COMM 315 Exam 2

All-purpose Public Figure

In libel law, a person who occupies a position of such persuasive power and influence as to be deemed a public figure for all purposes. Public figure libel plaintiffs are required to prove actual malice.

Reporter Congressman

1) Camp David is the presidential retreat in Maryland where the president of the United States can go to escape the White House. 2)A journalist from Detroit wanted to go and cover a signing of a document by the members of Congress at Camp David. -Unfortunately, he didn't get his clearance to cover the story by the press. So he faked being the congressman from Michigan who wasn't going to the signing and snuck on the bus taking all of them there to Camp David

Mike Gallagher of the Cincinnati Enquirer, "Chiquita Secrets Revealed"

". . .Chiquita - alone among America's giant banana companies - has waged an international five-year campaign to overturn the EU's banana trade restrictions. The restrictions are a complex system of tariffs and quotas that place limits on how many Central American bananes can be brought into Western Europe. The reason for the campaign is simple: The amount of profit that Chiquita realizes for its bananas is greater in Europe than anywhere else in the world. And Chiquita dominates the European market. . ." - excerpt from article

Consumer Reports Model

-A few niche magazines that depend entirely on the subscriptions paid by their readers. The reputation of Consumer Reports' product evaluations, for example, is built around the magazine's policy of accepting no advertising. -Since there are no advertisers, readers can assume that what the magazine publishes is its won best judgement about the products.

Case Study Chapter 12: Verifying a Key Boston Video

-A runner in the Boston marathon bombing caught the bombings on her phone via video. -The video needed to be verified through its source before it could be used on other platforms. -In summary, all of the information supporting the veracity of this video was available online via free tools - location information, corroborating accounts of the event, the uploader's digital history, and the owner's contact details. Familiarity with these tools allowed us to verify the video in around 10 minutes.

Case Study Chapter 10: A Love Triangle on the Evening News

-At 4 p.m. on June 8, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued a terse statement announcing that he and his wife, Corina, were separating after 20 years of marriage. -Two hours later, Telemundo television anchor Mirthala Salinas delivered the story to her Spanish-language viewers on the Friday evening news. -She did not state in the newscast that she was the other woman. -The issue was that the reporters were allowed to 'sleep with the elephants as long as they were not covering the circus.'

Case Study Chapter 5: Roughed Up at Recess

-Bob Segall investigated with a hidden camera filming kids on a playground because there were complaints coming from parents stating that their children were being bullied. -He found that the physical violence complained about was in fact true and the station aired his findings in a special sweeps story -Halfway through the airing, the news company got many complaint calls saying they should not have intervened. -They underestimated the importance of informing their audience about what he had done to intervene, but his work ultimately helped the schools patrol and decrease the violence on the playground. -Some viewers didn't even care, because they were mad about being left in the dark. -They commented that in retrospect he wished he had given more thought to what their protocol would be if the station witnessed the playground abuse and "didn't know they would catch something so awful on camera" Ex. 7 year old was getting beat up by a bunch of 10/11 year olds and it resulted in the kid getting severely hurt and he didn't stop recording.

Point of View: Declaring What You Won't Report (Chp. 12)

-During real-time news events, quality sources of information are sometimes characterized by what they aren't reporting. They are the ones holding back while others rush ahead. The ones sticking to a verification process and not being swayed by speculation or a desire for traffic and attention.

Times v. Sullivan (1964)

-Fault originated with this case -Sullivan was the police commissioner in Montgomery, AL The setting was the Civil Rights Era -A group of Civil Rights ministers went to the Washington Times and bought an ad to post about the movement -"Heed Their Rising Voices" was the title of the ad -They said that the voices in the courts needed to be heeded for change to happen -Sullivan believes that he is being attacked as a public official because he has not done anything to heed the process of inclusion -The case went into the lower courts and Sullivan won in both of the cases but then the Supreme Court got the case and they voted for the Washington Times This is because they thought that it was time for Libel to be questioned They believed that you needed to prove that there was actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth -The Supreme Court made it much harder for public officials to win a libel suit with this case -The court wanted to make the news media feel more comfortable with investigating and writing about public officials As a result, they believed that democracy would work better -An issue with this though is that it only applied to public officials

Case Study Chapter 11: Tangoing without a Partner

-Having journalists discuss ethics and standards without the participation of business executives is like tangoing without a partner. No matter how expert, not matter how serious, half of the act is missing. -We need codes. We need standards. But above all we need a sober assessment of our obligation to supply the news and enough of it to ensure that our readers can be knowing participants in our democracies.

