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POLITICAL
JOURNALISM
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Media, Message, Money and the American Political
System
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COMM
399-002
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2006 Fall
Semester
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Tuesday/Thursday
3-4:15 p.m.
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336 and
455 Innovation Hall
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Instructor:
Steve Klein
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COURSE
SYLLABUS
Welcome to this unique, collaborative
class, which meets in Innovation Hall in order to take advantage of computer
lab (336) and video conferencing (455) facilities.
Our objective
during the next 15 weeks is to take a critical look at the way we elect our
public officials, including the extensive process behind the scenes. At the conclusion of this class, you will
have a clearer understanding of the American political system and how it
intersects with the media. We will study
political history, campaign financing, special interest money, media strategy,
polling and grassroots organization – always with an eye on the intersection
with media.
Classroom and video conference guests add to the educational
experience and are selected based on their expertise in the field of government,
media and the political process. Because
of this class’s unique collaboration
with C-SPAN, we will also be incorporating
material from the C-SPAN archives, as well as other video/ film/ television
material from other sources, to enhance your learning experience.
We will meet Tuesday and
Thursday from 3-4:15 p.m. in either our regular classroom, 336
Innovation Hall, or the GMU-TV video studio in 455 IH. C-SPAN Political Editor Steve Scully, who is also serving as
president of the White House
Correspondents Association this year, will work closely with us, usually
from C-SPAN’s Hostetter Studio in Washington, D.C.
Scully also teaches the Distance Learning Class at the University
of Denver, and we will be joined by
undergraduate students from Pace University
in New York City. George Mason is
the third class participating in this unique collaboration. Dr. Christopher Malone is an Assistant
Professor of Political Science at Pace. This will mark the second time the three
schools will collaborate during the entire semester, giving you an enhanced
learning experience.
This syllabus is most
effectively used interactively (online). Total reliance on the hard copy
discourages making use of the full value of all the additional linked
materials.
Among our objectives will
be to provide you with a better understanding of how the media intersects with the
Congressional election process during this critical 2006 mid-term election. Students will be exposed to underlying media theories
concerning the various approaches that journalists can take when interacting
with elected officials.
This class will provide students with a solid academic
overview and multiple news writing and reporting opportunities – all while
using innovative technology through a unique video conferencing environment.
Contact Information
Steve Klein is coordinator
of the Electronic
Journalism minor and oversees the Journalism concentration in the Communication Department at George Mason University.
Office: 219-B
Thompson Hall
Phone: 703-933-2199
E-mail: sklein1@gmu.edu
Web site: http://mason.gmu.edu/~sklein1/
Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 2:30 p.m., in my 219-B Thompson Hall office; and by
appointment. Occasionally, I meet students at Jazzman’s Café in the Johnson Center or the Instructional Resource Center (427 Innovation Hall). My office hours and
changes in time or location are always posted on my office door and updated
weekly.
Steven L. Scully
is the School of Communication
and Office of the Provost’s Faculty in Residence in Washington,
D.C.
He is the Amos B. Hostetter Jr. Chair in the School
of Communications at the University of Denver. Scully is Political Editor
of C-SPAN. If you’d like to know more
about him, there’s some terrific video
from the White House
Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 29 (fast forward to about 20:40). Scully is president of the WHCA.
Phone: 202-626-7956
E-mail: Sscully@c-span.org
Mailing address: 400
North Capitol Street, NW
Suite #
650
Washington,
D.C.
20001
Dr.
Christopher Malone is an associate professor in the Department of
Political Science at Pace University
in New York City. You can learn
more about Professor Malone’s exceptional teaching approach in this Washington
Post story.
Phone: 212-346-1146 or 914-773-3428
E-mail: Cmalone@pace.edu
Mailing Address: 1
Pace Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10038
Both professors
Scully and Malone are available to students by e-mail and during our video
studio sessions and welcome your questions and comments.
Course Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to better:
·
Understand the American political process, the
rules which govern the way campaigns are funded and operate, and the role
elections play in our democracy.
·
Know the key players in the process, including
the candidates, the strategists, the journalists and the electorate, as well
how campaigns raise and spend money.
·
Critically think about politics, the media and
government.
·
Understand the role of today’s 24-hour news
cycle and evaluate the media’s role in our political system.
