of my actions?
•What is my journalistic purpose?
•What are my alternatives to maximize my truth-telling responsibility and minimize harm?
•Can I clearly and fully justify my thinking and decision? To my colleagues? To the stakeholders? To the public?
I know we talked a bit about this, but feel free to post any further thoughts.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
FINAL RADIO PACKAGE
YOUR FINAL PACKAGE:
• Will have an anchor lead and tag (neither of which is recorded). The end of the anchor lead will say: 270 reporter (your name) has the story.
• Must include natural sound
• Must run between 1:30 and 2:30
• Must include at least 3 interviews (main character, expert, other source)
• Will include reporter narration that ties the bites together (narration is recorded)
• The final recorded line of the package will say: For 270 news, I'm (your name).
The piece must be ready to play for radio as is. Make your edits tight and clean. If you are having trouble with Audacity, check out the tutorial. You must export your file as an MP3. Call your script file: YOUR NAME SCRIPT. Call your audio file: YOUR NAME.
The final packages are due Wednesday, Dec. 8. You will put them in the Dropbox so we can play them.
Here's what I'll look for when I'm grading them:
Lead and tag: Did you lead with an important element that makes listeners understand what the story is about, as well as grab their attention? Did you save a piece of information (not opinion) for the anchor tag?
Reporting and content:
Is the story newsworthy?
Is it accurate and fair?
Did you attribute where necessary?
Are your sources solid and balanced?
Did you provide context -- why the story matters?
Writing:
Is the story well organized?
Did you tie it together with transitions, so that it flows?
Did you follow broadcast style?
Did you use correct grammar and spelling?
Did you write in active voice when possible?
Did you write short, conversational sentences?
Sound bites:
Did you choose bites that are interesting, or show emotion?
Did you avoid "information" bites that can be better stated in the reporter narration?
Did you introduce people fully and at appropriate times?
Did you write strong lead-ins to the bites?
Did you avoid "echo" lead-ins?
Technical aspects:
Are your recordings clear and understandable?
Did you mix the story properly with a consistent sound level?
Did you avoid clipping sound bites?
Did you leave natural pauses between edits, but not too much to create dead air?
Running time:
Is the package the appropriate length as assigned?
• Will have an anchor lead and tag (neither of which is recorded). The end of the anchor lead will say: 270 reporter (your name) has the story.
• Must include natural sound
• Must run between 1:30 and 2:30
• Must include at least 3 interviews (main character, expert, other source)
• Will include reporter narration that ties the bites together (narration is recorded)
• The final recorded line of the package will say: For 270 news, I'm (your name).
The piece must be ready to play for radio as is. Make your edits tight and clean. If you are having trouble with Audacity, check out the tutorial. You must export your file as an MP3. Call your script file: YOUR NAME SCRIPT. Call your audio file: YOUR NAME.
The final packages are due Wednesday, Dec. 8. You will put them in the Dropbox so we can play them.
Here's what I'll look for when I'm grading them:
Lead and tag: Did you lead with an important element that makes listeners understand what the story is about, as well as grab their attention? Did you save a piece of information (not opinion) for the anchor tag?
Reporting and content:
Is the story newsworthy?
Is it accurate and fair?
Did you attribute where necessary?
Are your sources solid and balanced?
Did you provide context -- why the story matters?
Writing:
Is the story well organized?
Did you tie it together with transitions, so that it flows?
Did you follow broadcast style?
Did you use correct grammar and spelling?
Did you write in active voice when possible?
Did you write short, conversational sentences?
Sound bites:
Did you choose bites that are interesting, or show emotion?
Did you avoid "information" bites that can be better stated in the reporter narration?
Did you introduce people fully and at appropriate times?
Did you write strong lead-ins to the bites?
Did you avoid "echo" lead-ins?
Technical aspects:
Are your recordings clear and understandable?
Did you mix the story properly with a consistent sound level?
Did you avoid clipping sound bites?
Did you leave natural pauses between edits, but not too much to create dead air?
Running time:
Is the package the appropriate length as assigned?
Monday, November 15, 2010
Upcoming assignments
Here's a reminder of what's due and when.
TWO RADIO PROJECTS
• Two story ideas for a final radio package are due Monday, Nov. 22, in writing.