Case Study Chapter 12: A Story of Rape at Mr. Jefferson's University

-In 2012, a student by the name of Jackie was gang-raped by a group of fraternity brothers at UVA. -She went on to tell her story to a reporter and left the whole entire campus in an outrage when the report came out, claiming that UVA's student body and faculty practices keeping the rape allegations hush-hush. -The issue however was that none of the witnesses or the three people who Jackie called after the rape were interviewed, hereby making her story seem fabricated because there was only one source. -They went on to do more research and found out that there was no date function, no pledges, and no lifeguard at the aquatic and fitness center in that fraternity at the time of her alleged attack. -As a result, Rolling Stone had to apologize for its story and the falsified statements. But then Jackie's suite mate released a statement saying that Jackie's story, "is not a hoax, a lie or a scheme," Clark asserted.

Point of View: Journalists are Humans Too (Chp. 4)

-Journalists are taught to avoid conflicts of interest, and we try to learn how to observe a situation like a fly on the wall. -However, sometimes you have to get involved for the greater good.

Cast Study Chapter 11: Sharing Ad Profits, Creating a Crisis

-Los Angeles Times- published a 164 page special issue of its Sunday magazine . -Staples Center is the home of the Lakers and Clippers -Two weeks later, the Times news staff discovered that they shared the magazines advertising profit with the staples center. -Created a large conflict-of-interest problem for the reporters and editors who worked on the section, because to the public it looked like they were giving all the magazine space to a business partner. -The times broke the news of the deal and 300 times staff members signed petitions in protest, Editor Michael Parks was hesitant but let an internal investigation take place that would result in a detailed report for the readers a 14 page report. This example shows how an ethical dispute can undermine a news organizations entire reputation. -They also released a "to our readers" publication with a new set of ethical principles the times will follow from now on. -Eventually all main figures left the company and it was bought out by the Tribune Company of Chicago

Case Study Chapter 12: The Football Star's Fictitious Girlfriend

-Manti Te'o played football at Notre Dame in 2012 and got catfished by a 22 year old girl who allegedly went to Stanford, got into a car accident, got leukemia, and then died -It all turned out to be fake and the point here is to make sure that you really look into your story and the reliability of your facts before you write it.w

Case Study Chapter 16: Spying on the Mayor in a Chat Room

-Mayor Jim West (R) was caught in a scandal regarding him interacting with young, gay and bisexual boys online and completely dismantled his platform against same sex marriage. -The newspaper hired an FBI agent to act as though they were online chatting with the Mayor in order to catch him because they couldn't just publish their original story from the 18 year old boy who went on a date with him from the website Gay.com

Case Study Chapter 19: The Falling Man, World Trade Center, 2001

-On the morning of September 11, 2001, press photographer Richard Drew was taking pictures at a fashion show when he was instructed to hurry to the world trade center -When he got there and saw ambulances and people jumping out of the towers to escape the flames, he started taking photos. -He sent these photographs to the media around the world, and people quickly were complaining about the disrespect of posting it and the horror it brought. -Reflecting on his experience after the backlash, Drew said that it was not just a building falling down, but there were people involved in this. He captured a part of these people's lives, not just that person's death.

Case Study Chapter 10: Covering Police, Wearing Their Uniform

-One evening in 1999, television reporter Caroline Lowe was speaking before a group of police trainees when on asked her what educational credentials she had to qualify her to speak about criminal justice. "He was glaring at me," she said. -She went on to attend Metropolitan State University's School of Law Enforcement and earned a degree in criminal justice because even though she had 20 years of experience, she had no formal training to back her up. As the outstanding student of her class, she mad e a speech at commencement exercises. -She also became a certified officer. -Her dual role stirred controversy in the Twin Cities journalism community in 2003. Some argued that walking the beat "acting as a cop" was a conflict of interest. Others maintained that she had proved her independence through her reporting, which includes reporting on corrupt police officers. -After walking the beat in 2003, Lowe returned to the fairgrounds for police stints in each of the next seven years. "Having the education, training, and experience have helped me ask better questions of the subjects ... I encounter on the criminal justice beat," she said.

