Inc Issue 3

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A publication of the Ohio University Society of Professional Journalists

Meeting Tuesday, 5:00 SCRIPPS 111

Healthcare Discussion

Shield Law Bill Awaits Its Fate The Free Flow of Information Act remains within Congress, as many journalists lobby for its passage.

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story Rachel Swalin l

art Rohan Kusre l

The future remains uncertain for the outcome of the current media shield law bill within the ranks of Congress. The bill, known formally as the Free Flow of Information Act, has been stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee for some time now. The Obama administration has recently sent proposals to the bill, however, that some say would weaken its current protections for journalists. The Free Flow of Information Act would offer significant protection to journalists against being forced to reveal their confidential sources and materials by federal subpoena in court. If passed, it would be the first federal shield bill of its kind in the country. While 49 states have some type of shield law either through statute or common law, the extent of protection differs across the country. The desire for a strong media shield bill has grown out of the number of cases where reporters have been forced to reveal their sources. The bill’s first form of legislation was proposed back in 2005 and now has spanned four years in the making. It met with some success in 2007. It was passed by the House on Oct. 16, 2007. The measure later died within the Senate, only to be re-born again in 2009. The current House bill (H.R. 985) has now passed for the second time, and the Senate version (S. 448) has been awaiting decision. Some critics of the bill claim it would extend too many privileges to journalists. Tom Hodson, Director and Associate Professor of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, thinks otherwise. He has had experience dealing with media law in Ohio as both a judge and practicing attorney, and he has represented several media outlets. “Anytime you can enhance the watchdog function of journalism, it helps the general public to obtain information they might not get otherwise,” Hodson said. “The public benefits more when journalists are allowed to do their job without fear of going to prison for source violation.” With the administration’s new revisions, it is unclear what will happen next Healthcare News with the legislation. The administration has voiced opposition Internship Info to a bill that would protect journalists How to Keep a Blog from revealing sources dealing with matters of national Print: Alive and Well security. Their new

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proposals to the bill are considered by many media organizations as detrimental to the legislation’s current protections. According to Hodson, there are many problems still left to be resolved. “The actual nature of the bill is far from set in stone,” he said. “There are many different issues still out there for definition and resolution. It’s hard to predict what exactly the bill will be like.” The Free Flow of Information Act is supported by more than 70 media organizations across the country, including the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Newspaper Association

of America. One of the largest media coalitions behind the bill is the Society of Professional Journalists with more than 10,000 members. The organization has been behind the bill since the beginning, traveling regularly to capital hill to lobby for the bill. Its members have also raised $30,000 to support a campaign for the passage of the legislation. “We [SPJ] are not very happy to say the least with the [Obama] administration’s decision,” said Kevin Smith, national chapter SPJ President. “With the new administration, we were hoping to finally get somewhere with the legislation. Their decision is very unfortunate.” Smith recently sent out a press release condemning the Obama administration’s changes to the bill. He is also urging SPJ members and other journalists to voice their support for the bill by contacting the White House directly. “If the President could receive at least 1,000 letters from our members in support of the bill, it would really help him to stand up and take attention,” Smith said. Hodson also believes a federal shield bill to be extremely vital. “If you look at the states who have shield laws, they have worked very well for some time now,” Hodson said. “It’s about time that the federal government catches up.” n

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A publication of the Ohio University Society of Professional Journalists

SCRIPPS NEWS

The Great Healthcare Debate: A Closer Look With the Obama administration making waves in the political realm, the media continue to report on the issue. What effect will the coverage have on viewer opinion and the ultimate result of the healthcare bill?

