Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies

JOURNALISM 499 Special Topics Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies

4 Units – Section #21547-D – Spring 2014 Wednesday – 2 p.m. to 5:20 p.m.– ASC 240 JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 2

JOURNALISM 499 – SPECIAL TOPICS JOURNALISM ETHICS GOES TO THE MOVIES SYLLABUS Spring 2014

Class Day/Time: Wednesday, 2 to 5:20 p.m. Classroom: ASC 240 Class Number: #21547-D

Joe Saltzman, Professor of Journalism. Director of the Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture (IJPC), a project of the Norman Lear Center, USC Annenberg (www.ijpc.org) Office: 213-740-3918 Home: 310-377-8883 Cell: 310-663-1390 E-Mail: [email protected] Office Hours: Monday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. By appointment.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course will feature a dozen ethical issues facing journalists as dramatized in the movies. It is a unique adaptation of the case study approach used in journalism ethics classes for a century. Journalists have been major characters in the movies since the medium began – from the silent days to the movies of today.

Clips from each film will precede a brief lecture, but the heart and soul of this class is the give- and-take discussion of a major ethical issue each week by students and faculty.

Course Objectives: The key to good journalism practices can be summed up in two words: accuracy and fairness. But there are many other ethical issues facing journalists on a daily basis:

*What are the standards of inquiry and verification, especially in a world where there is a deadline every minute *Fabrication and the issue of trust *Getting the whole story and checking the source of a story *How far should a journalist go in getting a story *Deception and Undercover Journalism *The price of access in beat coverage *Sensationalism and getting the story first JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 3

*Journalistic values vs. Business values: the staging of the news *The myth of objectivity *The journalist as celebrity an the reporter’s role in society *Anonymous Sources *Empathy in covering stories

Course Outcomes: To give students a sense of the complexity of making ethical decisions on a daily basis in journalism, and to help them create an ethical structure they can use as journalists or simply as consumers of news and information in the complex world of social media and the Internet.

DROP/ADD DATES

Jan. 31 – Lasts day to drop a class without a mark of “W,” except for Monday-only classes, and receive a 100 percent refund Feb. 4 – Last day to drop a Monday-only class without a mark of “W” and receive a 100 percent refund April 11 – Last day to drop a class with a mark of “W.”

TEXTBOOK AND OTHER RESOURCES

The required textbook is Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies, edited by Howard Good (Rowland & Littlefield Publishers, 2008).

The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture Website (www.ijpc.org) offers background information on journalists in the movies.

There will be regular handouts on current stories that involve specific ethical issues.

Course Grades and Criteria:

You will be graded on:

Class Participation 10 percent Short Weekly Papers 15 percent Mid-Term Examination/Paper 35 percent Final Examination/Paper 40 percent JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 4

HONESTY/PLAGIARISM/ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

1. USC Statement on Academic Integrity

USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located at http://scampus.usc.edu/university-governance. Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The review process can be found at http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS

2. School of Journalism Plagiarism/Academic Integrity Policy

Plagiarism is defined as taking ideas or content from another and presenting them as one’s own. The following is the School of Journalism's policy on academic integrity as published in the University catalogue:

“Since its founding, the USC School of Journalism has maintained a commitment to the highest standards of ethical conduct and academic excellence. Any student found plagiarizing, fabricating, cheating on examinations, and/or purchasing papers or other assignments faces sanctions ranging from an ‘F’ on the assignment to dismissal from the School of Journalism.” All academic integrity violations will be reported to the office of Student Judicial Affairs & Community Standards (SJACS), as per university policy, as well as journalism school administrators and the school’s academic integrity committee.

In addition, it is assumed that the work you submit for this course is work you have produced entirely by yourself, and has not been previously produced by you for submission in another course or Learning Lab, without approval of the instructor.

DIVERSITY

In addition to being ethical in developing and writing your stories or producing your projects, it is important that you consider diversity. When looking at your work, you should consider who is involved and how it will impact others. Is your work fair and does it represent all stakeholders in a balanced manner? This class will help you learn how to write in a manner that includes diverse viewpoints. The class will discuss socioeconomic, racial, religious, gender, geographical and sexual orientation issues in the context of current events. JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 5

ATTENDANCE POLICY

You are expected to attend each class and to be on time. If you can’t make the class for a legitimate reason or if you are going to be late, please e-mail the reasons to [email protected].

