What Are The Limits of Censorship?

AN ISSUE OF AN ILLINOIS high school newspaper was spiked this week when administrators learned that the issue contained stories about drinking and smoking by honor students, teen pregnancy, and shoplifting.

Because the students are working on a school-sponsored (and school-funded) project, the school has the right to review and approve content before publication.

The director of the Student Press Law Center reviewed the articles and deemed them balanced. They did not advocate misbehavior. They simply presented reality.

In February, all the copies of one edition from the same high school newspaper mysteriously disappeared (administrators allegedly claimed the copies were snapped up so quickly, students couldn't find them). That issue contained stories about the hook-up culture at the school.

What would you do as the student journalists? Do you accept the administrations' authority and quietly back away? Or do you scream censorship and hope to bring change? Do the students have an argument here?

Who decides what subjects are taboo and should be censored?

Issue Facing Journalism: News or Distraction?

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA BOWED when greeting the emperor of Japan recently, and that set off a media firestorm. Some in the media are saying that the president of the United States should not defer to anyone, anywhere.

Is this situation a distraction from what really happened on Obama's Asian tour? Have we lost site of the news that came out of the visits to Japan, China, Singapore and Korea?

Or is the fact that an American president genuflected before a foreign monarch actually news?

(Photo via the Associated Press)

Is It Wrong to Recycle Images?

FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL candidate Sarah Palin is upset with Newsweek magazine for using an image of her in shorts on the cover of their magazine. It seems the image was originally taken for Runner's World magazine.

The editor of Newsweek responded to criticism by saying, "We chose the most interesting image available to us to illustrate the theme of the cover, which is what we always try to do. We apply the same test to photographs of any public figure, male or female: does the image convey what we are saying? That is a gender-neutral standard."

Did Newsweek disrespect the former governor of Alaska? Or is Palin overreacting?

Are Reporters Newsworthy?

FORMER FOX29 ANCHOR Dawn Stensland was profiled in today's Daily News.

Over the past two years, her husband lost his bigtime anchor job after allegedly breaking into a co-worker's email account, he announced it was because he was having an affair with his-co-anchor, Stensland suffered a miscarriage, she was fired, her dog died and her mother has been confined to wheelchair, suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease.

Do we need to know all of this about our television reporters (or former reporters)? Are their personal lives newsworthy? Do you care about them?

Or should we treat them simply like vehicles for providing news?

(Photo from Philly.com)

Bad Journalism, Straight From a Bad Journalist?

JAYSON BLAIR, THE DISGRACED former journalist, was recently invited to speak at Washington & Lee University about journalism ethics.

Blair is probably the most infamous plagiarizer and fabricator of journalism in recent memory (if not ever). He happens to live near the university, and currently serves as a life coach.

Is there any benefit in bringing Blair to a journalism forum to talk about ethics?

Robinson: "If You Know You Can Do It, Do It."

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF TODAY'S GUEST, Dorothy Robinson, Deputy Features Editor at the Metro US newspapers?

Here's what stood out for me:

- She is the fourth generation newspaper person in her family.
- She wanted to be a writer, so after college, she took a job as an editorial assistant at a book publishing house.
- She said that being an editorial assistant is a great way to launch a career.
- She now writes about celebrities a lot.
- The Metro US distributes 1 million copies in Philly, Boston and NYC.
- She said that celebrities are trained by public relations people and they rarely stray off-topic (i.e. they won't tell you about cheating on their spouses or anything).
- Publicists control everything you read about celebrities.
- She doesn't get nervous when talking to celebs, unless they're really good-looking.
- She considers herself a cheerleader of sorts. She tries to write about young people doing cool stuff.
- She said that dating was like a job interview for sex. Then she wrote a book about it.
- She hates the pink cover. Too girlie.
- She takes junkets ("I'm writing 300 words for the Metro," she said. "It doesn't influence anything I write.").
- She said you'd be surprised who else accepts the junkets.
- She thinks celebrity sex tapes are PR stunts.
- She said it wasn't easy becoming an editor. She worked a ton, lived in a dangerous neighborhood, had no money and then got lucky.
- She survived because she was confident she could do reach her goals.

What stood out for you?

Should Sources Be Allowed To Tidy-Up Stories?

SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ANTHONY Kennedy spoke to an elite Manhattan high school last week. When the school newspaper wanted to do a story about the visit, Kennedy (or his staff) demanded that the justice have the right to see the story before it goes to press.

