ATCM 6392.

501
Journalism and the Digital Network
Fall 2017
ATC 2.918
M 7:00-9:45pm

Contact Information

Angela M. Lee, Ph.D.

Phone: 972-883-7539
Email: angela.lee@utdallas.edu
Office hours: By appointment
Office: ATC 2.509

Course Description

New media technology and different digital platforms are altering the relationship between journalists and audiences. In
the context of this emerging media landscape, we will explore the nature, promises, and limitations of contemporary
journalism in informing, engaging and entertaining the public.

Learning Objectives

In this course, students will:

Examine the nature, promises, and pitfalls of contemporary journalism by actively participating in class
discussions and completing a number of reading responses;
Explore the impact of digital technology on journalism through a series of in-class exercises;
Develop critical thinking skills by participating in team debates;
Learn to be creative in thinking about the future of journalism and present novel solutions to the problems
that the industry is facing in the final presentation.

Required Readings

There are no assigned textbooks for students to purchase. Instead, all of the readings are available online and their links
can be found on the course calendar below. Be sure to check the course calendar regularly and complete all assigned
readings before class.

Additional Course Requirements

Access to a computer (some in-class exercises may require that you bring a laptop to class)
An active email account that is checked every day
Be in class on time

Course Policies

Students should familiarize themselves with official UTD course policies, which can be found here:
http://provost.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies/
No plagiarism. In particular, you should familiarize yourself with the concept of plagiarism see the
Avoiding Plagiarism section from the link above. Plagiarism is NOT tolerated in this course. If you have
any questions about this, ask me before you turn in an assignment.
No late assignment. Many assignments are due in class. Unless otherwise arranged with me prior to the
deadline, late assignments are not accepted and will automatically result in a zero.
Attendance. Our class meetings are an integral part of the learning experience for the students. As such, you
are expected to attend class, complete in-class exercises or quizzes, and participate actively in class
discussions. Arriving more than 30 minutes late or leaving more than 30 minutes early will be marked as
absent.
Religious holidays. You must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of
observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project
in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a
reasonable time after the absence.
Disruptive behavior. Disruptive behavior is defined as behavior that interrupts or interferes with daily
functions of the University of the education processes by the Dean of Students at UTD. To create a safe and

Course Syllabus Page 1

 welcoming environment for learning, no disruptive behavior is allowed in this class. Students who make
inappropriate (e.g., hostile or threatening) remarks in class will be reported to the Dean of Students. Also,
please silence your phone so it does not disrupt other students learning experience.
Communication. In this class, e-mail will be used as a means of communication with students. You are
responsible for checking your UTD e-mail every day for class work and announcements.

Grading Policy

Class Participation (20%) This course is designed to be interactive and participatory. Students are
expected to attend class, arrive on time, participate in class discussions, and respond to class readings
regularly. All students are permitted two class absences over the course of the semester, no questions asked,
but there will be no make-ups for in-class exercises or quizzes. Students who miss more than five class
meetings will receive a zero for participation. You are asked to use all electronic devices for class purposes
only. Students who are caught surfing the Internet in class, for example, will lose participation points and be
reported to the Dean of Students.
In-class exercises (20%) To put theory to practice, you will participate in a number of in-class exercises
that challenge you to think about journalism theories differently and apply social scientific methodologies
creatively. Since such exercises rely on group contribution, no make-ups are allowed for any of the in-class
exercises.
Reading responses (20%) There are 7 classes with reading assignments this semester, and you are
expected to complete 6 throughout the semester. There is only one rule for the reading responsesdo NOT
summarize the readings. Instead, please feel free to use these opportunities to share your view on, or raise
questions about, the readings, discuss issues related to or inspired by the readings, and/or bring up reading-
related topics for class discussion, etc. Your reading responses are an important part of our class, and will be
incorporated in lecture and class discussion. Because it will take time for me to prepare and incorporate all of
your responses into the lecture, reading responses are due by 9pm on the Friday before class. No late
responses are accepted, and you will need to add a label to your responses on Blogger in order to receive
credit.
Debate Papers (20%) Fostering critical thinking skills is important to this class. As such, you will write
two short debate papers that stem from in-class debates, forcing you to think and argue critically about both
sides of emerging issues in journalism.
Final presentation (20%) To be discussed in class.

