Ethics and Journalism

• Society of Professional Journalists: Ethics Case Studies – A Congressman’s Past
• Society of Professional Journalists: Ethics Case Studies – Cooperating with the Government
• Society of Professional Journalists: Ethics Case Studies – Offensive Images

Provide a summary of the case study you selected. Explain how ethics and freedom of speech are both challenged. As a journalist, what would you do? Support your decision and describe how you would approach this from a journalistic view. Include the title of the case study you chose in the title of your post.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.

Final Feature Article

The final assignment for this course requires that you write a Final Feature Article for a fictional online news magazine, The AU Champion. The population for the magazine is on-campus and online students, alumni, faculty, staff, administration, and other stakeholders. The magazine serves approximately 95,000 readers. The AU Champion provides news and information about Ashford University as well as useful information for the readers of the magazine.

You will be writing a story for the “Featured Champions” section of the magazine. Choose a current topic that will be of particular interest to one or more of the segments of readers served by the magazine. Broad examples include: education, economics, health and wellness, technology, and politics. While the magazine is fictional, your article will be based on well-researched facts and utilize real sources of information.

Write a 1000-word article that meets the following criteria:

1. Formulate a summary or anecdotal lead that engages the audience.
2. Examine various perspectives through interviews and research using quotes and attributions.
3. Organize the story by creating logical connections and using transitions throughout the story.
4. Use a graphic image that aligns with the story.

Writing the Final Feature Article

The Final Feature Article:

1. Must be a minimum of 1000 words and be double-spaced and formatted according to AP style.
2. Must include a title page with the following:
   1. Title of paper
   2. Student’s name
   3. Course name and number
   4. Instructor’s name
   5. Date submitted
3. Must begin with a strong lead.
4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms the lead in the story.
6. Must use at least five sources of information including: an interview, statistical and/or factual pieces of information and, varying opinions about the topic.
7. Must include one visual element in the form of an image, chart, or diagram.
8. Must be written in AP style. All sources of information must be incorporated into the article in a manner that does not detract from it.
9. A list of sources must be included after the article according to the reference template.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.