Journalism Case Study Abstracts

Abstract
This case study tells the story of of how one editor at Time magazine took a concept—create a “mirror on America”—and translated it into 12 pages in the magazine. The case describes the kind of decisions editors have to make on a daily basis: what to include, what to leave out, how to staff a story, how much time to spend reporting. It also raises the issue of hierarchy in a newsroom. Whose call ultimately is it what goes into a story—the managing editor’s, the
frontline editor’s, or the reporter’s? Click here to get this case study now…

The case will give students insight into the workings of a weekly news magazine. It will allow them to exercise their own editorial judgment, and to struggle with the strategic and practical decisions which go into assembling a story about a complex subject. They will also get an unusual glimpse into the concerns of a graphics department. Click here to get this case study now…

This case can be used in a class about magazine writing and/or editing, about integrating graphics into a text narrative, or about editorial decisionmaking.

Credits
This journalism case study was written by Kathleen Gilsinan for the Knight Case Studies Initiative, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University. The faculty sponsor was Professor Michael Shapiro. The Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (CCNMTL) produced the multimedia, online product. Josh Stanley was the project coordinator, and Zarina Mustapha was the website designer. Funding was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. TIME Magazine material © Time Inc. used with permission.

Copyright © 2007 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York. No part of this publication may be reproduced, revised, translated, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the written permission of the Case Studies Initiative.

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Abstract
This case examines the challenges of reporting on a private individual’s sexual orientation. In March 2008, the Washington Post received a tip that Army Major Alan Rogers was the first openly gay military officer to be killed in Iraq. If true, the life story of the much-decorated and admired Major Rogers would be of significant interest to readers who follow the debate on the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. But as reporter Donna St. George began her reporting, she discovered a murkier reality—that while Rogers was gay, it was far from clear that he was open about it, especially to his military colleagues. Click here to get this case study now…

Post policy advised caution about identifying someone as gay who may not wish that fact to be published. Rogers had expressed no wishes on this matter. One senior editor said “the unknowable risk of dishonoring Rogers’ desires” was outweighed by the news value and public policy importance of his story. And Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie, Jr. was concerned that to report on Rogers’ death without mentioning his sexual orientation could be viewed as a major omission and could come back to haunt the Post. But to identify him as gay could violate the careful compromise by which Rogers had apparently lived his life. Ultimately, Downie had to make a decision. Click here to get this case study now…

Classroom discussion can focus on the tension between the historical record and the individual. When does one trump the other? Should a news organization embrace an opportunity to change public perception or influence public policy? What are the implications for a newspaper if it knows something to be true and does not publish it? Is that censorship, or respect for the individual? Students should come to appreciate the nuances that accompany the treatment of gender issues in news stories. They could also consider how useful editorial policy guidelines really are. Click here to get this case study now…

The case can be used in a course about reporting on gender, ethnicity or race; about editorial decisionmaking; or about ethics in journalism.

Credits
This journalism case study was written by Julia Ioffe for the Knight Case Studies Initiative, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University. The faculty sponsor was Adjunct Professor Joe Cutbirth. Funding was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. (0709)

Copyright © 2009 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York. No part of this publication may be reproduced, revised, translated, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the written permission of the Case Studies Initiative.

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Abstract
This case is about the professional conflict one journalist at the Bakersfield Californian experiences when editors ask her to “blog” from a trial she is covering. In the blog, or web-log—which appears within a special section of the Bakersfield.com website—she is asked to offer informal observations, often in the form of running commentary, about a complicated murder case. Meanwhile for the daily newspaper, she continues to write stories which observe the journalistic conventions of objectivity, accuracy and balance. Jessica Logan becomes increasingly uncomfortable as she learns that her blog entries are unedited. Typos and grammar errors occur with regularity, but eventually she also makes mistakes. Mistakes in the newspaper result in a notation in a reporter’s personnel record; the rules for a blog seem unclear. But her editors keep reassuring Logan. They argue that blogs are like a sneak peek into a reporter’s notebook, not like a news story. Click here to get this case study now…

Students will be asked to consider whether blogs are a legitimate form of journalism. Does a reporter with a blog potentially undermine his reputation as a journalist? What do news readers gain from a blog that they would not get from a web or print story? Should blogs be subject to the same internal rules and regulations that govern the material printed in a newspaper? How can news organizations best incorporate this new way of communicating with readers into their existing standards and practices? Click here to get this case study now…

The case study can be used in a class on editorial management, on new media, on blogging or on reporting norms.

