OOC MM #3: Let's Look At Everything!

Here are links to all our preview and recap posts, and tweet streams, on order in which they were turned in to me (the first one is first, and the last one is last).

Let's compare the work of each other and see what we did well, and what ideas we can get from others. Also, examine how the mediums complement each other: the preview does just that; the tweet stream allows you to follow what was previewed, as it actually happens; and the recap wraps it all up. Here we go:

*****

Dimitri B.: living off-campus video and blog posts and tweets #eastlansingleases 

With the blog posts, why no quotes or attribution? We need those to build credibility with the audience by letting them know we've done our homework, just like we would with a print story. With the tweets, we shouldn't have thoughts and quotes dribbling between tweets; each tweet should be its own self-contained quote or thought.

With the video, we needed a greater variety of B-roll: for the resident, let's show her at her home, interacting with roommates, walking in and out, etc. For the office, let's show workers interacting with tenants and maintaining the complex and such.

*****

Jaylyn G.: racism on campus video and blog posts and tweets #colorjrn200

The video could have used a greater variety of B-roll, especially video. Ideally we would want to tape the protests, but I get that those probably already happened. But we can shoot students of color walking through campus and interacting with other students of color and/or white students, to show interaction and division and such. Any news item can be animated if we think about it hard enough.

*****

Starria C.: going Greek video and blog posts and tweets #thegreeklifeoutcomesmsu

Great use of pictures as B-roll to see what we weren't around to shoot ourselves. It's always a good idea to ask a source for pics showing past events that are the focus of your story. Plus, note the tweets are supplemented not only with text but a quick-hit video interview of just 21 seconds. 

*****

Gabby B.: holiday shopping video and blog posts and tweets #holidayseasoncash

The video does a great job of using B-roll to create an opening sequence akin to an alternate lede in a written story. The collection of images is aimed at setting a mood and providing context through the feelings it tries to bring out.

*****

Abhy B.: holiday eating video and blog posts and tweets #worldwideyum

An otherwise-good video is marred by a confusing map. How are Germany and Brazil in California? That's not a small glitch; it can distract the viewer who, instead of paying attention to the next few seconds of video, may spend time trying to figure that out.

*****

Emily L.: graffiti video and blog posts and tweets #graffitithoughts

This is a visual story, and it's told visually with many images of graffiti so we can see what it looks like. The spray paint can sound isn't just aesthetic; after all, it's what graffiti sounds like, right?

*****

Krista W.: cultural appropriation video and blog posts and tweets #cultappr

We need to show what is being talked about. When one source is talking about headdresses and hennas, that means we need to show headdresses and hennas in B-roll while she is talking. Video is a visual medium; we need to show while we tell. We really needed more B-roll and topic-specific B-roll to break up that last, long interview segment.

*****

Cyndi R.: study habits video and blog posts and tweets #laborofstudying

I probably would have left the music only in the transitional segments and cut them out entirely of the background of the interview segments. Even at a much lower volume the music risks being a distraction to viewers.

*****

Gabriella G.: student-athletes video and blog posts and tweets #d1balance

Good range of hyperlinks on the blog. For the video, we had plenty of B-roll showing athletes as students, but not much at all showing students as athletes. This is where pictures as B-roll of them playing their sports may have come in handy.

*****

Will T.: tobacco on campus video and blog posts and tweets #tobaccojrn200

The execution will become more polished with time, but the fundamentals are here: interviews, B-roll, captions, hyperlinks, etc.

*****

Katie M.: new roommates video and blog posts and tweets #blinddormlife

The blog is broken up logically: the facts of so-called blind roommates, and then what students see. For the video, B-roll doesn't have to be flashy; jostling: if a story is about roommates, just show roommates being roommates, It can be that simple, really.

*****

Kayla R.: hookup culture video and blog posts and tweets #hookupsvslabels

Sound is important. The first interview is too echo-filled and distant. Plus, we needed a greater variety of more telling B-roll: students walking through campus; students holding hands or offering a quick smooth; students flirting at bars or parties.