Shopper Model

-People find their mailboxes stuffed with magazines that contain feature stories as well as a disproportionate volume of advertising. These are so-called "shoppers." -Although the stories purport to give consumer advice, they are uniformly uncritical - or, to be more accurate, gushing in their enthusiasm 0 about the businesses that have bought ads. The stories are advertisements in a news-story format. -You take them on their own terms, you assume a "buyer beware" attitude. -You are not fooled into thinking that the stories can be trusted as an independent evaluation of merchandise and services.

Deception in Journalism

-Plagiarism, distorted visuals, staging the news, fabrication -Deception is the way to the TRUTH -Posing, hidden microphones, hidden cameras -Disguises

FCC v. Red Lion

-Religious radio station based in Red Lion, Pennsylvania -The speaker was Billy Hargis who would be very 'aggressive' during his sermon -One of his main messages was about Communism because he believed it was a godless philosophy -He made a number of comments about an author (Cook) /book -According to Hargis he believed that the book tour down the police department making it easier for Communism to flourish -The author stated that he wanted a chance to respond because it wasn't true -The supreme court took up the case:Was the fairness doctrine an attack on freedom of press/speech? -FCC's position was that you have a license to be fair and in the name of fairness, if you attack someone then they should have the chance to respond -The court voted for the FCC/Cook and they had to broadcast it -Similar to compelled speech

Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc. v. Connaughton

-Reporter published story saying a judge running for office blackmailed his opponents -Reporter used unreliable sources, refused to listen to contradictions in the story, failed to interview judge, refused to listen to judge's claim that he didn't blackmail anyone -Supreme Court ruled reporter acted with reckless disregard (Proved NYT ACTUAL MALICE) -CONNAUGHTON WON

Case Study Chapter 16: Rumfeld's Q&A with the Troops

-Secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld visited Iraq and Kuwait in 2004 -Question that made worldwide news: why do soldiers have to dig through local landfills for makeshift armor for their humvees? -Rumsfeld's response: the army was trying to upgrade the armor on its vehicles in Iraq, and the delay was not a matter of money or intent, but production limitations -Rumsfeld made many condescending comments and the public pointed out that he had many months to prepare for Iraq -Rumors then emerged saying that Edward Lee Pitts was a reporter living with the troops who staged the question for Rumsfeld to answer -This was discovered through leaked emails -Bush stepped up and commented that the questions raised were addressing the military's lack of armor for its vehicles and did not blame the soldier who asked the question -The soldier who asked Pitt's question could have turned him down, but wanted to ask anyway -Most news media, the president, and ethic experts supported the reporter Pitts for asking this question -Everyone agreed that the soldiers were not deceived into asking the question, they knew what was going on and wanted answers

Statute of limitations and other defenses used by media in libel cases:

-Social media insurance to protect media against libel suits. -To win a libel suit there has to be actual malice, knowledge of falsity, reckless disregard for truth, negligence. -Private person only has to prove negligence. -Public officials, public figures have to prove actual malice.

Distinctive characteristics of investigative reporting: "journalism of outrage"

-Special kind of journalism -The people you are writing about DO NOT want you writing about them -Takes a long time -Very expensive ^ Libel is a major issue within this profession. ^ Deep substantial people are needed for the profession

Case Study Chapter 12: Richard Jewell - He Really Was a Hero

-Summer Olympics were going on in Atlanta in 1996 -It was reported on by news media all over the world -Richard Jewell got a job with security during the Olympics as a security guard -At one point during the Olympics, a bomb exploded -It was instantly broadcasted around the world within minutes -Someone suffered a heart attack and hundreds were injured Jewell alerted law enforcement and told them about an unattended backpack and after the bomb exploded, he helped people immensely -He was then seen as an international hero for a couple of days -They then expected him to be the bomber a couple of days after the bombing -Headlines across the media for 3-5 days saturated the news with the idea that Jewell's was the instigator of this -The FBI and the police wanted to prove to the world that they were able to catch the person quickly who committed the crime -They rushed to judgement -"For 88 days I lived a nightmare...the government can not give me back my reputation." -Richard Jewell -He went on to sue multiple media outlets and NBC paid him $500,000 so that he wouldn't sue them -The heart of the case's issue is that they identified the suspect without even charging him

