News Literacy: The Standard Schedule
This document is a general guide to help you plan ahead. Individual instructors may move, add or delete items to
suit the needs of your recitation. All readings and homework assignment prompts are posted in Google Drive in
the section accessible to students. The Instructor Materials section contains additional readings that individual
instructors may choose to use in their recitation sections. Consult your individual lecturer each week on weekly
homework and reading assignments.
Do Before Lecture
Do Before Recitation
L1. Why News Literacy Matters
R1. Public Perception of the News Media
Reading:
 Syllabus
Reading:
● Syllabus (for quiz in recitation)
● Stephens, A History of News, pp. 74-82
● Carr, The Shallows, pp. 68-71
● Kovach & Rosenstiel, Blur, pp. 15-25
● *These readings were first assigned in Fall 2013 and
may be used at the discretion of individual instructors.
Written HW:
 Contrast and compare the Gutenberg and Internet
revolutions by describing three societal changes
brought about as a result of Gutenberg's invention
and three changes brought about by the Internet.
Print out what you wrote and bring it to class. (At
instructor’s discretion).
L2. The Power of information
R2. The Battle Over Information
Reading:
● Elements of Journalism: Introduction and Ch. 1,
What is Journalism For?
● “Is Jon Stewart the Most Trusted Man in
America?”
Reading:
● Censorship in China
L3. The Mission of the American Press
R3. The New York Times and National Security
Reading:
● Elements of Journalism: Ch. 6, Monitor Power…
● Media Debates, Ch. 6 (Digital Course Reader;
instructors’ copies posted in Instructor
Materials folder in Google Drive)
● “Speaking of a free press”
Reading:
● Media Debates, Ch. 16, War, Terrorism and National
Emergencies (Digital Course Reader; instructors’
copies posted in Instructor Materials folder in
Google Drive)
● Instructor’s choice: Greenwald, Wikileaks, or SWIFT
Written HW:
 Blackout
 Censorship
 Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
(reading packs posted in Week 3 folder in Google
Drive)
Written HW: Either or...
○ Talking points on Greenwald, Wikileaks, or SWIFT
L4. Know Your Neighborhood
R4. The Blurring of the Lines
Reading:
 Taxonomy of Information Neighborhoods
(posted under Week 4 readings—instruct
students to print and bring to lecture)
 “Is Jon Stewart the Most Trusted Man in
America?”
Reading:
 Bring Taxonomy of Information Neighborhoods to
recitation
L5. What is News & Who Decides?
R5. You Be the Editor
Reading:
● “Press accuracy hits two decade low”
● “Understanding participatory news culture”
● “So much for the information age”
● “What Citizens Should Expect From the Press”
 Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Code
(online at SPJ.org)
Reading:
● Media Debates, Ch. 10 (Digital Course Reader;
instructors’ copies posted in Instructor Materials
folder in Google Drive)
● You Be the Editor (story list for in-class exercise)
● You Be the Editor (print and bring Page One template)
Written HW:
 YouTube
Written HW:
 News Drivers
L6. Opinion: A License to Kill?
R6. TEST # 1
Read:
 “Should Newspapers Still Be Taking Sides?”
(Time)
Reading:
● Elements of Journalism: Ch. 5, Independence from
Faction
● de Blasio readings for News v. Opinion HW
assignment
Watch:
Two videos on critical thinking
● http://youtu.be/6OLPL5p0fMg
● http://youtu.be/_9BMyaftZ1A
Written HW:
 News v. Opinion
L7. Balance, Fairness & Bias
R7. Media Bias vs. Audience Bias
Reading:
● Murdoch's Pride
 Mainstream Media's pose...
Reading:
● “Burrowing into Bias”
● “Spring Break” AMA study stories (4)
● “He Said, She Said, and the Truth” (NYT 9/16/2012)
Written HW:
○ Project Implicit
L8. Truth & Verification
R8. How Journalists Verify Information
Reading:
● Brian Thevenot, “Katrina’s Body Count Could
Reach 10,000” New Orleans Times-Picayune
● Thevenot, “Myth making in New Orleans,”
American Journalism Review
Reading:
● Elements of Journalism: Ch. 4, Journalism of
Verification
L9. Evaluating Sources
R9. Evaluating Sources
Reading:
 Keller, “The I-Can’t-Believe-I’m-A-Hawk Club”
(New York Times)
 Shafer, “Cataloging the Wretched Reporting of
Judith Miller” (New York Times)
Reading:
 Anderson Cooper chapter from Dispatches from the
Edge (Digital Course Reader; instructors’ copies
posted in Instructor Materials folder in Google
Drive)
L10. Deconstructing the News
R10. Deconstructing the News
Reading:
 Deconstruction Workbook (posted in
Blackboard—bring to all remaining class
sessions)
Reading:
● Deconstruction Workbook
L11. Deconstructing TV News
R11. TEST # 2
L12. Deconstructing Social Media
R12. Deconstructing Social Media
Reading:
 Turkelbaum
Written HW:
 Electronic Wasteland
 NewsU (Poynter Institute tutorial—not a graded
assignment, but students are strongly encouraged to
complete as part of preparations for final exam).
L13. The Future of News
R13. Review and Test Prep
Reading:
 “What Citizens Should Expect From the Press”
 “Why Core Standards Must Embrace Media
Literacy”
Written Work:
 Final Essay due (worth 20% of final exam score)
 Extra Credit Movie Project due (up to 4 points added
to final homework score)
L14. The Power of Images
R14. The Power of Images
 Consult your lecturer.

Consult your lecturer.
Written HW:
 Provisional Truth
 Shattered Glass
Written HW:
 Walter Reed