Politics of Journalism

CMC Government 115, Spring 2011

Monday and Wednesday 1:15-2:30 Classroom: Roberts North 105

J.J. Pitney -- Office: D16 Center Court. Telephone: 909/607-4224

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 11AM-noon, 4:15-5:15 PM

If these times are inconvenient, please make an appointment

Email: jpitney@cmc.edu Alternate email: profpitney@yahoo.com

Web: http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/facultysites/govt/FacMember/JPitney/

Also see my Media links page

General

This course studies the linkages between the mass media and political figures. It asks:

How do political figures try to influence news coverage?
How do press coverage and advertising affect political behavior and public policy?
Who runs the media?
How is new technology reshaping American journalism?
What are the boundaries between the news media, social media, and the entertainment media?

Classes

Class sessions will include lecture and discussion. Finish each week's readings before the class because our discussions will involve those readings. We shall discuss breaking stories, so you should read newspapers or online news sources every day.

Blog

Our class blog is at http://gov115.blogspot.com . I shall post videos, graphs, news stories, and other material there. We shall use some of this material in class, and you may review the rest at your convenience. You will all receive invitations to post to the blog. (Please let me know if you do not get such an invitation.) I encourage you to use the blog in these ways:

To post questions or comments about the readings before we discuss them in class;
To follow up on class discussions with additional comments or questions.
To post relevant news items or videos.

Grades

Three three-page papers...15% each

In-class exam..................20%

Final five-page paper.......25%

Class participation/blog....10%

The papers will develop your research and writing skills. In grading your papers, I will take account of the quality of your writing, applying the principles of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. If you object to this approach, do not take this course, or anything else that I teach.
The exam will test your comprehension of course information and concepts.
Class participation will hone your ability to think on your feet, as I shall call on students at random. If you often miss class or fail to prepare, your grade will suffer. Because we have a take-home exam instead of a sit-down, I shall use the cold calls to judge how well you are keeping up with the material. If you object to this approach, do not take this course. I also expect you to post relevant material to the blog.
As a courtesy to your fellow students, please arrive on time, and refrain from eating in class. I reserve the right to withhold class handouts from latecomers. Check due dates for coursework and the exam. Arrange your schedule accordingly. Do not plan on extensions. Plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty will result in referral to the Academic Standards Committee. See: http://writing.claremontmckenna.edu/plagiarism.asp

Required Books

Stephen J. Farnsworth and S. Robert Lichter, The Nightly News Nightmare, 3d ed. (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2011).
Doris A. Graber, Mass Media and American Politics, 8th ed. (Washington: CQ Press, 2010).
Jeffrey P. Jones, Entertaining Politics: Satiric Television and Political Engagement, 2d ed. (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield, 2010).
Jason Salzman, Making the News: A Guide for Activists and Nonprofits, rev. ed. (Boulder: Westview, 2003).

Schedule (subject to change, with advance notice).

Jan 19: Introduction

“We all work in environments where a 24-hour news cycle can very quickly become a 24-minute news cycle. Being in a reporter’s in-box first, even by a few minutes, can make a big difference.” -- Brandi Hoffine `06

Jan 24, 26: Ownership and Regulation of the Media

"2010 will mark the first time marketers put more money into online advertising than newspapers." --eMarketer

Graber, ch. 1-3.
Project for Excellence in Journalism, "New Media, Old Media," May 23, 2010, at http://www.journalism.org/node/20621

Jan 31, Feb 2: Organization and Operating Procedure

"Life inside the Beltway has become a combination of speed chess and Mortal Kombat: one wrong move can mean political death. In the era of YouTube, Twitter and 24-hour cable news, nobody is safe. Even the lowliest staff member knows that an errant comment could wind up online, making her name synonymous with scandal." -- Van Jones

Graber, ch. 4.
Gabriel Sherman, "The Scoop Factory," The New Republic, March 4, 2009, at http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=82d8d496-d402-4863-b98d-8967de7cc6ab
Play the "Be a Reporter" game at http://www.newsu.org/courses/be-reporter-game Registration is free but necessary. Email your course report to me when you have finished.
"The Interview" at http://www.newsu.org/courses/interview

FIRST 3-PAGE PAPER ASSIGNED FEB 2, DUE FEB 16. READ STRUNK AND WHITE FIRST.

Feb 7, 9: Media Impact

Mitch: W-we're not sure what exactly is going on inside the town of Beaverton, uh Tom, but we're reporting that there's looting, raping, and yes, even acts of cannibalism.

Tom: My God, you've, you've actually seen people looting, raping and eating each other?

Mitch: No, no, we haven't actually seen it Tom, we're just reporting it.

-- South Park, episode 908

Graber, ch. 5-7

Feb 14, 16: Campaigns I

"I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman." Mitt Romney on a debate with a YouTube question about global warming from a snowman.

Graber, ch. 8
Aaron Smith, "The Internet's Role in Campaign 2008," Pew Internet and American Life Project, April 2009, at http://pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2009/The_Internets_Role_in_Campaign_2008.pdf
Farnsworth & Lichter, ch. 1-2

Feb 21, 23: Campaigns II

"At the outset of the Ohio debate, Clinton was asked the first few questions. Clearly using some rehearsed lines, she tried to make the media's supposed treatment of Obama the story, asking rhetorically why she always seemed to get the first question in debates (which she hadn't). Then she referred to the SNL skit, saying, `Maybe we should ask Barack if he's comfortable and needs another pillow.' The press ate it up. For the next twenty-four hours Hillary's answer and the skit played nonstop in the coverage." -- David Plouffe

