Motives of Journalists on Trial in Andy Griffith Episode

I used the Andy Griffith episode #61, "Andy on Trial," which aired in April 1962, as a learning tool in the “Introduction to Community Journalism” class I taught this summer.

The show taught some very important lessons about journalism ethics.

Here is a short recap of the Andy Griffith episode:

Andy travels to Raleigh to locate noted newspaper publisher J. Howard Jackson and bring him back to Mayberry. Two weeks earlier, Andy ticketed the businessman for speeding. Mr. Jackson was issued a summons to appear before the Mayberry justice of the peace (Andy) within a few days. He chose to ignore the summons. Now, a very irritated Mr. Jackson, accompanied by his lawyer, reluctantly returns to the small town to stand before Andy. He pleads guilty and is fined $15. Upset by having to travel that far to pay such a small fine, the irate publisher leaves the courthouse vowing revenge. When he returns to Raleigh, he orders one of his reporters, Jean Boswell, to go to Mayberry and dig up all the "dirt" she can find on Andy, and then twist it into a scathing article against the sheriff. He wants Andy’s reputation destroyed. Being very discreet, the reporter taps Barney for anything that could be used against Andy. Barney, caught up in all the attention, proceeds to tell the reporter that if he were in charge he would run the sheriff's department differently. Barney continues to complain about crimes going unpunished (Emma Watson's jaywalking) and the blatant unofficial use of the squad car (delivering groceries to a shut-in). As you can imagine, Mr. Jackson uses Barney's words to write a scathing article about Andy's administration which leads to a hearing that could cost Andy his job.

I asked my students to write about what journalism ethics they saw violated in this episode and here is some of what they wrote about:

“The accuracy of the information this reporter used was never adequate. She used an overall biased style in the content of her story. She distorted Barney’s quotes and the overall conversation. She never took precise notes. And worst of all, her method of information retrieval was totally unprofessional and a clear violation of the code of ethics.” – Sam Cunningham

“The reporter asked Barney questions about Andy but she never went to the source for comments or confirmation. She also lied about who she was and what she was doing, another clear violation of the Code of Ethics.” – Tyler Bueno

“The point that struck me in this episode was that Andy was actually doing his job as Sherriff according to the law when he brought in the newspaper publisher but the publisher actually does not do his job, under the code of ethics, when he knowingly printed lies, or at least did a sloppy job of editing.” – Jessica Light

“Undercover reporting, using deception to get a story, flirting with a source, distorting of information, not testing the information she was given, were all violations of the journalists code. Ironically, she wrote about what she said were unethical practices in the Sheriff’s office but she actually used unethical journalism practices to come up with the information for her story.” -- Darla Vance

What do you think?

Missouri's First Newspaper to be on Display during Missouri School of Journalism Centennial/Dedication Celebration

An original copy of the Missouri Gazette, published in 1808 as the first newspaper in Missouri, will be on display throughout the Missouri School of Journalism Centennial and the Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) Dedication Celebration to be held Sept. 10-12 at the University of Missouri.

Datelined “St. Louis, Louisiana,” the Vol. 1, No. 3, issue of the Missouri Gazette was published 13 years before Missouri was admitted into the Union. Also on display will be the Vol. 1, No. 1, issue of the University Missourian (now the Columbia Missourian). The paper was published Sept. 14, 1908, at the end of the first day of classes at the world’s first journalism school. For 100 years, the Columbia Missourian has served as the hands-on newspaper laboratory for Missouri journalism students, who produce the paper’s content under faculty supervision.

The copies will be available in the Marvin D. McQueen Rotunda of Lee Hills Hall at the corner of Eighth and Elm streets. The first issue of the Columbia Missourian's second century will be added to the display on Sept. 14, 2008.

Another presentation of historical newspapers, “Front Pages, A Decade Apart,” will showcase some of Missouri’s newspapers that have existed for at least 100 years. Sponsored by the Missouri Press Association, the display of front pages from 1908 and 2008 issues of select newspapers will be shown side by side in the Frank Lee Martin Journalism Library Foyer.

The displays will be part of a three-day celebration to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the School and the grand opening of RJI, the advanced studies center for journalism. A full slate of activities is planned, including more than 35 interactive journalism sessions featuring the nation’s top journalists, 27 technology discussions, seven museum exhibits and displays, three live performances, two unique dining experiences and the RJI dedication.

More information about the centennial/dedication activities is available at http://journalism.missouri.edu/2008/.

Editor’s Note: Media should contact Emily Smith, (573) 882-3346, SmithEA@missouri.edu to obtain a media pass for all events. Media credentials will be required.

"Opies Newspaper" Teaches Lessons on Community Journalism According to Students

The story line for "Opie's Newspaper" (Episode 153 of the Andy Griffith Show which originally aired on Mar 22, 1965) is as follows:

Opie's friend Howie receives a small printing press and the boys decide to publish their own newspaper. Their first edition of The Mayberry Sun covers events from the fifth-grade class. The initial sales are kind of slow. Barney and Andy encourage Opie to not to give up and to widen the scope of the paper. Opie and Howie look to the big Mayberry paper for ideas. The boys decide to emulate the most popular news section, the gossip column called "Mayberry After Midnight." The boys spice up their penny newspaper by publishing gossip they overhear. When Barney and Andy get a look at the new issue, they have to scramble to collect the copies before they are read by the rest of the town.

The episode is funny, and it strikes a chord with all of us, because it is so truthful. Just like in Mayberry, "gossip" still sells newspapers. If you don't believe me, just take a look at the publications available in the checkout line next time you are at Wal-Mart or the grocery store.