Point of View: Connecting with the Audience in a Digital Dialogue (Chp. 5)

-Taking a simple newspaper story and turning it into something and turning it into something greater online by adding visuals, audio, and Q&A's -Q&A's got a ton of feedback -People were able to help the reporter make sure they were getting the story right

Point of View: Decision-Making in the Digital Age (Chp. 12)

-The problem nowadays is that we're expected to make the right calls on the run. We used to spend some of our time working to double- or triple-check information, to verify, to research context, to scour complementary and contradictory data, to think and then to craft an accurate and coherent account. -Many journalists now spend valuable time scanning the Web and surfing cable channels to be sure they're not belated in disclosing what someone else just reported, breathlessly, using sources who identity we'll never know. -The digital age does not respect contemplation.

News reporting by Washington Post writers Anne Hull and Dana Priest on Walter Reed Army Medical Center

-They conducted an investigation that revealed horrendous neglect of wounded soldiers and marines at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. -They worked "beneath the radar". -Worked for 3 months at the medical center to gather information for the series of articles that won a pulitzer prize for public service. -They got acquainted with soldiers, marines, and family members and then revealed themselves as Post reporters. -They wanted to keep their identities private, but said their plan was to confess if any officials asked them. -They argued that their lie was legitimate, because they were telling no verbal lies and unavoidable given the situation going on at the medical center. -The post reporters were able to give their true story because their true roles were never discovered, and when the truth came out their bosses were gracious.

Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts

-Wally Butts, athletic director at University of GA, brought suit against Saturday Evening Post for publishing an article that alleged he "fixed" a game with Paul "Bear" Bryant. -Used source George Burnett who alleged he had accidentally been "patched in" to a phone conversation between the coaches. -Wally Butts sued Curtis Publishing for reckless behavior and the Supreme Court voted in favor of Butts, stating that the magazine was reckless. -The magazine was stating that the information was true -One of the factors that they voted on was, was there an urgency? -They asked the magazine if they carefully analyzed the game film to see if they could tell the plays were already known -They also lost because of the credibility of the witness (Burnette)

Case Study Chapter 10: Carrying the Torch, Stirring Controversy

-When Dick rosetta, a sportswriter for the Salt Lake tribute, was asked if he would like to carry the Olympic torch for a ceremonial quarter-mile before the 2002 Winter Games, he accepted. -"You don't turn down carrying the torch for the Olympics. I don't care who you work for." -Rosetta's editor at eh Tribune, James E. Shelledy, did care. He gave Rosetta the option of either covering the games - he was scheduled to cover figure skating - or carrying the torch. -"Our ethical guidelines sate if you are directly involved in reporting or editing a news story, you cant' be part of that event," Shelledy told The Associated Press. -Rosetta, who was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, said he weight the consequences of his decision. But in the end, he said he looked at all those people carrying the torch, holding it high ... people who battled leukemia, people dying of cancer, the guy who coached the soccer team for 40 years, the World Trade Center survivors, and I said, "Hey, maybe I do fit," and I'll carry it with pride.

Conflict of interest involving Robert Vickers, a political writer who worked for a news organization in Pennsylvania

-When Robert decided if he would vote for Obama or Mitt Romney, he decided to explain his decision to the readers of "The Patriot News" magazine. -In an op-ed column published the Friday before the election, he explained he is neither a democrat or a republican, but a catharsis. -And from this viewpoint told the public who he preferred/who he was voting for -This made his publishers wary to post the article, but he went public with his choice -This decision made a radical move towards being transparent and opinionated -But, the ethics codes of most news organizations continue to instruct journalists to keep their opinions to themselves -This perception: Apparent conflict of interest. By revealing whom a reporter favors, the writer could appear to be vested in the outcome -In the eyes of the public, this leads to suspicions of bias and cynicism

Cleveland Plain Dealer's reporting on problems at Lima State Hospital

-When reports of brutality began to appear in local pa pers, The Cleveland Plain Dealer sent two reporters, Richard Widman and Edward Whelan, and a photographer, William Wynne, to Lima. Their articles and photographs ran on the paper's front page for weeks. -This triggered a series of in vestigations, culminating in the grand jury that made the charges against the 31 this week. -Dr. Gayer said some im provements had been made since the investigations began. The number of authorized staff members has increased, he said, and some patients have been removed from the hos pital, while care services are being reorganized and outside part‐time consulting psychi atrists brought in. Some wards have been painted and 126 toilets put in cells previously without them.

