Journalism Outcomes Assessment Test

University of Arizona School of Journalism

Student number (last four digits only):

Date: ______

Thank you for being a part of this important assessment tool intended to evaluate student learning in the School of Journalism. Nobody except your instructor and the school assessment coordinator will see the results of your test. We are most interested in compiling all of the results to look for overall trends to make sure students are leaving the program knowing key journalism principles.

This test is given to students early in the program (Jour 105) and toward the end of the program (school media classes). We compare the averages to see if there is improvement overall.

The test is multiple choice, with a final page that assesses your comfort with media technology.

Do your best!

Sincerely,

David Cuillier

Director

School of Journalism

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona 85721

Part I: Multiple-choice

Please answer the following multiple-choice questions by clearly circling the letter of the one response that best answers the question.

A. Press and democracy

1.The founding fathers intended the press to serve what role in democracy:

a.Factually repeat what leaders want the citizens to know

b.Challenge those in power as a check on tyranny

c.Entertain citizens to keep the peace

d.Foster American values of God and country

e.All of the above

2.The U.S. government can jail journalists and prevent newspapers from publishing stories if it feels they are disseminating information embarrassing to the nation’s interests.

a.True

b.False

3.Ida Tarbell (“History of the Standard Oil Company”), Upton Sinclair (“The Jungle”) and Lincoln Stephen (“Shame of the Cities”) are all journalists best known as what?

a.Periodistas

b.Muckrakers

c.Paparazzi

d.Bloggers

e.None of the above

4.A journalist’s first loyalty is to:

a.His or her boss

b.Government and country

c.His or her sources

d.Citizens

5.A key principle of journalism IS NOT:

a.Truth

b.Independence

c.Selling papers

d.Verification

e.Providing a forum for the public

6.The following is an example of journalism:

a.Press release from The Wildlife Fund

b.The Jerry Springer Show

c.The Drudge Report blog

d.All of the above

e.None of the above

B. Journalism and the world

7.Which of the following countries had the most journalists killed in the line of duty in 2014?

a.Mexico

b.Iraq

c.Pakistan

d.Syria

8.Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, Voice of Russia and BBC’s World Service are all examples of:

a. Private communications intended to influence foreign audiences politically.

b. Private communication systems without a political purpose.

c. Government-supported communications intended to influence foreign audiences.

d. Government-supported communications not intended to influence foreign audiences.

e.None of the above

9.Western journalism is increasingly relying on local stringers and local freelancers for international reporting because:

a.They have a better education.

b.They understand the local language and culture.

c. They are less likely to be murdered or kidnapped.

c.All of the above

d.None of the above

10.UNESCO stands for

a.The United Nations Electronic, Southern Communication Organization

b.The United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization

c.The United Nations Entertainment and Socially Challenging Organization

d.None of the above

11.Mainstream U.S. news coverage differs from press coverage of news in other countries in WHICH MAJOR ASPECT?

a.Articles are more opinionated in American publications

b.American journalists use the first-person more frequently in their news stories

c.American journalists adhere more to objectivity and objective method

d.American publications use more illustrations

e.All of the above

12.Which of these is NOT a news agency?

a.AP

b.Agence France Presse

c.REUTERS

d.yelp*

e.All of the above

C. Law of the press

13.Which of the following is NOT protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

a.Right to bear arms

b.Speech

c.Press

d. Peaceable assembly

e.Petition the government for redress of grievances

14.Under the doctrine of “fighting words,” the government might be able to prosecute successfully someone in which of the following situations?

a.A person hands out an anti-Semitic pamphlet with Nazi symbols

b.A newspaper publishes racist comments in an editorial

c.In a bar argument, one man uses an offensive anti-gay slur while waving a clenched fist at another man

d.A speaker on campus calls for the ouster of all undocumented Mexicans from Arizona

e.None of the above

15.Which of the following is NOT a basic element of libel?

a.False statement

b.Publication

c.Identification

d.Intent to harm

e.Opinion

16.When someone takes the photo of a movie star and uses it to promote a product without permission, it is called:

a.Intrusion

b.Public disclosure of private facts

c.Misappropriation

d.False light

e.None of the above

17.The following agency is NOT subject to the Arizona Public Records Act:

a.Tucson City Council

b.Arizona Board of Regents

c.Arizona Department of Public Safety

d.Tucson Better Business Bureau

e.None of the above

E. Reporting and ethics

18.Which of the following categories of individuals would be acceptable sources for you to interview for a news report?

