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Discussion QuestionsExercises and AssignmentsOnline Media Writing ExamplesInstructor ResourcesWriting With Responsibility
 Writing Across the MediaCh1. Writing with Clarity and CoherenceCh2. Writing with ResponsibilityCh3. Writing for AudiencesCh4. Writing and Gathering InformationCh5. Writing the OpeningCh6. Writing Basic StoriesCh7. Writing with Visual and Audio ImagesCh8. Writing Complex Stories

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Discussion Questions

1. This chapter discusses the value choices media writers make in creating messages (see pages 30-31). Find several magazine advertisements for different brands of automobiles. Identify the value choices made by the ads' writers and compare those values to the ones emphasized in the Saturn ad on page 31. Why do different automobile companies emphasize different values? Are any of the values emphasized in the ads more or less ethical than others? Why or why not?

2. The "Deadlines and Ratings" section on pages 33-35 points out that ethical lapses sometimes occur when media writers fail to reason through their messages carefully. A key example of such a lapse is the Minnesota Twins advertising message discussed on pages 34-35. Consider how you could have prevented such an insensitive ad. How would you have written the ad? How could you have used the baseball players' charity work in a more responsible way to promote public funding of a baseball stadium? Why or why not? If so, how would you have done it?

3. Review the chapter's "Loyalties and Responsibilities" section on pages 35-36. Use a videotape of a current television newscast to isolate and identify the multiple loyalties addressed by each of the newscast's top news stories. Discuss how and why the stories demonstrate loyalty to particular parties and interests over others.

4. Put yourself in the place of Bob Greene, the columnist whose work is discussed on pages 41-42. Then use Sissela Bok's three-question test (page 36) to explore what you might have done if you were a writer in Greene's situation.

5. Pages 42-43 and the "Writing Tips" box on page 44 discuss the potential harms of stereotypical language. Examine an article or two from a popular magazine such as People, Sports Illustrated or Entertainment Weekly to see whether the magazines' writers employ any of the five types of stereotypical language presented in the "Writing Tips" box. How harmful are any of the stereotypes you find? Why? What influence, if any, do you think the magazines' intended audiences have on the writers' use of stereotypical language?

 
Sample SyllabiMedia Writing Links