Course Prerequisite
Comm303/Writing Across Media (for Communication/Journalism majors
and Electronic Journalism minors; students majoring outside of the
Communication Department will be permitted to use a writing style other than
Associated Press). Students should note
that this syllabus is written in AP style.
Homework assignment
for Thursday Aug. 31:
Circle examples of AP style throughout this syllabus.
Course Description
The mid-term election is upon us. On Tuesday Nov. 7,
American voters will elect 435 members of the House of Representatives, a third
of the U.S. Senate, and 36 governors. This course will give you a sharper
understanding of the American political process and how it REALLY works. From fundraising and strategy, through
shaping the message, campaign organization, polling and get-out-the-vote
activities, and media coverage, we will examine every aspect of our campaign
system.
Our twice-weekly class will include interesting guests and
lively political discussions. Journalists, government officials (current and
former), campaign consultants, pollsters and other newsmakers will join us on a
regular basis. These discussions also
give you the opportunity to speak directly with and write about primary sources
of political information.
Your responsibility is to come to class prepared with interesting
observations and thought- provoking questions.
Questions for
Consideration
- Are the media unifying or fragmenting?
Does media content help the American political process or does it create
anxiety or inaccurate portrayals of it?
- Do people feel powerless because they
have little ability to shape the messages of media?
- Are the media an unique force for
political change, or do they primarily react to political forces?
- Do the media merely convey information
about what political issues are important?
- Do the owners and controllers of these
messages act in the public interest or do they have other motives?
- Are audiences primarily reactive to
media content or do they work toward integrating media messages with their
own experiences?
- Whose interests do the media represent?
- How important is it for media industries
to work for profits, and does this limit the types of content they are
willing to produce or the types of audiences they serve?
Class Format
Class sessions will be conducted
in a lecture-discussion format, with substantial emphasis on discussion. We
will work together, with the classes and instructors from Denver
and Pace universities, and with our guest speakers to explore the issues raised
in the course and attempt to reach some conclusions about guiding ethical
principles. However, absolutes are rarely attainable in the social world, and
certainly not in the realm of ethics and politics, so students may participate
in class discussion with that reassurance in mind. Student opinions will be
welcomed as long as they are serious and realistic in nature, contribute to
learning, and are respectful of each other.
Required Texts
The following authors will be joining us this semester.
You can obtain these books at
Borders, Barnes & Noble or online (and
less expensively) at either and Amazon.com. I did NOT order them through the
GMU Bookstore.
Attack
the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You
Against The Media
Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers
By Craig Crawford
Choose one of the following:
STRATEGERY: How
George W. Bush Is Defeating Terrorists, Outwitting Democrats and Confounding
the Mainstream Media
Regnery Publishing
By Bill Sammon
CRASHING
THE GATE: Netroots, Grassroots and the
Rise of People-Powered Politics
Chelsea Green Publishing
By Jerome
Armstrong and Markos Moulitsas Zuniga
FIGHT
CLUB POLITICS: How Partisanship is
Poisoning the House of Representatives
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
By Juliet
Eilperin
We
the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People
O’Reilly
By Dan Gilmour
Optional Texts
The
Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law
Perseus Book Group
Editor: Norm
Goldstein
Covering
Government: A Civics Handbook for Journalists
Blackwell Publishing
Author: Rob
Armstrong
Additional Readings
In order to succeed in this class, students MUST maintain a high degree of
media literacy. As we report on and follow the 2006 mid-term elections, we will
be able to incorporate the events of the day into this class while also
providing historical context.
Our guests, who include authors of the books you will read,
come to this class looking for a lively and interesting give-and-take with each
class. The only way students can participate in these discussions is to READ the assigned books, READ the
newspaper, READ newsweekly
magazines, WATCH the evening news, SURF the Internet for news stories, and
UNDERSTAND the issues of the day!
Some suggested websites (we will build on this list
during the semester):
Required Daily Website Readings
You MUST subscribe to one of these free, online political
services.
Each one offers a daily e-mail of political news, available
at no charge.
These daily briefings will keep you updated with the latest
political developments and assist you in our classroom discussions.
·
ABC News
“The Note”
http://www.abcnews.com
Click on the Politics Section for daily briefing on 2004
politics
·
NBC News
“First Read”
http://www.MSNBC.com
·
CNN
Political Page “Morning Political Grind”
http://www.cnn.com/AllPolitics
Additional Resources
·
C-SPAN: Main resources page
·
New York Times 2006
Election Guide: You can analyze more than 500 races for the Senate, House
and governor seats and paint the political map yourself.