a.Protesters whom you don’t know

b.Friends

c.Colleagues at a job

d.Professors teaching courses that you are taking this semester

e.All of the above

19.Most news organizations will publish or broadcast the name of a rape victim.

a.True

b.False

20.If a source offers to buy you lunch, you should accept the free meal in order to build the source-reporter relationship and avoid offense.

a. True

b. False

21. It is acceptable to ask a source to re-enact a conversation that he or she had with you off-camera, so that it can be captured on-camera for a news report.

a.True

b.False

22.Which questions should journalists ask themselves when covering news?

a. Is the race, disability or ethnicity of the speaker always explicit in the story?

b. Is the story free of code words, such as blue-collar, “cheap” or inner-city?

c. Does the story need a trigger warning?

d. Is there anyone from another race, religion, nationality or ethnicity who would be offended by the story?

e. All of the above

F. Associated Press style and newswriting

  1. What is the name of the typical organization of news stories, where the most important information comes first, followed by progressively less important information?
  1. Inverted pyramid
  2. Narrative
  3. Hourglass
  4. Prominence
  1. What is the first paragraph of a news story called?
  1. Introductory paragraph
  2. Lede
  3. Thesis statement
  4. Headline
  5. None of the above
  1. What is an example of a “hard news” story?
  1. Story about a water-skiing squirrel
  2. Story about a train wreck with fatalities
  3. Story about the UA-ASU rivalry in football
  4. Story about a cancer survivor who overcame the odds and how she is persevering
  5. None of the above
  1. What is it called when you move smoothly from one topic to another in a story?
  1. Declarative sentence
  2. Headline
  3. Transition
  4. Quotation
  1. Which of the following is the correct way to attribute a quotation, according to A.P. style?
  1. “I like cheese.” Donald Trump said.
  2. “I like cheese” Donald Trump said.
  3. “I like cheese,” Donald Trump said.
  4. “I like cheese”, Donald Trump said.
  1. Identify the A.P. style error or errors in the following:

The 9-year-old girl held the books until the buses arrived at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25.

  1. 9-year-old girl
  2. buses
  3. 5:00 p.m.
  4. Oct. 25
  5. All are correct.
  1. Identify the A.P. style error or errors in the following:

The eight Rhode Island hens laid 10 eggs, which span nine inches when laid end to end.

  1. eight
  2. Rhode Island
  3. 10
  4. nine inches
  5. All are correct
  1. Identify the A.P. style error or errors in the following:

Eighty-eight people stood outside the house at 2650 North Campbell Avenue to protest a website they considered racist toward Asian-Americans.

  1. Eighty-eight
  2. 2650 North Campbell Avenue
  3. website
  4. Asian-Americans
  5. All are correct
  1. Identify the A.P. style error or errors in the following:

The Arizona Daily Star reported that Gov. Jan Brewer offered the woman $4 million dollars to settle an injury accident in Gilbert, Arizona.

  1. The Arizona Daily Star
  2. Gov. Jan Brewer
  3. $4 million dollars
  4. Gilbert, Arizona.
  5. All are correct
  1. Identify the A.P. style error or errors in the following:

Johnny Johnson, Jr., a Pima County Superior Court judge, found the author guilty of criminal libel in the early 1990s for writing the book “El Cuillier Perro: Mastermind Behind the Cartels.”

  1. Johnny Johnson, Jr.,
  2. Pima County Superior Court judge
  3. 1990s
  4. “El Cuillier Perro: Mastermind Behind the Cartels”
  5. All are correct
  1. Select the correct grammatical choice for the following:

She lectured about the state of access to public information in Mexico to whoever/whomever would listen during the one-hour session.

  1. whoever
  2. whomever
  1. Select the correct grammatical choice for the following:

Neither the editor nor the reporters were/was forced to carry badges in the capital city after the looting.

  1. were
  2. was
  1. Select the correct grammatical choice for the following:

Journalists should always check his or her, their recorders for dead batteries

  1. his or her
  2. their
  1. Select the correct grammatical choice for the following:

She tried to speed home in the car, but it’s/its engine blew halfway there.

  1. it’s
  2. its
  1. You may use your calculator for all math questions, including this one:

Thirteen of 20 students got this question right. What percent of the class is this?

