Description
Value: 30%
Essay Questions released: December 11th, 8am
Due: December 15th, 11:59pm
Objectives:
Reinforce your comprehension of course themes and content
Illustrate your ability to synthesize course material and apply it to answer a specific question
Foster your critical thinking about course concepts, practical applications, and connections between ideas
Instructions:
Choose from one of two essay questions
Write a 3-4 page paper (1000 words).
Time Requirements:
The expectations of a take-home essay exam are somewhere in between an in-class essay exam and papers (like your final essay). Content expectations are higher than in-class exams because you have more time and you can utilize course texts and notes. You also have more time to prepare an argument, structure your paper, and pay attention to grammar.
However, expectations are a little bit lower than course papers. First of all, you are not required to conduct secondary research. You are only to utilize course materials in your essay (readings + lectures). Second, it is expected that you spend less time on this take-home essay than you did the paper.
This exam was designed to be completed in 5-6 hours, but I am providing the class several days to work on this exam (5 days to be exact).
Your essay must include:
A clear introduction that states how you are going to tackle the question and outlines your essay.
For each topic you are to apply at least 3 course concepts in your essay (these should be from at least 2 different lectures).
At least 4 references to course readings. At least 2 of these sources must be scholarly but you can also choose to use all scholarly sources. The other 2 sources may be news articles.
Proper APA citation throughout and a works cited page
A title page with a title for your essay, your name, student number, and the course code
12 point font, Times New Roman, Double spaced
Citations to class lectures when the material you are discussing is drawn from lectures
Essay Checklist
Title page with your name, student number and a title for your essay (do not write “Essay topic 2”)
A works cited list in APA style with at least 4 course readings.
In text APA citations to at least 4 course readings.
3-4 pages (approximately 1000 words)
Double spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman
Deductions
-1 if there is no title page
-1 if there is no essay title
Deductions for being under or over the word limit (100 words over/under is okay).
EXAM QUESTIONS:
Questions:
Consider everything we have learned this term from the (ideal) role and function of journalism, to media literacy, the history of journalism, the propaganda model, digital journalism, power and objectivity and racism.
Choose ONE of the following essay questions to answer:
There has been considerable debate in journalism about when it is appropriate to call something ‘racist’ and whether certain perspectives should be given a platform at all. Consider the debate over the publishing of Senator Tom Cotton’s op-ed in the New York Times in June and the response from Black journalists. Synthesizing what you have learned this term, how do you explain this phenomenon? What does this indicate about the relationship between the ideals of journalism and journalistic practice?
2. The BBC (the public broadcaster in the UK) has been criticized in the past for giving equal air time to climate scientists and climate skeptics (or deniers) when there is overwhelming consensus in the scientific community that climate-warming is real and very likely due to human activity.
See this exchange from a segment on BBC Radio:
Justin Webb (BBC Host): So [the warming is] there somewhere?
Sir Brian Hoskins (Climate scientist): Oh yes, it’s there in the oceans.
Lord Lawson (Skeptic): That is pure speculation.
Sir Brian Hoskins (Climate scientist): No, it’s a measurement.
Lord Lawson (Skeptic): No, it’s not. It’s speculation.
Justin Webb (BBC Host): Well, it’s a combination of the two isn’t it? As this whole discussion is. Lord Lawson and Sir Brian Hoskins, thank you very much.
The BBC initially defended this coverage and said it was “fair, balanced, and impartial.” Synthesizing what you have learned this term, why would a news organization engage in this type of reporting and what are the consequences of doing so?
Course Concepts
Journalism’s purpose
Journalism’s functions
Elements of Journalism (10)
Ideal role of journalism vs. reality
Credibility crisis in journalism
What is news
What is journalism
Misinformation & Disinformation
Satire
Headlines vs. reality
bias/confirmation bias
Dangers of mis/disinformation
Mediation
News as content production
News values
Criteria of newsworthiness
Gatekeeping
The mirror metaphor for news
The frame metaphor for news
The news reflects reality myth
Signifier/Signified
the fourth estate
The 19th century partisan press
Commercialization of the press in the 20th century
Yellow Journalism
The inverted pyramid
Rise of objectivity
Rise of journalistic professionalism
Canada’s diverse/unique media environment
Free market economics
Public Ownership
Public service ideal
The CBC and Public Service Broadcasting in Canada
Private Media Ownership
4 Types of private ownership
Economies of scale
Impacts of Media Concentration
Political Economy of the media
Propaganda model: 5 filters of the mass media
Ownership
Advertising
Reliance on official sources
flak
anti-communism
Parameters to discourse
Participatory culture thesis
technological determinism
Platform concentration
Propaganda model 2.0
Ownership
Advertising
Sourcing
Flak
Ideology
Objectivity: the rationale
Objectivity: the reality
Functionalism
Conflict theory
Ideology
Critiques of objectivity
Discipline of verification
False balance
Objectivity of method
Diversity in Canadian journalism
Coverage of racial issues in Canada
Canada’s post-race brand
Please see full exam instructions, questions, and rubric here. (To be posted on December 11th)