·
New York Times Washington coverage
·
New York Times Politics
Navigator
·
Washington Post Politics
Page
·
Washington Post Key Senate,
House and Governor Races
·
Washington Post Belwethers:
Key Issues in the Battle for
Congress.
·
Washington Post Money
Matters: Will Pocketbook Concerns Move Votes?
·
Washington Post Political Ads Database
·
Washington Post Congressional Votes
Database
·
Stateline, Where
Policy & Politics News Clicks
·
Political News
Daily
·
Congresspedia, which
is like wikipedia for the U.S. Congress, backed by the Sunlight
Foundation and the Center for Media
and Democracy
Course
Lecture and Discussion Modules
Course Orientation and Introductions: An overview on the course
and the video conference environment and format. Classroom introductions. General discussion on the role the media has
played in shaping Congress and the presidency.
Starting
Out in Political Journalism: The myths and realities, responsibilities and ethics of the
profession.
What is News?:
How to develop a strong news
sense and recognize the different factors which dictate the strength and
prominence of published stories. Identifying the professional skills and
personal qualities required of the news reporter. How to make contacts and
identify and follow up story leads.
Filing Copy: Coming to grips
with the most fundamental journalistic skills: filing clean, accurate copy,
understanding the purpose of AP style and learning how newspaper writing differs
from other forms of writing. How and where to find important information in a
hurry and how to produce news items based on information from handouts and
press releases.
The Reporter: Essential
basic newsgathering and copy-writing skills. How reporters craft accurate and
attention-grabbing leads. What can be learned from experience, insight and
instinct, the accurate interpretation of complex facts and their repercussions.
The basics of interviewing, both face-to-face and by telephone. The skills
required and pitfalls to avoid.
Writing Features: The
different structure and style required for political feature stories. How to take
the right approach, focus on the importance of interviews in political feature
writing and how to adapt the tone and style to the subject. Dealing with
topical news features. How to conduct successful face-to-face interviews.
Journalists and the Law: Legal restrictions and how journalists can avoid costly legal action.
The dangers of libel and other pitfalls; qualified privilege and unintentional
defamation; criminal libel; and the need for fairness and accuracy.
Course
Requirements
Grading/Writing
Styles
Grading will be based on class participation (in-class and
online in Townhall) and several writing
projects and assignments. The projects can be submitted in traditional academic
formats; the writing assignments should be submitted in Associated
Press style unless you are NOT a Communication/Journalism major or
Electronic Journalism minor. The news-writing stories may be designed as
editorials, op-ed columns, personality profiles, or news stories.
Attendance & Participation
I expect students to attend class regularly and participate
in our in-class, video studio and Townhall online discussions. Student
participation is key to that success. Students are required to be prepared for
each class AND each guest by submitting a concise, well-written question before
the video conference for every scheduled guest (10 points);
Townhall participation (10 points).
Your participation is key to the
success of the class. THIS MEANS
ARRIVING TO CLASS ON TIME! It also means keeping up on the readings AND
incorporating book material into your questions and comments.
Attendance is important: If you must be absent from class due to an
illness or family emergency, please e-mail me immediately. If you missed work,
you would explain your absence. I expect the same courtesy.
It is also essential that you are
ready at the start of each class with your own observations, comments, and
questions. Reading daily political
sources, such as
ABC’s “The Note,” CNN’s “Morning
Grind,” or MSNBC’s “First Read” will give you additional context for our
discussions. REMEMBER: Time with many of our guests will be limited. Take
advantage of their visit by being prepared with questions. Don’t wait for me to call for questions; jump
right in. This is your class! Your participation guarantees a lively
dialogue.
More on Townhall: This semester, you
will engage in an online class discussion via the George Mason University’s Townhall conference and collaboration
software with your classmates and the students from Denver and Pace universities. This discussion
will center around our conversations with our guests, what they say, how they
respond to your questions, and your overall reflection on each class. We hope
to use this as a weblog of sorts, allowing students from all three schools to
interact with one another electronically.
--Students
must make one entry per class. The
entry must be substantive.
--
Students are encouraged to participate as often as possible; I will take this
participation into account for extra credit at the end of the semester.
