Objectivity has long been contentious in American journalism. Many practitioners call it essential to a news organization's credibility. Critics, however, hold objectivity is impossible and urge reporters simply to reveal their biases. For educators, teaching objectivity is challenging. Some, seeking a middle ground, instead urge fairness and…

Journalism professors are concerned with how effectively students understand current news events and engage with mainstream news sources. This essay is based on a survey administered to students in a newswriting course and analyzed the kinds of current news that students followed in weekly assignments designed with a digital, interactive approach.…

Proposes a formula for news reporting, namely: the story is a function of the event, the reporter, the medium, and audience, or S=f(ERMA). (HOD)

Describes a basic radio-television newswriting segment that culminates with a script for a five-minute newscast or mini-documentary. (HOD)

Shows how a teaching technique arouses concern for "snappy" newspaper headlines. (RL)

Reports on how computerized broadcast stations prepare the news. Discusses implications for news and education, pointing out ways teachers can prepare students for computerized newsrooms.

The authors of this report were responsible for developing a new course in basic news reporting at the University of Iowa. In the report they discuss a breakdown of the news gathering process and the conceptual plan that resulted from the breakdown, teaching objectives and strategies, and specific methods used to implement the strategies. Students…

Warns of the dangers of broadcast news, which increasingly entertains (rather than communicates ideas), and seeks to evoke feelings (rather than communicate facts). Discusses how journalism teachers can get students to question the nature of news in all media, and do battle for print, memory, and reason. (SR)

The Socratic method uses skillfully arranged and worded questions that, in sequence, lead the answerer toward some revelation. So that students may be exposed to their own and each other's views on legally and ethically acceptable journalistic responses to complex coverage situations, this document describes how the Socratic method may be used in…

A practicum was developed to create a high school television production that would develop and improve the broadcast journalism students' critical thinking skills. A 5-minute daily newscast (written, produced, and telecast by the students) was initiated during a 10-week period. Students had the opportunity to become involved in a variety of the…