Students in my “Introduction to community journalism” class this summer watched this episode and then commented on whether or not they thought the newspaper was a success and whether or not the journalism code of ethics was violated. Here are some of their responses:

“I would actually rate the boy’s newspaper as a success because they now know what NOT to do and what NOT to write.” -- Jessica Light

“According to the SPJ Code of Ethics, journalists should strive to minimize harm. Unfortunately, the ‘Mayberry Sun’ actually maximized the hurt.” – Brooke Iler.
“One of the biggest lessons to learn from this episode is that you need to test the accuracy of your information, not just go with what you hear on the streets.” – Darla Vance

“The boys used quotes and opinions in their newspaper from just one person. They didn’t contact multiple sources nor did they confirm things to make sure they were accurate and factual.” – Diana Ruedlinger

“I would rate their newspaper as both a success and a failure. They failed to show true facts when they were writing gossip but they succeeded when they wrote their paper about the little things in their school because they were not just telling gossip.” – Grant Morz

“One journalism lesson to be learned from this episode is to always get the full story. If you put in gossip then you are not getting the general public any real information, which is what they pay for in a newspaper.” – Patty Ruedlinger

“Opie and Howie probably violated almost every elementary ethic known to the journalism profession. Andy says it himself when he tells Opie that just because somebody says it doesn’t mean it should be printed. … This episode really does teach a good lesson about community journalism and the intentions a local newspaper must consider.” – Sam Cunningham

Have you seen this episode yourself? What do you think?

Students Apply Media Ethics to Andy Griffith Episode

On Tuesday, I got to watch Andy Griffith episode with two classes of journalism and English students at Aurora High School in Aurora, Mo. To be more specific, it was episode #61, "Andy on Trial," which aired in April 1962.

We discussed the journalism Code of Ethics put together by the Society of Professional Journalists. Then we watched the video and applied the Code of Ethics to what happened in the story. It is a topic that struck a cord of interest with the students.

In some ways the Andy Griffith story reminded me of recent situations in southwest Missouri where journalists used their position to grind a personal ax. That is a dangerous and unethical practice and something most honest journalists avoid. But, it is something that is easy to let happen when newspaper staffs are so thin.

Let me make the point by giving a recap of the Andy Griffith episode:


Andy travels to Raleigh to locate noted newspaper publisher J. Howard Jackson and bring him back to Mayberry. Two weeks earlier, Andy ticketed the businessman for speeding. Mr. Jackson was issued a summons to appear before the Mayberry justice of the peace (Andy) within a few days. He chose to ignore the summons.

Now, a very irritated Mr. Jackson, accompanied by his lawyer, reluctantly returns to the small town to stand before Andy. He pleads guilty and is fined $15. Upset by having to travel that far to pay such a small fine, the irate publisher leaves the courthouse vowing revenge. When he returns to Raleigh, he orders one of his reporters, Jean Boswell, to go to Mayberry and dig up all the "dirt" she can find on Andy, then twist it into a scathing article against the sheriff. He wants AndyÂ’s reputation destroyed.

Being very discreet, the reporter taps Barney for anything that could be used against Andy. Barney, caught up in all the attention, proceeds to tell the reporter that if he were in charge he would run the sheriff's department differently. Barney continues to complain about crimes going unpunished (Emma Watson's jaywalking) and the blatant unofficial use of the squad car (delivering groceries to a shut-in). As you can imagine, Mr. Jackson uses Barney's words to write a scathing article about Andy's administration.

The episode concludes with a hearing to determine if the charges against Andy can be substantiated... . Barney reluctantly tells the court that he did say the things printed in the article ... (but) goes on to defend Andy as the best friend he and the town of Mayberry ever had.


The specific codes most obviously violated in this story included the following ethical recommendations.


Journalists should:

— Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
— Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
— Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.
— Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story
— Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
— Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
— Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.
— Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
—Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
— Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
— Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.


Barney Fife may have summed up the problem in this TV show, and in the real life problem, best by saying, "When you are dealing with people you do a whole lot better if you go not so much by the book, but by the heart."

Journalists are in the people business. Yes, go after wrong doers and pursue the information citizens need to know but make sure your reporting is accurate. It is also good to remember that every story and editorial impacts a real person. That fact should be weighed against what is written and the accuracy of it, especially if the journalist is tempted to "go after" someone with a story or editorial

Sorry, But Research Shows Negative Political Ads are Effective

I just read a column today from another person writing about how they hate negative political advertisements. I tend to agree.

Where we part company is when the writer starts attributing low voter turnout to the increase in negative advertisements (at least at the state and national levels). There is no research to support that position.

There is also no research to support the suggestion that a larger voter turnout will result in a "better" or different outcome.

There is a lot of research to support the belief that negative advertisements are effective. Research like this study entitled, "Effectiveness of Negative Political Advertisement" done at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

"Overall, negative political advertising produced negative evaluations of both the sponsor and the target. Those effects are consistent with the findings of the previous research."

The basic rule of thumb I learned while earning my political science degree was that 40% of voters will fall on either side of an issue or side with one candidate over another no matter what. For example, 40% will vote for the Republican, not matter what.

What that means is that candidates, or groups pushing issues, are really only fighting over the 20% in the middle (normally undecided voters). Not all of that 20% will bother to show up and vote.

The University of Missouri study also notes that young and poor voters seems to be most influenced by negative advertisements. Guess where those two demographics largely reside in the 40%-20%-40% formula? Yep, in the 20% trying to be reached.

Still not convinced? You might want to check out this study too: "Hate Negative Political Ads All You Want, They Work" in US News and World Report.

"According to a new paper, though, "Confirmation and the Effects of Positive and Negative Political Advertising," by a group of marketing professors from Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business and the University of Texas–Dallas, negative political ads are also surprisingly effective at swinging voters toward their sponsor. In a study conducted in the final weeks of the 2004 presidential campaign, researchers found that negative ads caused 14 percent of viewers to change their minds about their favored candidate. 'People who use negative ads have long been convinced they work,' says coauthor Joan Phillips, a professor of marketing at Mendoza. 'Academics have just had a hard time proving it'."

As for decreased voter turnout, there appears to very little research supporting that position. In fact, the opposite exists, like this study.

"Krasno and Green have argued that political advertising has no impact on voter turnout. We remain unconvinced by their evidence ... but differences aside, we strongly agree that political advertising does little to undermine voter participation.

I'm sure more research could be done on this issue, and everyone has their own opinion I'm sure, but saying negative ads are solely responsible for low voter turnout is way too simplistic.

What is Community Journalism, According to One Area Editor

I've read the entries from the high school students I recently had in class (and I'll have more from them in the coming weeks), but how would you define community journalism? How does your newspaper practice it?

