Elements of Journalism: Additional Ideas and Comments on Kovach & Rosenstiel

As the fall semester winds down, I want to give you a chance to make some final comments on the nature and purpose of journalism and free expression. In other words, I want you to spend some quality time with the last few chapters of the Kovach and Rosenstiel book so that you can make some thoughtful comments on the ideas you find there. More precisely, take a look at chapters 7-11 in The Elements of Journalism and select an important idea or two from the text to discuss on this blog.

Questions: What key idea or ideas do Kovach and Rosenstiel advance in the last half of their book? Why is this idea significant? What does this idea contribute to the history and philosophy of free expression or the advancement of American journalism? How does this idea make the individual, the society or our democracy better?

As always, the quality of your comment is more important than the length of your post. Also, specific ideas based on short quotations from the text are better than vague ideas based on generalities. 

Journalism and the Problem of Objectivity

In The Elements of Journalism, Kovach and Rosenstiel write about objectivity and its role in contemporary journalism. More specifically, the authors note that objectivity has lost its meaning in journalism and needs to be replaced by other ways of thinking about reporting.

Questions: Based on your reading of Elements of Journalism, write a commentary that addresses the following questions. What is the problem with objectivity? Why and how did objectivity lose its meaning in journalism? What do the authors propose as a replacement for objectivity? Will this replacement work? If so, how well?

As always, write a paragraph or two that addresses these questions in a thoughtful and specific way. Remember to sign your posting.

Turning Points for Free Expression

In Chapter 6 of The Idea of a Free Press, Copeland writes about "turning points" in the American search for free expression. One of those turning points was the now-famous trial of John Peter Zenger, a case I introduced to you a couple of weeks ago. But the Zenger case was not the only "turning point" in the rise of American free expression, as Copeland makes clear. 

Questions: Based on your reading of Chapter 6, identify and discuss at least one significant event or development (not including the Zenger case) that represents a turning point in America's struggle for free expression. Why was this event or development important? What significance did it have? Who was involved? 

Write a substantive paragraph in the comments section below that addresses these questions. Happy reading. 

chapter 5

Because of the limited control and strick government policies many people from British colonies migrated and settled in America for an equal oppertunity in life and for freedom of speech and press. Many settlers migrated to establish there own printing industries. The government had lots of control over all published printing companies and all press releases. Eventually has time progressed freedom of speech became more open in America and now we have all types of ways expressing ourselves through newspapers, tv's, and extremely through internet, so we can say freedom of speech has came a long way but still is monitor by government policies.

American Origins: Print Culture and Its Obstacles in the Colonies

In Chapter Five of his book The Idea of a Free Press, David Copeland writes about the rise of printing and print culture in the American colonies. The first printing press arrived in North America in 1638, he notes, and over time, the printed word became vital to the lives of the colonists. But the rise of print culture in America was not quick nor easy. As Copeland points out, there were many obstacles to the spread of printing in the colonies and it took some years before books, pamphlets, broadsides, newsletters, and newspapers became widespread in the colonies.

Questions: Why did printing and print culture take so long to become established in the colonies? What general and specific obstacles hindered the rise of printing? For this posting, identify and discuss at least two obstacles to print culture in America, including one obstacle that is different from the English experience. 

As always, be specific. Cite particular passages (with page numbers) from the text. Also, don't forget to sign your name in your post. 

Up Next: Thinking about Banned Books

Every year since 1982, the American Library Association (ALA) has sponsored Banned Books Week, an event that highlights the freedom to read. According to the ALA, Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read, a freedom that is easily overlooked and often taken for granted.

For the TU Free Expression class this year, I want students to consider the freedom to read and the notion of banned books. It turns out than most books aren't "banned" at all. Instead, they are "challenged" for a variety of reasons. Not surprisingly, a lot of books are challenged because of sex, violence and language. Other books are challenged because they are offensive to various religious, racial or ethnic groups. 

Whatever the case, there is a growing list of challenged books. The ALA reports that more than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982, including more than 400 in 2007 alone. The books challenged over the years include a number of literary classics such as Leaves of Grass, Madame Bovary, The Great Gatsby, 1984, Brave New World, The Diary of Ann Frank, The Color Purple and many, many more. More recently, many children's books have been challenged by parents who object to the ideas, themes or language in some children's literature. Many of these books are challenged because of their positive messages about homosexuality. 

