The Functions of News Media In American Society. The political watchdog function. Journalists are charged with monitoring the activities of the government

The Functions of News Media

In American Society

The political watchdog function.

Journalists are charged with monitoring the activities of the government.

The entertainment function.

Not everything in life is serious. We want comic relief. We want comic strips. We want sound advice from Dear Abby. We want our MTV.

Introduction to Journalism by Dianne Smith, MJE © 2004, published by TEACHINGpoint

The social function.

Newspapers and broadcast news provide Americans with topics to talk about over the back fence, at the office water cooler, over coffee at Starbuck’s.

The economic function.

Advertising carried in the media helps to stimulate the economy and provide consumers with information about available

products and services.

The record-keeping function.

Through the records kept by the news media, we know who is born, gets married, gets divorced, dies, who won the game, etc.

The First Amendment

Powerpoint taken from Introduction to Journalism by Dianne Smith

Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment

45 words guarantee 5 basic freedoms

–Religion

•no religion can be forced on Americans

•no American can be prohibited from worshiping


•Speech–Americans are free to express their opinions, based upon their own value systems (based on the freedom of religion, previous slide)


–Press Americans are free to print the truth, and Congress cannot require any kind of licensing for journalists; all Americans have this freedom


–Assembly»Americans have the freedom to gather in public places for meetings, for worship, as spectators.


–Petition»Americans have the right to petition the government for change and have the right to petition at the ballot box.

What the First Amendment Really Means

Are you really free to say anything you want to say?


What the First Amendment means: The First Amendment is viewpoint

neutral. All ideas are protected. The way in which ideas are expressed

may be subject to some controls.

What the First Amendment means:

OK

Not OK


Only the government is prevented from imposing restrictions on freedom of expression. One exception: Public schools (government agents)

can prevent expression that would lead to a material and substantial disruption of the school day and can limit expression for legitimate, pedagogical reasons.


Private businesses can restrict expression on their property, Web sites.

Individuals can restrict expression in their homes and on their property.

Material not protectedBy the First Amendment


Material that is obscene as to minors Must meet all three of the following

requirements to be considered obscene as to minors: The average person, applying contemporary

community standards, would find that the publication, taken as a whole, appeals to a minor’s prurient interest in sex;


requirements to be considered obscene as to minors: The publication depicts or describes, in a patently

offensive way, sexual conduct such as ultimate sexual acts (normal or perverted), masturbation and lewd exhibition of the genitals; and


requirements to be considered obscene as to minors: The work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary,

artistic, political or scientific value.

Material that is obscene as to minors

According to this definition, indecent or vulgar language is not obscene. Words are not obscene in an of themselves.

Libelous material Libelous statements are provably false

and unprivileged statements of fact that cause injury to an individual’s or business’s reputation in the community.

Libelous material

Public officials and public figures have less protection than private citizens. A public official is a person who holds an

elected or appointed office and exercises a significant amount of government authority: Mayor, Governor, President, etc.

Libelous material Public officials and public figures

have less protection than private citizens. School employees will be considered public

officials or public figures in relationship to articles in the school media which concern their school-related activities.

Libelous material When an allegedly libelous statement concerns an

individual who is not a public official or public figure, it must be proven that the false statement was published willfully or negligently; i.e., the journalist who wrote or published the statement has failed to exercise reasonably prudent care.

Libelous material If the allegedly libelous statement concerns an

individual who is a public official or public figure, it must be proven that the statement was made with actual malice.

Libelous material Journalists, including student

journalists, are allowed to express opinions. Specifically, they may

criticize policy or the performance of teachers, administrators, school officials and other school employees.

Material that will cause a “material and substantial disruption” of school activities

Disruption is defined as: Student rioting Unlawful seizure of property Destruction of property Substantial student participation in a boycott


For student media to be considered disruptive, specific facts must exist upon which one could reasonably forecast that there would be an immediate, substantial disruption to the normal school activity as a result of the material’s distribution.


Mere fear or apprehension about a disturbance is not enough; school administrators must be able to show substantial facts that would reasonably support a forecast of likely disruption.


Administrators must pay attention to the context of the distribution as well as the content of the material.


Consideration must be given to: past experience in the school with similar material, past experience in dealing with the students at the school, current events which influence student attitudes; and whether or not there have been previous instances of actual

or threatened disruption that occurred simultaneously with the distribution of the student publication.

Speech that could lead to imminent lawless action

Yelling “FIRE!” in a crowded movie theater

Invasion of privacy Private citizens have more protections

than public figures, public officials (as in libel cases)

Invasion of privacy

Types of invasion of privacy: Appropriation of someone’s face or likeness without express permission Unreasonable publicity given to one’s personal life Intrusion upon someone’s seclusion Publicity which unfavorably places someone in false light before the public

Fighting words While Americans have the right to express their opinions, the

Supreme Court has ruled that “fighting words,” those words which by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace, are not protected.