Here is what one respected area journalist and editor told one of my students in an e-mailed interview. Details that would give away the editor's identity or newspaper have been removed.

Q: What does your newspaper do to get readers (and citizens in the community) involved in the news and the events in your community?

A: We print a lot of contributed photos that people bring to us. They include pictures of a youth with the turkey or deer he or she killed, organizations donating money to charity or a student graduating from college. Parents especially like to see their kids' names in the newspaper when their kids accomplish great things. People submit announcements when babies are born, people get married and couples celebrate wedding anniversaries. I once heard community journalism referred to as "scrapbook journalism," meaning people cut articles out of the newspaper to put in their scrapbooks. Another aspect of reader involvement that is rather new is our Web site. There we allow readers to post comments to stories and upload photographs to share with other readers. It provides more interactivity than the print edition.

Q: Does community journalism make your paper better? Does it improve your reporting and/or circulation?

Definitely. We have small editorial staff and we cannot be everywhere at once, especially when we also have to do a lot of the production of the newspaper, including adjusting photographs, laying out pages and updating the Web site. Readers often call us with story ideas, usually about a friend or family member who has done something outstanding. I believe it does help our reporting by giving us ideas of what our readers want to read. As far as circulation, yes I would say it helps there, too, because parents want to keep a copy for their scrapbook and extra copies to send to grandma and grandpa.

Q: What is a strength of your community newspaper?

A: This newspaper has a tradition of excellence. But more important than the awards is that (we have lots of) people purchase each issue. That many people trust us to be a reliable information source.

Q: Does your community newspaper have a weakness?

Our biggest weakness is not having the editorial resources to cover all of our circulation area. We cover the city government and school board where we are headquartered, as well as the county government, thoroughly but but that leaves other city governments and school districts in our circulation area that we do not have the resources to cover as thoroughly. Sports is another area where we are lacking in coverage simply because we do not have the staff to cover all the county schools' sports programs as well as we should.

Q: Is it more important for me as a student to learn how to research and write objective news stories or editorials?

A: News stories. A lot of small-town newspaper editors don't even write editorials. Solid, objective reporting is what will gain the community's trust. Without that, they won't even bother reading your editorials, so it is important to learn reporting first. Editorial writing can come after that.

What Students Say They Learned About Community Journalism

Students in my Upward/TRiO "Community Journalism class" had a final in-class speed essay to write entitled, "What I have Learned about Community Journalism."

Here are some selected statements from their essays:

* "I learned that community journalism takes time, patience and a certain knowledge of your community. You can't just start writing things in your local newspaper. You need to learn what to write about, where to get the information, how to get it, why you write about and who to write about. You also have to learn the Code of Ethics, which many practicing journalists don't even know exists." -- Grant Mroz

* "I love to write but news and gossip has never really interested me. But this class has opened my eyes to other things -- like fighting back and getting involved. Don't like things they way they are? Stop complaining and do something about it. Voice your opinion, because it is our constitutional right. Tired of corruption in politics? Dig up the dirt, reveal the evidence and expose them." - Laken Herd

* "As a member of this class the one thing I will take away is the importance of knowing who, what, when, where, why and how." - Jessica Light

* "Doing community journalism right means being honest because the work is very important to the community." - Darla Vance

* "Community journalism is a standard of journalism that provides important news events going on within that community ... and it is hard work." - Sam Cunningham

* "My knowledge of community journalism has greatly expanded. It is the art of journalism that requires the journalist to be ethical and honest." - Brooke Iler

* "I learned that community journalism is a lot harder than I thought. I also now realize that journalism is not for me." - Tyler Bueno

* "I have learned that here is much more to journalism than just getting the stories and publishing them." - Dianna Ruedlinger

It was a good group of students and they learned alot in five short weeks. Next week I'll post some of the feedback these students received when they asked area editors about community journalism. And no, I won't be posting the names of the editors that were nice enough to respond.

Journalism Movies Worth Your Time to Watch

I've been teaching a community journalism workshop this summer. Since class members are in high school they have requested a movie or two as part of the class. Well, we didn't have time for that but I did provide a list of great journalism-themed movies they can watch on their own time. Here is that list:

1. Shattered Glass - This is probably one of the best journalism movies ever made. It focuses on ethics and how easy it is to ignore the faults in the popular kid in the newsroom. PG-13

2. Good Night and Good Luck - This is of course the story of Edward R. Murrow and his fight against McCarthyism. Great journalism movie even if it doesn't get all of the history exactly right, or without bias. PG

3. The Pelican Brief - Denzel Washington plays a great newspaper reporter. There is a great scene in this movie where Denzel interviews her and reviews his notes. It is a great way to show great note taking. PG-13

4. The Killing Fields - Great true story of a photographer and a reporter during the fall of Laos and the aftermath. R

5. All The President’s Men - You just can’t escape this movie. for many, it is the benchmark for journalism movies. It is not my favorite but it is a must see for journalists. If you don't know much about Watergate you might want to check out a history book first. PG

6. Absence of Malice - Another good story about ethics and when you should print information that might be damaging. PG

7. The Truman Show - Not really about journalism, but about our television culture and how much we are invading into people’s personal space. PG-13

8. Broadcast News - Pretty good movie on what is fake in the news. Some good scenes you could actually use to show kids how a news interview is really done. R

9. The Paper - Micheal Keeton plays a great foul mouthed, deadline oriented, sensationalist editor. An often too realistic look at many daily newspapers. R

10. Deadline USA -- Bob Greene of the Chicago Tribune has called this the best journalism movie ever made. "If you are interested in art movies, see Citizen Kane. If you are interested in screwball comedy, check out His Girl Friday. If it's history you're after, watch All the Presidents Men. If you want to see a classic journalism movie, rent The Front Page. But if you want to see a movie that actually shows you what life is like inside a newsroom, how reporters work together to get a story, and how the story is not always about the big expose but sometimes just about getting the little details right, this is your movie," writes Greene.

11. -30- (also known as Deadline Midnight) -- "In just nine hours they put the world on your doorstep." This 1959 movie is a classic if you can find it.