*****

Laura B.: student voting video and blog posts and tweets #msuvotersjrn200

Another good break with the blog: the first post is what students say, and the next is what the experts say about what the students say. 

*****

Caitlin D.: student voting (again!) video and blog posts and tweets #whereuatmillennials

These posts start with what the experts say, and then goes to what students actually think. So, which one is right; this blog ordering or the one from the previous person who did the same topic? It's all a matter of preference; I think both work. Quite often there is more than one right answer on how to approach a story.

With the video, it's a reminder lighting is important. The first interview subject was pretty dimly-lit. Make sure there is light directly hitting their camera side when shooting.

*****

Jingwen Z.: grad school video and blog posts and tweets #graduationincome
Way too little B-roll, used way too late. Again, this is a visual medium; we need to show action and activity and animation. We could show B-roll subjects taking notes in class or studying or talking to friends; regardless of what we do, we need to think of ways to illustrate our stories in a visual medium. Leaving only a token visualization for the end isn't nearly enough.

*****

Adam T.: study habits video and blog posts and tweets #msustudyingjrn200

With the blog, we repeat some info in both posts. We want to build upon info; not repeat it. It's one thing to renew a first attribution; it's entirely another to put in the same quote as in a previous post.

*****

Kameron G.: students at break video and blog posts and tweets #msubreakissues

*****

Xin W.: making friends video and blog posts and tweets #makefriendsonmsu

Nice video overall, but two spots for improvement: first, watch out for our own voices. The "uh-huhs" and such in the first interview are distracting; let's make sure we stay quiet when the camera is rolling. Plus, the long second interview segment could have used more B-roll break-ups, showing international students socializing and such.

*****

Brittany F.: video and blog posts and tweets #antichirstmascups

We have to remember that each blog post is its own unique part of the story, and needs its own lede. The second blog posts just starts with a quite when it really needed to start with the point that's being made with just enough background where it makes sense if the person didn't read the preceding post. Here, if we start with the latter post we have no idea what the guy is ranting about. Plus, no hyperlinks at all. If it doesn't have hyperlinks, it's not online journalism.

The video has a similar flaw: it's about a controversy, but we never say what, exactly, the controversy is! Plus, having a second source for all of four seconds of air time is not really having a second source, and the B-roll was a bit too random, especially when it's easy to get shots of people holding cups, drinking out of cups, baristas pouring coffee into cups, etc. 

JRN 200: Finals Week Schedule

This class doesn't have a final per se, but we have been asked to have a finals week class session. This is our schedule for finals week:

FINALS WEEK CLASS: THURSDAY, DEC. 17, 3 P.M., CAS 242

During our finals week class we will do a final review of key points we learned during the semester, and I will have one-on-ones with people to give you my best grade projection for the semester. I WILL NOT BE DISCUSSING FINAL GRADE PROJECTIONS PRIOR TO THESE DAYS, so if you really, really want to know how you are doing in terms of a grade, be there.

Also, your attendance that day will count toward your attendance limit, and excused/unexcused absence rules will apply. I do not expect we will need anywhere near the full two hours scheduled that day.

Any questions? Please see me ASAP.

JRN 200: Your Turn To Grade Me!

Student Instruction Rating System (SIRS Online) collects student feedback on courses and instruction at MSU.  Student Instructional Rating System (SIRS Online) forms will be available for your students to submit feedback during the dates indicated:

     JRN  200  002:  11/30/2015 - 12/30/2015
     
Direct students to https://sirsonline.msu.edu. 

Students are required to complete the SIRS Online form OR indicate within that form that they decline to participate.  Otherwise, final grades (for courses using SIRS Online) will be sequestered for seven days following the course grade submission deadline for this semester. 

SIRS Online rating summaries are available to instructors and department chairs after 12/30/2015 at https://sirsonline.msu.edu. Instructors should provide copies of the rating summaries to graduate assistants who assisted in teaching their course(s). Rating information collected by SIRS Online is reported in summary form only and cannot be linked to individual student responses. Student anonymity is carefully protected. 

If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Carlson, (mcarlson@msu.edu, (517)432-5936).

JRN 200: AP Style Quiz

Use a Word document and rewrite the following sentences to correct all the mechanical, spelling and stylistic errors. The names in the sentences are spelled correctly. This is an open-book quiz; please use your AP Stylebook and AP Style blog posts to help you make corrections. Then, attach the word document to an email with the subject line of ap style quiz and send it to omars@msu.edu. Here are the sentences:

1. The clubs advisor, Reverend Sue Holt of Little Rock Arkansas spent two thousand dollars during her vacation in the East last Summer.

2. Irregardless of the cost, James Hazard Sr., a realtor in East Lansing michigan agreed to help the Vice-President win 60% of the delegates.

3. On Tuesday, August 13 the thirty two year old woman, a Journalism Professor in Ore. donated 5000 dollars to the democratic party.

4. 23 persons, all employes of the Federal Government, will attend the program, scheduled for 7:00 pm Tuesday, december 18 in Oshkosh, Wisc.

5. His number one candidate, Dist. Atty. Lisa Diaz of 87 North Roosevelt Dr. complained that only seven percent of the F.B.I. agents are women.

6. Both "Time Magazine" and "The Chicago Tribune" reported that James R Bughi, a presidential candidate, spent $42,000,000 dollars last fall.

7. 37 students in the philosophy class taught by Prof. Carlos Alicea finished the book entitled "American Outrage" before Dec. 12.

8. The girl, age 19, recieved a broken arm when her ford van overturned 3 times while traveling 80 mph on interstate 80 near Des Moines, Ia.

9. Doctor Maria Chavez, the Mayor of San Antonio Texas said the vice-president and first lady will speak to the Sophomores next Winter.

10. During the 1980s, Lynita Wong, now a sgt. in the US army, studied english, history, french and sociology at 3 colleges in the south.  

RFTM Ch. 6: Communications Law

First, let's look at some general concepts:

Libel is defamation by written words, including stories, headlines, photo captions, TV scripts that are then read out loud, online content, ect. It's a degree apart from slander, which iss defamation by spoken word.

There are several elements of libel, including ...

... defamation. Did the words injure a reputation? It must be phrased in a literal way.


... identification. Was the person identified, directly or by reference?

... publication. Was the item actually published?

... falsity. Is the statement false? The burden is on the plaintiff -- not the defendant -- to prove it was false.

This is where most libel cases are thrown out of court, provided that the news organization did their due diligence in reporting and the story is, in fact, clearly true. If it's true, then there cannot be libel.

... injury. Did the accused actually suffer some form of harm as a result, such as monetary losses, harm to reputation, humiliation and/or mental anguish?

... fault. Did the news organization make the statement intentionally, recklessly or negligently? Did the news org know it was false, and shared it anyway? Did the news org fail to do due diligence in checking out the claim before reporting it? Did the news org have a reckless disregard for the truth?

Fault is very difficult to prove. The plaintiff must prove the news org knew facts that would call the story into question; refused to examine contradictory evidence; relied on an inherently unbelievable source; published/posted/broadcast the story without investigating; and/or simply made up the story. This is what is known as actual malice.

It's not enough for the plaintiff to prove there were simple unintended mistakes in handling the story, or that the defendant simply disliked the plaintiff. Fault is almost impossible to prove IF proper due diligence --like verifying facts, getting multiple sources to confirm information; giving the story subject a chance to rebut allegations -- is done in reporting, writing and editing the story.

Many journalists are frequently threatened with libel suits -- in my professional career I was threatened many dozens of times! -- but the vast majority are never sued, because the story is true.

There are several libel defenses. Those inlcude ...

... truth; that the gist of the charge is true. If there is no falsity, then there cannot be libel. A story that harms a reputation but is true is called the truth. From a legal standpoint, a story need not be correct in every detail; just the point the defendant is claiming to be libelous.