DISABILITY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS

Any students requesting academic accommodations based on a disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP when adequate documentation is filed. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me when classes begin. DSP is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. The office is located in the Student Union room 301 and their phone number is (213) 740-0776.

LAPTOP/CELLPHONE POLICY

Information communication technologies are a part of the modern education landscape. Students are welcome to use laptop computers in classroom for purposes relevant to the class lesson and furthering discussion.

However, out of consideration for the learning environment and fellow classmates, we respectfully ask that you refrain from extraneous activities such instant messaging, gaming or other online services on your phone or laptop.

On the occasions when the professor asks for laptops and devices to be put away in the classroom, please honor those requests. JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 6

INTERNSHIPS

The value of professional internships as part of the overall educational experience of our students has long been recognized by the School of Journalism. Accordingly, while internships are not required for successful completion of this course, any student enrolled in this course that undertakes and completes an approved, non-paid internship during this semester shall earn academic extra credit herein of an amount equal to 1 percent of the total available semester points for this course. To receive instructor approval, a student must request an internship letter from the Annenberg Career Development Office and bring it to the instructor to sign by the end of the third week of classes. The student must submit the signed letter to the media organization, along with the evaluation form provided by the Career Development Office. The form should be filled out by the intern supervisor and returned to the instructor at the end of the semester. No credit will be given if an evaluation form is not turned in to the instructor by the last day of class. Note: The internship must be unpaid and can only be applied to one journalism class. That said, outside internships are strongly discouraged during Spring Core, but spending time at campus Learning Labs is strongly encouraged.

STRESS AND ANGST

Students are under a lot of pressure. If you start to feel overwhelmed, it is important that you reach out for help. A good place to start is the USC Student Counseling Services office at 213- 740-7711. The service is confidential, and there is no charge. JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 7

CLASS SCHEDULE

CLASS ONE: Orientation (January 15) Introduction to the course

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Introduction. Chapter 1: Responsible Journalistic Inquiry

CLASS TWO: Responsible Journalistic Inquiry: The Paper (January 22) Viewing of clips from the film and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally, what are the standards of inquiry and verification, especially in a world where there is a deadline every minute.

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Chapter 2: Fabrication in Journalism

CLASS THREE: Fabrication in Journalism: Shattered Glass (January 29) Viewing of clips from the film and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally the issue of making up stories and the relationship between editor and reporter: a question of trust.

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Chapter 3: Political Manipulation of the Media

CLASS FOUR: Political Manipulation of the Media: Wag the Dog (February 5) Viewing of clips from the film and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally where does the story come from, checking the source of a story to verify its veracity and completeness.

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Chapter 4: What is Good Work?

CLASS FIVE: What is Good Work?: Absence of Malice (February 12) Viewing of clips from the film and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally how far should any journalist go in getting a story, what are the boundaries of ethical journalism when investigating story participants.

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Chapter 5: Deception and Undercover Journalism JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 8

CLASS SIX: Deception and Undercover Journalism: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Mr. Deeds (February 19) Viewing of clips from both films and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally the issues of undercover journalism and deception: should a journalist, who values the concept of truth and accuracy and transparency in journalism lie to others in pursuit of a story?

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Chapter 6: Covering Sports

CLASS SEVEN: Covering Sports: The Pride of the Yankees (February 26) Viewing of clips and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally the price of access to sources and the ethical dilemma involved.

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Chapter 7: First Responders

CLASS EIGHT: Midterm (March 5)

CLASS NINE: When Journalists are First Responders: Die Hard and Die Hard 2 (March 12) Viewing of clips and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally the idea of always getting the story first no matter the ethical consequences and the problems of sensationalism

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Chapter 8: Style Over Substance

WEEK TEN (SPRING BREAK) (March 19)

CLASS ELEVEN: Style Over Substance: Broadcast News (March 26) Viewing of clips and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally the staging of the news for maximum effect and journalism ethics vs. business ethics.

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Chapter 9: Ethics in Black and White

CLASS TWELVE: Ethics in Black and White: good night, and good luck (April 2) Viewing of clips and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally the myth of objectivity and the involvement of the reporter in a story

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Chapter 10: Crime Reporting, Chapter 12: Journalism and the Victims of War JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 9

CLASS THIRTEEN: Crime Reporting: Veronica Guerin. Journalism and the Victims of War: Welcome to Sarajevo (April 9) Viewing of clips and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally the journalist as celebrity and the role of as reporter in a helping to solve the problems of society as well as empathy of the journalist in covering stories.