12. The Front Page -- nominated for 3 Oscars this 1930 film was remade in 1970.

13. His Girl Friday -- A newspaper editor uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter ex-wife from remarrying. 1940

14. Switching Channels -- A television news chief courts his anchorwoman ex-wife with an eleventh-hour story. 1988

15. Blessed Event -- Here it is! The scandalous comedy of a scandal columnist who rose "from a keyhole to a national institution." 1932

16. The Big Clock -- A career oriented magazine editor finds himself on the run when he discovers his boss is framing him for murder. 1948

17. I Love Trouble -- Peter Brackett and Sabrina Peterson are two competing Chicago newspaper reporters who join forces to unravel the mystery behind a train derailment. 1994

18. Up Close and Personal -- An ambitious young woman, determined to build a career in TV journalism, gets good advice from her first boss, and they fall in love. 1996

19. The Insider -- A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a "60 Minutes" expose on Big Tobacco. I like this movie. I understand some if it plays fast and loose with the facts, but it is still good drama. 1996

20. S1M0NE -- A producer's film is endangered when his star walks off, so he decides to digitally create an actress to substitute for the star, becoming an overnight sensation that everyone thinks is a real person. 2002

21. Ace In The Hole -- A frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to re-jump start his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus. 1951

22. Sweet Smell of Success -- They know him - and they shiver - the big names of Broadway, Hollywood and Capitol Hill. They know J.J.- the world-famed columnist whose gossip is gospel to sixty million readers! They know the venom that flickers in those eyes behind the glasses - and they fawn - like Sid Falco, the kid who wanted "in" so much, he'd sell out his own girl to stand up there with J.J., sucking in the sweet smell of success! This is J.J.'s story - but not the way he would have liked it told! 1957

23. Citizen Kane -- One of my personal favorites and often listed at the top of many "best movie" lists, this movie is more about the person than about the profession. 1941

24. Live from Baghdad -- A group of CNN reporters wrestle with journalistic ethics and the life-and-death perils of reporting during the Gulf War. 2004

25. "Under Fire" is a war movie staring Nick Nolte. I haven't seen it yet but another journalist recommended (see comments on this blog). "Three journalists in a romantic triangle are involved in political intrigue during the last days of the corrupt Somozoa regime in Nicaragua before it falls to a popular revolution in 1979." Released in 1983. It did get a couple of Oscar nominations.

26. "The Year of Living Dangerously" was also released in 1983. The IMDB website describes this movie in this way: "Guy Hamilton is a journalist on his first job as a foreign correspondent. His apparently humdrum assignment to Indonesia soon turns hot as President Sukarno electrifies the populace and frightens foreign powers. Guy soon is the hottest reporter on the story with the help of his photographer, half- Chinese dwarf Billy Kwan, who has gone native. Guy's affair with diplomat Jill Bryant also helps. Eventually Guy must face some major moral choices and the relationship between Billy and him reaches a crisis at the same time the politics of Indonesia does." This movie won an oscar.

27. Bonus -- Superman or Spiderman - Who doesn’t see journalists as superheros (especially journalism teachers)? Go rent almost any one of the movies featuring Peter Parker or Clark Kent.

Watching all of those movies may take you an entire year but it will be worth it!

Key to community Journalism is Personal Approach

One of my favorite movies, Frank Capra’s holiday classic "It’s a Wonderful Life” also happens to teach a good lesson about community journalism.

George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, is confronting Mr. Potter, the cynical businessman trying to dismantle the Bailey Bros. Building and Loan Association, which helps working-class families buy homes.

"Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars?" Bailey asks Potter. "Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about. They do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community."

George Bailey isn’t a newsman, but there’s a message in his words for journalists who will spend their time covering a community by telling the stories of real people.

Community journalism is sometimes viewed as the minor leagues of the profession. Working at a small daily or weekly, aspiring journalists are often told, must be endured to achieve greater things.

Like George Bailey, journalists dream of leaving the small town. They long for the prosperous metro daily where every day is filled with glamorous story assignments and articles read by countless thousands.

This summer I’ve been teaching a class on community journalism and I asked my students to leaf through some community newspapers (including The Monitor (Republic, Mo., The Chronicle (Crane, Mo.) The Commonwealth (Ash Grove, Mo.) and The Community Free Press (Springfield, Mo.) and describe the values that seem to matter to these publications.

Here’s what they found:

- Personality. The best community newspapers reflect the places and people they serve. Can you pick up that paper get a sense of place? If so, the journalists have done their job.

- Heartfelt and invested. Small weekly newspapers sometimes earn a reputation for editorials that shape the future of the community the serve and that is only possible when editorials are heartfelt and the editors (and owners) are invested in the community.

- See your neighbors. Sports pages feature high school athletes, and news pages are dominated with stories about the regular people celebrating everyday life. A few area newspapers still have community correspondents also that write about their neighbors.

- Comforting. No matter what else happens in the world, it’s reassuring to know that you can open the local community newspaper and see the school lunch menu and find out when the next volunteer firefighters pancake breakfast is going to be held.

- Feisty and independent. "The truth is there are three or four very fine papers in any state, usually family-owned with guts and determination," writes Ray Laakaniemi, author of "The Weekly Writer's Handbook" and associate professor emeritus from Bowling Green State University. "Some are innovative, some are stubborn and ride the heck out of the local government, and some turn a corner when they are sold to a chain."

- Voices for the voiceless. More than 250 ethnic newspapers in New York City are helping new immigrants find a place to voice their opinions and learn about the issues that affect their communities. At the same time, community journalism in rural areas can also help voices be heard.

- Accountability. Community journalists aren’t afraid to take on the big issues, but they do it knowing that they will have to stand behind the words they write for years to come. "It’s the kind of journalism practiced by newspapers where the readers can walk right into the newsroom and tell an editor what’s on their minds," writes Jock Lauterer in his book "Community Journalism, the Personal Approach."

Students Chime in on Community Journalism

I'm teaching a journalism survey class for high school students in the summer Upward Bound program at Missouri State University. Our class is going to focus on basic news writing, the basic elements of what makes something news, media ethics and community journalism.

