BSJ Bachelor of Journalism: Journalistic Arts Skills 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which interviewing technique involves allowing a long silence after a source finishes speaking to encourage them to elaborate?
- Probing question
- Strategic pause (Correct answer)
- Funnel questioning
- Active mirroring
Correct answer: Strategic pause
The strategic pause exploits people's discomfort with silence, often prompting sources to continue speaking and revealing additional information.
Question 2: In multimedia journalism, what does 'SEO' primarily help a journalist achieve?
- Faster upload speeds for video content
- Greater visibility of articles in search engine results (Correct answer)
- Automatic translation of content for international audiences
- Improved photo resolution in digital editions
Correct answer: Greater visibility of articles in search engine results
Search Engine Optimization helps journalists write headlines, metadata, and content structured so that articles rank higher in search results and reach more readers.
Question 3: What is the term for a story that presents false balance by giving equal weight to a fringe view and a well-established scientific consensus?
- False equivalence
- Bothsidesism (Correct answer)
- Stenography
- Cherry-picking
Correct answer: Bothsidesism
Bothsidesism, a form of false balance, occurs when journalists treat two unequal positions as equally valid, misleading audiences about the actual state of knowledge or debate.
Question 4: Which type of journalism involves reporters embedding with communities over extended periods to document lived experiences in depth?
- Parachute journalism
- Immersive journalism (Correct answer)
- Watchdog journalism
- Solutions journalism
Correct answer: Immersive journalism
Immersive journalism involves journalists spending extended time within communities or situations to produce deeply contextual, human-centered stories.
Question 5: A newspaper story about a local school reveals the full name and address of a minor involved in a criminal case. This most likely violates:
- Shield law protections
- Juvenile privacy norms and ethical standards (Correct answer)
- Freedom of Information Act guidelines
- Copyright law
Correct answer: Juvenile privacy norms and ethical standards
Ethical journalism standards and in many cases state laws protect the identities of minors in criminal proceedings to prevent harm to their future.
Question 6: In social media journalism, 'verification' of a user-generated video typically includes all of the following EXCEPT:
- Checking the account's posting history
- Confirming the location using geolocation tools
- Obtaining the platform's internal engagement metrics (Correct answer)
- Cross-referencing with other eyewitness accounts
Correct answer: Obtaining the platform's internal engagement metrics
Platform engagement metrics (likes, shares) do not verify the content's authenticity or accuracy; proper verification uses geolocation, account history, and corroborating sources.
Question 7: What AP Style rule applies to the first reference to a person in a news story?
- Use the person's title and full name (Correct answer)
- Use first name only
- Use last name only with a title if applicable
- Use full name with age and hometown
Correct answer: Use the person's title and full name
AP Style requires using a person's courtesy title (if applicable) and full name on first reference, then last name only on subsequent references.
BSJ Bachelor of Journalism: Journalistic Arts Skills 4
Which interviewing technique involves allowing a long silence after a source finishes speaking to encourage them to elaborate?