Chapter 2 Activity 5 Instructions

  1. Find a breaking news story online on a major news outlet (CNN, a national newspaper, ESPN.com). Note the attribution (sources quoted or paraphrased) used in the story.
    • How many sources are used?
    • What percentage of the story is attributed?
  2. Now find people writing about the same story on Twitter, Facebook or on a general blog site.
    • Does the attribution differ on these posts from the writing for the traditional news outlets?

Before starting this activity, I encourage you to watch us review it in class on September 15. We started discussing this activity at 14 minutes and 47 seconds into the class period. Jace was kind enough to take a stab at the percentage of attribution and we were able to clarify exactly what that meant with a sample article that you should NOT use.

Post your findings to the class blog site with the category, “Chapter 2 – Activity 5.” If others have completed the assignment or commented, be sure to review their contributions and findings. 

In your post, share your findings and discuss how attribution is related to the definition of journalism discussed at the start of chapter two.

Jordan and David are required to address this activity and comment on two other activities. Other students can do the same work, or they can address another activity, in another category, in this module. If you address another module be sure to create a post or a reply here addressing some aspect of this activity

Also, please keep up with your peers’ comments on your own post and reply when warranted.

Skip to toolbar