FBLA SLC MISTAKES
1. What is a freelance writer?
A) a volunteer writer
B) someone who writes what they want
C) a writer paid to work on different jobs or projects without being a permanent
employee
D) someone who writes creative pieces for different papers
2. The impact of the use of _____ with broadcast journalism, specifically, is the
connection that the journalists are having with their readers. They are getting the
readers involved to express their opinions, making it more engaging for the reader.
A) free-lance journalists
B) social media
C) ledes
D) corporate sponsorship
3. Features often:
A) don't need sources to verify facts
B) are shorter than other news stories
C) have a personal slant and are written in an individual style
D) include a lot of photographs
4. What is not another name for a graphic in a newscast that displays an interviewer's
name and title?
A) super
B) chyron
C) lower-third
D) chroma key
5. You are asked to cover the mayor drowning at a nearby lake. Your photographer
exclusively gets video of the mayor's body in a body bag. Should you use the video in
your package?
A) No, the mayor's family did not sign a photo release form.
B) Yes, publish first and beg for forgiveness second.
C) Yes, it was taken during a news event and we were the only station to get the
footage.
D) Depends, its best to ask a manager for permission and make sure to blur the bag.
6. What is the difference between a direct lede and an indirect lede?
A) Direct ledes are only for hard news stories while indirect ledes are only for soft,
feature news stories.
B) Direct ledes are always succinct and define the theme immediately. Indirect ledes hold off on telling the reader what a story is about.
C) Direct ledes are biased statements that answer all questions about a news story
while indirect ledes are more common and don't answer all questions about a news
story.
D) Direct ledes are written comments by editors while indirect ledes are written
comments by opinion-based writers.
7. In 2013, what media company purchased Al Gore's network, Current TV?
A) HBO
B) BBC
C) True TV
D) Al Jazeera
8. What is the term for journalists who are attached to military units?
A) war affair journalists
B) embedded journalists
C) public war journalists
D) public affair journalists
9. Most public broadcasters get the majority of their funding from all of the following
EXCEPT:
A) State Government
B) Advertisers
C) Federal Government
D) Donors
10. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an independent entity that disperses
federal money for public broadcasting and is a:
A) A for-profit corporation owned collectively by media conglomerates for the public
good
B) An agency of the Federal Communications Commission
C) An agency of National Public Radio
D) Private non-profit corporation authorized by Congress
11. In 2016, the Pew Research Center released a statistic that 62% of U.S. adults obtain
their news via:
A) newspaper
B) social media
C) online newspaper
D) television
12. What is citizen journalism?
A) A form of journalism that doesn't require government sources.
B) A way for a reporter to abandon traditional journalistic standards and report news
like any average citizen.
C) A type of journalism where average citizens collect and report information.
D) A way to integrate journalism into the democratic process.
13. What is sensor journalism?
A) Changing or censoring profanity used by sources in order get picked up by a wire
service.
B) A form of journalism that relies on information gathered from sensors.
C) The type of journalism that is used in communities without a daily newspaper.
D) A form of journalism that is never printed due to undue influence from outside
Sources.
14. Journalists whose main purpose is gathering information and news about current
events in the economic life of the country are known as:
A) Business journalists
B) Commerce journalists
C) Wall Street Journal reporters
D) Muckraking journalists
15. News as a product has two important economic features. One feature is that it is
"non-excludable" meaning:
A) Successful news reporting is built around exclusive interviews with prominent
media
B) Once the news is reported, anyone else can use it, including competitors reporting
their version of your news
C) No one can be excluded from the news
D) Once the news is reported, it is copyrighted and no one else can cover that story
16. How many sentences are in most lede paragraphs?
A) Four or five
B) One or two
C) Five or six
D) Three or four
17. What is media bias?
A) A bias against media outlets, including reporters and editors.
B) The bias of journalists in mass media.
C) A neutral way of looking at print media.
D) Two journalists reporting opposing biased opinions in print or broadcast media.
18. Which of the following comparisons is correct?
A) Tomorrow we will be participating in activities such as volleyball.
B) She has a watch that looks like mine.
