BSJ Bachelor of Journalism: Journalistic Arts Skills 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which legal doctrine protects a journalist from being compelled to reveal a confidential source in most US states?
- First Amendment absolute privilege
- Shield law (Correct answer)
- Sunshine law
- Reporter's privilege clause
Correct answer: Shield law
Shield laws, enacted in most US states, provide journalists with varying degrees of protection against being forced to disclose confidential sources in court.
Question 2: When writing a lede for a hard news story, which element is typically LEAST essential?
- Who was involved
- What happened
- Historical background of the issue (Correct answer)
- When it occurred
Correct answer: Historical background of the issue
Historical background is considered context that belongs in the body of the story, not the lede, which focuses on the immediate 5 W's of the current event.
Question 3: A reporter receives an unsolicited press release and publishes it verbatim without additional reporting. This practice is called:
- Churnalism (Correct answer)
- Embedded journalism
- Stenography reporting
- Agenda-setting
Correct answer: Churnalism
Churnalism refers to the practice of publishing press releases or PR material with little or no independent verification or added journalistic value.
Question 4: In data journalism, what is a 'data scraping' technique used for?
- Removing duplicate entries from a spreadsheet
- Automatically extracting structured data from websites (Correct answer)
- Anonymizing sensitive data before publication
- Converting analog records to digital format
Correct answer: Automatically extracting structured data from websites
Data scraping uses automated tools or scripts to extract and collect structured information from websites for journalistic analysis.
Question 5: Which editing pass focuses specifically on correcting grammar, punctuation, and spelling rather than story structure?
- Developmental editing
- Substantive editing
- Copy editing (Correct answer)
- Line editing
Correct answer: Copy editing
Copy editing addresses surface-level correctness including grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style guide compliance, distinct from structural or conceptual editing.
Question 6: What is the primary function of a 'nut graf' in a feature story?
- To introduce the main source
- To explain why the story matters to the reader (Correct answer)
- To summarize the story's ending
- To provide statistical evidence
Correct answer: To explain why the story matters to the reader
The nut graf, typically placed after an anecdotal opening, explains the story's significance and tells readers why they should care.
Question 7: Under US defamation law, a public figure suing a news outlet for libel must prove what additional element not required of private individuals?
- That the statement was published widely
- Actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth (Correct answer)
- That the reporter had a personal motive
- Economic damages above a minimum threshold
Correct answer: Actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth
Since New York Times v. Sullivan (1964), public figures must prove actual malice — that the publisher knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for its truth.
BSJ Bachelor of Journalism: Journalistic Arts Skills 3
Which legal doctrine protects a journalist from being compelled to reveal a confidential source in most US states?