I'm new at this

Why am I doing this? Because I have to. I teach journalism and it's 2007. So here I go.

I'm planning to use this blog to discuss two main themes: 1) editing and ethical issues that arise from my classes; and 2) issues that come up as my journalism program moves toward convergence.

I love news, always have. I read the newspaper when I was little. One thing I don't understand about my students is why they seem so uninterested in news. Anyone out there have any ideas?

Right now I'm teaching two sections of news editing and layout. It's a junior-level class. One of the ways I try to get my students to keep up with the news is through news quizzes. I've seen some crazy answers over the years. The latest, greatest crazy answers came when I asked about I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Libby, as you may or may not know, is on trial in connection with the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson's name. When I asked who Libby used to be chief of staff for, most students gave the right answer, VP Dick Cheney. Here are the funny answers:

~ The CIA

~ The New York Times

Interesting. Both the CIA and the Times are involved in the story, so at least the students who provided these answers were familiar with the story.

If you'd like to learn more about Libby, click here

Thanks for reading.