Grading Scheme

A = 93 or above C = 73-76
A- = 90-92 C- = 70-72
B+ = 87-89 D+ = 67-69
B = 83-86 D = 63-66
B- = 80-82 D- = 60-62
C+ = 77-79 F = 59 or below

Sharing Confidential Information

Students considering sharing personal information in email, in person, or within assignments or exams should be aware
that faculty members and teaching/research assistants are required by UT Dallas policy to report information about
sexual misconduct to the UT Dallas Title IX Coordinator. Per university policy, faculty have been informed that they
must identify the student to the UT Dallas Title IX Coordinator. Students who wish to have confidential discussions of
incidents related to sexual harassment or sexual misconduct should contact the Student Counseling Center (972-883-
2527 or after hours 972-UTD-TALK or 972-883-8255), the Women's Center (972-883-8255), a health care provider in
the Student Health Center (972-883-2747), the clergyperson (or other legally recognized religious advisor) of their
choice, or an off-campus resource (i.e., rape crisis center, doctor, psychologist). Students who are sexually assaulted,
harassed, or victims of sexual misconduct, domestic violence, or stalking, are encouraged to directly report these
incidents to the UT Dallas Police Department at 972-883-2222 or to the Title IX Coordinator at 972-883-2218.
Additional information and resources may be found at http://www.utdallas.edu/oiec/title-ix/resources.

Please form a study group and write down the contact information of other members here (Name, email and/or phone
number).

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Course Syllabus Page 2

 Our course blogs URL is: atcm6392f17.blogspot.com

Course Calendar & Readings

Week 1 August 21
Introduction & Overview
Whats wrong with journalism?

Week 2 August 28
What is journalism/news?

Read before class:

1. CAJ What is journalism?: http://caj.ca/images/downloads/Ethics/caj_whatisjournalism.doc_1.pdf
2. Columbia Journalism Review who, what, when, where, why, and how:
http://archives.cjr.org/cover_story/who_what_when.php?page=all
3. American Press Institute The elements of journalism: https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-
essentials/what-is-journalism/elements-journalism/
4. Brian Phillips This is why the Paris attacks have gotten more news coverage than other terrorist attacks:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/11/16/why-have-the-paris-attacks-gotten-
more-news-coverage-than-other-terrorist-attacks/
5. Mike Carter FBI created fake Seattle Times Web page to nab bomb-threat suspect:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/fbi-created-fake-seattle-times-web-page-to-nab-bomb-threat-
suspect/
6. Stuart Dredge Social media, journalism, and wars: authenticity has replaced authority:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/05/social-media-journalism-wars-authenticity

Week 3 September 4
Labor Day No class

Week 4 September 11
Who is a journalist?
Debate # 1: Are Facebook and Google news companies, and why does it matter?
In-class exercise: How is news produced? (Part 1)

Read before class:

1. Gregg Leslie Who is a journalist and why does it matter? https://www.rcfp.org/browse-media-law-
resources/news-media-law/news-media-and-law-fall-2009/who-journalist
2. Tadhg Kelly What is journalism anymore? https://techcrunch.com/2014/11/09/what-is-journalism-anymore/
3. Wikipedia Citizen journalism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
4. Anja Kroll The role of journalism in the digital age being a superhero or Clark Kent: Do journalists think
networked journalism is an appropriate tool to work with (in the future)?
http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/The%20role%20of%20journalism%20in%20the%20
Digital%20Age.pdf
5. Espen Egil Hansen With Facebooks flaws in the spotlight, Mark Zuckerbergs silence is deafening:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/19/facebook-censorship-mark-zuckerberg-terror-war-
vietnam

Week 5 September 18
How is news produced?
In-class exercise: How is news produced? (Part 2)

Read before class:

1. David Manning White The gate keeper: A case study in the selection of news:
https://www.scribd.com/document/250927006/The-Gate-Keeper
2. Warren Breed Social control in the newsroom-a functional analysis:
https://umdrive.memphis.edu/cbrown14/public/Mass%20Comm%20Theory/Week%208%20Journalism%20S
tudies/Breed%201955.pdf
3. Josh Barro Im a journalist, and its only fair that you should know whom I voted for:
http://www.businessinsider.com/im-a-journalist-and-i-vote-2016-4

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 4. Will Oremus Of course Facebook is biased, it just needs to admit it:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2016/05/yes_facebook_is_biased_now_it_should_admit
_it.html
5. Sam Thielman Facebook news selection is in hands of editors not algorithms, documents show (Read also
the Trending Review Guidelines PDF in the middle of the article):
www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/12/facebook-trending-news-leaked-documents-editor-
guidelines

Week 6 September 25
How are news values defined by the (1) supply and (2) demand sides?
n Discuss Debate Report # 1
Due in class: Debate report # 1 Are Facebook and Google news companies, and why does it matter?

