Discussion Questions_Kovach & Rosenstiel 8-9_Rosenberg

 Chapter 8 focuses a great deal on taking in news that really matters and the idea that we should take action with our new found knowledge. We take in news that is in our best interest, but what will we do with that new information? It also looks at reporting from different angles. Is a story more effective when it is told from the standpoint of people being directly affected by it?

My questions for this chapter are as follows—

-Do you think that Loretta’s previous life with journalism influenced her to research the story about the background of the furniture she was importing? Do you think that the average American would go to such great lengths to do the same?

-Surveys explain to us that we attain news to talk about it with family and friends, because we have a civic responsibility to do so, or just to improve our lives. Do you feel that we have a responsibility to do something with the news we digest? Or is it purely designed to inform us?

-This American Life is a weekly hour long radio show hosted by Ira Glass—it examines a single topic through personal stories told by a variety of people.

Is it beneficial to hear the news through people who are affected by it personally? Do you think it helps us relate to it more and in turn promote us to take more action with our new knowledge?

Chapter 9 is the final chapter of the book, and it focuses on where Journalism is heading. It was explained in the book that the fence that once existed in the early 20^th century that contained the stories and news that were dictated to the general public has now been torn down. In todays society any citizen has the ability to be a journalist –technology allows them to do so. We now must cater to that idea, and refine the way journalists report, and carefully critique what comes from the average citizen.

My questions are as follows-

-Is the idea that any person can be a journalist a comforting idea? Or a scary one? Think about instances like the Arab Spring and how twitter caused rebellions in Egypt. Citizens were able to take to their various technological outlets and express their thoughts concerning unjust acts committed by the government.

-With such an influx of news from various sources, how will we know what is accurate or not? Will we know what is credible? Will the role of the authenticator be enough?

-Compared to the six elements that can be offered in covering an event for a newspaper story, do you think that the 17 offered for web enhance the story, or distract the reader from the point?

-It was explained that newsrooms must add new skill sets in storytelling—such as information coming in forms such as statistical, graphical, audio and visual technologies. Do you think that this is a necessary step in the progression of journalism? Or should newsrooms be held to their simplistic origins?