Week 1 Some ways that
news matters
(Note: For this week only, discussion list postings are
due before Thursday at midnight; for the rest of the
semester they are due Sunday at midnight.)
- Jim Edwards, "Wrong Turns," Brill's Content, January 2001, pp. 113-169. http://www.uvm.edu/bhreserves/soc/edwardsts043.pdf
How does Edwards explain why it took so long for the
problems with Firestone tires to become noticed by the
national media? How does this story illustrate media
gatekeeping? the reliance on official sources? the
interaction of journalists and government? What does this
tell us about how the news media works?
- Katherine Rosman, "JonBenet, Inc." Brill's Content, February 2000, pp. 96-107, 128. http://www.uvm.edu/bhreserves/soc/jonbenets043.pdf
What does Rosman think of the news value of the JonBenet Ramsey story? What factors lead the story to be so heavily covered? How does this case illustrate the effect of economic trends on journalism? the effect of source reliance? of the importance of visuals?
For your first posting, address one of the questions above, or respond to someone else’s posting. Remember to directly address the readings and provide evidence for your claims or concerns; it is generally good to include at least one direct quote from the readings in your posting.