SUMMER 2002 Instructor: Jack Lule
On this page are the assignments for Monday, June 3 and Thursday, June 6. DEADLINES: You should have Monday's assignments completed by Thursday, June 6, at 7 p.m. (Your first research paper is also due at that time.) You should have Thursday's assignment completed by Monday, June 10.
WEEK THREE, MONDAY: Our topic last week got us deeply into U.S. coverage of international affairs. This week, we look more closely at U.S. news, particularly an interesting concept called -- "the CNN effect." Many people think that U.S. television images of
Is it true? Researchers have studied the CNN effect. They've interviewed journalists, U.S. officials, government workers in other nations, and people who work for international relief agencies. Many agree: U.S. television does NOT determine or dictate foreign policy. We'll look closely at how they reached this conclusion. And we'll see what they say about the real relationship between television and foreign policy. Your assignment has four parts: 1) Read closely an introductory article on CNN, "Cable Clash." The article looks back at 20 years of CNN and finds that is top position is being challenged. A copy can be found here. 2) Follow that with a research study, "The CNN Effect," by Warren Strobel, White House correspondent for the Washington Times. 3) Send me an email
message that answers these a) In "Cable Clash," Heywood argues that CNN is being challenged by MSNBC and FOX News which offer "fresh approaches" to cable news. What are those fresh approaches? How might CNN respond? b) Strobel argues that television does not have a large influence on foreign policy. Yet he acknowledges that TV pictures do have emotional impact. So how does he suggest that U.S. policy makers handle the CNN factor? How should policy makers respond to television's pictures? You can use direct email from this link to jack.lule@lehigh.edu, or just use your usual email. 4) For our conference discussion, let's discuss this issue by taking up the case of Sudan. The United States is now the lone superpower, the
For decades, the people in Sudan have faced periods of mass starvation. Hundreds of thousands of people have died and continue to face the threat of starvation. U.S. news media have given the crisis some coverage. But mostly, coverage is hard to find. The news media say they have covered the story. Should they continue to press the issue? More broadly, should the U.S. news media TRY to
play a Or should the U.S. news media remain distant and
Remember, to attain the best grade for conference WEEK THREE, THURSDAY: We will now look even more closely at our week's topic: the relationship between news and international affairs. Specifically, we've been reading about and thinking about what people have called "the CNN factor." 1) A TOUR OF CNN I would like us to continue to learn about CNN. In fact, I want us to travel to CNN and get a better understanding of this influential network. Though a trip to Atlanta and Washington would be nice, we will travel to CNN through the power of cyberspace. The network has established a fairly interesting online means to learn about the scope of CNN's operations. You can learn more about the network by following The Anatomy of a Story. Follow the links at that site for much information on the people and positions at CNN. You might even find a career there. Though this feature is promotional in nature, it does indeed tell -- and reveal -- much about CNN and its philosophy toward news coverage. I'm interested in what you learned from the site. Please email me your reaction or response. Give me some details about what you found. Again, you can use direct email from this link to jack.lule@lehigh.edu, or just use your usual email. 2) CONFRONTING HORROR For our discussion, I would like us to think more deeply about the work of correspondents for CNN and other international news organizations. U.S. news organizations often define international news only in terms of disasters, wars and catastrophes. Foreign correspondents thus must confront horror on a regular basis. Covering such horror can take a real toll on journalists. a) I would like you to read an article about this
issue in the American Journalism Review, "Confronting
the Horror." Pay close attention to the story of Kevin Carter
who won a Pulitzer Prize for a disturbing international photograph -- I would like you to learn more about Kevin Carter. Please read this 1994 Time magazine story about the death of Kevin Carter. And view the Pulitzer-prize winning photograph that brought Carter such fame and misfortune. b) Please email me your reaction or response. Give me some details about what you found. Again, you can use direct email from this link to jack.lule@lehigh.edu, or just use your usual email. c) Then let's go talk about it in conference. What
do Or are they often trying to get disturbing, sensational
stories? Do they exploit other countries and peoples with their work?
Can you see yourself as a foreign It's really an interesting
topic so give it some thought and then let's talk about it at our discussion
site. Let me know if you have questions: jack.lule@lehigh.edu.
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