Copyright infringement

Occurs when copyrighted material is used without the permission of the creator or copyright holder. A copyright lasts for the lifetime of the creator plus 70 years. After the copyright expires, the material enters the public domain, meaning that it is available for use. All intellectual property should be credited to the creator.

Ethics and Responsibility Ethics and Responsibility

Powerpoint taken from Introduction to Journalism by Dianne Powerpoint taken from Introduction to Journalism by Dianne SmithSmith

EthicsEthics

Defined as: the motivation to act Defined as: the motivation to act based on ideas of right and based on ideas of right and wrong.wrong.

EthicsEthics

Journalists govern themselves through Journalists govern themselves through Codes of Ethics, including:Codes of Ethics, including:– The Code of Ethics of the Society of The Code of Ethics of the Society of

Professional JournalistsProfessional Journalists– The Statement of Principles of the American The Statement of Principles of the American

Society of Newspaper EditorsSociety of Newspaper Editors– Other major news organizations and individual Other major news organizations and individual

media outlets have their own codes of ethics media outlets have their own codes of ethics which are similar in concept.which are similar in concept.

American Society of American Society of Newspaper EditorsNewspaper Editors

–Based on four Based on four principles:principles:Seek truth and report itSeek truth and report itMinimize harmMinimize harmAct independentlyAct independentlyBe accountableBe accountable


Statement of principles:Statement of principles:– ResponsibilityResponsibility– Freedom of the PressFreedom of the Press

ASNE says this belongs to the ASNE says this belongs to the PEOPLE, and must be defended PEOPLE, and must be defended against attacks by any entity, against attacks by any entity, including governmentincluding government


–Statement of principles:Statement of principles:– Independence.Independence.

ASNE believes journalists must avoid ASNE believes journalists must avoid even the appearance of a conflict of even the appearance of a conflict of interestinterest..

– Impartiality.Impartiality. This does not prevent the newspaper This does not prevent the newspaper

reporter from having an opinion, but reporter from having an opinion, but there must be a clear distinction for there must be a clear distinction for the reader about what is presented as the reader about what is presented as fact and what is presented as an fact and what is presented as an opinionopinion


–Statement of principles:Statement of principles:–Fair Play. Journalists must respect Fair Play. Journalists must respect the rights of all who are involved the rights of all who are involved in a news story, no matter who in a news story, no matter who they are or what they have done.they are or what they have done.


– ASNE ends its statement of ASNE ends its statement of principles this way:principles this way:

– These principles are intended to These principles are intended to preserve, protect and strengthen the preserve, protect and strengthen the bond of trust and respect between bond of trust and respect between American journalists and the American American journalists and the American people, a bond that is essential to people, a bond that is essential to sustain the grant of freedom entrusted sustain the grant of freedom entrusted to both by the nation’s founders.to both by the nation’s founders.

The Scholastic Media


The student media

Student journalists are following in the footsteps of their professional counterparts.

Students are producing: Newspapers Yearbooks Literary Magazines Broadcast news Documentaries News web sites or online editions of the student

newspaper

The student media

Students are tackling more sophisticated and controversial topics than high schools of a few years ago would allow. Gay/lesbian issues Teen pregnancy STDs Homelessness AIDS

The student media

Students are gaining practical experience in writing, editing, layout, design, visual media.

Focus on controversial topics causes some concern from administrators and the public (See 2003 First Amendment Survey results.)

The student media

Three major U.S. Supreme Court cases have shaped the student media.Tinker v. Des Moines, 1969Bethel v. Fraser, 1986Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, 1988

Tinker v. Des Moines

Established that students have First Amendment rights while at school.

Students can express opinions at school so long as they do not materially and substantially disrupt the normal activities of the school day.

Bethel v. Fraser

Established that while students have the freedom to express themselves, the school has the right to determine how they express their opinions.

The school has the right to limit vulgarity within its boundaries and to ensure a positive learning atmosphere for all students.

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

Did not reverse Tinker, but limited the amount of freedom the student press, or any activity which allows expression, may have.

Established that administrators have the right to censor the press for legitimate, pedagogical reasons, but did not establish what those reasons might be.

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

Did not reverse Tinker, but limited the amount of freedom the student press, or any activity which allows expression, may have.

Established that administrators have the right to censor the press for legitimate, pedagogical reasons, but did not establish what those reasons might be.

Emphasized that school administrators must be viewpoint neutral, and cannot censor a student’s expression because it differs from their own.

The Student Press Law Center

The Student Press Law Center is set up to assist student journalists in high school and college with all legal issues concerning the production of student media.CensorshipPrior reviewPrevention of libel, copyright infractions,

invasion of privacy issues

Documents

The Functions of News Media In American Society. The political watchdog function. Journalists are charged with monitoring the activities of the government