Fifteen minutes before the end of our first class, I asked the students to write an essay answer responding to this question: "What Does Community Journalism Mean to You?"

Here are portions of some of the better responses.

"Community journalism is when journalists who live in the community also write about what goes on in that community. These journalists would be better at writing about the community because they live in the community. They know what goes on and what is happening in their community so they are better able to write about it. They also know how the community is effected making what they write more understandable and agreeable. To me, community journalism would also mean that I would know that this person/journalist is more in the know than someone who is from a media outlet from outside the area so it means I would also trust their reporting more." -- Darla Vance

"Community journalism is when the community is involved in what local journalists are doing. It means the journalist is getting involved in what is happening around them. It means the citizens are talking about what is going on and trying to change things, or trying to fix the problems in the community. Community journalism means helping each other when people need help. Making us be better people and a better community. That is what community journalism does, it shows the problem in the community and then tries hard to get the problem fixed. We as a community can do that, we just need people to tell us what is going on or where the needs are in the community and help us find ways to fix it." -- Jessica Light

"Community journalism is a way of writing about local news and issues that grabs a person's attention. When you are writing in a local newspaper most readers are interested in what is happening right in the local community. This type of local reporting also helps to put local issues in perspective." -- Patty Ruedlinger

"From the perspective of an amateur journalist, community journalism is simply reporting on the community. It may involve using local opinions or local writers or even citizen journalists." -- Brooke Iler

"Community journalism refers to the covering of stories and events that happen in the immediate community of people." -- Sam Cunningham

You can learn more about how I would define community journalism by reading the publication I have online entitled, "What is Community Journalism." It can be found at http://extension.missouri.edu/swregion/news/publications/Communityjournalism.pdf.

Blog Comments on Newspaper Site Should be Signed, Just like Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editor are the most read, discussed and cussed portions of the newspaper. The same can now be said for comments posted to newspaper stories or blogs online.

Offering an editorial forum (printed page or online window) is one way a newspaper helps to preserve the inalienable right of people in a free society to discuss, question and challenge actions and utterances of our government and of our public institutions.

Journalists uphold the right to speak unpopular opinions and the privilege to either agree or disagree with the majority.

One way that can be done is through the publication of letters to the editor or the publishing of comments to stories or blogs online. Both are printed in order to allow readers an opportunity to express views differing from those of the newspaper or ones expressed by individuals in published articles or other letters.

There are, however, two types of letters or online comments that are damaging to a newspaper's reputation as well as the public trust in what they publish: letters with libelous material and anonymous letters (or posts).

Not running libelous letters is a policy universally agreed to by newspapers. The same policy should be applied to blog and story comments even though the courts have not yet ruled on this issue.

Research shows that running an anonymous letter to the editor is an easy way to get you or the newspaper sued because they are more likely to be filled with misinformation or libel. Because an anonymous letter (or online blog entry or story comment) cannot be identified with a person or group, it has limited value.

As a communication professional focused on helping restore the public trust in the news media, my recommendation is that anonymous letters to the editor should go straight to the shredder. Anonymous comments or blogs to stories or columns on a newspaper's website should not be allowed either for many of the same reasons that a newspaper would not publish unsigned letters to the editor.

If a citizen has something truthful and valid to say, they should write a letter (or comment) without trying to harm others and let the readers evaluate what they have to say in the light of who they are.

Often times, the names of the writer reveal other motives behind a letter. For example, a chairman of one county political party lashes out against the fundraising practices of another.

As a former weekly newspaper editor, I had a saying about letters to the editor -- “A person of integrity does not have to hide when they speak, or write.”

So here is the bottom line: in order to maintain the public trust in what is printed (on paper or online), a newspaper's policy should be to pitch anonymous letters to the editor (and not allow anonymous online posts).

If it's worth saying or putting in writing, it's worth signing. Otherwise, it's worth nothing.

Yes, Community Bloggers Could Save Local Papers

Local bloggers are similar to community correspondents. You know, the correspondents that used to write about who visited who during the week and how Aunt Bea's knee was feeling. During the 1990s, when paper prices increased, many community newspapers ditched those community correspondents.

Turns out, that was probably a mistake.

And now community newspapers are saying they can't keep up with local bloggers and online content that are stealing away readers.

I've been saying and writing for over four years about the disappearance of community correspondents from weekly newspapers (read column here). Bloggers have taken the place of elderly community correspondents and it seems to me that a strategic partnership between weekly newspapers and bloggers in their community could be good for business while also reaching new readers and opening up some column inches in the local newspaper.

Perhaps the best of those blog enteries could be printed in the newspaper on the opinion page.

What do you think?

Hannibal Publisher and Editor Uses Letter to Explain Increased Local Media Coverage

To Our Readers,

Rarely, if ever, do newspapers use their “news” pages to communicate with their readers, especially not on real estate as valuable as the front page. After all, that’s what the opinion page is for, isn’t it? Perhaps that’s one more reason why newspapers find themselves becoming irrelevant to the modern generation and even to some long-time readers.

For too long, we have been producing products for our peers – newspapers stories and series that can be judged by other newspaper professionals. We submit them to various entities like state press associations, even the Pulitzer competition, and then bask in the accolades we receive when we win. But in this process, we have lost the real reason for our being - YOU, the reader.

Following is a letter I received from our editor (yours and mine), Mary Lou Montgomery. We have been talking a lot lately about how we can make the Hannibal Courier-Post more compelling to you, our readers. I was so moved by it, that I felt it imperative that I share it with you in this prominent position of the Courier-Post.

Please take the time to read it and accept that this is our new philosophy at the Courier-Post. We may not always get it right, but it won’t be because we didn’t try. We invite you to be our eyes and ears. Let us know what is happening in the region. Don’t ever assume we already know, chances are we don’t. When in doubt, call us.



While painting the popcorn ceiling in my bathroom on a rainy Fourth of July morning, I mentally reviewed the last three decades of my career. I came up with a long list of things that - to meet “journalistic standards” of the day - we stopped offering to our readers.

