1. The invention of television is controversial; many people and nations claim credit for it. Search the Web for evidence of this controversy. See if you can find an alternative version of the invention of television and report on it. (Hint: try "John Logie Baird" or "Paul Nipkow" as search terms.)
Media World CD-ROM Excursion
2. View track 4.2, Issues: The Ratings Battle. This track takes you inside a mid-size commercial television station in Erie, PA. Do you believe the statement, "if it bleeds, it leads" accurately represents trends in TV news viewership? What factors do you consider when choosing a station to watch your news?
Weekly Update Archives
3. Go to the Student portion of the Online Learning Center and choose Chapter 8. In the left navigation bar under News, Articles & Links, click Weekly Update Archives. On the next screen, under the topic of Cable Television, read 05-14-01, "Reality Shows and the Necessary Changes." How have reality programs changed the way television programmers historically did business? Use data from this article in answering this question.
In addition, scan the list for other articles of interest pertaining to this chapter.
Industry
Web Excursion
4. Do you believe that public television fulfills its mandate of providing high-quality programming that would not be shown on commercial TV? Search the Web for the home pages of your local public television stations, or go directly to PBS at www.pbs.org. Prepare a brief statement criticizing or defending the programming choices of these stations.
Media World CD-ROM Excursion
5. View track 4.6, Issues: Sports Journalism. Why do you think sports segments are stuck at the end of a newscast? Do you consider the typical lineup of the day’s sporting highlights to be journalism?
6. View track 17, Future Television (from NBC’s Today Show). TV Guide editors Max Robins and Doug McCray discuss the changes this medium has in store. With the vast options available on the Internet, do you think interactive television will be successful? Is there a danger of dissuading viewers by offering too many channels, too many options? Do you think network TV should go the route of HBO and Showtime (i.e. airing shows of a much more graphic nature)?
PowerWeb Articles
7. Go to the Student portion of the Online Learning Center and choose Chapter 8. In the left navigation bar under News, Articles & Links, click PowerWeb Articles. On the next screen, under the topic of News Reporting, read the article, "We Have a Breaking Story." What role did the network morning programs play in the way America learned of the September 11th attacks? How did this affect the way people felt about those attacks? Should the morning programs have handled the coverage differently? Use information from this article to back up your answers.
In addition, scan the list for other articles of interest pertaining to this chapter.
Controversies
Web Excursion
8. Some critics find television news too liberal, some too conservative, some too "centrist." Search the Web for criticism of television news programming, or go directly to media bias sites such as AIM at www.aim.org* and FAIR at www.fair.org.* Prepare a brief statement supporting your point of view about the direction of television news bias, if any.
Media World CD-ROM Excursion
9. View track 8, Author James Steyer Discusses His Book, "The Other Parent" (from NBC’s Today Show). The author discusses the harmful effects of children’s overexposure to media. Do you think new technologies like the V-chip and TV ratings provide adequate limits for child viewers? Are these restrictions bordering on censorship?
PowerWeb Articles
10. Go to the Student portion of the Online Learning Center and choose Chapter 8. In the left navigation bar under News, Articles & Links, click PowerWeb Articles. On the next screen, under the topic of Prosocial Effects, read the article, "Can TV Improve Us?" Argue for or against the main idea of this article.
In addition, scan the list for other articles of interest pertaining to this chapter.
