Noteworthy information 6
Essential to the distribution of information that strengthens the credibility of scholastic media and its integrity, whether by legacy media or multimedia, is sound information gathering and attribution.
Some interesting resources that can supply needed perspective and depth, build credibility and demonstrate leadership roles through reporting:
• Journalist’s Resource from Harvard’s Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy which provides access to sources for plenty of strong story ideas that can be localized.
• NewsU from The Poynter Institute. NewsU offers free (and some for pay) online courses where your students can learn everything from basic reporting skills to how to handle international reporting. Even better, the courses are not just all print, but cover extensive multimedia skills and topics. Students can self-direct through the courses or teachers can use them in class.
• The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press offers extensive research that can be used to localize stories. A link to a July 15, 2010 survey on political knowledge is especially interesting. Other Pew resources include Journalism.org which provides more research but also links to numerous resources, including the principles of journalism.
• Part 2 of a continuing series on missions of scholastic media and how to achieve them from The Center of Scholastic Journalism.
Credibility is a fleeting commodity.
A sound information agenda, using reliable sources, can go a long way to ensure credibility.
Read MoreNoteworthy information 4
For a lighter way to emphasize a serious topic – attribution and news credibility – check out Warning Labels by Tom Scott.
Scott lists himself as a “geek comedian” but his warning labels speak eloquently to a serious issue: how to get journalism students – and even more importantly – their audiences to recognize sloppy and inadequate reporting.
With a little adaptation, creative thought and news literacy modification, his project could lead to some serious learning done in a fun way.
Now to figure out how to place labels on student websites, broadcast and social media reporting as well as on print.
Read MoreJournalistic credibility – gone with LeBron
I know this is not directly related to scholastic journalism, but in a way it is.
As scholastic media – online and print – strive to find models of what they want to emulate, they of course look to the commercial media (I have reasons for not grouping them all under the guise of professional).
This post by David Zurawik makes excellent observations about some forms of “journalism,” most recently exemplified by ESPN’s LeBron James infotainment last night.
I am not recommending this because I am from Cleveland but because the author makes relevant points about journalistic credibility.
LeBron is gone; let’s not send journalistic integrity with him, at any level.
Hype is not what scholastic journalism needs; real leadership through digging and reporting is.
Read MoreDigging for our credibility
In the ongoing discussion on the Obama education speech, one JEA member suggested the press provided too much of a platform for fringe opinions instead of balanced reporting.
While that may be, I’d like to suggest something H. L. Hall always stresses as important: digging.
All too often, in commercial media and in scholastic media we see too much surface reporting and not enough digging for background and perspective. Digging would add substantial answers to the why and the how elements of news.
Frankly, there has been just too little of this type of reporting lately – in commercial and scholastic media.
So, let’s see what scholastic media can show everyone: how to really report the Obama speech story like no one else can.
Let’s see some digging:
• Why would schools back off running the President’s speech?
• Why would parents oppose (or support) their children hearing it?
• Who (if anyone) has used the Internet and other communication to spread lies/truth about the speech’s purpose? How can the audience tell?
• What does this say (if anything) about schools’ willingness to provide a chance for students to ask questions? Has this been an ongoing process? What is the historical perspective?
• What does the furor around this speech say about a school’s willingness to trust its students to think critically? Do school officials even see this as a factor? If not a factor, what drove their decision, one way or another?
• What does a school’s reaction (or a community’s reaction) in this instance say about their willingness to confront challenges from any future viewpoint?
Can scholastic media reporters find sources — and maybe even answers — for these questions?
You betcha.
If they dig.
Which brings up another point H.L. likes to raise: Credibility. If we – commercial or scholastic media – do not show people we still can dig for answers, verify information and synthesize it into meaningful reporting, we cannot complain when people challenge our credibility.
We have it damaged it ourselves.
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