Photos and quotes from Genesis participants expressing the importance of taking the "Power of the Press" course.
Power of the Press:
The Impact and Ethics of Journalism
In the age of 24-hour TV and Internet news, the influence of the media is stronger than ever. In this course, you will go beyond the headlines to explore the challenges of reporting and consider the impact of the press on society. You will also have the chance to try your hand at reporting, interviewing, photojournalism, news production and more.
The following topics and activities have been part of this course in past summers. Your experience may include some of these or others like them, depending on the instructor’s plans.
Key Questions
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What constitutes fair and balanced reporting?
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What are the moral obligations that journalists have to the readers?
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How does journalism shape democracy and society?
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What is “Jewish media”?
You Will
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Conduct street interviews in downtown Boston
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Experiment with photojournalism by documenting news happenings in the Boston Commons through the camera lens
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Work with your classmates to produce a complete news magazine: from choosing story topics and angles, to researching and writing, to designing the layout, selecting photos, and editing the work of your peers
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Examine news coverage of Israel, Gaza and the Middle East and analyze its impact on public opinion and politics
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Consult Jewish sources, ancient wisdom, and ethics and think about how they can be applied to modern international media
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Debate the challenges of providing unprejudiced reporting on religious affairs, and consider how personal beliefs may affect reporting.
Meet the Instructor
Read about our Journalism course instructor, Ronit Sela
Meet the Past Participants
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Read the news blog that the 2012 Journalism course participants created
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Read the news blog that the 2011 Journalism course participants created
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Read The Jewish Melting Pot , the magazine created by the Journalism class in summer 2010.