Required reading: Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies Chapter 11: The Utopian Nature of Journalistic Truth

CLASS FOURTEEN: The Utopian Nature of Journalistic Truth: The Year of Living Dangerously (April 16) Viewing of clips and discussion of ethical issues involved, principally anonymous sources. What is the journalist’s responsibility in protecting sources who give him/her information.

CLASS FIFTEEN: Ethical Issue as presented in a current movie/television show (April 23) Viewing of clips and discussion of an ethical issue presented in a current movie or television show.

CLASS SIXTEEN – Final Day of Class: Summary. (April 30)

FINAL EXAMINATION: Monday, May 12 , 2 p.m. JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 10

SHORT WEEKLY PAPERS

Each week, students must write a couple of paragraphs summing up a scenario in any news media that would deal with the ethical issue of the week.

For example, Responsible Journalistic Inquiry is the topic for next week’s class (January 22) Your job is to come up with a situation in which the standards of inquiry and verification (as discussed in Chapter 1 of your textbook, Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies) come into play.

Read the chapter carefully and then write a paragraph on a possible scenario dealing with this ethical issue in real life circumstances.

Here’s an example:

As the Los Angeles Lakers battled the Portland Trailblazers in pursuit of a spot in the playoffs, you pursue a hot tip: Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ star player, had reportedly attracted the attention of a federal grand jury investigating an illegal sports betting ring. You got the story from a friend close to the grand jury. Do you go with the story on your website, TV station or newspaper, or do you wait until you can confirm the story with Bryant or the Lakers or someone in the federal judiciary system?

The mayor in your city is rumored to frequent prostitutes during the workday. You have a good source that tells you this is true and even gives you some dates and times when the mayor met with prostitutes during lunch time. Do you write the story for your website, TV station or newspaper without confirming the story with the mayor, or getting a legitimate source on the record? JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 11

INSTRUCTOR BIO Joe Saltzman

Joe Saltzman is professor of journalism and director, The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture (IJPC), a project of the Norman Lear Center, in the USC Annenberg School for Communication. He has been a prolific print and electronic journalist for more than 45 years. He created the broadcasting sequence for the USC School of Journalism in 1974 and served as chair of broadcasting for 17 years as well as associate and acting director of the School of Journalism and associate dean of USC Annenberg for five years.

He has taught at USC for 46 years, is a tenured professor at USC and the winner of three teaching awards. Saltzman was named the Scripps Howard-AEJMC National Journalism and Mass Communication Teacher of the Year in 2011.

Saltzman is currently director of The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture (IJPC), a Norman Lear Center project (www.ijpc.org). He has been researching the image of the journalist in popular culture almost 20 years and is considered an expert in the field. The IJPC’s first publication is a book written by Sal SHORT WEEKLY PAPERS

Each week, students must write a couple of paragraphs summing up a scenario in any news media that would deal with the ethical issue of the week.

For example, Responsible Journalistic Inquiry is the topic for next week’s class (January 22) Your job is to come up with a situation in which the standards of inquiry and verification (as discussed in Chapter 1 of your textbook, Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies) come into play.

Read the chapter carefully and then write a paragraph on a possible scenario dealing with this ethical issue in real life circumstances.

Here’s an example:

As the Los Angeles Lakers battled the Portland Trailblazers in pursuit of a spot in the playoffs, you pursue a hot tip: Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ star player, had reportedly attracted the attention of a federal grand jury investigating an illegal sports betting ring. You got the story from a friend close to the grand jury. Do you go with the story on your website, TV station or newspaper, or do you wait until you can confirm the story with Bryant or the Lakers or someone in the federal judiciary system?

The mayor in your city is rumored to frequent prostitutes during the workday. You have a good source that tells you this is true and even gives you some dates and times when the mayor met with prostitutes during lunch time. Do you write the story for your website, TV station or newspaper without confirming the story with the mayor, or getting a legitimate source on the record? JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 12

tzman, Frank Capra and the Image of the Journalist in American Film. The IJPC Web Site and t he IJPC Database are considered the major world-wide sources in the field.