Quotations were “tidied up” to better reflect the meaning the justice had intended to convey, a spokesperson for the justice told the New York Times.

Would you allow a source to see your story before you went to press (or went on air)?

The executive director of the Student Press Law Center told the Times, “Obviously, in the professional world, it would be a nonstarter if a source demanded prior approval of coverage of a speech.”

Are the rules different when the source is a Supreme Court Justice, or when the publication is a high school newspaper?

Is the demand a violation of the freedom of the press as stated in the First Amendment?

Can You Trust Anonymous Sources?

THE WASHINGTON POST has done amazing investigative work over the years, often citing anonymous sources. Their work breaking the Watergate Scandal inspired a generation of muckraking journalists, and spawned a Hollywood hit, All the President's Men.

But do they rely upon anonymous sources too much?

A reader wrote an email to the paper's ombudsman recently, saying, "While it is sometimes needed, I believe it is not appropriate to hide the names of sources to the extent that The Post does."

The Post justifies their action by saying that, to gain trust from sources, they must keep them anonymous. It's the only way to get some information, to continue being watchdogs of power.

But do you, as a consumer of information, trust information that is labeled as being from unnamed sources? Are you skeptical that the information is fake?

Before He Was The DA, He Was Here.

SETH WILLIAMS, WHO VISITED class a few weeks ago, won the election to become Philadelphia's next district attorney.

How Far Do You Go To Get A Story?

THE FBI ACCUSED a Detroit broadcast journalist of lying to a source in order to gain entry into a building, according to a story in the Detroit Free Press.

Authorities say that the reporter acted as though she was given permission to enter a veterinary clinic where an FBI dog was being treated for a gunshot wound. The clinic staff escorted the reporter back to the emergency room before realizing she didn't belong there.

The reporter said, “I've never knowingly lied to anyone in my life. The vet management knew I was a reporter and saw the giant NBC flag on my handheld mike before I ever went in.”

Her station alleges that the newspaper story was inaccurate.

Regardless, the situation raises an interesting question: how far would you go to get a story? Should you lie to gain entry into places? Should you schmooze people in order to get information from them?

And The Big Story Tonight: Full Frontal Nudity.

A WASHINGTON DC television station did a story showing women how to perform breast cancer self-exams. And they did so by videotaping a woman performing an exam - with her shirt open, breasts exposed.

They claimed they were potentially saving lives by showing women how to examine themselves properly.

They also sent out a press release prior to the news that evening, hyping the "unique television event."

By the way, the package ran on day one of the sweeps ratings period, when the eyeballs watching programs are counted.

Was it good, public service journalism? Or was the full-frontal treatment a ratings stunt?

Should The News Focus On The World Series?

THE PHILLIES ARE IN THE World Series and nothing else matters in the world, according to the local news media, that is. Newspapers have been packed with baseball news. The top half of every newscast is dedicated to game related stuff.

Is that a problem? It's not like there is an election for a new district attorney coming up, or potential troop escalation in Afghanistan, or a public health care debate, right?

World Series info draws readers and viewers, and people do care. But do the media need to play to the emotions of their audience?

The image above is from 6ABC on the evening that the New York Post ran a cover shot featuring Shane Victorino in a cheerleader's skirt (right). 6ABC retaliated by putting Derek Jeter in a Hawaiian-style skirt.

Is this just good fun or is it a waste of journalistic resources?

Marc Zumoff: Get an Internship. Then Do The Stupid Stuff With A Smile On Your Face.

MARC ZUMOFF, A TEMPLE GRAD who is now the voice of the Sixers, spoke to the class about finding work in communications. Did you take notes? He walked you through the process.

Here's what I wrote down:

- You need passion. Without passion, you'll be bored and not do a good job.
- When he was at Temple, he was chunky, insecure and didn't understand the media landscape.
- Now he has his dream job where they treat him like a king - five-star hotels, fancy meals, first-class flights, front row seats, etc.
- You need to network. And you can start by interning somewhere.
- Present yourself appropriately when meeting people in the business.
- When you get that internship, suck up your pride and do the little crap they make interns do. And do that stuff with a smile on your face.
- You need to bust your ass all the time.
- Take initiative. Work hard, all the time.
- Stay in touch after your internship. Internships lead to jobs.
- When you write to prospective employers or anyone else in the business, keep it brief. Explain what you want. Mention mutual connections. Use proper punctuation.
- Don't be afraid of rejection.
- As a student, you should have no life. You should be immersed in your school work, internships, jobs, student activities, and other fun journalism related stuff.

