1. Take a closer look at one era of newspaper history and report on what you find. Search the Web for your specific topic, such as "penny press," "yellow journalism," "jazz journalism" or "19th Century Press." How do the journalistic practices of your selected era compare with the ones of today? Write a brief summary of your findings, detailing at least five major changes, similarities or differences.
Weekly Update Archives
2. Go to the Student portion of the Online Learning Center and choose Chapter 3. In the left navigation bar under News, Articles & Links, click Weekly Update Archives. On the next screen, under the topic of Journalism, read 02-11-02, "What is a Newspaper." How has the definition of "newspaper" changed in recent years? How do you think it will change in the future? Use information from this article to support your point of view.
In addition, scan the list for other articles of interest pertaining to this chapter.
Industry
Web Excursion
3. Some college newspapers seem to be part of the alternative press, whereas others are very much organizational papers. Organizational papers tend to present news from the administration’s point of view, while the alternative paper will do it from a student, and often an anti-administration, point of view. Most college papers will be a mixture of the two types. Analyze your campus paper to answer the question, "Is it organizational, alternative, or mixed?" Then compare your campus papers with one or two online student papers such as those linked to the Web site of the Daily Beacon, the campus paper of the University of Tennessee, at http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/.*
Media World CD-ROM Excursions
4. View track 2, Newspapers: Inside The Record. This track explores the daily operations of a local newspaper. Are newspapers your primary source of news? If so, why? If not, why not? What are the three areas of advertising newspapers target? Which do you think is the most important?
5. View track 2.5, Issues: Facing the Future. This track looks at the competition newspapers face. Do newspapers seem to be at risk of becoming obsolete? What are the advantages and disadvantages of newspapers adopting online versions?
Weekly Update Archives
6. Go to the Student portion of the Online Learning Center and choose Chapter 3. In the left navigation bar under News, Articles & Links, click Weekly Update Archives. On the next screen, under the topic of Journalism, read 01-12-04, "Web News: Newspapers as Brands." Pick one of the "name brand" online news services mentioned in the article. Visit the site and critique it. Do you find it useful, informative, and easy to use?
In addition, scan the list for other articles of interest pertaining to this chapter.
Controversies
Web Excursion
7. Is diversity in the newsroom important? Search the Web for pages devoted to this issue or go directly to Slate magazine’s analysis of "Today’s Papers" at http://slate.msn.com.* Prepare a brief statement explaining how newsroom diversity might have affected the ways an event is covered by different papers.
Media World CD-ROM Excursion
8. View track 11, College Newspaper Under Fire For Controversial "Advertorial" (from NBC’s Today Show). Student journalists from Brown University find themselves in the center of a firestorm over their decision to run a controversial ad in their newspaper. Should student newspapers be held to different standards than mainstream publications? Should ads be rejected if there is a risk that certain groups would be offended?
Weekly Update Archives
9. Go to the Student portion of the Online Learning Center and choose Chapter 3. In the left navigation bar under News, Articles & Links, click PowerWeb Articles. On the next screen, under the topic of Journalism, read 4-26-04, "Newsroom Scandals: Aberrations or Systemic Failure?." In your opinion, are ethical standards at newspapers deteriorating? Use evidence from this article to back up your point of view.
In addition, scan the list for other articles of interest pertaining to this chapter.
