News Sense Assignment

Question #1: Why is proper attribution so important?  I believe proper attribution is important as it lends credibility to the story as well as gives credit to the source.  Without it, a journalist, who is often not an expert on the subject, would be considered a plagiarist and could be perceived as a phony.

Question #2: What is a primary source and why is it important?  A primary source is a source who has first hand knowledge and/or experience on a subject.  For example, a doctor who had just performed a surgery.  If he/she was interviewed by a journalist in regards to the surgery, the doctor would be considered a primary source.  This is important as it leaves little room for argument about the “officialness,” of the story.  In other words, the journalist did not report on the “he said, she said” of the surgery using secondary and possibly unreliable sources.  They used the source who could make their story more credible and in turn make the journalist more credible.

Question #3: Which story building block makes the most sense to you as a reader and why?  Personally I like it when stories illuminate.  To me, illuminating a story is where all the questions are answered and explored further.  It’s easy to read an opening line or headline, and then a bit of information, but in my mind, this is where all my questions begin to develop. And then comes the illumination.  It’s the “ah,” “oh,” and “I see,” part of the story that I like most.