Ethics and News Judgment

Go to the NewsU website by clicking on https://www.newsu.org/ (if the link doesn’t work, just copy and paste it) and
following the directions at the top right to create an account. You will need to think of a user name and a password.
News University is run by the Poynter Institute, which provides training for journalists. The NewsU courses we will
use this semester are free.
This activity is worth a total of 20 points, but it must be submitted on time to receive any credit. A late assignment will
not count, so consider completing it early. Be sure to scroll down to read this entire page and also to read the
directions carefully for each part of this exercise.
Go to the “The Community Journalism Series: Contributing to a Local Publication” course in News University by using
the search box or by simply going to http://www.newsu.org/courses/contributing-local-publication. (If this link doesn’t
work, just copy and paste it.) You should be able to see a list at the left side of the page under the heading “Browse
the Course.”
In this list, look for “Essential Skills.” Click on the box for each of the five skills, and answer these questions
thoroughly:
Writing
Where should the most important information in a news story go? (1 point)
Should a news story normally be organized in the order the events happened? Explain your answer. (1 point)
Should a reporter include his or her own opinions in a news story? Explain. (1 point)
Editing
When you edit your own story, what is the most important thing to check for? (1 point)
What is a style guide, and why is it important? (1 point)
Should reporters be offended if an editor corrects or rewrites parts of their stories? Explain your answer. (1 point)
Multimedia
What should a news photographer do before going out on an assignment? (1 point)
For video, should the camera be moved during the time a shot is being made? Explain. (1 point)
With audio, why is it important to notice background noise? (1 point)
Interviewing
What should a reporter do if he or she doesn’t understand something that is said? (1 point)
Should a reporter try to talk to people on different sides of a story? Explain. (1 point)
What three things should a reporter do at the end of an interview? (3 points)
Ethics and News Judgment
List and briefly define in your own words the six areas in this section reporters should know. (6 points)