Checkbook Journalism (Ethical Issues)

-reporters should not pay sources -paying for stories→ sources encourages to deceive or sensationalize story in order to get more money

Desnick Eye Centers v. ABC

1) Desnick operated a number of clinics in the midwest 2) He was doing roughly 10,000 cataract surgeries throughout the 40 clinics that he had open 3) He would gather people from old folk homes and try to make it seem as though they needed surgery that day even when they didn't have cataracts 4) A reporter wanted to gather information on how they were identifying people with or without poor eyesight 5) Dr. Desnick sued the reporters for being in his clinic with premeditated agenda 6) Doctor patient relationship could be ruined by an invasion of privacy The courts voted for the media because the doctor patient relationship was created for the patient.

Dietemann v. Time Inc. (1971)

1) Dr. Dietemann was a fake doctor 2) Television reporters got word that he was giving out false diagnosis 3) The reporters went undercover as a patient and the spouse for a woman's lump on her breast -He was practicing medicine inside of his home 4) He ended up getting to trouble for practicing without a proper license but he didn't get in trouble for the invasion of privacy case and he won it -Right to privacy

IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors)

1) IRE was set up in 1975 and one of the telling moments was when there was a journalist named John Bowls in Arizona who was looking into some crimes and he ended up getting murdered - A number of journalists around the country flew out to Arizona after his death to continue to investigate the story 2) SPJ put together a deception checklist to help the IRE

Examples of deception in the media:

1) Katrina: reporters reported sharks in the water, infants body in garbage can, roving rapists-all false. 2) NBC fake car crash: staged it to make the GMC truck blow up even though it was actually a safe vehicle. 3) OJ Simpson photo distortion: Newsweek's headline was "A Trail of Blood" and TIME's headline was about an american tragedy TIME magazine made an artsy edit/beard to the mugshot and Newsweek ran the photo directly from the police department Some saw it as a racist move and others saw it as an art attempt. 4) Janet Cook: Young journalist who worked for the Washington Post and she was 25 years old at the time and she was African American. Her most famous story was "Jimmy's World" and it was about an 8-year old boy who was already hooked on drugs (heroine). All of the quotes were fabricated and there was no "Jimmy". They originally submitted the writing for the Pulitzer Prize and there are news stories on the winners. The Washington Post got calls after she won the awards saying that she never actually did any of those things.

Conflicts of Interest in the Media

1) Media Reporting on Themselves: -How can you be fair when you're reporting on yourself? Ex. Disney hiring pedophiles and ABC wanting to report it but they can't because Disney owns ABC 2) Advertising Pressure: -Very often, people in business will think that if you spend money on advertising then you'll get free news coverage -They find themselves to be entitled for the amount that they spent -If it's newsworthy it should be covered 3) Freebies Junkets: -It's best if the journalist pays for it Ex. Disney was celebrating an anniversary and they said that they would pay for a bunch of reporters to come and attend the event for free 4) Political Participation: -Don't identify who you are voting for through buttons or bumper stickers as a journalist -It's not good to be involved in politics if you are a journalist 5) Business Involvement: Ex. Foster Winans worked for the Wall Street Journal -He writes a column called "Word on the Street" -He knew tons of people because of Wall Street and he would be told what was going on in every corporation -A stockbroker told him that since he worked for the Wall Street Journal and he knew so much information as to what was going to be happening that he could give the stockbroker tips on what was going to happen -This was insider trading, which is against the law and the reporter and the stockbroker went to prison 6) Romantic Relationships: -Not a good idea to get involved with the person you are reporting on Ex. A television reporter from Telemundo named Marthala Solidas would speak in Spanish to her audience. She reported the Mayor was having an affair and that he was getting a divorce and she was the other woman in the affair. She somehow forgot to mention that she was the other woman...she was freaking out during the whole entire thing. She ended up getting fired.

