Deck 4: Writing in the Media Environment

Question 1

Journalists should try to avoid covering topics

A) that they know nothing about
B) that they are involved with personally
C) that will cause controversy
D) that may hurt someone's feelings

Answer 1

that they are involved with personally

Question 2

The journalistic method is designed to find facts, assess them and report them to a wider audience.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

If a person takes a trip across the country, it's probably not news. If the president of the United States takes a trip across the country, chances are you will hear about it on news broadcasts and read about it in the newspaper. What news value is at work here?

A) conflict
B) prominence
C) proximity

Answer 3

prominence

Question 4

If a traffic accident kills two people but it happens 1,000 away from where you are, you probably won't read about it in the local newspaper. If it happens within your city limits, however, it will be in the newspaper. What news value is at work here?

A) conflict
B) prominence
C) the bizarre or unusual
D) proximity

Question 5

What is the best explanation of the news value of impact?

A) An event that is close to home.
B) An event that involves famous people.
C) An event that affects the lives of many people.

Question 6

In most news stories, most of the information is likely to come from what type of source?

A) personal
B) observational
C) stored

Question 7

Information from personal sources in a news story usually comes in the form of a direct or
indirect quote.

Question 8

Stored sources are located only in local libraries.

Question 9

One of the most important things a reporter must do is spell the names of people correctly.

Question 10

The best news stories should come from

A) a minimum of 10 sources
B) only one source
C) more than one source
D) two sources but only those that have directly opposing views

Question 11

To the working journalist, what is more important?

A) facts
B) opinions
C) resolutions

Question 12

One thing that every media writer must deal with is

A) a hostile audiences
B) a deadline
C) failing equipment

Question 13

Police records, articles from a magazine and a press release are what types of sources?

A) personal sources
B) stored sources
C) observational sources

Question 14

All the efforts of a writer for the mass media should be

A) directed toward adherence to AP style in all instances
B) made to avoid offending the audience
C) directed toward presenting information accurately

Question 15

When you are gathering information for a news story, you should

A) always identify yourself to your sources when the conversation is about over
B) always identify yourself to your sources when the conversation begins
C) identify yourself and state the fact that you are doing a news story only if asked

Question 16

If you have a tape recorder during an interview, you don't need to take notes.

Question 17

You should never ask someone how to spell his or her name; that might offend the source.

Question 18

Journalists are on solid ethical ground in accepting gifts from their sources.

Question 19

Journalists do not need to make any special efforts to keep their biases out of their writing.

Question 20

Reporters do not have the final say over their stories or how the stories are used; editors do.

Question 21

In an interview, an open-ended question - as opposed to a closed-ended question -

A) attempts to solicit less information from the interviewee
B) is asked in an attempt to end the interview
C) allows the interviewee to say anything that he or she wants to say

Question 22

When a reporter attends an event and writes a story based on what he or she sees, we say the reporter is using

A) personal sources
B) observational sources
C) stored sources

Question 23

One good source for getting background information on a person that you may be writing about is

A) Statistical Abstract of the United States
B) a current biography
C) Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature