PROF LEX ONLY I WILL REFUSE ALL OTHER

What Is News?

As you watch a local news program or read a newspaper, you consume the report of recent events created by professional—and sometimes amateur—writers, editors, and reporters. Regardless of their status, these journalists take time to consider the details of a story and how to present it to you, the news consumer. These details can have a powerful effect on how you perceive local, national, and world events. In this Discussion, you will have an opportunity to become a more savvy news consumer by choosing a news story, determining how it was created, and tracking its “newsworthiness” from the day the story “breaks” through several days afterward.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Choose a discussion thread based on the topics available this week.
• Each thread will present a different topic for a news story. For the topic stated in your chosen thread, you will find a news story that has the necessary elements for it to be considered news and determine whether the news story will persist or fade away.
• Review Chapter 13 in the Course Text, The Dynamics of Mass Communication: Media in Transition.
  • Based on the five elements in the reading, reflect upon what is considered to be “news” and what is not. How does the definition of news change?
  • Consider the multiple modes of mass communication used to deliver news stories. How do you consume news? How does your choice of mode impact how you view local and world events?

For this Discussion, choose one thread from the choices listed this week. Each thread is limited to a maximum number of students based on class size. A thread will close if the limit is reached. If a thread is closed to new posters, select from the open threads. You will post both your initial post and your response post in the same thread.

Thread 1: International Relations

• Post by Day 3 a 1- to 2-paragraph explanation of why you believe that your chosen international relations news story is or is not considered “news.” Could this news story be the headline or lead story for today’s evening news? What aspects of the story’s message make you believe it would be or wouldn’t be the lead story for the evening news, and why?
  
  Refer to 2 specific examples from your course reading or your chosen news story and record in your assignment information about each source, including author, year, page number, and publication title.

Thread 2: Economics

• Post by Day 3 a 1- to 2-paragraph explanation of why you believe that your chosen economics news story is or is not considered “news.” Could this news story be the headline or lead story for today’s evening news? What aspects of the story’s message make you believe it would be or wouldn’t be the lead story for the evening news, and why?
  
  Refer to 2 specific examples from your course reading or your chosen news story and record in your assignment information about each source, including author, year, page number, and publication title.

Thread 3: Entertainment

• Post by Day 3 a 1- to 2-paragraph explanation of why you believe that your chosen entertainment news story is or is not considered “news.” Could this news story be the headline or lead story for today’s evening news? What aspects of the story’s message make you believe it would be or wouldn’t be the lead story for the evening news, and why?
  
  Refer to 2 specific examples from your course reading or your chosen news story and record in your assignment information about each source, including author, year, page number, and publication title.

Thread 4: The Environment

• Post by Day 3 a 1- to 2-paragraph explanation of why you believe that your chosen environmental news story is or is not considered “news.” Could this news story be the headline or lead story for today’s evening news? What aspects of the story’s message make you believe it would be or wouldn’t be the lead story for the evening news, and why?
  
  Refer to 2 specific examples from your course reading or your chosen news story and record in your assignment information about each source, including author, year, page number, and publication title.

For all threads:

Respond by Day 5 with 1–2 paragraphs that answer the following questions:

• You first heard the story 2 days ago; where is the story today? Has the story changed? Why do you think this story is or is not still considered newsworthy?
• Were you correct in your guess as to whether your story would be the headline/lead story for the evening news?
• What impact do you believe the media have on the duration of the story?
• Refer to 2 specific examples from your course reading and record in your assignment information about each source, including author, year, page number, and publication title.

resources

Required Resources

Readings

• Course Text: The Dynamics of Mass Communication: Media in Transition
  • Chapter 3, “Historical and Cultural Context” 
    
    This chapter discusses the development of human communication and its effects on culture and society.
  • Chapter 13, “News Gathering and Reporting” 
    
    This chapter focuses on the elements of news gathering and reporting (e.g., digital news reporting, news and reporting categories, and media flow).
• Articles
  • Federman, M. (2004, July 23). What is the meaning of the medium is the message? Retrieved November 20, 2013, fromhttp://individual.utoronto.ca/markfederman/article_mediumisthemessage.htm
    
    This article discusses how the medium extends an individual’s thoughts and allows him or her to share those thoughts with others.
• Research
  • News story based on a topic
    
    For the Discussion this week, you will find a news story based on your choice from a selection of topics listed in the Discussion.

Presentation

• Tucker, D. (Produced 2014). “The Medium is the Message.” Prezi Animated Presentation.http://prezi.com/8mcox43jsv3i/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy 
  
  This presentation will help you to understand the difference between the media, the medium and the message and how each is used in this class. To understand how to advance through the presentation, please watch this video first: http://screencast.com/t/I1bATDZ8

Video

• Laureate Education (Producer). Processes of choosing the message and the media [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
  
  In this media piece, Pauline Harris, the owner of the marketing and public relations firm SPIN (Strategy, Public Relations, Image, and New Business), explains and gives examples of the processes that her firm uses when creating messages for their clients. She also briefly describes how mass communication has evolved over time based on her experiences and gives advice about how to stay on the leading edge of the marketing and public relations field.