Televangelists

1) Term used to describe ministers who would spread their messages via television networks. 2) They found in the dumpsters behind the bank from where they were collecting the money for the church because they were just interested in the check and they pointed out that they took money but didn't read them. 3) ABC found someone who was a televangelist and they asked someone who was a legitimate minister, to expose a marketing company

Four factors that editor Sherman Williams recommends be considered when deciding whether to use a graphic visual image, such as a photograph or film:

1) The scale of the event: the bigger the news (ex: 911) the more likely he will choose to run it. When the event is so large, there are fewer criticism regarding the photograph because pictures can say things about the event that writing cannot 2) Who is Involved: if the content is graphic and there are people involved who would be involuntarily thrust into the media, Williams is less likely to run it 3) Whether the event is close to home: proximity argues for running the image, but then the photo is more likely to hurt someone in the audience. 4) Whether the image will appear in print or online: people react more to what they see in the print newspaper than what they see online, many more complaints from the print according to Williams

Garza v. Hearst Newspaper

1) There was a photo of Garza in the newspaper was not the right person and the person in the newspaper was being accused of prostitution 2) The argument for the newspaper was that they asked for a photograph from the police department regarding the current case and the police sent them the wrong photograph -Was this negligence or an unfortunate human error? 3) The newspaper requested the right information and they received the wrong information -Garza lost the case

Tips on How to Avoid Making Errors When Reporting on Twitter about Major Crimes

1) Traditional ethics rules still apply. 2) Assume everything you write online will become public. 3) Engage with readers, but professionally. 4) Beware of perceptions. 5) Always identify yourself as a journalist. 6) Keep internal deliberations confidential.

Three basic motivations for "staging" in the television news videos reported by Travis Linn, a CBS bureau chief

1. Convenience of editing: example is asking someone to walk into a building twice, allowing the camera to capture the action from inside and outside the building 2. Convenience of time: when the subject of a news story is asked to repeat an action that occured off camera/ before the cameras arrived. Sometimes time does not allow for everything to be captured (ex: someone agreeing to re announce their candidacy for mayor while the cameras arrive) 3. Convenience of story: (the most controversial) instructions or directions for the subject of a news story, to cause the story to develop in a certain way. While this technique often starts out innocent for editing purposes, it can quickly turn out to affect the whole story line and how it is perceived.

Public Figure

A public official, movie star, or other person known to the public because of his or her position or activities.

SPJ Deception Checklist

According to the Society of Professional Journalists, hidden cameras and other forms of misrepresentation should only be used: 1) When the information obtained is of profound importance. It must be of vital public interest, such as revealing great "system failure" at the top levels, or it must prevent profound harm to individuals 2) When all other alternatives for obtaining the same information have been exhausted. 3) When the journalists involved are willing to disclose the nature of the deception and the reason for it 4) When the individuals involved and their news organization apply excellence, through outstanding craftsmanship as well as the commitment of time and funding needed to pursue the story fully. 5) When the harm prevented by the information revealed through deception outweighs any harm caused by the act of deception outweighs any harm caused by the act of deception. 6) When the journalists involved have conducted a meaningful, collaborative, and deliberative decision making process. The guidelines go on to discuss reporter safety and the uncomfortable reality of hypocrisy, concluding with criteria that do not justify deception: - Winning a prize. - Beating the competition. - Getting the story with less expense of time and resources. - Doing it because "the others already did it." - The subjects of the story are themselves unethical.

Scandal involving the British newspaper News of the World

An unambiguous trail led to Clive Goodman, the News of the World reporter who covered the royal family, and a private investigator, Glenn Mulcaire, who also worked for the paper. The two men had somehow obtained the PIN codes needed to access the voicemail of the royal aides.

Limited Public Figure

Any person who for a short duration thrusts him or herself into a public controversy in order to influence its resolution. -Voluntarily stepped into the news spotlight -Is in the news spotlight for a public reason -Trying to change the law about something that is a public matter

Point of View: The Truth about Deception (Chp. 16)

At its best, undercover reporting achieves most of the things great journalism means to achieve. At its worst, but no worse than bad journalism in any form, it is not only an embarrassment but can be downright destructive.

Zeran v. AOL (1997)

Case in which Court ruled in favor of the online forum AOL when someone sued them saying they had negligently allowed material to stay up after they had been informed it was false. Court said there was no way AOL could possibly single out each message with false information to remove it. Shows that online publishers are protected by Communications Decency Act even if they know a posting is false.