C) The father took time off of work to relax, like reading, watching television, and
cooking.
D) Yesterday we had the same lunch, like an apple, salad, and cookie.
19. According to the AP Style Guide, the following rules for "last" are correct, EXCEPT:
A) When avoiding the use of last as a synonym for latest, the correct form should be as follows: The latest announcement was at noon.
B) It is appropriate to use last as a synonym for latest when there has not been an
event to follow. Example: The last time it rained, I forgot my umbrella.
C) The word last is necessary to convey the notion of most recent when the name of a month is used. Example: It happened last April.
D) Avoid the use of last as a synonym for latest. Example: The last announcement
was made at noon.
20. The phrase "If it bleeds; it leads" means what?
A) Medical stories come first in a newscast.
B) Stories about blood drives always come first.
C) Stories about public service officials always top the newscast.
D) Stories about serious crimes or accidents top the newscast.
21. Which state abbreviation is incorrect according to AP Style?
A) MA.
B) N.Y.
C) Calif.
D) Utah.
22. Which of the following is NOT a type of headline?
A) Super Lead
B) Teaser
C) Basic
D) Feature Summary
23. When writing a story that effects the entire New England area, which states can the
story refer to?
A) New York, Boston, Delaware, Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island.
B) Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
C) Pennsylvania, Virginia, Rhode Island, Maryland, Delaware, and New York.
D) Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
24. Which is the best lede for a story about a local charity event?
A) On Tuesday, the community gathered together to help raise money for Charity
Event.
B) $5,000. That is how much Charity Event raised this year to help sick children and
their parents afford care to help them get well.
C) For a brief moment, Juno Lance stood at the top of the slide. "Here I come!" she said before conquering the slide for the first time in her life. The moment wouldn't have happened without Charity, which held its annual event Tuesday at Local Place.
D) On Tuesday, $5,000 was raised for sick children supported by Charity Event.
25. What does it mean to be objective?
A) Use personal pronouns in a story.
B) Reporting with a goal or aim in mind.
C) Include an opinion in a story.
D) Just report the facts.
26. A "nutgraph" is defined how?
A) Attempts to sway the reader
B) Establishes a point of view
C) A graphic that provides a "nugget" of information
D) Tells the reader exactly what the story is about
27. The definition of hard news is?
A) News involving "the sciences" like math, economics, physics, and weather
B) News about subjects that are challenging for reporters to write about
C) News about subjects that are complex or difficult for readers to understand
D) Factual News
28. What is a spot?
A) A commercial.
B) Something on your clothes.
C) A place where you stand to deliver a stand up.
D) A place you look while delivering the news.
29. A reporter asks an interviewee, "What can you tell me about the judge's decision?"
This is an example of a(n):
A) Probing Question
B) Open Question
C) Authentic Question
D) Closed Question
30. The name of a newspaper in a banner in special, distinctive type at the top of the
front page is called a(n):
A) header
B) headline
C) mastline
D) masthead
31. Who was John Peter Zenger?
A) A journalist and publisher whose libel lawsuit established the principle that truth is a defense against libel.
B) The publisher and founder of the Penny Press model of journalism.
C) The first photojournalist to win a Pulitzer Prize.
D) The creator of the printing press.
32. A plaintiff in a libel suit involving a statement published in the mass media usually
must prove six things: (1) identification, (2) publication, (3) falsity, (4) injury, (5)
fault, and (6)
A) defamation
B) manipulation
C) slander
D) intent
33. Defamation by written words or by communication in some other tangible form is
known as:
A) slander
B) libel
C) falsity
D) yellow journalism
34. In most libel legal cases, which kind of plaintiff (injured party) does NOT have to
show such a heavy burden of proof; they only have to prove that the defendant
(journalist/media company) acted with negligence in reporting:
A) Public Figures
B) Public Officials
C) Private Individuals
D) Private Foundations
35. What do shield laws protect?
A) All sources
B) Reporter
C) Public Officials
D) Editor
36. In 1975 the FCC passed the media cross-ownership rule. This ban prohibits the
ownership of:
A) Internet service providers, radio, satellite, and cable properties in the U.S.