We don’t do dead deer.
We don’t use Polaroid pictures
We don’t print long lists of names, such as those attending a reunion.
We don’t use pictures without accompanying names.
We stopped inviting pictures of the first mushroom finds of the year.
We stopped taking pictures of the pee-wee league ball players.
We started downplaying the beauty pageants and baby contests.
We stopped printing happy birthday pictures of children as part of the news package.
We stopped paying correspondents to submit “chicken dinner” news.
We stopped taking pictures of newly elected club officers.
We stopped describing wedding gowns.

Somewhere between Watergate and Iraq, newspapers let go of the personal touch and replaced it with a more “sophisticated” journalistic style. In the meantime, we lost our loyal readers.

I was shocked a few years ago when I asked my daughter’s friend (a school teacher working on her master’s degree) where she obtained her local news. She doesn’t take a newspaper or watch network news, she told me. She votes Democratic – her family always has – and her mother keeps her abreast of the local happenings. But what really surprised me was her answer to this question: “How do you find out about national news?” Her answer was condensed to three letters: M-T-V.

“MTV has news??” I asked, showing my ignorance for her generational preferences.

While I wasn’t watching, M-TV stole a segment of our news market.

I can trace my own transformation from an enthusiastic gatherer of community news to a “journalist’s journalist” to a conference I attended in March 1981. Because I lacked formal J-school training, newspaper management sent me to the prestigious JC Penney Workshop at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Daryl Moen conducted a page design workshop, and made slides of the newspaper pages we submitted in advance. Surrounded by real “community editors” from metro papers across the country, my nervousness was surpassed only by my level of intimidation. As my pages flashed onto the oversized screen in this auditorium on the J-school campus, Moen offered his condescending reviews of my amateurish attempts at design, and the congregated editors followed his lead, laughing at my pages – and at me. I slunk out of that conference and headed back to the safe haven of my hometown newspaper, where I joined my colleagues in redefining local content. That laughter echoed in my consciousness for years while we took steps to please contest judges and other journalists, rather than our loyal readers. We shunned those who invited us into their homes every day - ‘We don’t do that,’ - until they lost interest in what we had to say.

How do we reverse this trend? As journalists, we must quit trying to please each other, and instead get back to the basics of getting in touch with our neighbors.

Today, we call it reader contributed content. I see it as a three-decade reversal of attitude for the journalism profession. It’s inviting citizens to once again be a part of the news gathering process.

In order for our community newspapers to recapture our market share, instead of saying “We can’t,” or “We don’t,” we must find a way to say: “Yes, we will.”

Hannibal Newspaper Committes to Hyper-Local Coverage and Sees Postive Results

One Missouri newspaper has made a tremendous turn-around and its publisher, Jack Whitaker, says the upswing in subscribers and advertisers is because of a new emphasis on local coverage.

Yep, you read that right, local coverage. The newspaper in Hannibal is focusing its attention on doing what a local newspaper does best -- covering local issues. It is the reason readers subscribe. And local coverage is why local newspapers exist.

"We have a local franchise and our focus is local," said Whitaker. "Let the big national newspapers cover the national stories but we are going to protect our local franchise by providing local news coverage."

Whitaker spoke for a few moments at the Ozarks Press Association meeting this Spring. He said the Hannibal Courier-Post, which is a daily newspaper, has stopped using Associated Press content except for national sports coverage.

The change at this newspaper has been pretty dramatic. Granted, the steps they took were dramatic too. But this renewed and continual focus on local coverage has increased subscriptions and every other benchmark used by newspapers to measure success.

"People want to know what only the local newspaper can bring them. Our franchise is the local news, local people and local photos," said Whitaker.

Would a renewed local focus help your community newspaper? I think the answer is "yes" for every newspaper in southwest Missouri. If MU Extension can be of help in working on increasing your local news coverage but helping with a content audit or going over ideas for local coverage please contact me.

Next week, I'll share the letter written by Jack Whitaker to his readers about the importance of local news coverage. It is worth reading.

Protect Mourners' Rights, But Not at Expense of First Amendment

The quiet reverence of a funeral service held in honor of a fallen soldier is punctuated by the jarring retort of a 21-gun salute. A folded American flag, once draping the coffin of the deceased, is handed respectfully to the surviving spouse. A few short words “from a grateful nation” are uttered, followed by a crisp salute and the solemn playing of “Taps.” A few yards away mulls a group of protesters holding signs and chanting “Thank God for dead soldiers.” It’s the juxtaposition of these two rituals that is at the heart of one University of Missouri professor’s examination of the legal issues surrounding privacy and free speech.

Christina Wells, Enoch H. Crowder Professor of Law at the MU School of Law, found that recent legislation enacted in response to funeral protests conducted by members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas may restrict a broad range of expressive activities, including peaceful protests. A careful examination of the statutes, some of which have been upheld in lower courts, reveals that they are designed to protect mourners from offensive rather than intrusive protests, a distinction that is important, Wells said.

“The instinct to regulate or punish is powerful and understandable. Such regulation, however, poses significant issues for freedom of speech. Our outrage shouldn’t overshadow reasoned legal response,” Wells said.

Lower courts, after hearing legal challenges to the funeral protest statutes, have essentially said a person has a privacy right to be free from offensive messages while attending funerals. If those decisions are allowed to stand, they could have an impact on freedom of speech doctrine, Wells said. According to Wells, the First Amendment allows some regulation of protests near funerals, but how and why government officials restrict such protests also matters.

“While few would argue against protecting funeral services from intrusive protests, these statutes go far beyond that notion,” Wells said. “Funerals are worthy of protection and respect, but to allow them greater protection than what is given to other gatherings or rituals is inconsistent with longstanding free speech principles.”

Wells said the combination of vague terms, unclear doctrine and controversial protests threatens to cloud the difficult task of balancing privacy and free speech rights and has caused state officials and courts to respond out of emotion rather than analysis of the Court’s precedents.

“These court decisions may have a lasting and detrimental effect on our free speech jurisprudence.” Wells said. “Most of us desperately want the Westboro Baptist Church to treat funeral goers with greater respect. As long as protesters’ speech is part of public discourse, free speech principles allow regulators to do only so much to require an outward showing of civility and respect.”