Street v. NBC

Case in which Court said Victoria Price Street, the woman who accused the 9 'Scottsboro Boys' of raping her in 1931, was still a public figure some 50 years later in her suit against an NBC docudrama's portrayal of her side of the story. Shows that public figures do not lose their status over time as long as defamation/publication deals with the same issues which made the person a public figure in the first place.

Checkbook Journalism Example: Hustler Magazine

Controversial magazine, Larry Flint has a brainchild where he offers up to 1 Mil. for information that can be verified that a member of congress is having an affair. Cause for journalism. Robert Livingston(speaker of the house)- was having affairs and knew the magazine was investigating him, he quit because of it. This was during the Clinton/Lewinski affair, people thought Flint was doing this to try to persuade people to vote for Clinton against impeachment. Never proven that Flint had any contact with Clinton. Would use loophole to not pay people who gave information.

Kennedy v. Washington Post

Harry Kennedy has allegedly been forging people's signatures who were his clients. He was a lawyer and was afraid that he would lose his license. The person who sued the Post was, Harry Kennedy, who was from the other side of town and that it was not him who committed this crime. Honest Harry Kennedy won the case because they were not distinguished.

Criticisms of Jack Kelley (Foreign Correspondent for USA Today)

Jack Kelley, a star foreign correspondent at USA Today before he resigned earlier this year, appears to have fabricated substantial portions of at least eight major articles in the last 10 years, including one that earned him a finalist nomination for a Pulitzer Prize in 2002, the newspaper reported yesterday.

Front-Line Decisions: Observer or participant

Observer vs participant: if you intervene and participate with a subject, you can no longer use them in your story -While journalists would always want to be in the observer position throughout their reporting, sometimes danger and others health can cause you to need to jump in and participate -Must react quickly and remove yourself from the situation as fast as you can Frontline decisions and "Fly on the Wall" reporting -Journalists stepping out of their roles as detached observers -Ethical preparation for journalists taking on this role: thinking through the decisions they may face and deciding how they will respond

Point of View: Journalism, Seen from the Other Side (Chp. 5)

People are either too lazy or too biased when it comes to reporting. However, there were plenty of reporters who were more prepared and balanced to perform their stories.

SPJ Principles and Standards

Seek truth and report it -Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting information. Minimize harm -ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues, and member of the public as human beings deserving of respect. Act independently -The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public. Be accountable and transparent -Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one's work and explaining one's decisions to the public.

Case Study Chapter 4: The Journalist as a Witness to Suffering

Sonia Nazario and Clarence Williams documented the lives of 3 children who were being neglected and abused by their parents who were drug/alcohol addicts in 1997 -LA times journalists, "fly on the wall" -3 months spent studying 2 Long Beach families -'OK' as long as there was no imminent danger -Have to separate emotions from the story -Nazario was proud of all the help that the piece provided to children everywhere after it was released. However she wishes: she would've monitored their situation more closely, run a note explaining why they chose not to intervene, and be much more methodical in thinking through potential ethical dilemmas.

Mirage Bar

Staff from a newspaper opened a bar to catch faulty people giving bad estimates on things that needed to be fixed, specifically corruption in the inspection departments in Chicago.

Public Official

The designation of a plaintiff in a libel suit who is an elected public officer or is an appointed public officer who has or appears to have considerable responsibility for or control over the conduct of governmental affairs.

Disguises: Priest Example

There was a reporter who wanted to speak to a patient in the hospital and disguised himself as a priest in order to ask the patient questions.

Checkbook Journalism Example: Hitler Diaries

This happened in England, Rupert Murdock-owns Times of London, major newspaper. Someone claims to have the "Hitler Diaries," only now coming to light, worth a lot of money. Murdock wants them so he can run them in his paper. Owners say they want to be paid, Murdock knows that other organizations also want these papers. Murdock has historian, Hugh Trevor-Roper, go to Vienna to inspect diaries. He concludes they are real. Finds out later they aren't real, humiliating for the Times of London, after they bought it. The historian said, he was pressured to make a decision too quickly. Perfect example of how paying money made people lie.

Plaintiff

a person who brings a case against another in a court of law.

Private Person

an individual who may be well known in the community, but who has no authority or responsibility for the conduct of government affairs and has not thrust himself or herself into the middle of an important public role

Defendant

an individual, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law.

Burden of Proof in Libel

the obligation to present evidence to support one's claim