Journalism: A Deeper Look

Before You Publish a Rape Victim’s Name

Kelly McBride has great insight on how to deal with whether or not to publish a rape victim’s name. I agree with her idea on contacting lots of people with different opinions to help better understand the ramifications of printing those names. You can really get a sense of just how the simple act of putting someone’s name in print can have on his or her life by asking people who are directly involved in the healing process.

McBride says something interesting about the subculture that is created by those involved in rapes and how they distrust law enforcement, the education system and the media. I wonder if it’s because they become jaded with “the system” because of what happened to them. I think it’s important for journalists to be sensitive to something as horrific as a rape and how much it really does affect a person’s life. Another thing we as journalists sometimes forget is how many other people are affected — the victim’s family, friends, co-workers and industry professionals.

Later on in the article, McBride talks about how most of the rape cases go unreported because there tends to be haziness on the policy about whether or not to print names. The biggest stories about rape are “sagas about kidnappings and brutal violence,” she says. I think news organizations often sensationalize these types of stories and report on them hour after hour, day after day.

By creating a set policy on what to do with rape stories, McBride says a news organization will be more willing to publish information because there will be less confusion about the policy. Most plans are vague at best and that leads people to be wary of even considering publication. McBride says to have a meeting with law enforcement, grief counselors, rape survivors and reporters to help come up with a plan. I think this is the best idea. Each person can bring his or her personal experience to the meeting and help develop a policy that is the most effective — news wise and sensitivity wise.

Also, having regular contact with victim’s advocates, law enforcement and the like will help reporters develop a relationship that will lead to increased trust and cooperation in the future. Better understanding means better sources and better reporting.

Smarter Crime Coverage

Crime can be such a tricky subject. As journalists, we’ve got to know the difference between a robbery, theft and burglary, but we also have to walk that fine line between wrongly connecting someone to a crime and avoiding police jargon. It’s a tough beat. Al Tompkins’ article “Smarter Crime Coverage” is a good reference for things to look out for.

He says to cover crime trends just as much, if not more, than individual cases. That’s an interesting concept because I’ve always believed it was better to make a story more relatable to readers by providing a “face” to the story. But I guess Tompkins has a point. Readers want to know what’s going on because the event may or may not be an isolated incident. By reporting trends, you’ll be giving readers context to the situation.

I also like Tompkins’ point on avoiding production techniques. He says to be careful with how you use slow motion, dramatic lighting, framing and backgrounds because it can give off an unintentional tone or mood. I definitely agree. Journalists are supposed to remain objective and by using sensationalized production techniques, readers might think the news source has all ready made a judgment about the story.

Security on Campus, Inc.

In 1986, Jeanne Cleary was beaten, raped and murdered in her Leigh University dorm room. A fellow classmate, whom Jeanne did not know, walked into the dorm through three open doors which should have been locked. He was attempting to rob her while she slept. In the wake of this tragedy, Connie and Howard Cleary started Security on Campus, Inc. in the hopes that students and their families would have the most accurate data on criminal activity on university and college campuses nationwide. The organization seeks to prevent violence, substance abuse and other crimes and to assist victims.

SOC was recognized in 1998 by the Society of Professional Journalists with its First Amendment Award because of SOC’s work to have greater access to crime records at colleges and universities. SOC helped pass the Jeanne Cleary Act which requires colleges and universities to disclose important information on crimes and campus safety. As journalists, we want the greatest access to important documents so that we can report the most accurate, relevant stories to the public. SOC is one organization that is making the job of news reporting a little easier by helping pass legislature for more disclosure.

SOC has created a special tab on its homepage specifically for reporters. It offers press releases, links to a searchable database, a “how-to” for reporters trying to find out exactly what types of data must be released by colleges and universities, and a link to find out what campus police officers are doing in any given area to prevent criminal activity.

This Web site is an incredible resource for students, parents and journalists. SOC has compiled a searchable database of crime statistics from more than 6,000 institutions starting in 1997. Reporters can use this when they are looking for trends on campuses or trying to supplement an article with statistics from a reliable source. The site also gives instructions on how to file a Jeanne Cleary Act complaint if a college or university is not disclosing the proper information. The SOC also publishes “Campus Watch” newsletter with the latest news regarding campus safety and crimes. This would be a great newsletter to subscribe to because it might lead to some interesting topics for stories.

