Session 10: Gate keeping, agenda setting, spiral of
silence, and news values
Tonight’s Program
 Reminder about Report: Strengths and Weaknesses of
one theory found in e-readings; link theory and
practice; 200o wds; due Monday, April 16, by 6 pm
 Show Turnitin.com
 Discuss Week 9 readings: Gate keeping, spiral of
silence, agenda setting, and news values
 Guest speaker: Globalization and Human Rights: New
Media, More Truth
Report due April 16 by email
 Take one theory that we have covered this semester
and discuss its strengths and weaknewss
 Link the theory to current journalism that you read or
follow – give examples
 Use only short quotes
 Paper must be written essay style, maximum 2000
words
 Include List of Works Consulted – alphabetical by
author’s last name. list of everything you refer to in
your paper
Evaluating the Report
Rubric for Report
20 points maximum
Theory is described and analyzed for strengths and
weaknesses
4
3 examples of today’s journalism described and
evaluated in terms of theory
6 (2 per piece of journalism)
3-5 sources used to analyze theory and/or examples
of journalism
4
Essay follows clear logical structure as per template
3
Grammar, spelling, proofreading are competent
2
List of Works Consulted follows Harvard style
1
Template for report
Construction of Report
2000 words maximum
Opening paragraph: introduces theory and briefly
indicates direction of the report
150 words
Description and analysis of theory for strengths
and weakness relating to today’s journalism;
includes sources that contribute to analysis of
theory
Several paragraphs : 300-500 words total
Description and analysis of 3 examples of today’s
media – specific stories, not general coverage;
includes sources that contribute to analysis of the
media examples
Several paragraphs: 800-1000 words
Concluding analysis of theory as relating to the
examples of today’s journalism – not repetition but
moving beyond what has already been stated above
Several paragraphs: 300 – 500 words
Submit to Turnitin
Email receipt along with report
Email as Word attachment
Deadline 6pm Monday, April 11
Turnitin.com
www.turnitin.com
Class ID: 5031097
Enrolment password: MMC910
Objectivity in Journalism
John Avieson
 Markets influence news: audience needed and




owners/journalists respond to it
“news sense can be stated as an ability to rank stories in
order of interest to an audience and an ability to rank
information contained within a story in order of reader
interest”
“journalists serve their audiences and not their sources”
What’s important to the journalist is what’s important to
the audience
Media’s only role is to tell people about what interests them
Objectivity and Subjectivity
John Hurst
 “objectivity is about reporting the news in a fair and
balanced manner”
 AJA Code leaves definition to “the common sense and
consciences of journalists to decide what to report”
 News should include both what is of interest (Avieson)
and what is important to the audience (elitism?)
 Press sets agenda – some news never gets out/covered
 Reporter’s experience and sense play a role
 Interpretation vs opinion
Objectivity as “strategic ritual”
Gaye Tuchman
 News story can be dangerous for writer and publisher
 Danger mitigated by “objectivity” strategy
 Facts are part of the strategy
“Strategic procedures” that are called objectivity
 Presenting conflicting possibilities: A said, B said
 Presenting supporting evidence
 Use of quotation marks: X said, “ . . . ”
 Structuring information – inverted pyramid
Objectivity: a reassessment
Richard Streckfuss
 Walter Lippmann in 1920 wrote “original definition of
objective journalism”
 Adopting scientific method in journalism
 “belief in power of objective fact to bring about social
change”
 Creating journalism into a science
 No partisanship – coming off William Randolph
Hearst re Cuba and WWI propaganda
 Idealistic belief in science
Guest Speaker
Dr. Alma Kadragic
Globalization and Human Rights:
New Media, More Truth
Schedule for rest of semester
Week of April 16 – Catch up with Week 10 readings:
circulation, ratings, and survival; Report due
Week of April 23 – no class Monday or Wednesday
work on Team Presentations for April 30;
work on final Essay
Week of April 30 – discuss Week 11 readings; Team
Presentations
Week of May 7 – discuss Week 12 readings: first draft of
Essay due by 6 pm Monday; work with Karen on it
Coming Up
 MMC 911 meets in KV14 – G03 on Wednesday, April 11
 Online version of Field Trip Story 1 due before 6 pm
 MMC 910 - work on Report and send to Turnitin.com
before submitting to me
 Continue Week 10 readings in updated syllabus:
Circulation, ratings, and survival
See you Wednesday!