There are, however, exceptions to the truth rule. For example, if a quote is defamatory, but cited correctly without investigation into substance. (That's why we need multiple sources on things.) Or the omission of facts that create a misleading conclusion. Or the misuse of words to create a false impression. (We have to get context right.)

... fair report privilege. That is when we correctly quote defamatory statements during (but not before or after) public meetings in all levels of government, such as those offered during a city council meeting or a criminal trial or in an official document like a police report.

... fair comment and criticism. That is, opinions based on true facts, including opinions in news stories. Yes, an unattributed opinion in a news story is bad journalism, but it enjoys the same legal protections as good journalism.

The textbook offers a good libel avoidance checklist on p. 137; please review it.

Now that we talked about libel, let's move on to invasion of privacy. It involves intrusion, or intentionally intruding on someone's privacy in a highly offense manner.

For it to be invasion of privacy, this must take place in a place where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as if the reporter was trespassing in a private home, private property or a business open to the public but privately-owned (like a shopping mall), or using an eavesdropping device, or looking inside a person's home uninvited.

Courts do not consider ordinary newsgathering techniques to be intrusive, such as examining public records naming the person; interviewing their friends, relatives, associates and enemies; requesting interviews; and anything happening in a public place (like public streets, sidewalks, parks, and publicly-owned buildings).

Next, there is the issue of publicizing private facts. To be off-limits, the information must truly be private; that is, it's information not available via any public record; facts that are not widely known; and regarding a matter that is "highly offensive" and not just embarrassing; and that there is no legitimate public interest in disclosure.

There is also false light. That's where reporting creates a false and offensive impression. Legally, it's similar to libel, and a defendant must prove actual malice. Again, if we interview a wide variety of sources, double-check our information, give the story subject an opportunity to respond and keep the context of the story based on what we discovered and confirmed, then this should never be a real threat to us.

Let's now move on to access to public proceedings and records. First, at a breaking news scene like a car accident or house fire, it's important to remember reporters have no greater rights than citizens to gather at a news scene. Officials may extend access as they see fit, and they often do. But it's their call.

To help mitigate that, always carry press credentials identifying yourself as a working journalist; don't trespass on private property or cross marked police lines without permission; and obey all orders from police, even ones you don't think are right. You can always complain later.

Often, reporters access documents by citing state or federal Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) laws, regarding access to such documents. FOIA requires government to make most documents publicly accessible, but there are exceptions.

Those exceptions usually include: classified information; information regarding internal personnel rules and practices;; trade secrets; confidential commercial information; memos that would reveal decision-making processes; information that would intrude on personal privacy; police investigative files which, if disclosed, could cause harm or compromise an ongoing criminal investigation; and other limited exceptions.

It's hard for courts to close or otherwise restrict courtrooms or court proceedings to the press, unless media attention threatens the fairness of a trial. Courts may sequester jurors, issue gag orders to witnesses, seal some court files, or delay trials, but only in very rare instances can they legally shut the press out of a courtroom. 

RFTM Ch. 7: Ethics

What are ethics? Simply put, acting and thinking morally and being able to distinguish between right and wrong. It's key to establishing credibility. But the answers to what is ethical and what is not can be elusive, situational and judgmental.

In ethical decision-making, there are several guiding questions. Among them:

Who will be hurt by this story?
Who will be helped?
What do we usually do in similar situations?
Is this the best alternative?
Can you look yourself in the mirror tomorrow and believe you did the right thing for the right reasons?
Can you justify your actions to the public?
What principles or values can you apply?
Does this decision fit the kind of journalism you believe in and the way people should treat one another?
What is the objective of this story?
Will my decisions contribute to the reason for writing the story?
Is there a greater good that you're trying to accomplish that outweighs whatever bad that may result from my actions?

There are several issues central to ethics. First, we must maintain objectivity. We must put aside personal biases; be accurate, and offer proper context based on the facts we find.

Second, we must be on guard against exploiting grief. It's important to establish the true human impact of a bad happening; that's why we try to talk to victims and survivors and their loved ones. But that's difficult because of the state of victims and their families. We risk hurting victims again by creating a "second wound" of retelling and detailing a tragic event.