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story Cameron Glover l

art Rohan Kusre l

additional reporting Caitlin Ash

Healthcare: The word is everywhere. Whether one knows exactly what it means or not, there is no avoiding it. From newspapers to magazines and television to the Internet, practically every media source has been reporting some coverage of the Obama Administration’s healthcare plans and debates. But is there such a thing as too much coverage? Better yet, can the amount of coverage affect a person’s opinion about it? The Society of Professional Journalists will be discussing these questions and more in their next meeting tonight at 5 p.m. in Scripps 111. Kevin Zieber and Gina Edwards, both programming directors for SPJ, will lead a forum focusing on the way that the media is portraying healthcare, whether there is a bias in the media coverage and what the resulting coverage is doing to the image and reputation of the media and journalists. Zieber and Edwards will give a brief background on media “buzzwords” and show several video clips portraying examples of fair and poor coverage. “It is a huge issue about which few people seem to have even the most basic understanding,” Zieber said. He suggests that a possible problem for reporting on the issue, and others like it, can arise when a journalist forgets or ignores his or her ethical boundaries. “We also need to look in the mirror as journalists and ask ourselves what our role is and what pitfalls being a media star can lead us into.” In a study conducted in Summer 2009 by the Media Research Center’s Business & Media Institute, results showed that broadcast coverage of Obama’s healthcare plan heavily tilted in favor of the liberal point of view. Among the findings, the BMI discovered that 70 percent of the sound bites from three major stations were in favor of Obama’s plan. They also found the news stations were exaggerating the number of uninsured Americans by almost 40 million people. The BMI also reported that when the healthcare plan suffers any type of setback, the news stations barely reported on the story. On July 17, after having passed an estimated $554 billion tax increase to help pay for the health plans, NBC devoted 12 seconds of its four hour newscast to report the tax increase.

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This media coverage is calling into question the morals of television stations, newspapers and other media outlets because of biased reporting. Because the media is playing such a vital role in the debate, answering these questions is necessary when discussing the topic. Even unlikely sources are getting involved in the media debate over healthcare. On Sept. 26, Saturday Night Live, a late night entertainment and comedy program performed a parody of President Obama, criticizing his healthcare media blitz to almost every television station. The parody included Obama doing interviews with ESPN, The CW and the Food Network. The show also made a point to show that Obama would not be doing interviews with the traditionally conservative news network, Fox News. From David Letterman to CNN, Obama is using the media to put the word out about his healthcare reforms in new ways. However, polls show that the overexposure of healthcare news from the summer through the fall has worn out viewers and readers and has begun to turn off their support of the bill. Professor Kevin Grieves of broadcast journalism and international media and former writer and producer for CNN says that the type of media coverage of healthcare applies to many political and social issues. “Broadcast journalism can give voice to a wide cross-section of people in our society, and that’s important with an issue as this one,” he said in an e-mail. “On the other hand, there are those who criticize broadcast journalists for focusing too much on the back-and-forth between prominent political figures and not enough on substantive issues related to healthcare reform.” According to a summary of findings published by The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, healthcare remains at the top of the news agenda for nearly half of the 1,003 adults surveyed between Aug. 14 and 17, which was an increase from the previous months’. As the debate continues, journalists and media personalities proceed to provide all sorts of coverage. Just be careful to notice fact from fiction. n Left Images: SPJ Members paint the wall behind Bentley Hall on Oct. 12.

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INTERNSHIP

NEWS

Florida Paper Offers Internships in the Sun Florida Times-Union gives student journalists the chance to enjoy the warm weather and gain great experience. listings Sarah Grothjan story Megan McFadden art Rohan Kusre

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The summer months create ample time for aspiring journalistic students to build their resumes, so why not enjoy an internship in the sun? The Florida Times-Union is giving students an opportunity to be a part of their staff in sunny Jacksonville, Fla. The newspaper has won numerous awards for its writing, design, graphics, photography and Internet operations, including 40 national, regional, and statewide awards against other Florida papers. In an effort to involve students, the Times-Union holds an annual internship for students who hope to work full time during the summer. The Times-Union offers a choice of positions for internships in copy editing/design, graphics, photography, and reporting. The internship program is conducted throughout the summer and interns may expect to be employed for approximately 12 weeks. The specific dates of employment will be negotiated. The program welcomes students with all majors, but journalism majors are highly preferred. Salaries range from $375 to $500 depending on the student’s grade level. Students will gain enriching experience, as they will have an assortment of assignments and tasks as staff members. Editors will hold regular meetings to address progress or any difficulties. The program

assures interns that the Times-Union will make every effort to distribute assignments that best match interns’ interests. Internships are open to all college students, but preference will be given to those individuals who have previous experience with daily newspapers. Selection of the interns for the staff will also favor those who have demonstrated interest in a career in print journalism. Applications must be received by Dec. 1 and the selected interns will be notified by Feb. 1. The Times-Union requires students’ applications to include a cover letter and résumé. Applications should consist of the student’s grade point average, a summary of prior journalism experience, and samples of past work. Two or more references are required, specifically one from within the academic community. Interns are required to have their own vehicle and are reminded that the TimesUnion is a drug free workplace. Interested students should send applications to Coulter Kirkpatrick Newsroom Office Manager (street delivery: One Riverside Avenue, 32202) PO Box 1949 Jacksonville, FL 32231. Further questions should be emailed to Coulter Kirkpatrick at coulter.kirkpatrick@jacksonville. com. To learn more about the Florida Times-Union, visit http://www. jacksonville.com/. n

What

When

Where

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Full-time Internship

Winter and Spring 2010 (January-May)

Washinton D.C.