--
Entries must be made before the
start of the following class to count for credit. You are encouraged to make
your entries as soon as possible after each class and to revisit the discussion
forum to interact with your classmates (in this case, classmates from two other
schools!) and to learn from each other.
-- Entries
should be re-read and edited as necessary (in other words, don't treat this
like an IM or e-mail; write well!).
Book Reviews
Two books are required
reading for this semester (“Attack the Messenger” by Craig Crawford is assigned; the second is your
choice but must be cleared with me). Steve
Scully, Chris Malone and I will be referring to all these books throughout
the semester and you will have the opportunity to interact with the authors. These
book reviews, which should be approximately 2-3 double-spaced pages (and
written in AP
Style as applicable), will provide students with the opportunity to
summarize the conclusions and offer their own comments. Students can also
incorporate observations from the class in their summary.
Note: After the book
reviews have been returned, each student will share their observations with the
rest of the class. This synthesis exercise will provide the opportunity to
generate a thought-provoking discussion on what you’ve learned.
15 points (5 for
each review, 5 for the presentation)
Note: Your second book selection must be
submitted to me by the end of the second week of class (Sept. 7). The reviews
are due following the fifth week of class (Sept. 28) and the 10th
week of class (Nov. 2).
Reporting and Writing Stories
Students will write deadline stories from their choice of
three of the video conferences. Stories must be two pages, must utilize AP Style (as
applicable), be double-spaced, and reflect a thorough reread, revise, rewrite
and proofread process. You must submit at least one story by the end of
September, October and November (see Key Dates below).
30 points (10 points
each)
Note: Deadlines are important in journalism. You
will be penalized one full letter grade for every day an assignment is late.
Course
Requirements Summary:
·
Townhall
participation 11 points
·
Guest question
preparation 10 points
·
Book reviews and
presentation 15 points
·
Reporting stories 30 points
·
Research Paper (mid-term) 15 points
·
Campaign 2006 Project
(final) 20 points
TOTAL 101 points
Key Dates:
- Video conference story #1 (Sept. 28)
- Crawford book review #1 (Sept. 28)
- Historic research paper (Oct. 3)
- Campaign memo (Oct. 19)
- Video conference story #2 (Oct. 31)
- Book review #2 (Nov. 2)
- Campaign 2006 project (Nov. 16)
- Video conference story #3 (Nov. 30)
Campaign 2006 Project
Due dates:
2-3 page “Campaign Memo” due Thursday Oct. 19
(end of Week 8) 5 points
Final report due Thursday Nov. 16 (end of
Week 12) 15 points; total: 20 points
Select and follow a COMPETITIVE House or Senate race this
fall.
Your mission: Become
an expert in that race.
-- Who are the
candidates and what are their backgrounds?
-- What are the
local/ regional issues in this race?
-- Are the national
issues (i.e. Iraq, economy, budget deficit and immigration) impacting this campaign? If so, how?
-- Who are the
consultants?
-- How much media
attention is this race getting in the district/ state?
-- What do the polls
say?
-- How much money is
being raised and spent? Who is
contributing to the candidates?
-- Are there third
parties in this race?
-- And finally, why did one candidate win this race?
During the semester,
you will be called upon randomly to update the class on this project. Here’s your chance to be a “political
pundit”!
(Note: Inform
me of your choice by Sept. 7; no doubles, so first-come, first served!)
On Thursday Oct. 19, you will submit a 2-3 page summary
(“Campaign Memo”) of the race which briefly addresses as many of the questions
posed above while providing a broad overview on the race, the “lay of the land,”
the politics and the polls. This summary should indicate that you have a grasp
of the candidates and the campaign.
Then, on Thursday, Nov. 16, your final report is due. The format:
Part 1:
Biography of the candidates (in outline form)
Summarize the politics of the
state/ district, which includes past voting patterns
(i.e., how it voted in previous
presidential elections).
Part 2:
Follow the money
Who has contributed to the
campaigns? How much money was raised and
spent?
Did the candidate finance part of
the campaign?
Part 3:
Media: Summarize what has been written and said about this campaign
(Note: You MUST provide your sources!)
Part 4: The
Campaign: In this segment, what happened in the race and WHY?
Part 5: What
you learned
Conclude with a 1-page summary of
what you learned about politics, the media
and campaigns during this
project.
Due date: Tuesday Oct.