So, we need to weigh the importance in the community being able to appreciate the full, tragic weight of an event versus the harm that may be done to victims.

I mean, would you feel the same about something like 9/11 if you didn't hear the personal stories of what people went through that day? That's what made 9/11 news; not that planes hit buildings, but that those events altered scores of human lives like ours.

Then again, how must it be for victim families to hear those details re-aired, not only to them but to the whole world? There is no perfect answer; so we try to come up with the best imperfect answer we can.

Third, we should never steal or fabricate information. There's no grey area here; it's never acceptable. We're in the truth business. We tell the truth. It's the same as not tolerating a cop who steals or a firefighter who's a pyromaniac or a doctor that murders people. 

Fourth, we must take care in handling rumors and speculation. Ideally, reporters investigate rumors and come up with evidence so they can turn rumors into facts, or debunk rumors. We don't just report rumors.

Fifth, when witnessing a crime or disaster, we need to weigh the risk to the victim versus the value of information gleaned. If we come across a victim that is not being assisted, we should be human first and help others in need. If those hurt are already being assisted, do your job and let professional responders do theirs.

As journalists, we are trying to assist humanity. Our primary way of doing that is by sharing stories of importance to the greater world. It also means using common sense, being a human being and not being a dick when the circumstances call for humanity.

Sixth, conflicts of interest should be avoided. We are in a conflict of interest when we or someone close to us are in a position to benefit from a story we cover. Circumstances that create a conflict of interest include ... 

... accepting freebies. We should not accept anything of even minimal value from a news source. Whether or not the freebie actually influences a story is irrelevant; it can create a reasonable appearance of a conflict of interest, and it's that appearance we're trying to avoid.

... free trips. We cannot accept transportation or lodging for an event that would otherwise be inaccessible. If we must be embedded with those we cover, we need to pay back the cost of our access.

... participating in the news. We should not hold public office, help with campaigns or special-interest issues, or write about issues in which we have a direct or indirect interest. For example, if we're the member of a fraternity, we shouldn't be the one writing about that frat's fund-raiser. If we think we have a conflict of interest, alert your boss and ask to be reassigned.

... dating and cronyism. Don't date who you write about. If you do, ask to be reassigned. Plus, don't allow similar conflicts with friends, family or your own private interests.

... "scratching backs." Don't write stories with the purpose of currying favor with a source. You write stories only because they are in the public interest, not your own. Try to have multiple sources in any subject area so you are not beholden to any single source for info.   

Ethics: 9/11's Falling Man, The Buzzard And The Girl, The Burn Victim

There's a fine line between showing readers the brutal truth of a situation so that they understand the powerful truth of any story, and showing readers a truth so brutal that readers ignore the point you were trying to make and instead question your judgment.

I can think of no better example of this than the so-called "Falling Man" photo, taken by an Associated Press photographer during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and published by The New York Times the next day. Here it is:

  
This remarkable article from Esquire Magazine in 2003 offers a summation of the complex and contradictory forces at play in deciding if running the image was the absolute right thing or the incredibly wrong thing to do.

If you were an editor on Sept. 11, what would you have done? And why?

Likewise, what would you do if you were a photographer covering an African famine and you came across a starving girl being stalked by a vulture? 

That was a real-world decision for one photog, and it may have led to his own unfortunate end.

Finally, what would you do if you were the photographer who took this award-winning pic of this badly-burned girl in the Vietnam War? 

Look carefully at each picture; read each link carefully and in its entirety; and then let's talk it out.

What I'd like you to do for each photo is to answer the following questions for each of the three photos and scenarios:

-- Do you agree with the course of action actually taken by the photojournalist? Why or why not? Cite ethical values we've discussed in the blog and read in the ethics chapter.

-- What you would have done and why if you were the photographer? Cite ethical values we've discussed in the blog and read in the ethics chapter.


I want to hear what you think, and why. I'm not looking for simply your personal opinions; I'm looking for your professional opinions, based on what we've learned and what we believe in as journalists and as human beings.