• This week you’ll be using the Olympus recorders to try out a Person on the Street. story. That is also due on Nov. 22. You'll work in pairs, so if you do NOT already have a partner, post a note on this blog and you can see who else needs a partner.
Tobacco Ban POS
• “What do you think about UM’s tobacco ban on campus, which takes effect next fall?” (You may need to give them more background if they are not familiar with it.)
• Work in pairs with a recorder.
• Get answers from several people. (Get a diversity of responses, age, gender, race, student, non-student pro, con, etc.)
FOLLOW THE POS FORMAT IN THE HANDOUT I GAVE YOU.
• Write an ANCHOR LEAD. IT IS ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
• There will NOT be reporter narration on this POS story. It is a reader, meaning no reporter’s words are read.
• Lead into the sound bites this way:
Take SOT (sound on tape)
Each BITE is introduced like this: (Bite-Jones). Sound bites are not all capitalized.
Write an ANCHOR TAG. It provides a last piece of important information, or context. It’s all CAPS.
TWO RADIO PROJECTS
• Two story ideas for a final radio package are due Monday, Nov. 22, in writing.
• This week you’ll be using the Olympus recorders to try out a Person on the Street. story. That is also due on Nov. 22. You'll work in pairs, so if you do NOT already have a partner, post a note on this blog and you can see who else needs a partner.
Tobacco Ban POS
• “What do you think about UM’s tobacco ban on campus, which takes effect next fall?” (You may need to give them more background if they are not familiar with it.)
• Work in pairs with a recorder.
• Get answers from several people. (Get a diversity of responses, age, gender, race, student, non-student pro, con, etc.)
FOLLOW THE POS FORMAT IN THE HANDOUT I GAVE YOU.
• Write an ANCHOR LEAD. IT IS ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
• There will NOT be reporter narration on this POS story. It is a reader, meaning no reporter’s words are read.
• Lead into the sound bites this way:
Take SOT (sound on tape)
Each BITE is introduced like this: (Bite-Jones). Sound bites are not all capitalized.
Write an ANCHOR TAG. It provides a last piece of important information, or context. It’s all CAPS.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Using Audacity to edit audio
Soon you'll be recording and editing audio, just as we did in class today. The Audacity audio editing program is free. It's on every J-School computer, but you can download it by going here. There is also an Audacity manual on that site. It may be easier for you to find one of the many tutorials on YouTube to give you more practice in editing Audacity.
I also neglected to tell you the last step in editing your packages (which you'll do later). Once you have gone to Tracks in the File menu, and selected Mix and Render, you'll need to export the file as an MP3 so that others can hear it. Go to File, then Export. It will give you options. Choose MP3 files. (Ignore the chart that comes up, asking you to fill in the name of the artist, etc.) If you have the Lame application installed on your computer it will let you save it. If not, you'll have to download Lame and try again to save it as an MP3.
To download Lame, go here.
You can always practice what we did in class today by going to my professors folder and importing those audio files again, then editing them into a final package. If you run into trouble, let me know.
I also neglected to tell you the last step in editing your packages (which you'll do later). Once you have gone to Tracks in the File menu, and selected Mix and Render, you'll need to export the file as an MP3 so that others can hear it. Go to File, then Export. It will give you options. Choose MP3 files. (Ignore the chart that comes up, asking you to fill in the name of the artist, etc.) If you have the Lame application installed on your computer it will let you save it. If not, you'll have to download Lame and try again to save it as an MP3.
To download Lame, go here.
You can always practice what we did in class today by going to my professors folder and importing those audio files again, then editing them into a final package. If you run into trouble, let me know.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Post your top radio stories
On the right side of the blog you'll see a link to NPR. That's where you'll most easily find stories. Once there you can click on any of several links to news. Hourly news will give you the top stories on NPR that hour. Under NEWS and PROGRAMS you'll find dropdown menus with links to programs that air news stories. Listen to the stories fully; don't just pick the first one you hear from any of those links. Sometimes you'll need to click on the "Listen to recent audio stories from this topic," so you get more than just text.
You can listen to Montana Public Radio by going to mtpr.net.
Summarize the story, just as you did for print stories, and provide us with the link as well.