Case Study: Jimmy’s World

There’s nothing worse than reading a story about an 8-year-old heroin addict. But what if you read the story and then found out it wasn’t even true? Janet Cooke had us all fooled when she wrote a gut-wrenching story about Jimmy and his drug-filled existence. She even won a Pulitzer Price for her work. Come to find out, her Washington Post article was all a lie. She was stripped of her Pulitzer and fired from her job. In class, we discussed what might have tipped off a copy editor and how he or she could have avoided this embarrassment.

The first thing I noticed was that Jimmy was pretty darn insightful for an 8-year-old. He knew a lot about business and the way the world works, which you wouldn’t expect from a boy who is supposedly addicted to heroin and has been shooting up for three years. Cooke also failed to get more sources. Why didn’t she contact his teachers or neighbors? Surely they would have noticed the needle marks in his arm and would have wanted to comment on it for fear of the boy’s safety. Also, Cooke talks about how Jimmy doesn’t go to school much. How is he not behind a grade?

She also makes huge overgeneralizations, especially when it comes to race. The mother is quoted as saying “drugs and black folk been together for a very long time,” and he dialect often switches from proper English to slang. Cooke’s descriptions of the house and surrounding area are inconsistent. His “comfortably furnished home” doesn’t fit with the ghetto description she’s trying to paint of the neighborhood. Another observation I made was the fact that heroin is an expensive habit. Why two heroin addicts would waste their drugs on a small child doesn’t seem to add up to me. Also, why would all these other addicts let a reporter watch them shooting up? Cooke writes, “Every day, junkies casually buy heroin from Ron, his mother’s live-in-lover, in the dining room of Jimmy’s home. They ‘cook’ it in the kitchen and ‘fire up’ in the bedrooms.” I find it hard to believe that people who are doing illegal activities would want a reporter anywhere near them, especially when they are shooting up an 8-year-old boy.

How Janet Cooke would have heard about Jimmy in the first place was a red flag. I doubt many people who go around boasting about an 8-year-old heroin addict they know of. Also, if I was a copy editor on this story, I would want to be able to contact this boy to get him help. Readers would definitely want to make sure he was taken care of and police would probably want to step in. Let this be a lesson to all the copy editors out there. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions.

Skeptical Editing

Reid MaCluggage has some interesting comments in his article titled “Skeptical Editing.” First off, the fact that journalism’s weakness could even be considered as an occasional dishonest reporter boggles my mind. Just to be clear, he isn’t saying this is a weakness, but the fact that many people believe it to be true is ridiculous. I don’t even know why the world of journalism should have a problem with dishonest reporters. Journalism is all about reporting the truth. Having the words dishonest and journalism in the same sentence seems like an oxymoron to me, but alas, they do some times go hand in hand.

I wish our journalism courses taught us to be more skeptical from the beginning. I feel like my writing would have been much better had I known more, but I guess learning just the basics of reporting was enough stress as it is.

MaCluggage says journalism’s greatest weakness is unchallenged information and skepticism should be the biggest part of the editing function. He also says that to uphold skeptical editing, a newsroom should appoint a devil’s advocate to each piece. That way each story has a naysayer who will feel comfortable in saying the things that maybe no one else will. I think this is a great idea. By designating someone to critique the work, he or she will feel more inclined to step out of the comfort zone and accomplish the task of skeptical editing.

I also agree with his point on making journalists understand the “mysterious world of mathematics.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone jokingly say that the only reason they were pursuing a career in journalism was because they didn’t get that whole science and math thing. And the funny thing is I’ve probably said it before, too. Since I got to college I haven’t taken one single math course. And why would I need to? Well, because of this sentence right here: “He devoted probably two-thirds of his playlist to material from ‘Simplicity,” another third or so to his own past recordings and another third to classic Allmans.”

Joint Operating Agreements:

Essentially, the joint operating agreements we put into effect to help small daily newspapers stay afloat. Nowadays, it seems like the idea is sort of antiquated. With the decline of newspapers in relationship to 24-hour-a-day news broadcasts and instant access to online news sources, I think the joint operating agreements are on their way out. I don’t think, however, they were necessarily a good idea in respect to the lack of view points that could and have been made available to the public. By consolidating small newspapers under the names of huge publications, i.e. The New York Times, smaller papers take on the voices of the parent company. There’s nothing worse than stifling a voice.

Meet the News Face of Hyperlocal Journalism:

This whole concept of hyperlocal journalism is really exciting. What Debbie Galant and Baristanet are doing is the new face of journalism. I love the fact that readers can post comments directly relating to news postings and can also give ideas about future stories. By having more of an open connection with readers, the dialogue and possibilities are endless. Essentially, journalists are in charge of getting information to the public, and what better way to do that then asking them directly what they’d like to read about? Like Galant said, they are trying to provoke thought and conversation and to have an open channel in which the public can criticize the work they are doing.