YES! Magazine

Education Internship

January 2010

Sports Journalism

Online Internship

2009-2010

Internship

June 2010

INTERNSHIPS

Who

Program by DAAD and Freie Universität Berlin.

Why

How

Bainbridge Island

Free housing and temporary/ partial health insurance.

http://www. yesmagazine. org/default.

Online (no travel)

Chance to work Contact Stephen alongside major Heisler at (832) teams of all 445-9983 for levels. more info.

Berlin, Germany

Possible academic credit, Send clips and $500 monthly resume to offices. stipend

Chance to travel and gain deeper understanding of geopolitics.

Contact Dr. Roxanne Male’Brune at (740) 597-1227.

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A publication of the Ohio University Society of Professional Journalists

COMMENTARY

NEWS

How to: Make Your Blog Shine

The online blog community is practically infinite---but that doesn’t mean that yours can’t stand out.. story Katrin McCoy art Rohan Kusre l

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With proclamations that print is dead, many journalists have one eye firmly fixed on the Internet for the future of media. While more consumers use online newsletters and magazines, the popularity of blogging has simply exploded over the past years. Many journalists keep a personal blog in order to gain a devoted audience, collect more clips or simply write what’s on their mind. Making a blog is the easy part, however; maintaining one is another story. So how does one create, update and keep a successful blog? Every journalist is unique in his or her technique, but a few simple tricks will help keep any writer on the right track. •Focus on one topic and stick with it: This is a common mistake for many would-be bloggers. They can’t decide on one genre for writing. Instead of creating a fashion blog or a food journal, they try to discuss politics, fashion, music and food. While having diverse interests is good, trying to juggle various topics makes one feel overwhelmed and distracted. The audience wants to read concise, clear-minded journalism, not random ramblings. •Pick a short, descriptive and unique name: There are lots and lots of blogs out there. If you want your blog to be memorable, then give it a memorable name. Something generic like “Bob’s Blog on Life” is not going to cut it. It’s a good idea to keep it short, no more than one or two

“PRSSA will help enhance your knowledge of public relations and provide access to professional development opportunities. It’s a great chance to network with professionals, and it’s open to all majors!” -Ali Myers, PRSSA president

“RTNDA is the largest broadcast journalism society in the U.S. and is an excellent networking opportunity for students interested in a career in broadcasting. They can get advice and make connections with media professionals from across the U.S. that they can’t get from any other organization on campus. We meet to discuss topics ranging from coverage of large events to hyperlocal broadcasting and to complete workshops related to different aspects of the business.” -Pat Henderson, RTNDA president

words, so that people don’t have to remember a long URL when sharing your blog with friends. Also, connecting the title to the blog’s topic is advisable. A name that does all three of these things would be something like “Veg Talk,” a blog about vegetarian food and lifestyle. •Update daily, or as often as possible: Let’s say you’ve picked an interesting topic and your name is clever and memorable. Neither of those matter if you can’t devote time to your blog. Media on the internet are not like print journalism. People are in a hurry when they’re online, and they don’t have the patience or the time to wait for your blog to update after two weeks. They will simply find a new blog to follow. If you don’t have the time to update daily, then every other day is still a good option. It’s also important to remember that your entries don’t have to be editorial in length -- 500 word articles are perfectly sufficient. Worry more about the quality of your writing and frequently updating your blog than posting long, opinionated articles. •Advertise: Send the URL to friends and family via e-mail or Facebook. Post on other blogs, whether the genres are similar or not, and ask for feedback on your own. Make sure your blog shows up on the web host’s search engine. Be persistent. If you follow these four tricks, your blog will find its niche and success in the expanse of the Internet. Good luck and happy blogging. n “Students should join the Black Student Communication Caucus because it is a fun and professional organization opened to people of all major and backgrounds... The small size of BSCC gives students the opportunity to take a more active role in the organization and makes moving up to a leadership role within the organization more feasible than with many of the larger communications organizations.” -Don Jason, BSCC president