Wells’ research on the first amendment and funeral protest is slated for publication in the North Carolina Law Review, Vol. 87, 2008.

Key to Newspaper Survival is Putting Emphasis on Local

The world of newspapers has changed a lot in the past 10 years. Nationwide, larger newspapers with over 50,000 circulation are seeing subscriptions disappear. There is unrest in the industry. Smaller newspapers, which actually make up 88 percent of the industry, are worried about their bottom line too and fearful of competing in a digital world.

Well, John Schneller, a professor of journalism at the University of Missouri says "fear not!"

"It is the biggest newspapers that are in the biggest trouble," said Schneller at the Ozarks Press Association's annual conference. "Weekly newspapers have the voice of the community and the local franchise. In fact, they have what the larger newspapers want."

But weekly and small daily newspapers still need to do a better job of becoming the "community coffee shop." In order to do that, community newspapers need to reflect the community they serve. That means have a presence at the digital town square also.

One example of a newspaper that is doing a great job of being hyper-local is
Bluffton Today.

Morris Communications Corp. has begun publishing Bluffton Today, a tabloid newspaper tightly coordinated with a Web site, BlufftonToday.com. The hyperlocal publication will be distributed free in the namesake South Carolina community of about 15,000 people. Every reader will be invited to log onto the Web site and comment about stories, as well as start their own blog, upload pictures and even contribute recipes.

"Newspapers have gone on the Web by putting yesterday's news online," said Steve Yelvington, manager, Web site development for Morris. "That's a one-way street. We are doing the opposite; Participation is right at the center of what we're doing."

He added: "BlufftonToday.com is a grand experiment in citizen journalism, a complete inversion of the typical 'online newspaper' model."

Readers' comments about stories will be edited and printed in the hard copy of the paper.

Success will be easy to judge, according to Yelvington. "People will be participating. The reality is people are doing this already, publishing their own Web sites and Web logs. The choice is not whether it will happen but whether we are going to participate in it."

Another thing that local newspapers need to work on is not telling people what they already know (reporting on things after the fact). Schneller says this type of reporting has a very limited value.

"Citizens have become a group that we talk about and not to. Newspapers need to lead the way with doing a better job and engage readers in our democracy," said Schneller.

Another example is the newspaper in Hannibal, Mo., which is going to be the subject of two later blog enteries here.

Sunshine Audits a Great Way to Test Compliance

Sunshine Audits are a great tool to test the compliance of the Sunshine Law while also providing an opportunity to educate both leaders and members of the public about the Sunshine Law.

This is a topic I spoke on at the Ozarks Press Association meeting Friday, March 28 in Branson and something I'm going to write about here over the next few weeks.

But first, to set the stage, I want to share the text of story and Sunshine Audit done in March 2008 by Mert Seaton, managing editor of the Community Free Press in Springfield, Mo. Mert pulled off the only Sunshine Audit I recall being done in the Springfield media market over the past 5 or 10 years.

If you like want you read there, be sure and let Mert know.

State Sunshine Law Brought to Light

By Mert Seaton
Community Free Press

The Missouri Sunshine Law can be a confusing legal guideline for people to understand. There are many rules as to what is available and what is not.

“The Missouri Sunshine Law is the law that provides access to the public for meetings and records of public government bodies,” said James Klahr, Missouri assistant attorney general. “A public government body, defined in state law, covers a variety of public entities. The goal of the definition is to take in those public bodies that are tax supported.”

But what about the people controlling the information — do they understand their roles as the law applies to them?

The Community Free Press recently conducted a Sunshine Law audit on various public bodies to find out if the controllers of the information were following the law.
Sunshine requests were sent to 13 different public bodies in Greene and Christian County requesting each body’s written Sunshine Law policy. Each request was worded exactly the same, and sent electronically to each body’s custodian of records.

According to the state Sunshine Law, section 610.028, “Each public governmental body shall provide a reasonable written policy consistent with the Sunshine Law and open to the public regarding access to public records and meetings.”

Klahr said these policies do not have to have any kind of formal approval.

“The language is relatively broad,” Klahr said. “That is an issue where the legislature, if they wanted to, could add specifics to the law.”

According to the Missouri Sunshine Law, law requires that “each request for access to a public record be acted on no later than the end of third day following the date the request is received by the custodian.”

The first policy received was from the Christian County Planning and Zoning Department, followed by Greene County who sent the information within 24 hours.
“We take it (the Sunshine Law) very seriously,” said Richard Struckhoff, Greene County clerk.

Struckhoff said his office does everything it can to respond to requests quickly, but they are not also able to respond as fast as they did to this request.

“It depends on the type of response,” he said. “We have a lot of requests that require research.”

Other bodies that sent their policy within the three-day period were: CU, Republic, Willard, Nixa, Nixa Fire Department, Ozark, and the Ozark Fire Department.

The city of Springfield was sent the Sunshine request on February 27. A read receipt attached to the e-mail showed the request was read the evening of February 28.

After three days, no response from the city was sent and a phone call was made on March 6 to City Clerk Brenda Cirtin.

Cirtin said she was out sick the week the request was made and she read the e-mail from home. She sent the policy a few hours later.

Klahr said he couldn’t comment on this specific incident, but noted that it creates a sticky situation.

“The statute clearly says what happens when the person is there (in the office),” he said. “But it doesn’t deal with them not being there. That is the type of thing that public bodies could have in their policies.”

Three bodies replied, but did not have a Sunshine Law Policy on file. One of those bodies was Christian County.

“As far as I know we don’t we have anything, but we need to have something,” Christian County Clerk Kay Brown said.

Brown said part of the problem was the lack of county records her office currently has.

“The Commission passed an ordinance in March of 2003 naming the county clerk as the custodian of records,” Brown said in an e-mail. “However, I do not have the records after 1992, only prior.”

Brown said she thought the lack of a policy had been brought up before, but she would address the issue again. She also noted that she did not believe the Christian County Commission had a written Sunshine Law policy.

Other bodies that did not have policies were the Christian County Library and the Springfield/Greene County Library.

