PLANG Final Exam

Isms-Media law; Terms 1-36: Ch 7, Isms; Terms 37-53: Ch 8, News and High Five; Terms 54-61: Ch 9, Broadcast Writing; Terms 62-79: Ch 10, Multimedia packaging; Terms 80-97: Ch 11, Strategic Communication and PR; Terms 98-104: Ch 12, Journalism Ethics; Terms 105-115: Ch 13, Media Law

Four stereotypes to avoid

Four stereotypes to avoid

The secondary, the ignored/invisible, achievers, the despised/feared

What should you do if you are unsure whether a term is offensive?

Check the AP style book

Black person vs. African American

Black person = used when the person is not from Africa

African American = when someone identifies as from Africa

The terms “black” and “white” should NEVER be used as this part of speech

Noun

Is Asian Americans an appropriate term?

Yes, but country of origin is preferred as a reference.

Are Native Americans / Indigenous people respectful terms?

Yes, but the tribe or nation name is preferred

What is the “cute blond girl effect”?

The tendency of news media to saturate coverage of any news event involving a cute, white, blond girl

What is a tribe or tribal?

refers to self-governing political entities

What is Indigenous used for?

to refer to societies that existed before white settlers

What is Indian Country?

defines criminal jurisdiction; also refers to Indian-held land, reservations, or areas with large Indigenous populations

How do you name a sports team with an offensive mascot?

Use city name and league (ex. Cleveland MLB team)

What do you call someone from a Spanish-speaking culture?

Hispanic, Latino/a/x BUT country of origin is preferred (no hyphen if dual heritage)

What is a BOLO?

“Be on the lookout,” refers to a person of interest in a criminal case

How should a BOLO be listed?

No vague descriptions, AT LEAST six good identifiers

What is the nonbias rule?

Ask yourself, “Would my wording be the same if my subject were an affluent white man?”

Instead of “mankind” use:

humankind

Instead of “founding fathers” use:

forebears

Instead of “gentleman’s agreement” use:

informal agreement

Instead of “man power” use:

workforce

Instead of “to man” (verb) use:

to operate

Instead of “man and wife” use:

husband and wife

Instead of “man and lady” use:

man and woman or gentleman and lady

Instead of “men and girls” use:

men and women or boys and girls

When referring to sexual orientation avoid this term:

homosexual; use gay/straight/lgbtq+

Difference between gender identity and sex?

gender identity is how a person identifies, sex is biological

Use of transgender

when a person’s identity does not match their birth sex; always ask for preferred pronouns

What is the meaning of the word “transition” in regards to sexual orientation?

the process of changing to identify gender; it DOES NOT have to include surgery or hormones

Transsexual vs. transgender

Transsexual refers to the surgery, transgender refers to the person

Should you use the terms liberal, conservative, or radical when labeling politicians?

NO, too vague; focus on what the person is saying, not vague labels

Christian denominations

baptist, methodist, lutherans, presbyterians, etc.

Should you use the term protestant?

no, refer to the specific christian denomination

Jewish vs. Judaism

Jewish is ethnicity, Judaism is religion. sometimes someone fits into both, but not always

What is people-first language?

someone is a person with a disability, not a disabled person

Rules for referring to people with disabilities

never say confined to a wheelchair, avoid “inspiration porn” which limits people with disabilities as just being there to encourage able-bodied people

Jim is a diabetic OR Jim has diabetes

Jim has diabetes

Who can diagnose mental health conditions?

ONLY a psychiatrist or physician…avoid the term “mental illness,” be specific

What is news?

information that has importance, value and interest

What are the six news values?

Impact, proximity, timeliness, prominence, conflict and novelty

What is hard news?

coverage of the actions of government or business, or the reporting of an event, such as a crime, an accident, or a speech. time element is often crucial

What is spot news?

a timely report of an event that is unfolding at the moment

What is soft news?

stories about trends, personalities or lifestyles. The time element is usually not important

What is a human-interest story?

a story valued more for its emotional impact or oddity than for its importance

What is “pack journalism"? Should you follow the pack?

the tendency of editors and reporters to cover a story because everyone else is covering it. STRAY FROM THE PACK

What mix of news should be presented?

local, national, and international stories; mix of hard news and feature stories. mix depends on what is available, readers’ preferences, and editors’ judgment

What is the lead story?

the major story displayed at the top of page one, the start of the newscast, or the website’s homepage. It is the most important real estate a news org. has

Describe newspaper readers

generally interested and attentive, active seekers of news, willing to expend their energy bc of the higher information payoff from print media

Describe TV audiences

passive receivers of info, less focused attention, less involved in current events, tune in for entertainment and relaxation

What is the High Five

a method of story organization for writing AND reporting. the High Five elements go in the first five paragraphs of the story

(High Five) News element

should be lead paragraph. does not need to include time or place, but must say who did what. creative writers “news” is an attention grabber.