Questions: All of this raises a number of thorny questions. What does the freedom to read really mean in the U.S.? How does it apply to public libraries? How does it apply to public schools? If it doesn't apply to minors, at what age should minors be able to exercise their freedom to read? When does the freedom to read interfere with the parents' right to control what their children read? Should religious, racial or ethnic groups be highly offended by negative depictions in books?

In celebration of Banned Books Week, I am asking each student to find and read some portion of a banned book. Once they have studied the book, I want each student to respond to it in the "Comments" section of this blog. Address the following questions: What was so objectionable about the book?  How did the author treat this material? Is there a justification for challenging the book for adults? For older children? For younger children? Why or why not? 

Head to the library and find a banned book. Happy reading. 

Free Expression Polemicists: Who Speaks to You?

The philosophy of free expression has been developed over many centuries by many thinkers and writers. Plato, Milton, Lilburne, Locke, Hobbes, and Cato have all contributed to the idea of free expression by raising important issues about the truth and reality, democracy, the nature of civil society, and free speech and press. 

Based on your reading thus far, which of these writers is the most important in the modern understanding of free expression? In other words, which of these writers is the most important to you? Why? Write a paragraph or so that explains and justifies your choice for the most significant free expression advocate. Be specific in your reasoning. 

What is Truth and How Can Journalists Pursue It?

In The Elements of Journalism, Kovach and Rosenstiel contemplate the meaning of truth in journalism. Truth, they write, is the first principle of journalism, but it is also the most confusing. Based on their discussion (see Chapter 2), consider the nature of truth and the issues journalists face in seeking it. Then write a short post addressing major parts of the following questions: 

Questions: In journalism, what does "the truth" mean? Is it the same as "the facts"? More generally, is it possible to achieve truth in journalism? Why or why not? How can journalists pursue the truth more conscientiously? 

First Blog Post: The Enlightenment Legacy

In The Idea of a Free Press, Copeland writes about the legacy of the Enlightenment, a legacy that emphasizes human reason. Enlightenment thinkers, Copeland says, "combined their religious beliefs with a new way of looking at the world." That is, God gave humankind the ability to reason and thus people could understand the world around them, even man himself. As Copeland writes, summarizing Enlightenment thinking, "God could not, would not, reveal, create, or act in any manner contrary to humankind's ability to reason." 

Questions: What do you think of this Enlightenment idea? Did it make sense in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries? Does it make sense today? Why or why not? 

Ben Franklin's Ideas about Free Expression

I put this site online in order to stimulate discussion of free expression, the topic of this class. I am interested in having students discuss and debate some of the key ideas and historical principles that have shaped American notions of free speech and free press. 

Here's an example from none other than Benjamin Franklin, who was a colonial printer and publisher. One of his most famous works relating to free expression is "An Apology for Printers." In it, Franklin spells out some of his ideas about the business of printing and how it relates to the larger issue of free expression. 

Here are some highlights from Franklin's essay: 

1. That the Opinions of Men are almost as various as their Faces; an Observation general enough to become a common Proverb, So many Men so many Minds. 

2. That the Business of Printing has chiefly to do with Mens Opinions; most things that are printed tending to promote some, or oppose others. 

4. That it is as unreasonable in any one Man or Set of Men to expect to be pleas'd with every thing that is printed, as to think that nobody ought to be pleas'd but themselves. 

5. Printers are educated in the Belief, that when Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter: Hence they chearfully serve all contending Writers that pay them well, without regarding on which side they are of the Question in Dispute. 

7. It is unreasonable to imagine Printers approve of every thing they print, and to censure them on any particular thing accordingly…. 

8. That if all Printers were determin'd not to print any thing till they were sure it would offend no body, there would be very little printed. 

Questions: Is Franklin correct in his defense of printers? Why or why not? What principles of free expression does he express in this apology? Does his defense of printing really apply to the digital age? How? 

These are the kinds of issues and questions I want to see discussed and debated on this blog. If we all pitch it and take these discussions seriously, we may become more and interested in the topic and articulate about free expression and what it means today. 

Stay tuned. 

Using the web to think about free expression

This blog has been created to encourage student engagement and interaction on topics related to the Fall 2008 edition of History and Philosophy of Free Expression, a communication class taught by me, Prof. John Coward.

The idea is simple: I will be posting comments, quotations, and other statements on this site and students will be strongly encouraged (that is, required) to add their own comments and ideas about these posts. If we all work at it, we will create an on-going dialogue of ideas, facts, proposals, criticisms, counter-proposals, and other arguments about the history of free expression and the ideas that link free expression to the democratic experience in the United States.

So watch this space. More ideas coming soon.