Inside Reading Unit 9 Test
Name: __________________________ Date: _____________
Reading Comprehension: True or False
Mark each statement as T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the reading passage.
Read this passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Ethics in Journalism
Journalists employ a variety of techniques to research stories that they then submit to their
editors. They interview people, check a variety of sources, and observe things firsthand in order
to create a newspaper article that informs the public. Sometimes, however, deadlines press them
to cut corners. As they cut corners, they may bend or even break the rules of journalism. For
example, journalists have plagiarized someone else's writing or even inserted fabricated, or
made-up, information to make an article more interesting. Both of these actions are considered
unethical and, when made public, can damage a publication's reputation.
Newspaper officials and editors deal with this kind of unethical reporting regularly and, for
obvious reasons, try to keep the offenses private. They will even claim ignorance. Occasionally,
however, a reporter's unethical actions are made public, and the newspapers are forced to openly
acknowledge the offense and apologize.
That was true in the case of Jayson Blair of the New York Times. Blair was caught amending his
stories with fabricated and plagiarized material. In some cases, Blair said he had interviewed
people in person. In fact, he had spoken with them by phone. In other cases, he had apparently
never spoken with them at all. Blair also borrowed sentences from other newspaper articles and
tried to pass them off as his own. In several cases, Blair made up quotes to include in his articles.
This became apparent when the individuals he supposedly quoted spoke up and said that they
had never said those things.
Because Blair's actions were made public, the New York Times was forced to apologize publicly
in order to protect their reputation. In a cover story published on May 11, 2003, the New York
Times publicly acknowledged the unethical conduct of Jayson Blair. It emphasized its dedication
to ethical journalism and assured the public that Blair-type reporting would not be tolerated at
the paper. Although the New York Times seemed sincerely regretful, the article noted that all
organizations put a certain amount of trust in their employees. The emphasis of the article was
more on Blair's specific mistakes and less about the responsibility of the newspaper.
Unethical behavior surely exists in all organizations, but the case of Jayson Blair was particularly
upsetting. A journalist's misbehavior affects millions of readers and compromises the trust of the
public.
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1. Newspaper publishers always publicly acknowledge the unethical behavior of reporters
when they become aware of it.
A) True
B) False
2. Jayson Blair was caught breaking a variety of reporting rules.
A) True
B) False
Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice
Choose the option that best completes each sentence.
3. All of the following are considered examples of unethical behavior in journalism except
___.
A) making up facts to make stories more interesting
B) interviewing witnesses and quoting them in the paper
C) borrowing sentences from reputable sources
D) creating quotes when a witness cannot be reached
4. Newspaper editors probably try to keep unethical behavior secret because ___.
A) they do not know how to change the behavior
B) they believe that reporters should have creative freedom when writing
C) they want to protect the safety of their reporters
D) they want to protect the reputation of the newspaper
Vocabulary: Word Families
Choose the word form that correctly completes each sentence.
5. Some readers choose to ____ the fact that the magazine is known for publishing false
stories.
A) ignorance
B) ignore
C) ignored
6. Knowledge is the water that puts out the flame of ____.
A) ignorance
B) ignore
C) ignored
7. She had long ____ the importance of doing an outline, but her students didn't understand
the value of this until they started writing essays
A) emphasis
B) emphasize
C) emphasized
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8. Because the author was hired by a conservative magazine, he understood that the story's
____ should be pro-government.
A) emphasis
B) emphasize
C) emphasized
Vocabulary: Multiple Choice
Choose the option that best completes each sentence.
9. After the president's news conference, the editors wanted her to ___ the article she was
writing, but she refused.
A) emphasize
B) amend
C) grant
D) purchase
10. After a year of filling out applications, Sophia received ___ to begin her research in the
cloud forest of Costa Rica.
A) a grant
B) emphasis
C) an insertion
D) the perception
11. The only ___ the parents put on their children was that they must be home by midnight.
A) grant
B) emphasis
C) restriction
D) elimination
12. After the ___ of new office equipment, the company's funds were severely limited.
A) insertion
B) assignment
C) purchase
D) submission
13. The writer grew tired of ___ manuscripts to publishers only to have them rejected and
returned.
A) purchasing
B) restricting
C) eliminating
D) submitting
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Vocabulary: Fill in the blank
Use the words below to complete the sentences. Use each word one time.
apparent
ignorance
insert
levy
restrict
successor
14. As _____________ to the famous editor, Adam was determined to maintain the
newspaper's excellent reputation.
15. In some cases, _____________ is beneficial because if you don't realize how difficult a
job will really be, then you can approach it optimistically.
16. The judge threatened to _____________ a fine on the uncooperative witness in the
amount of $100 if she did not answer the question.
17. For no _____________ reason, the newspaper suffered from low sales for the entire
summer.
18. After the article is finished and edited, the photo editor will _____________ appropriate
photos to make the story more interesting.
19. Magazines for teenagers _____________ references to dangerous behavior, like
smoking or reckless driving.
Writing Prompts
Read the questions. Write your answers in paragraph form.
20. What is your definition of plagiarism? How important is it that newspaper reporters tell
the truth and tell it in their own words? Does it make a difference if they borrow phrases
from other writers or “fill in the blanks” where they might not have been able to find the
information?
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