Farnsworth & Lichter, ch. 3-5

SECOND 3-PAGE PAPER ASSIGNED FEB 23, DUE MAR 9

Feb 28, Mar 2: The DC Media and Public Policy

"In this town, you're either a source or a target." -- Robert D. Novak

Graber, ch. 9
Robert D. Novak, The Prince of Darkness (New York: Crown Forum, 2007), 359-390.
Project for Excellence in Journalism, "Six Things to Know about Health Care Coverage," June 21, 2010, at http://www.journalism.org/node/20966 [See table of contents: read the entire report.]
Jennifer Dorroh, "Endangered Species," American Journalism Review, December/January 2009, at http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4645
Project for Excellence in Journalism, "The New Washington Press Corps," February 11, 2009, at http://www.journalism.org/analysis_report/new_washington_press_corps

Mar 7, 9: Courts and Local Media

"By midweek [Richard] Jewell, 33, was in a different media glare as the man whom FBI officials had identified as a suspect in the bombing. He sat on the steps outside the modest Atlanta apartment he shares with his mother and his dog while FBI agents searched the premises for evidence. Nearby, the guardians of the press kept vigil on the Rush Limbaugh weigh-alike with the forlorn white mustache. Technically Jewell has not been charged and is only a suspect. But tabloid journalism's hope for heroes had given way to its need for villains. SAINT OR SAVAGE?, the New York Post's front page mused. The answer waited while reporters and lawmen turned his life upside down for clues. Saturday, the feds returned for another sweep of his apartment. . .. `The Una-doofus,' joked Jay Leno. `Unabubba,' a federal agent said. -- Time, August 12, 1996, on Richard Jewell, suspect in Atlanta's Centennial Park bombing. Jewell was innocent.

Graber, ch. 10.
Project for Excellence in Journalism, "Community Media," at http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/specialreports_community_journalism.php
Criminal Justice Journalists, "Covering Crime and Justice,"
Chapter 1, "The Crime Beat," starting at http://www.justicejournalism.org/crimeguide/chapter01/chapter01.html
Chapter 6, "Journalism Ethics," starting at http://www.justicejournalism.org/crimeguide/chapter06/chapter06.html

Mar 14, 16: Spring Break

Mar 21, 23: Foreign and Military Affairs

"Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, might have an icy stare. But he melted everyone in the room at a fund-raiser for a children’s charity in St. Petersburg when he sang `Blueberry Hill' — in English — in front of a room packed with celebrities. American movie stars like Kevin Costner and Goldie Hawn gave the Russian leader a standing ovation.” -- Michael Shear `90 (Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV4IjHz2yIo)

Graber, ch. 11
Jodi Enda, "Retreating from the World," American Journalism Review, December/January 2011, at http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4985
Priya Kumar, "Shrinking Foreign Coverage," American Journalism Review, December/January 2011, at http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=4998
Priya Kumar, "Backpack Journalism Overseas," American Journalism Review, December/January 2011, at http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=4986
Peter Maass, "The Toppling: How the Media Inflated the Fall of Saddam’s Statue in Firdos Square," ProPublica, January 3, 2011, at http://www.propublica.org/article/the-toppling-saddam-statue-firdos-square-baghdad

THIRD 3-PAGE PAPER ASSIGNED MAR 23, DUE APR 6

Mar 28, 30: Influencing Media I

"Some people in the press, I think, are just lazy as hell. There are times when I pitch a story and they do it word for word. That’s just embarrassing. They’re adjusting to a time that demands less quality and more quantity. And it works to my advantage most of the time, because I think most reporters have liked me packaging things for them." -- Kurt Bardella, spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA).

Salzman, Introduction and Part 1-3

IN-CLASS EXAM MAR 28.

(alternate date: March 24 at 11 am, room tba)

Apr 4, 6: Influencing Media II

"Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." -- Saul Alinsky

Salzman, Part 4-7

Apr 11, 13: News and Entertainment I

"Did the bill pledging federal funds for the health care of 9/11 responders become law in the waning hours of the 111th Congress only because a comedian took it up as a personal cause? And does that make that comedian, Jon Stewart — despite all his protestations that what he does has nothing to do with journalism — the modern-day equivalent of Edward R. Murrow?" -- New York Times, December 26, 2010

Jones, ch. 1,4,5,6,7
Zev Chafetz, "Rush Limbaugh," New York Times, May 23, 2010, at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/24/books/excerpt-rush-limbaugh.html

Apr 18, 20: News and Entertainment II

"Stephen Colbert testified in Congress on Friday about an immigration bill that he said — in all truthiness — he had not read, `like most members of Congress.' And when the comedian was challenged by one disgruntled lawmaker about his expertise, which was based on a single day spent hamming it up in a bean field for his show on Comedy Central, Mr. Colbert, keeping completely in character, said that was enough time to make him an expert on anything." -- New York Times, September 24, 2010.

Jones, ch. 8,9,10,11

FIVE-PAGE PAPER ASSIGNED APRIL 18, DUE MAY 2.

Apr 25, 27: Students' Choice

"Despite all the solid stories, and all the reliable information, and all the articles that tell you something you did not know and all the opinion pieces that made you stop and think, a growing number of people have decided that it is more important for their news to be pure than it is for the public to be informed. And I hear this from people who say they care about news. They look to the site-rich Internet for salvation, unaware that the decline of newspapers means that those shiny new websites are linking to fewer real news stories. What looks like more choice isn't. It's more doors leading to fewer rooms. When a newspaper dies, you don't get a comprehensive periodical to fill the void. You get an informational vacant lot into which passersby can throw their junk." -- Debra Saunders

In this week, we shall discuss topics and readings of the students' choosing.

May 2, 4: Media Future

"You can't be the ref and be on the bench at the same time cheering for your team. It's not the way it works" -- Andy Barr `07

Graber, ch 12.
Farnsworth & Lichter, ch. 6.

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