BSCC

“The Association for Women in Communication is a small, close knit organization on campus that champions the advancement of women across all communication disciplines. You should come check out AWC Tuesdays at 7:00 in Scripps 111, weekly meeting topics include the job and internship search, career fair preparation, and self defense workshops!” -Emily Stowe, AWC president

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MISCELLANEOUS

A publication of the Ohio University Society of Professional Journalists

NEWS

Print Is Alive and Well Columnist Rebecca McKinsey discusses her theory that print gives readers what other types of media can’t. story Rebecca McKinsey l

art Rohan Kusre l

The responses I received when I said I planned on going into print journalism were mixed at best. “With TV and online news becoming so popular,” I was asked, “how are you ever going to find a job?” Despite the seed of uncertainty that began to unfurl, I stuck with my dream and continued to plan a path through college that would give me a degree geared toward working with newspapers and books. As I did so, I began to realize that the naysayers I had encountered were wrong. In his book, “Media Unlimited,” Todd Gitlin comments, “It is clear that the media flow into the home – not to mention outside – has swelled into a torrent of immense force and constancy.” The bombardment of media that surrounds us each day is evident in the 30-second broadcasts, the headlines that roll across a screen and the online stories that cycle in and out every few seconds. This flow of news comes at us so quickly we don't know where to turn or who to look to for answers. The past years have seen many advancements in the way news can be shared. Radio and television, as well as the Internet's many offerings – news sites, blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter – all boast one characteristic in common: They can get news to the public quickly, without an overnight lapse. A strange phenomenon has begun to show itself, however; as the sheer manners in which news can be shared multiply and become more prevalent, print media become all the more important. A breaking story on TV is certainly useful, because it gives viewers news as soon as something happens. When a fire takes down an apartment complex or a new president is elected, we don't have to wait until morning to hear about it – our TV, radio or computer will tell us right away. But there is value in the newspaper that comes to our doorstep the next morning. The front-page story recounting the same news that was featured on TV the day before offers something the 30-second broadcast clip could not. It offers more extensive research, analysis and interviewing than the breaking TV showing could. It offers the chance to sit back, to reflect, to reheat a cup of coffee, and then to return and reread the story. It offers the reader the opportunity to clip out an article to be passed on or pressed between the pages of a journal or Bible.

In a similar sense, the same can be said about magazines. Certainly the number of online magazines is growing, and this medium is becoming a popular venue for sharing common interests. But this does not mean that the print magazines that show up in your mailbox once a month are becoming extinct. The people who would take the time to clip out a magazine article to keep or pass on – they are the same people who bother to subscribe to the magazine in the first place. Whether their interest lies in fishing, knitting or making money, these people still want a tangible tribute to that interest. As such, the audience for print magazines is in no way dying out to the ever-growing arsenal of electronic options. Indeed, the danger that comes along with the existence of so many forms of media is that the public is being blasted with too much electronic information at once. As Gitlin says, “On the ever-multiplying screens that populate our lives there is endless motion within the frame where once there was stillness.” This media flow, which Gitlin describes as “staggeringly rapid,” at times can become too much to process. Within this confusion lies the comforting familiarity of print media. With a newspaper in hand, a person whose head is spinning from the sheer amount of electronic information he has attempted to process that day can read, absorb and understand. As technology continues to change and the ways in which news can be shared become more – more processed, more widespread, more rapid – print journalism will remain a constant. Newspapers and magazines will continue to be a way to make sense of the useful yet mind-boggling flow of information that reaches the public electronically each day. Online, radio and television news allow the public to become informed about an event as soon as it happens, and as such are decidedly important tools; however, print media offer something that lasts much longer. I believe that as electronic media become ever more numerous, speedy, impressive and frightening, print journalism will continue to have an important place in our media culture. At the end of the day – a day filled with breaking news stories on TV and rapidly cycling articles online – printed media will remain the place to which we go for answers. n

“ “ The front-page story recounting the same news that was featureed on TV the day before offers something the 30-second broadcast clip could not.