Photos and quotes from Genesis participants expressing the importance of taking the "Journalism, Judaism, and Ethics" course. 

Journalism, Judaism and Ethics


Genesis courses are hands-on seminars for students like you.  Together with your classmates and our knowledgeable faculty, we will create an enjoyable learning experience that is both challenging and rewarding, without the pressure of tests or grades. The “Investigating Journalism, Judaism, and Ethics” course enables you to understand and experience the ins and outs of journalism and the media, as well as how and why it influences policy, politics and our lives.


Explore

  • Consider a framework for journalism ethics;

  • Examine the power of images and how photos can be used to report on issues;

  • Practice being a critical consumer of media;

  • Consider what is truth and what is objectivity in the media;

  • Consult Jewish sources, ancient wisdom, and ethics and think about how they can be applied to modern international media;

  • Discuss the media’s coverage of Israel and the Middle East;

  • Consider how the media impacts your life as a Jew.


Encounter

  • Wrestle with examples of ethical issues that face journalists that touch on values, religion, relationships;

  • Meet a CBS news producer and discuss interviews of politicians around elections;

  • Visit the Boston CBS affiliate WBZ and watch the noon news live from the studio and production room, then meet with the anchors for a Q & A session;

  • Visit a local newspaper office and discuss the challenge of print vs online news production;

  • Meet Ruth Messinger, the head of the American Jewish World Service, and talk about coverage of world disasters such as the situation in Darfur.


Engage

  • Conduct street interviews in downtown Boston;

  • Write articles;

  • Report on issues;

  • Experiment with photojournalism – document news happenings in the Boston Commons through the lens of a camera;

  • Produce a news magazine, including designing the graphic layout, choosing story topics and angles, selecting photos, and editing the work of your peers. 

    Read the Journalism 2009 Course Magazine


* Note that courses change year to year and not all of these highlights may happen this summer

Meet our Journalism course faculty