three paragraphs about news related to crime

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CCJ 410 Crime Myths Hickman

“In the News” Assignment

Assignment Purpose As we discuss in the course, the media can be a major source of crime myth generation and perpetuation. Unfortunately, this type of media coverage is pervasive and difficult to avoid. The media can also be a source of useful information helping to counter myths and spread important research information. The goal of this assignment is encourage students to critically evaluate news coverage and think about the presentation of crime and criminal justice issues in the news media.

 During the course, students will complete three (3) “In the News” assignments. Students will select a different news media articles/stories for each submission but the paper content and formatting instructions are the same for each.

Assignment Preparation 1) Go to Google News: http://news.google.com/ 2) In the search bar on this page, type in terms like “Crime Myths,” “Crime Policy,” “Criminal

Justice Myths,” or “Criminal Justice Reform” 3) Look through the search results and find a news media story/article that you relates to our

class and that you find interesting. 4) The news story you select cannot be older than January 1, 2012.  5 ) Once you have selected a story, complete the following written assignment.

News Story Selection Guidance

 Your selected news story does not need to state directly that it is addressing a crime myth. If it does not, however, you must justify in the reaction section of your paper how the news story relates to our course.

 Your selected news story must be taken from the news media. This does not include personal blog sites or other sites that don’t represent themselves as a news source.

Assignment Requirements

For the assignment, you will need to be prepared to submit:

(1) Posting/news story date listed on the website (2) Full news story title (3) URL/Internet address where the article can be located

 I will click on the web address you provide to read your selected article.

Required Written Content 1 ) Write one paragraph (not more) summarizing main points of the news story entirely in

your own words.  This means you should not include quotes from text in the news story and do

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not plagiarize! If you feel it is necessary to your summary, you may provide data presented in the news story (such as a statistic) but use your own words in the description. You do not need to use a citation to the news story in your summary because you are providing the title and source.

2) Write at least two paragraphs of your own thoughts or reaction to the news story, as it relates to our course topic and/or specific course material.

 Your discussion should explain how the content of the story relates to our course and your personal thoughts and reactions about the news story content.

 Your discussion about the relationship to our course can be very general or it can refer to a specific piece of assigned reading or textbook chapter. Either approach is acceptable.

Plagiarism

PSU requires all students to understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. PSU provides you with a number of resources to help you meet this responsibility. Here’s just one example: https://www.pdx.edu/writing-center/guided-tour-step-nine-checking-your-use-of-research Among other things, plagiarism includes copy and pasting other people’s writing into your writing without proper citation. Plagiarism from any source in in this course will result in 0 points for the assignment and a formal report of the incident to the PSU Conduct Office.

Required Format Each assignment must use the format headings shown on the next page.

 Points will be deducted for submissions that do not include the required headings or fail to

discuss the required content under the proper heading

 All submissions must be double-spaced, in 12-point font, carefully proofread, written using formal language, and contain no grammar or spelling mistakes.

 The file uploaded in D2L must be in a format accessible in MS Word or in PDF format. After you believe you have successfully uploaded your paper, go back in and double- check that (1) your file was indeed successfully uploaded and (2) you uploaded the file you intended to upload. Contact the PSU Helpdesk for any technical difficulties.

SEE REQUIRED PAPER FORMAT ON PAGE 3

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REQUIRED PAPER HEADINGS

In the News Assignment Submission CCJ 410 Crime Myths

Your Full Name

Posting/News Story Date:

Full News Story Title:

URL/Internet address where the news story can be found:

I. News Story Summary

{Under this heading, you will write your news story summary paragraph. Do not include any reaction or personal opinion in this section. Use your own words.}

II. My Reaction To the News Story

{Under this heading, write your reaction discussion. Minimum length is two full paragraphs. Describe how the news story relates to our course and offers your own thoughts/reaction to the story.}