Read before class:

1. Boczkowski & Peer The choice gap: On eLearning
2. Tom Stafford Why bad news dominates the headlines: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140728-why-is-
all-the-news-bad
3. Alain de Botton The News: A Users Manual A Little Hope:
https://www.scribd.com/document/252273394/The-News-A-User-s-Manual-A-Little-Hope
4. Philip Bump Study shows the media has a clear bias in favor of dogs: Study shows the media has a clear
bias in favor of dogs: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/11/19/study-shows-the-
media-has-a-clear-bias-in-favor-of-dogs//
5. Jonathan Stray How do we measure the impact of journalism?: http://www.niemanlab.org/2012/08/metrics-
metrics-everywhere-how-do-we-measure-the-impact-of-journalism/

Week 7 October 2
In-class exercise: news value / content analysis

Week 8 October 9
In-class exercise: news value/ content analysis (continued)
Does Journalism matter?

Read before class:

1. Peter Levine Journalism and Democracy: Does it matter how well the press covers Iraq?:
https://www.scribd.com/document/250899746/Journalism-and-Democracy-Does-It-Matter-How-Well-the-
Press-Covers-Iraq
2. Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Paul Waldman The press as storyteller:
https://www.scribd.com/document/252268539/The-Press-Effect-Ch-1
3. William Comcowich PR puzzle: Does traditional media matter much anymore?
http://bit.ly/does_traditional_media_matter
4. Diana Mutz Impersonal influence: effects of representations of public opinion on political attitudes:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vn791a6x9l47r40/Mutz%2C%201992%2C%20Impersonal%20influence%20-
%20Effects%20of%20representations%20of%20public%20opinion%20on%20political%20attitudes.pdf?dl=
0
5. Tony Rogers The technology of journalism improves, but young people still ignore the news?
https://www.thoughtco.com/young-people-still-ignore-the-news-2074143

Week 9 October 16
How should journalism make money?
Debate # 2: Should news organizations be allowed to use native ads for profit? Yes/No

Read before class:

1. Rick Edmonds Newspapers arent dying as fast as you think: http://www.poynter.org/2016/just-how-
alarming-are-newspaper-circulation-declines/393490/
2. Jack Murtha Why the controversy over an Iowa cartoonist is no laughing matter:
https://www.cjr.org/analysis/cartoonist.php
3. Matt Carlson native ads, comic stream version: https://drmattcarlson.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/the-
conference-paper-as-comic-strip/

Course Syllabus Page 4

 4. Rick Edmonds Is there a business model for virtual reality news? Native advertising provides a start:
http://www.poynter.org/2016/is-there-a-business-model-for-virtual-reality-news-native-advertising-provides-
a-start/405640/
5. The Media Insight Project How millennials get news - paying for content:
http://www.mediainsight.org/PDFs/MillennialsPaying/MillennialPayBrief_9%2030%20Final.pdf

Week 10 October 23
Why is the news industry in trouble?

Read before class:

1. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Paying for digital news:
http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/survey/2014/paying-for-digital-news-2014/
2. Medialife Magazine Think papers websites are gaining? Think again:
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/think-papers-websites-are-gaining-think-again/
3. Robert Kaiser The bad news about the news: http://csweb.brookings.edu/content/research/essays/2014/bad-
news.html#
4. Robert Picard - Twilight or new dawn of journalism?: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2014.905338
(Electronic copy available via UTD library)

Week 11 October 30
Debate # 2 debate due in class & discussion
Consultation

Week 12 November 6
Emerging problems (and possible solutions) in journalism Presentations

Week 13 November 13
Emerging problems (and possible solutions) in journalism Presentations

Week 14 November 20
Fall Break No class

Week 15 November 27
Emerging problems (and possible solutions) in journalism Presentations

Week 16 December 4
Emerging problems (and possible solutions) in journalism Presentations

Comet Creed

This creed was voted on by the UT Dallas student body in 2014. It is a standard that Comets choose to live by and
encourage others to do the same: As a Comet, I pledge honesty, integrity, and service in all that I do.

UT Dallas Syllabus Policies and Procedures

The information contained in the following link constitutes the Universitys policies and procedures segment
of the course syllabus. Please go to http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies for these policies.

The descriptions and timelines contained in this syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

Course Syllabus Page 5