Regarding his job, he said a few things that got my attention:

- He's not a journalist. He essentially works for the team.
- He is not objective. He is a die-hard Sixers fan. It's not his role to be critical.
- He does three or four hours of prep for every game. Then he goes live on television for about 2.5 hours during games.

And here is one thing that Marc did not say: there are only 30 teams in the NBA, which means there are only 30 people doing jobs like his. People would kill to have his job. And he knows it. So he works his ass off.

What did you think?

Phil Jasner: It's a Crazy Lifestyle and It's Not For Everybody. But He Loves It.

WHAT DID YOU THINK of today's guest, Phil Jasner, a 1964 Temple alum who has been covering the Sixers for the Philadelphia Daily News since 1981?

Here are a few things that stood out for me:

- He never works 9 to 5 hours. He covers his beat 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, including holidays.
- Despite that, he's been devoted to his family and never missed an important event.
- And he loves his job.
- While a hometown guy (Overbrook High), he never roots for teams, especially while working.
- He doesn't become friends with players or coaches (until they retire). It could cloud his objectivity.
- If a player invited him to dinner and tried to pick up the check, he wouldn't let them.
- He follows every lead everyone gives him, no matter how hare-brained it might sound.
- He doesn't care about athletes' off-the-court behavior unless it affects their game.
- His life is essentially this: travel, watch game, write stories, travel, watch game, write stories. Repeat constantly.
- He blogs, follows twitter, talks on the Daily News Live TV show, and writes stories.
- He says there will always be newspapers.
- He's grateful that he has a job he loves.

Seth Williams: The Media Are Not Following The DA's Race At All.

WHAT DID YOU THINK of Seth Williams, the Democratic candidate for District Attorney of Philadelphia?

Here are a few things that stood out for me:

- As a child, he wanted to be an architect like Mike Brady, the father on The Brady Bunch.
- If elected, he'll be the first African-American district attorney in the state.
- The majority of violent crimes are committed by people who know their victims.
- 59 percent of felony cases get thrown out of court because the DA's office is not ready.
- Attorneys will get information to the media in order for them to raise the issue in the public.
- He expects journalists to be critical but fair. He says that the media are a check on government.
- If he feels slighted by a journalist, he won't necessarily be accommodating with that journalist the next time around.
- The media aren't following the race for the DA's office. Williams guesses that the media either assume the race is a done deal, or they don't care.
- Journalists have the ability to inform people about why the district attorney matters.
- He uses facebook, Twitter and YouTube to get his messages out.
- He's not going to let all the black people out of prison.

What stood out for you?

There's a Boy Floating Away! Call the News!

THE BOY IN THE BALLOON situation from Colorado last week is sounding more and more like a hoax. Law enforcement in that area are investigating the whole event.

The father's first call when he discovered his helium-filled balloon was aloft and his 6 year-old son was nowhere to be found was to a television station. Dad, after all, had been featured in an episode of Wife Swap. He's TV savvy.

After the kid was found, the family started appearing on newscasts across the country. The kid dropped the dime on his father on live television in an interview with Wolf Blitzer. Oops.

The media, especially the 24-hour cable news stations, went crazy with the original story when the boy was believed to be helplessly floating in air.

My question is: would you have been able to resist covering the story, even though it smelled fishy from the start?

Next Tuesday (10/20): District Attorney Candidate Seth Williams

SETH WILLIAMS, THE Democratic candidate for District Attorney, will visit the class next week. So learn as much as you can about what he believes in, what he has done, and what the media have been saying about him. You can hear Williams speak here.

He'll likely talk about anything, but we'll focus on journalism issues. Should the media photograph and display images of suspects? Should the government and media work together to reduce crime?

Take Control of Your Life: Start Your Own Media Outlet.

JOBS IN JOURNALISM ARE difficult to come by these days. But the demand for information is probably higher now than ever. That means there are opportunities for aggressive people who recognize under-served niches.

On November 7, we're holding an entrepreneurial journalism conference where we'll talk about how you can be your own publisher, and get paid. There will be speakers from Al Dia, Philebrity, two.one.five magazine, Radio One, Berks Community TV, Motivos, Philly Beer Scene magazine, and numerous other places. Plus we'll have business profs, tech people, venture capital investors, and web gurus.

You can earn 20 extra credit points by attending and writing about what you learn. To get consideration, you have to speak with two entrepreneurial people (or other non-student attendees) and write a two page, double-spaced paper about what you experienced. Be sure to include their name and contact info on the submission.