One great thing about hyperlocal journalism and journalism on the internet (specifically blogs) is that people are all about instant gratification. We want something when we want it, and we’re not going to wait. Take, for example, cell phones and other communication devices. What was once a home phone or work phone has now become a cell phone, a Blackberry or texting. We want to communicate instantly – plain and simple – and if you don’t pick up your phone or answer your e-mail or text back, the other person is upset because he or she can’t reach you. By putting news online, readers can access it at a convenient time for them and not have to sit around for a 6 o’clock news broadcast or the morning edition of a paper. It’s time journalism step up to the plate, and things like hyperlocal journalism are doing just that.

One thing I don’t agree with is OJR’s comment regarding the accuracy, grammatical and factual, of online blogs. Because leading news sources are stepping into the online world and blogging, there should still be industry standards. A news source is a news source and there is no excuse for errors. If people are relying on this information to help them in their day-to-day lives, it should be flawless no matter what the medium may be.

‘Potemkin Village’ Redux:

Grassroots journalism and hyperlocal journalism are in the developmental stages. Of course not all of the chinks have been hammered out, but it’s still up and coming. The idea behind it is to create a community forum, if you will, so that viewers can get their news from a local source and really have an impact on what’s being reported and talked about. And while Tom Grubisich has seen some changes in the way the grassroots sites have progressed, there are still some things that need work and will only be fixed over time. The more they become available to the public, the higher the viewership will be and the more successful they’ll become at news sources. It all takes time.

Common Sense Journalism:

Doug Fisher’s article talks a lot about how to make journalism more about the people. By employing “mobile journalists,” allowing for more personal input with comments on a blog, and really trying to think like one of your viewers/readers, Fisher says you’re really using common sense. I couldn’t agree more. Like I said before, the new focus of journalism has been leaning toward the Internet and I think it’s great. Readers can comment, criticize and suggest ideas that will directly impact the way the news source is being run. It seems like news reporting is taking a turn toward the service industry attitude – give the customer what he or she wants. And while it’s not that cut and dry with news reporting, having some feedback, good or bad, is essential in the process of creating a successful business.

Eagle Snatches Dog – Case Study:

Ah, the infamous eagle (or some other animal) snatching a dog (or some other small animal) story. This is proof enough that journalists should be more skeptical. The fact that no one ever raised any questions as to why the story had only one source or why they never got the name of the couple – or the dog for that matter – boggles my mind.

Sources and anecdotes make a story more credible, and this story clearly is lacking both. While we all want to read something amazing, fascinating and cool, journalists should never overlook the minor details that make up such an incredible story. This is precisely why, like MaCluggage says, we should designate a naysayer to each article before it even gets off the ground.

Abstract: 50 Places to Shop for Story Ideas

I thought MacLachan’s article was ingenious. I’d never even thought of looking for news articles at the vet’s office, but often animal stories are the best stories. Some of his ideas were a given, like eavesdropping – one of my favorite things to do – and trends. It’s sometimes hard to come up with ideas if you’re really trying to find them, so often I just put it in the back of my mind and some how a great idea presents itself. I find that taking the pressure off can make me more observant.

I might add the nail salon as a place to look for ideas. It’s similar to the hairdresser idea, but it’s one of those places that is a hub of gossip and news for a community. I would also add the most obvious place to look for an idea, which is your own life. I often get irritated about the bus always being late, or the rising cost of my utilities bill or the fact that it’s nearly impossible to get a good parking spot on campus. If I’m having a problem, I bet there’s a ton of people out there who are getting irritated about the same thing. Sometimes I’ll go to dinner with a group of friends and listen to their conversation for story ideas as well.

Abstract: Revamping the Story Flow for Journalists

This article was so interesting. It’s so amazing to think about how far journalism has come, especially in the last few years. I couldn’t imagine not using Google as a preliminary research point for nearly most of my articles. How did they do it before the Internet? Essentially, the basic components of story ideas and reporting have stayed the same and will continue to stay the same, but the whole process in which the ideas and research are conducted is vastly different.

I like how Glaser is outlining journalism in the years to come in that it includes a lot more reader involvement. As journalists, our job is to report the news to our readers and also keep them interesting in what’s going on around them. By utilizing Beatblogging, social networks and wikis, reporters can really give the readers what they want to know. The more ideas that are presented and developed, the better the newspaper, TV and magazine reports will be