B) a daily newspaper and any full-power broadcast station served by the same community
C) ownership of more than three daily newspapers
D) more than one owner of a broadcast stations in multiple markets
37. There is a major controversy in town over whether an apartment building should be
built on an old park. The group who wants to revitalize the park calls you to tell you
about how they are working with a national organization to help bolster their case.
Which sources should you call to flesh out your story?
A) Government officials involved in the zoning decision.
B) The national organization, government officials involved in the decision, and the group that wants the apartment building.
C) Government officials and local citizens impacted by the proposed building to get their opinion.
D) The national organization.
38. Which two newspapers were involved in the ethical and legal dilemma known as
"The Pentagon Papers":
A) The New York Post and Washington Post
B) The Washington Post and New York Times
C) CNN and CSPAN
D) The Wall Street Journal and New York Times
39. The most common areas of study for journalism are:
A) Broadcast, print, and public relations
B) Photojournalism, broadcast, online journalism
C) Online journalism, print, and public relations
D) Broadcast, Photojournalism, and print
40. Congratulations on becoming the movie reviewer! To prepare for your first review,
you should:
A) Make sure you have enough pens and paper to take good notes.
B) Call the movie theater and let them know that you are coming.
C) Record clips of the movie with your phone to ensure accuracy in quoting the
movie's main lines.
D) Send a note to the movie's studio to ask if you can speak with someone for quotes after you watch the movie.
41. An underwriter's job description is best described as:
A) gathering information to further develop a story that is newsworthy for all
citizens.
B) shadowing a prominent figure to write their life's story.
C) gathering sources to check facts on previously gathered information.
D) interviewing a person or representative of an organization to tell a unique story.
42. Which editor has the lowest rank in the newsroom?
A) Copy editor.
B) Assistant night editor.
C) Managing editor.
D) City editor.
43. On average, which career in journalism would earn the highest salary:
A) Journalists in radio and television broadcasting
B) Journalists in newspaper, magazine and print publishers
C) Freelancers
D) Writers in the motion picture and video industries
44. Historically, managers at a newspaper would consider raising subscription prices if
any of the following costs increased substantially EXCEPT:
A) Distribution and circulation department personnel costs increases
B) Packaging
C) Cost of printing
D) Loss of advertisers
45. The primary expense components factored into subscription and single-copy sales
prices are all of the following EXCEPT:
A) Packing (like inserting and bundling)
B) Editing
C) Cost of printing (like pre-press work)
D) Distribution and Circulation
46. An example of an above-the-line media expense is:
A) Wardrobe
B) Make-Up
C) Graphics
D) Script
47. Which category of speech is NOT protected by the First Amendment?
A) Obscenity.
B) Indecent speech online.
C) Nudity.
D) Curse words.
48. Who was the editor of the first United States newspaper, Publick Occurrences Both
Forreign and Domestick?
A) John Peter Zenger
B) Benjamin Franklin
C) Benjamin Harris
D) Frederick Douglass
49. You and a photographer go to a lake to cover an accident. Unfortunately, the mayor
drowned. The photographer takes a picture of the person on a stretcher. Should the
photograph be printed?
A) Maybe. It depends on both the shock value and news value of the photograph.
B) Maybe. It depends on if the mayor's next of kin allowed release of the photo.
C) No. It a picture of the mayor and it would be inappropriate to put them in the
newspaper.
D) Yes. It was taken during a news event and it illustrates what happened.
50. What was the name of the first African-American newspaper in the United States?
A) Big Red News.
B) The North Star.
C) Freedom's Journal.
D) Chicago Defender.
51. What is Janet Cooke known for in journalism circles?
A) Both of these stories
B) Fabricated stories she wrote for the Washington Post
C) Returning the Pulitzer Prize that she won.
D) Neither of these stories
52. Which award administered by the Radio Television Digital News Association
recognizes outstanding achievements in electronic journalism?
A) Pulitzer Prize
B) Edward R. Murrow Awards
C) Oscar Award
D) Tony Award