Start paying attention to how reporters write in and out of the audio bites. We'll talk about that more in the coming classes.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Put this on your calendar
Why is it important for journalists to be sensitive to issues that affect people out of the mainstream? Because an underlying principle of journalism is that we give voice to the voiceless, those who often don't have the means to have their stories told. It's an important responsibility.
In Montana we have a special responsibility to be cognizant of diversity issues. That's because this is not a very diverse state in terms of ethnicity. Look around you; most of us are white, many of us are middle class. What must it be like to be in the minority? Diversity, of course, isn't just about race. It can take the form of sexual orientation, religious persuasion, physical disability or any other situation that puts a person into the position of being part of a minority group.
On Oct. 28, a Thursday, UM will hold a Day of Dialogue about diversity. Events begin the evening before the day-long observance with a lecture on Oct. 27 by Professor Paul Lauren.
Here is the Day of Dialogue home page, with a link to the schedule of events, which run throughout the day. You must choose one event to cover. That story is due Friday, Oct. 29, in class.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Pollner professor story
You'll need to decide how to tell this story most compellingly. Perhaps it will be from a hard news approach. In that case, something Eli Saslow says that is an opinion — not a fact that we already know — would likely be the lead. And remember, we usually lead with the statement and follow with the attribution at the end of that first sentence.
If you use a feature approach, you'll pick out what the most interesting story was that he told. That's a lot like what I was trying to say was most effective in writing those classmate profiles. What STORY did he tell that you think readers would want to hear more about? Often that kind of story has drama, or humor, or is just unusual.
Remember the example I gave in class about two ways to approach a speech story? Here's the hard news approach:
Native American women are gaining more political voice in their tribes and the changes that has created are affecting both men and women, the director of UM's Native American Studies program said Wednesday.
And here's a better approach, which is the soft news angle:
Bonnie Craig's grandmother, Grass Woman, sat in a place of authority in the Blackfeet tribe.
And then the story goes on to tell how that played out in tribal politics.
Think about what's most interesting that Eli Saslow says. What would you want to read if you knew nothing about him? It may be something revealing about President Obama. It may be his take on Obama as a person. Or perhaps it could be something about the difficulties of covering a president. You'll have to decide.
Don't try to write down everything he says. Listen to the thread of what he's saying, write down the high points, and listen for compelling direct quotes that will make the story lively.
And finally, DO NOT write a topic lead. Topic lead = F.
If you use a feature approach, you'll pick out what the most interesting story was that he told. That's a lot like what I was trying to say was most effective in writing those classmate profiles. What STORY did he tell that you think readers would want to hear more about? Often that kind of story has drama, or humor, or is just unusual.
Remember the example I gave in class about two ways to approach a speech story? Here's the hard news approach:
Native American women are gaining more political voice in their tribes and the changes that has created are affecting both men and women, the director of UM's Native American Studies program said Wednesday.
And here's a better approach, which is the soft news angle:
Bonnie Craig's grandmother, Grass Woman, sat in a place of authority in the Blackfeet tribe.
And then the story goes on to tell how that played out in tribal politics.
Think about what's most interesting that Eli Saslow says. What would you want to read if you knew nothing about him? It may be something revealing about President Obama. It may be his take on Obama as a person. Or perhaps it could be something about the difficulties of covering a president. You'll have to decide.
Don't try to write down everything he says. Listen to the thread of what he's saying, write down the high points, and listen for compelling direct quotes that will make the story lively.
And finally, DO NOT write a topic lead. Topic lead = F.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Profiles and top stories
Tomorrow in class you'll read the profiles you've done of your classmates. On Monday you'll be attending the Pollner lecture at 7 p.m. in the University Center Theater. Pollner professor Eli Saslow of the Washington Post will give a lecture titled "Inside the Bubble: Covering President Obama." You'll write a story about the lecture and it will be due in class on Wednesday.
I know a few of you have posted your top stories for the week already. Those who haven't, please post under this message.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Anonymous posts
There's quite a lot of discussion in journalism about posts attached to news stories on web sites and whether editors should do away with comments altogether, or at least bar people from posting anonymously.
Here's an interesting story that the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times did as a result of an anonymous post.