(High Five) Impact element

Who is affected and how…why should the reader care

(High Five) Context element

What happened to lead up to the news in the preceding years, months, days, minutes

(High Five) Scope element

how many are affected and to what degree

(High Five) Edge element

What’s next?

How to write a broadcast news copy

short sentences, short and easy to understand words, write it as you would say it, one main idea per sentence, active voice, present tense verbs, attribution at start of sentence

Broadcast writing style

all caps, double spaced, no abbreviations, no courtesy titles, pronunciations in parentheses for difficult names, don’t use quotation marks

How to write numbers in broadcast style

write out zero-nine and eleven; write out dollars, thousands, millions, billions; round numbers and fractions

How to write $27,994,434.12 in broadcast style

NEARLY 28-MILLION-DOLLARS

How to write the year 2023 in broadcast style

20-23

How to write percentages and measurements in broadcast style

50-PERCENT, 25-FEET, HALF-INCH

Write abbreviations…

as they are spoken (ex. N-C-DOUBLE-A or O-PEC)

Ages and titles go where in broadcast writing

before names

What is media convergence?

aspects of each medium (print, tv, radio, magazine) combined online

What are the three ways of collecting information?

hunting, browsing, grazing

How does online media tie into the ways of collecting info?

an electronic newspaper or magazine allows readers to do any and all of those (3) things at once and switch from one another in an instant

What is hunting for information?

looking up something

What is browsing for information?

searching without a specific end; scanning a newspaper, reading a magazine, or surfing the web

What is grazing for information?

most passive of the three, picture a person turns on the TV and leaves it on the same channel all evening

What is spinach journalism?

readers only have one source of news; they read the newspaper because it is “good for them”

What is shovelware?

print copy shoveled, or posted, online without editing

Multimedia packaging

choose the tool that will best tell the narrative of the story

Text

synthesize major components of story into one item, let links to other material supplement the story

Photos

show a moment in time, show a specific perspective, impact may be greater than moving pictures

Video

shows progression in linear form, event unfolds in real time, must contain movement

Audio

provides all the impact of video without visuals, relies on spoken word, smaller file size so easier to work with

Graphics

show story visually WITHOUT words, can be charts, maps, logos, drawings, cartoons, photo illustrations, concept maps; effective use can mean shorter stories

Interactive devices

allow consumers to be involved in news product, but accuracy and ethics are a concern (e.g. polls, email, wiki, online comments)

Online comments

if allowed CANNOT be edited (editing violates free speech guarantees)

New media advantages/disadvantages

advantages: allow consumer submissions, faster access to information for reporter and consumer

disadvantages: temptation to shortcut professional newsgathering standards

Blogs

time restraints and limits on story length can make blogs a good “between-the-lines” tool

What is strategic communication?

combination of PR and advertising

what is PR?

management of communication between an organization and its internal or external publics, or audience; the goal is to create good will

what is advertising?

provide a product to appeal to the needs or interests of a specific audience

What do PR and advertising have in common?

know target audience, find where audience lives, make media buys based on consumer media use, write well in the medium used to tell the message, evaluate each step for effectiveness

PR writing tips

meet deadlines, interest editors, be clear, be concise, be interesting, be accurate

Informational writing

presents material in a straightforward, factual manner

Persuasive writing

clearly pitches a particular viewpoint

Mistakes in grammar and style lead to…

questions of credibility (if the writing is incorrect, the info probably is too)

What is the first and most important job in writing a press release?

analyze your audience

what is demographic information?

describes people in terms of their age, gender, education, income, occupation, marital status

what is psychographic information?

identifies lifestyles, attitudes, values

a highly involved audience is influenced by

information rich ads, use print

a less-involved audience is influenced by

scenery, color, and the status of the endorser, use broadcast

digital audiences are influenced by

short text and photos/videos, use instagram or something similar

Three tips on ad writing

touch on selling points, sell the benefits, identify the single greatest benefit to your target audience and feature it

what is ad reversal?

the unexpected, makes ads memorable, usually humorous

In general, when is it good to send out news releases?

early in the week around 10 a.m.

What does it mean to bury the lead?

the lead is in the second paragraph or later. ALWAYS PUT THE LEAD FIRST AND MAKE IT CLEAR

What are the five ethical principles in journalism?

aristotle’s mean, kant’s categorical imperative, mill’s principle of utility, rawls’ veil of ignorance, judeo-christian persons as ends

What is Aristotle’s mean?

the mean is the right quantity at the right time toward the right people for the right reason and in the right manner. choosing between the extremes of exposing nothing and exposing everything

what is Kant’s categorical imperative?

“act on that maxim which you will to become a universal law” deception is inexcusable, examine the underlying principle for your decision and see if you want it applied universally