Journalism Test Review Unit 1 ANSWER KEY
1. The first newspaper during the colonial period was Benjamin Harris’ Publick Occurences Both
Foreign and Domestick. It was printed on three sheets of stationary-sized paper and the fourth
page left blank so readers could add their own news. The paper was shut down after only one
issue.
2. The first continually published American newspaper was the Boston News-Letter published by
John Campbell. The paper was printed on both sides of a single page and issued weekly.
3. In the early years of its publication, the Boston News-Letter was filled mostly with news from
London detailing English politics and European wars. The rest was filled with items like ship
arrivals, deaths, births, fires, accidents, etc.
4. Peter Zenger published the New York Weekly Journal. In 1735, he was arrested by the colonial
British government and put to trial for libel. Zenger was found innocent and the verdict paved
the way for a free and independent press in America.
5. Benjamin Day published the New York Sun. He sold advertising which allowed him to sell papers
for a penny each, when most papers were selling for 10 cents.
6. The Penny Press changed journalism because it allowed more people access to a newspaper.
Other newspapers were quick to follow Day’s lead.
7. The Civil War brought about technology that changed journalism. Photography became a
popular addition to newspapers.
8. The telegraph helped speed news along to further places.
9. During the Civil War the telegraph lines often came down. The inverted pyramid is a form of
writing created by journalists of the time. It puts the most important facts of the story at the
beginning. That way, the most important part would reach the paper, and if anything got cut off,
it would be the lesser details of what happened.
10. Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst were the two newspaper magnates in the 1890s
that heavily influenced journalism.
11. Weekly newspapers are usually published in small towns and the news is strictly local. Daily
newspapers are more often published in large cities. More people read weekly newspapers than
dailies.
12. The three responsibilities of journalism are credibility, verify, and objectivity.
13. The five roles of journalists are political watchdog, entertainment, social, economic, and record
keeping.
14. The first amendment guarantees, among other things, the right to free speech and a free press.
15. There are five things not protected by the first amendment: Obscenity, fighting words, invasion
of privacy, violation of copyright and libel.
16. Libel is falsehoods that are printed or broadcast. Slander is falsehoods that are spoken. Libel is
more serious than slander because it is more permanent and thus can have long lasting effects.
17. Tinker v Des Moines (1965): Students wanted to wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam
War. The principal adopted policy to prevent students from doing so. Three students wore
armbands and were suspended. The administration said the armbands were disruptive to other
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students’ studies. The Supreme Court ruled for the students. The ruling established students’
constitutional rights to voice their ideas and opinions, even if unpopular and controversial.
Bethel School District v. Fraser (1983): Fraser gave a speech nominating another student as class
president. Six hundred students were present at the voluntary assembly. Fraser had already
been advised by teachers that the speech had lewd content. Fraser was suspended for violating
the “disruptive conduct rule.” The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the school, putting some
control back in to the hands of school officials.
Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1983): Hazelwood was a prior review school, where the
administration had the right to review material before it was published. The newspaper came
back from the printer with two stories missing—one an article on the effects of divorce on
students, and the other on student experiences with pregnancy. The Supreme Court ruled for
the administrators’ right to censor articles if they present a reasonable educational justification
for censorship.
The journalist’s Code of Ethics was developed by the Society for Professional Journalists in 1926.
The most recent revision was in 1996.
The four key principles of the Code of Ethics are (1) seek truth and report it; (2) minimize harm;
(3) act independently; and (4) be accountable.
The six characteristics of news are timeliness, prominence, proximity, conflict, impact, and
human interest.
The six factors influencing news are the news hole, news flow, the medium, deadlines, editorial
policies, and business.
Terms
Censorship: removal or prohibition of material by an authority
Confidentiality: the assurance of secrecy for restricted information
Conflict: two sides engaged in a battle from which one will emerge
Copyright: exclusive rights to something written or created
Credibility: belief that what someone says is true
Deadline: latest time story can be finished in order to be printed in the paper or shown on the newscast
Ethics: the branch of philosophy that deals with right and wrong
Fighting words: racial, ethnic, gender, or religious insults
Human interest: about people, usually involved in emotional struggle
Impact: effect or consequence of a story on the audience
Journalism: the gathering and reporting of news
Journalist: a person who gathers and reports the news or who provides the financial, managerial and
technical support that is necessary to transmit the news
Libel: false information printed or broadcast
News: information not previously known that is delivered through the mass media and has some impact
on the audience.
News flow: number of news stories available to run on a given day
News hole: amount of space in newspaper or time in a broadcast available for news.
Objectivity: lack of personal feelings or bias
Obscenity: material that offends local community standards
Prominence: name is well known and easily recognized by public
Proximity: happens close to home, emotional or physical
Slander: false information that is spoken
Timeliness: event reported as soon as it happens
Verify: check for accuracy