Before coming to USC, Saltzman was a senior writer-producer at CBS, Channel 2, in Los Angeles. His documentaries and news specials won more than 50 awards including the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award in Broadcast Journalism (broadcasting's equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize), an American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award, two Edward R. Murrow Awards for reporting, two National Association of Television Production Executives (NATPE) awards, an Ohio State University award, two San Francisco State University Broadcast Media awards, four Radio-Television News Association's Golden Mike awards, five National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Regional Emmy Awards, three Greater Los Angeles Press Club awards, five Associated Press Certificates of Excellence and Merit, a Scripps-Howard Foundation Distinguished Journalism citation, American Cancer Society's First Annual Media Award, American Women in Radio and Television's first certificate of commendation, a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Award, and others. Saltzman is listed in Who's Who in America, the International Who's Who in Literature, Who’s Who in Education, Who's Who in California, Who's Who in the West, and International Biography. JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 13

Saltzman graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with minors in English, cinema and political science. He was Phi Beta Kappa and editor of the college newspaper, the Daily Trojan. He was a Seymour Berkson Fellow at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where he received a Master of Science degree with high honors. He also won the Robert Sherwood Traveling Fellowship from Columbia.

After graduation, he was a general assignment reporter for the now defunct daily newspaper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune's San Fernando Valley Times TODAY and news editor of the Palisadian Post, a weekly newspaper in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

He worked for CBS from 1964 to 1974 producing everything from daily newscasts to major documentaries. He produced one of the first television magazines in the country, “Ralph Story's Los Angeles,” and another weekly series with Rod Serling. He won numerous awards for his investigative news series.

But it is his documentary legacy that most will remember. “I believe the documentary films of Joe Saltzman rank among the finest in the world,” said veteran broadcaster-critic Norman Corwin. “If I am wrong, I have wasted 15 years as chairman of the Documentary Awards Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In that span I have seen about 2,000 documentaries of all lengths, and based on that experience, I make the flat statement that there are no other filmmakers alive who more consistently, effectively -- and often daringly -- deal with basic aspects of social concern.”

The six award-winning programs are: Black on Black, a 90-minute landmark documentary told without a narrator depicting how it feels to be black and live in South-Central Los Angeles and first broadcast in 1968. One critic wrote: "The best documentary ever made on what it feels like to be black and live in the urban ghetto." Winner of many awards including the Emmy and the first NAACP Image award for documentary. The Unhappy Hunting Ground, a 90-minute documentary on the Native American in Los Angeles. Without a narrator, the program is told by the voices and faces of Indians. First broadcast in 1970. One critic wrote: "An agonizing study of the plight of the contemporary American Indian is searching, sad and maddening -- maddening because of what this program shows man can do to man. It is a stunning achievement." The Junior High School, a two-hour documentary on the junior high school experience. A full year in production, first broadcast in 1972. Part One: "Heaven, Hell or Purgatory." Part Two: "From A to Zoo." One critic wrote: "The finest documentary ever produced on American education. No one should miss it." To which a teacher added, "It fully documents in ways I never thought possible, the world of the junior high school student and teacher. It is an amazing document and for the life of me, I can't figure out how they did it." The Very Personal Death of Elizabeth Schell Holt-Hartford, a 30-minute documentary on an 82-year-old woman trying to live out her life in dignity. First broadcast in 1972. The Los Angeles Times: "A moving, poignant film essay." JOURNALISM 499 SYLLABUS 14

Rape, a 30-minute documentary on the crime of rape. First broadcast in 1974, it achieved the highest rating of any documentary in the history of Los Angeles television at the time. The Los Angeles Times: "The first and best report on the crime of rape ever presented on television." Why Me? a 60-minute documentary on breast cancer first broadcast in 1974. The first major television documentary to deal with breast cancer. "A landmark documentary," said one critic. The program is credited with saving thousands of lives.

After joining the USC faculty, Saltzman has continued to be a prolific electronic and print journa list, writing a media column for USA Today, the magazine for the Society for the Advancement o f Education (where he also serves as associate mass media editor). He has produced many medic al documentaries and newsmagazines, functioned as a senior investigative producer for Entertain ment Tonight (under famed editor Jim Bellows), and has written articles, reviews, columns, and o pinion pieces for numerous magazines and newspapers.

He has been researching the image of the journalist in popular culture for 20 years and is considered an expert in the field. His IJPC database and this web site are considered the world- wide resources on the subject. Saltzman was awarded the 2005 Journalism Alumni Award from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, the Alumni Association’s highest alumni honor.