Gov 115 First Assignment, Fall 2017

Choose One

1. Pick any news event (e.g., speeches, press conferences, Sunday morning talk shows) since January 1, 2016 for which you can get a full transcript, recording, or video. Read the coverage of that event in three major mainstream news sources (e.g., New York Times, Politico). How did each define the story? On what sources did the stories draw? Did any miss something important? Explain in light of the papers’ audiences, constraints, and organizational processes. You may find transcripts at:

• http://www-lexisnexis-com.ccl.idm.oclc.org/hottopics/lnacademic/ (Click “search the news,” then “Broadcast Transcripts”)
• http://www.whitehouse.gov
• https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2016
• https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/
• http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/

2. Assume that W. Joseph Campbell has invited you to add a brief new chapter to the book. Identify a post-2010 media myth, and explain how it spread.

3.  Consider the ways in which government regulates media ownership, access or expression.  (See Graber, ch. 2-3.)  Choose a legislative proposal to change or reform this regulation (e.g., a federal shield law).  Explain why this proposal should or should not become law.

4.  Write a case study of citizen journalism (Graber, pp. 124-125).  That is, explain how material posted online by a non-journalist (e.g, blog posts, tweets, YouTube videos) drove coverage by the mainstream media.  In the specific case that you choose, explain whether the effect was harmful or beneficial.

5. Write an op-ed on any topic that we are discussing. The op-ed should run no more than three pages. You may add a fourth page, discussing strategy for publishing it. Tell where you would submit it, and why you think it could win acceptance. If you succeed in publishing this op-ed, you will get an A for this assignment.  (To qualify for the auto-A, it must appear in a legitimate, professional news outlet. Blogs, newsletters, and student publications do not count.)

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• Essays should be typed (12-point) double-spaced, and no more than three pages long. I will not read past the third page (except for option #5, where you should add a short explanation of placement strategy). 
• Put your name on a cover sheet. Do not identify yourself on the text pages. 
• Cite your sources. You may use either endnotes or parenthetical references to a bibliography. In either case, put documentation in a standard format (e.g., Turabian or Chicago Manual of Style). 
• Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you. 
• Return essays to the class Sakai dropbox by 11:59 PM on Thursday, September 28. Essays will drop one gradepoint for one day’s lateness and a full grade after that. I will grant no extensions except for illness or emergency.