3
15 points
This research is designed to give you a better historical
understanding of the political process while also incorporating the concepts,
lessons and discussions from our class.
Take one modern
presidential campaign from 1960 through 2000.
-- Your paper must begin with a 1-2 page TIMELINE of the
events from that year. Select key events
from politics and pop culture to the economic and social events of the
year. The timeline should also include
significant primary/caucus results, convention results (especially in years
with contested conventions, such as 1976 or 1980). Conclude the timeline with
the election results.
Answer the following
questions:
-- Begin with an overview of the political/economic/social
climate in the country. For example, what
was happening in the country in 1960 that led to such a razor-thin victory for
Kennedy; what impact did Vietnam
have on the 1968 presidential race; or Watergate in 1976; or the Iranian
hostage situation in 1980?
-- Write an introductory summary which explains where the
country was at the time of the election. This will allow you to then move into
the politics of that year, the candidates, other issues, and the campaign.
-- Explain what happened.
Who won? Why did he win? Why did his opponent lose the presidential
election? Did the debates decide this
election? Did a third party presidential candidate influence the outcome? Was
the election a referendum on the party in power?
-- Finally, summarize briefly what challenges the winner
faced as he entered the White House?
Each paper must be typed, double-spaced, with sources
clearly indicated. This 5-6 page paper
must be a well-researched essay on the topic, with a concluding summary on what
lessons you take away from the campaign and its results. Other sources for this paper should include,
but is not limited to, books, essays, newspaper articles and interviews.
Note: You
need A MINIMUM OF FOUR SOURCES for this paper, and you MUST cite your sources with footnotes and a
bibliography.
Volunteer for a Campaign (option)
This option course allows involved
students to get out in their community to put some of the knowledge they have
accumulated in the class to use. YOU
WILL BE REQUIRED TO VOLUNTEER FOR A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN OF YOUR CHOICE UNTIL
ELECTION DAY. I am asking you to
volunteer for a total of 25 hours in
that time period. Professor Malone and I will help you locate a list of
potential campaigns you may volunteer for and get you in contact with the
volunteer coordinator once you have made your choice. You will also write a 2-3 page paper outlining your experiences on the campaign.
Course
Schedule
Fall Semester 2006
(This schedule will be updated as
additional speakers are scheduled)
WEEK #1 (Aug.29 & 31):
Course orientation & introductions (336 Innovation Hall)
-- Classroom
introductions; InfoCards.
-- An overview of
this 15-week course, the syllabus and how it works in collaboration with C-SPAN, the University
of Denver and Pace University.
-- General
discussion on the
role the media plays intersecting with the election process.
WEEK #2 (Sept. 5 & 7):
Starting out in Political Journalism (455
Innovation Hall)
-- The myths, realities, responsibilities and ethics being a
political correspondent.
Guest speaker on Tuesday:
In the video studio (455 Innovation Hall), Gordon
Trowbridge, Detroit News Washington correspondent (and
former senior reporter for the Gannett Military
Times newspapers; has been an embedded
journalist in Iraq).
Guest speaker on Thursday:
In the video studio, Steve Scully,
political editor of C-SPAN and president of the White House Correspondents’
Association; and Chris Malone, associate
professor of political science at Pace
University.
WEEK #3 (Sept.12 & 14):
What makes news? (455
Innovation Hall)
-- How to develop news sense and recognize
different factors which dictate the strength and prominence of published
stories. How to make contacts
and follow up story leads.
-- How and where to find important information in a hurry and how to produce
news items based on information from handouts and press releases.
Guest speaker on Tuesday: Bill Outlaw, former Washington Times political correspondent
and now a strategic communication specialists in issues advocacy.
Guest speaker on Thursday: Dan Balz, Washington
Post senior political reporter.
WEEK #4 (Sept. 19 & 21): Filing Copy (455
Innovation Hall)
-- Coming to grips with
the most fundamental journalistic skills: filing clean, accurate copy,
understanding the purpose of AP
style and learning how newspaper writing differs from other forms of
writing.
-- Identifying the professional skills and personal qualities required of the
news reporter.
Guest speaker on Tuesday: Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard.
Guest speaker on Thursday: Ron Fournier,
founder of HotSoup.com and a former
Associated Press political reporter.
WEEK #5 (Sept. 26 & 28): Speakers (455 Innovation Hall)