What do you think? Is the web a place where anyone should be able to post anything, or would you force posters to register and use real names? Would you do away with posts on all stories, or perhaps some stories?
Here's an interesting story that the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times did as a result of an anonymous post.
What do you think? Is the web a place where anyone should be able to post anything, or would you force posters to register and use real names? Would you do away with posts on all stories, or perhaps some stories?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Press conference Friday
Our guest will be Jonathan Krim, senior deputy managing editor of Wall Street Journal.com (wsj.com). Krim joined WSJ after 10 years at the Washington Post and Washingtonpost.com, where he served in a variety of positions, including technology policy reporter for the newspaper, assistant managing editor of washingtonpost.com, and local innovations editor for both news outlets.
Before joining the Post, Krim was executive editor of TheStreet.com, an online financial news and commentary site based in New York, and before that he spent 18 years at the San Jose Mercury News in several senior editing roles. He was the editor and manager of two projects that won Pulitzer Prizes.
Krim is a 1977 graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism.
Please post below two questions you hope to ask him on Friday. We will be in DAH 316.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Keep in mind these tips
When writing your lead for the press conference, here are some things to think about:
• Don't write more than one sentence.
• Do use articles (the, a) and verbs and do state the day this occurred.
• Zero in on the most important news.
• Avoid generalities or topic leads.
Depending on the kind of story you're writing:
• Write visually if you’re describing a breaking news event.
• If you're covering a meeting or speech, pinpoint the news and attribute it to the speaker in the lead.
Type the lead and have it in a place that will let you drop it in an electronic file I create.
Also, make sure you have followed the steps to be able to sign on to the lab computers. Remember, you send an e-mail to jtech@mso.umt.edu and include your name, your net ID and the journalism classes you are enrolled in.
If you have computer questions, go to the tech wiki.
After-hours access to the building
Remember, if you think you'll want access to this building after 5:30 p.m., or on weekends, you have to sign up to get it. Go here http://jour.umt.edu/after-hours/
to sign up by Friday or you're out of luck.
to sign up by Friday or you're out of luck.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Patricia Schroeder is coming to class
Former Colorado Rep. Patricia Schroeder will be in class on Sept. 10, accompanied by former Montana Rep. Pat Williams. You'll be expected to do background research about who she is and what issues she is most closely identified with. But assuming you were to write a story about what she had to say, what kinds of questions would you ask her that you think would most likely elicit newsworthy answers?After you've done some research, post two questions to this blog by next Thursday at 5 p.m. That will substitute next week for your posting of top news stories for the week.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Your weekly news assignment
By 5 p.m. every Thursday you'll need to post to this blog your assessment of what were the top local, national and international stories of the last week. Submit them as a comment to this post, using your real name or your initials.
Here's an example:
Pakistan struggles to cope with record flooding
Millions of Pakistanis are fleeing their homes to escape the worst floods in 80 years. Caused by monsoon rains, the floods are estimated to affect about 20 million people in a country already heavily dependent on foreign aid. Link: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/floods/2010_pakistan_floods/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=Pakistan%20floods&st=cse
New Orleans still trying to recover, five years after Katrina
Though some residents of the devastated city have gotten their lives back since the storm, many have yet to even return, and many more are worried that they are still underwater economically. Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/28/AR2010082803384.html?hpid=topnews
Rulings affect wolf and grizzly bear management in Montana
Federal Judge Don Molloy has decided that gray wolves will be placed back on the threatened species list, meaning they cannot be hunted, and that Montana biologists have no authority to manage grizzly bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Wildlife managers are appealing the wolf ruling and contemplating whether to appeal the grizzly bear decision. Link: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_8159f186-b313-11df-b8db-001cc4c002e0.html
Now it's your turn. Register to comment on this blog and post your top stories of the week by Thursday at 5 p.m.
Welcome to Journalism 270
We'll spend the semester learning to identify news and gather information — both in writing and digital form — and exploring ways to communicate the most essential parts of that information in concise news stories. You'll learn about critical thinking, intelligent questioning, and strong, clear writing. Whether you are most interested in print or online reporting, photojournalism, or broadcast news or production you will need to be a good writer. Work hard, but look as well for the fun and excitement that journalism offers.
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