Credits
This journalism case study was written by Delia Flores for the Knight Case Studies Initiative, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University. The faculty sponsor was Professor Michael Shapiro. The Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (CCNMTL) produced the multimedia, online product. Josh Stanley was the project coordinator, and Zarina Mustapha was the website designer. Funding was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Copyright © 2007 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York. No part of this publication may be reproduced, revised, translated, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the written permission of the Case Studies Initiative.

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Abstract
This case study takes students inside the offices and strategic thinking of the executive team at the Albany Times Union, a prototypical regional newspaper. The Times Union, like other newspapers its size, in 2006 faced the challenge of how to choose the best path to transforming itself from a traditional ink-on-paper product to a hybrid paper/Web product. No role model seemed appropriate, so Editor Rex Smith and Publisher Mark Aldam charted their own course. They hired a consultant to map the newsroom editorial process—an exercise which revealed technological weaknesses, organizational inefficiencies, and shortcomings in physical arrangements. But these findings were not recommendations. The paper’s team would have to choose among competing priorities in order to move their organization forward. Click here to get this case study now…

Students are asked to think in detail about the complex challenges faced by news editors and publishers in early 21st-century America. The case will allow them to grasp the fundamental realignment of roles and responsibilities going on within newsrooms, as well as to understand the often painful choices newsroom leaders must make. Discussion could focus on strategic planning, the role of newspapers in the Internet era, or the challenges to regional publications at the turn of the century. Click here to get this case study now…

The case can be used in a class about newspapers and technology; about editorial leadership; or about newspaper management.

Credits
This journalism case study was written by Rachel Templeton for the Knight Case Studies Initiative, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University. The faculty sponsor was Professor Michael Shapiro. The Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (CCNMTL) produced the multimedia, online product. Josh Stanley was the project coordinator, and Zarina Mustapha was the website designer. Funding was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Copyright © 2007 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York. No part of this publication may be reproduced, revised, translated, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the written permission of the Case Studies Initiative.

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Abstract
This case is about the calculus a news organization must make when it uncovers a story that incriminates the most powerful institution in its community. It also describes the personal toll on journalists of covering misdeeds in one’s own church. In August 2001, the Boston Globe’s new editor, Martin Baron, commissioned the paper’s investigative Spotlight Team to look into the case against Father John Geoghan, a Catholic priest charged with sexual abuse of children. Within a month, the team had begun to uncover many other instances of abuse by priests. The story was potentially explosive: Boston had the highest percentage of Catholics of any major US city. The Archdiocese, and Cardinal Bernard Law, were beloved and respected. The Globe and Law had a history of tense relations. The team suspended its research to cover the September 11 attacks, but picked it up again in October. As the pieces came together, it had to decide how to play what was a literally unbelievable story, how to manage a potential backlash from the community, and how to deal with the anticipated reaction from the Archdiocese. In November, it acquired a “smoking gun”—a document that implicated Cardinal Law. The Globe, which wanted to make certain its blockbuster story was faultless, was not fully ready to publish, but the document was public and rival news organizations could discover it. The team debated what to do. Click here to get this case study now…

Students discussing this case will have the opportunity to examine the special challenges of covering religion, especially the dominant religion in one’s own community. They will gain insight into how individual reporters process and cope with a horrific story. They can also explore investigative techniques; the Globe had to obtain most of its information over the active objections of the Catholic Church. Students will be introduced to Computer Assisted Reporting, as well as to court reporting. They will encounter the pressures of media competition. Finally, students should gain an understanding of the dynamics of team reporting, and how team members work together in the service of a story too large for any one of them. Click here to get this case study now…

This case can be used in a class on covering religion, on investigative reporting, or on editorial decisionmaking.

Credits
This journalism case study was written by David Mizner for the Knight Case Studies Initiative, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University. The faculty sponsor was Professor Ari Goldman. Funding was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Columbia University Publications produced the banner. (0109)

Copyright © 2009 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York. No part of this publication may be reproduced, revised, translated, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the written permission of the Case Studies Initiative.the Case Studies Initiative.

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