“We overlooked the fact we didn’t have a policy,” said Annie Busch, executive director of the library district. “I assumed there had been one from several years ago, but we can’t find one so we might as well not have one.”

Busch said she is currently writing a policy and will take it to the library board for approval.

Klahr said a bill that would require training for all members of public bodies is working its way through the state legislature. He said this kind of training would be a good tool for public officials.

“Public bodies and people that are members of those bodies need to understand their obligations under the Sunshine Law,” he said. “Being familiar and competent on Sunshine Law issues is not only important for legal reasons, but it is also important in communicating to the public that the public body knows and understands their obligations.”

Again, great piece by Mert Seaton.

Are you interested in doing a Sunshine Law audit of your own? Next weel, I'll start sharing information and links on how you can do that very thing.

4th place in Student 1st Amendment Essay Contest from Strafford

What Free Media Means to America
By Joshua Scott Holcomb

When you watch the news, do you want to hear someone else’s opinion about what is going on, or do you want to hear what is actually going on? When you listen to the radio, do you want one view on a political issue, or do you want a variety of views? When you read the newspaper, do you want to hear the complaints of the healthy, wealthy, and prosperous, or do you want to know how to help those who are in a minority and actually have real problems? In short, do you believe that our media should be biased to those with power, or do you believe that all Americans have the right to have access to a free media?

The first amendment of our Constitution addresses free media. It says, “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.” This right to free media is what the rest of the Bill of Rights hinges upon. If the government had control of our media, the rights of the people could be infringed upon, the cry of our citizens could be suppressed, the objections of our fellow Americans could be covered up – all without the public’s knowledge. A society without a free media is a society without a free people.

But free media has uses other than just giving us some security against the government infringing upon our rights. The way a political candidate is portrayed and spoken about in the media is very instrumental in swaying the public’s opinion. Without a free media, voters would be fed biased opinions and one-sided arguments to influence their vote. Having a free media allows the people to form their own opinions about the candidates and make the decision that they believe is right for our country. This is a free society; this is a government run by the people and for the people.

As you can see, it would be impossible for our free society to function as it does without a free media. Free media means exposure when we are wronged and recognition when we do right. No free media means isolation. Free media means citizens can choose the candidate most in line with their views. No free media means dictation. We are a free society and so Americans have the right to have access to a free media.

3rd in Student 1st Amendment Essay Contest Goes to Stockton Student

Stephanie Tucker
Grade 12 – Stockton High School, Stockton, Mo.
Teacher: Kim Chism Jasper

Free to be Informed

“Write what only you can write,” my English instructor repeats constantly. In our class my instructor challenges us to write a paper that makes a reader second-guess or question their beliefs. You might ask yourself, “What gives someone the right to publish an essay that questions a society’s beliefs?” The answer is free media.

I am a senior in high school and co-editor of the yearbook. As yearbook editor my job is to oversee the work of the staff members and make decisions regarding what events to cover in our book. As a staff we take hundreds of photos each year to compile in our annual book. We have the freedom to include any image or story we want without having to answer to anyone. Without free media our yearbook staff would not be able to write and include the stories that we do. We would not be able to achieve our sole purpose, which is to inform the public.

“Educate and inform the whole masses of the people… They are the only sure reliance for preservation of our liberty,” said Thomas Jefferson, an advocate for free media, and I have him to thank for one of the most used freedom I have. He believed that in order for a society to flourish, the citizens must be well educated and informed of their surroundings. Free media may seem simple and irrelevant to the masses, but without free media the masses would not be able to make daily decisions.

This November our country will make one of the most important decisions regarding our future. We will elect a leader who will represent our society for the next four years and serve as our president. This will be the first presidential election I will be allowed to vote in. I am nervous about making the right decision and choosing a president that will serve me.

In order to make a more informed decision I watch the presidential debates, read articles in the newspaper, and listen to reports on the news. Without the free media, it would be impossible for an 18-year-old student to make an educated decision and vote for the right candidate.

Whether I am doing a task as simple as creating a yearbook to cover a school year or making the important decision of whom to vote for, I rely on the media to inform me. Without free media, I would not be able to save a moment in a yearbook or to save our country with a single vote.

Meeting Minutes May Not Be What You Think

I get lots of calls from reporters and individuals who have questions about the Sunshine Law. I’m not a legal expert but I do normally know where to find the information.

Plus, I have the advantage of having my notes from a presentation by the Assistant Missouri Attorney General on the Sunshine Law hosted by MU Extension in Springfield during the fall of 2007.

One issue that I get lots of questions about is meeting minutes. Most people are very surprised when they discover that Missouri state law does not require as much in meeting minutes as they think it should.

For example, this comes from the fall meeting I hosted on the Sunshine Law:

Questions about meeting minute retention and content is something Attorney General’s office get lots of calls about. People are surprised sometimes when they attend a 3-hour minute and then see minutes that are 2 pages long.

“Missouri’s requirement for minutes is very basic. The statue says you have to show date, time and place of meeting, who attended and the record/count of votes. If you want to know what was discussed a public might need to be able to look back and see more than just votes but the law does not require it. This is part of the reason why citizens have the right to come into any public meeting and record it,” said James Klahr, Assistant Missouri Attorney General.

The state law discussing this issue can be found at http://www.moga.state.mo.us/statutes/C600-699/6100000020.HTM.

It says, “A journal or minutes of open and closed meetings shall be taken and retained by the public governmental body, including, but not limited to, a record of any votes taken at such meeting. The minutes shall include the date, time, place, members present, members absent and a record of any votes taken. When a roll call vote is taken, the minutes shall attribute each "yea" and "nay" vote or abstinence if not voting to the name of the individual member of the public governmental body.”

Klahr emphasized these three points at the fall 2007 session on the Sunshine Law.

1) Official minutes of a meeting are not required to be a transcript.

2) Members of the public have a right to get draft minutes of a meeting even before they are voted on or approved but they should be marked as draft.

3) Requirements for minutes are very vague which is why it is so important for citizens to be able to record what is taking place at the meetings.

The first point may be the most important to remember. And that is straight from the Missouri Attorney General's office.