  1. 54 percent
  2. 154 percent
  3. 65 percent
  4. 69 percent
  5. None of the above
  1. UAPD announced a record 734 arrests for minor in possession so far in 2014. The previous year to date, there were 532 arrests. What is the percent increase in MIP arrests so far this year?
  1. 27.5 percent
  2. 38 percent
  3. 72 percent
  4. None of the above
  1. The Tucson Citizen website conducted a survey finding that 51 percent of Tucsonans say they will vote for Elsa Ursaltooth for mayor and 49 percent say they will vote for her opponent, Earl Dinkleberry. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. What is the most accurate headline, based on the survey results?
  1. Tucsonans Favor Ursaltooth for Mayor
  2. Mayoral Race Too Close to Call
  3. Tucsonans Favor Dinkleberry for Mayor
  4. Ursaltooth Trounces Dinkleberry in Poll
  1. The UA says it will increase in-state tuition, currently $10,027 for undergraduates, by 5 percent next year. What would the new in-state tuition be next year?
  1. $10,529
  2. $501
  3. $10,079
  4. $15,027
  1. As a general rule, the ______is the best measure of central tendency because it is more precise.
  2. Mean
  3. Median
  4. Mode
  5. Range
  6. None of the above

H. Media theory

42.Why does theory matter?

a.Theory establishes what is important in the world, and what isn’t

b.Theory is important because people with doctorates say so

c.Theory proves that certain phenomena (e.g., gravity) exist

d.Theory can describe and predict phenomena, and identify solutions

e.None of the above

43. Some people, particularly right after WWII, believed in the “bullet theory” of media, also called “hypodermic needle theory.” What does this theory say?

a.Media messages directly affect people, changing their behaviors

b.Media messages have limited effects and depend on the individual.

c.Negative news is bad, therefore people should shoot the messenger.

d.Media messages cause people to perceive that their opinions differ from the majority, therefore they avoid speaking out.

e.None of the above

44.What is NOT one of Siebert’s four theories of the press?

a.Libertarian

b.Authoritarian

c.Soviet

d.Civic journalism

e.None of the above

45.Researchers have found that watching television a lot causes people to what?

a.Develop more peaceful qualities and become less violent

b.Develop an increased chance of getting brain cancer

c.Overestimate the prevalence of sex and crime in the world

d.Become less informed

e.All of the above

46.What theory predicts that people will be less inclined to speak out on a subject if they think that most people are opposed to their opinion?

a.Rally round-the-flag

b.Media effects

c.Spiral of silence

d.Opinion compression

e.None of the above

I. Diversity

47.Currently newsroom diversity is:

a.Below its peak levels at most daily news organizations in the U.S.

b.Above its peak levels at most daily news organizations in the U.S.

c.Even with peak levels at most daily news organizations in the U.S.

48.Including diversity in reporting:

a.Helps increase the community’s understanding of the links between perceptions of diversity, harmony and multicultural issues

b.Provides the public with tools to enhance their understanding of multicultural issues

c.Provides different perspectives that might otherwise be untold

d.All of the above

e.None of the above

49.Stereotyping in the news media suggests:

a.Generalizations about an ethnic, racial, ability, gender or other minority that attributes a defined set of characteristics to the group

b.Generalizations about minority groups that highlight the differences among individuals

c.Generalizations about minority groups that use the group’s own jargon and language

d.All of the above

e.None of the above

50.Diversity in newsrooms is intended to:

a. Come up with a broader range of stories and perspectives

b. Allow the newsroom to function peacefully

c. Promote mostly positive coverage of minority groups.

d. All of the above

e.None of the above

J. Technology

Below is a section dealing with your comfort level using specific skills in storytelling. There is no right or wrong answer – we are seeking your honest self-assessment of your technological skills. On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “strongly disagree” and 5 means “strongly agree,” please rate the following statements by picking the number that represents your honest assessment. Please use Part II of your Scantron sheet.

Strongly Strongly

Disagree Agree

I feel very comfortable storytelling with:

1. Still images (photos)12345

2. Sound (audio recording)12345

3. Images AND sound (e.g., slideshows)12345

4. Video12345

5. Platforms like Pinterest and Instagram12345

6. Photoshop12345

7. Final Cut Pro or X12345

8. Pagination software (e.g., InDesign)12345

9. Applying social media to journalism12345

10. Blogging12345

11. Tweeting the news12345

12. Delivering news via mobile apps12345

END OF TEST --- THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS!