JMSC

Interview Questions
1. Why do you want to start this business?
2. Is there any difficulties you didn't expect to occur happened at the end?
3. How do you approach your first batch of client? And is it very difficult?
4. What is the most difficulty situation you have encountered?
5. What do you think are the factors of success for your business?
6. What do you think is the biggest benefit of this business?
7. How you going to operate this business in the future? Will there be any changes?
8. Do you think social enterprise is practical and economical and profitable in HK?
9. Do you have any other business plans other than social enterprise in the future?
10. Can you give some advice to the young people who want to start their own business?

1) We discussed the three essential characteristic methods of journalists that separate journalism from the other information neighborhoods. Name and define all three by giving brief examples of each method to demonstrate that you understand the importance (about 150 words).

The three essential characteristic methods are VIA, which are Verification, Independence and Accountability.

For verification, it is the process of making sure the accuracy of information, which means the information released by journalists, is 100% true and correct. For example, the news of the government of rejecting the applications of free TV license of HKTV must be verified before releasing the news to the public.

For independence, it is importance of freedom from the control or influence of the parties which are involved in the news, which means the journalists are not taking side of any parties or organizations and they are not producing the news for the purpose of publicizing or doing favor of any parties. For example, the unlike North Korea, most news stations do not have political stance and they are helping neither political parties nor the government to do promotion.

For Accountability, it is the idea that the journalists are responsible and answerable for their work, which means they have responsibility to make sure their work is appropriate and presenting the true idea. If there is anything wrong, they are responsible for that. For example, ATV misreported that former chairman Jiang Zemin died in China but it is actually a false report and ATV need to apologize for this.

2) Name three universal news drivers and briefly explain each with examples (about 150 words).

The first one is Importance and Impact. This one means the news is changing the society and everyone needs to know about it. For example, who is the successful candidate for the next chief executive? This is very important as the political preference and history of the successful candidate are essential for the future policy of Hong Kong. This news will make a great impact to the Hong Kong society.

The second one is tragedy, conflicts and misfortune. This means all the sad news which involved people or will affect people will be reported. For example, the storm or the tsunami in East Asia in 2008 which cost high dead toll is the headline of most newspaper at that time. These big tragedies are always reported and people know these news through news report and donations and help can be made by people all around the world and help can be delivered.

The third one is human interest. People read about news because the news can be related to them and affect their life. People read news because they are interested in it. For example, people are keen on the new products of Apple because they are interested in it and common and also use the new products. Also, economic or stock or investment news are also popular because of human interest.

3) Explain how the audience influences news cycles and editorial judgments in today’s media environment saturated by mobile devices and social networks (about 150 words).

For the time when mobile device or social network are not popular, news cycle is mostly one-way, which means the journalists or news stations are the only parties that can release news. And the general public can only receive news. Now the news cycle is now more interactive and two- way. Anyone can comment on a news and even add more information to the news. Now anyone can be a news reporter. With mobile device and social applications like Facebook and Tweeter, everyone can release news. For example much news becomes popular because of the forum like Golden forum o YouTube video, such as the 14 slaps Hong Kong girl.

Secondly, the news cycle is speed up. For example newspaper is updated every day and news report is updated three times a day. But for now, news can be updated any time and in every second.

Thirdly, the news cycle now is less trustworthy as the information many not come from professional news station but from single netizen or individuals, who are not accountable for what is being said as they can hide their identity.

4) Explain what false equivalence means in a news story with an example (hint: how is ‘balance’ different from ‘fairness’?) (about 150 words).

False equivalence is actually false balance. This means the media try to give equal time and word count to two parties or even opposing parties in order not to sound biased. They can place equal amount of praise or even criticism to two parties but actually the praise or criticism is only equalized in terms of word count but not in meaning. The report can be actually blaming one side more fiercely in terms of language but seems fair in terms of word count.

For example, after the election of chief executive, there is an editorial on Ming Pao describing this election. Although the writer write about the negative news of both candidates CY Leung and Henry Tang, the proportion is nearly the same. However, the critique on Leung is more severe as the language used is more biased and asserted. But the level of bias is not very high.

5) What is journalistic truth? Explain what lesson news consumers should draw from the nature of journalistic truth (about 150 words).

Journalistic truth is the best obtainable version of truth on any day, which means the information or the report is always true, no matter when we look at it.

Journalists will only use reliable sources and they place great importance to verification. Also, when doing assumption they will use evidence to make any conclusion.

For news consumers, we need to pay attention to the accuracy of any news station or news report to make sure it is still true over time. Of course, when time goes on, some figures will change but we need to make sure that the figures are true at that time.

Also we need to learn from the attitude of journalistic truth that we cannot jump to conclusion so easily that without any proof. We must gather enough evidence before making any conclusion.

6) Provide three reasons why the process of verification breaks down (about 150 words).

The first one is time restriction. Journalists have many deadline and they may not get enough time to gather so much information. Online searching is already time-consuming, however, journalists may even need to real life researching which need them to go here and there to gather information. It is impossible for them to rush if they got too many deadlines

Secondly, Sources has agenda. The authority may not give the accurate information at any time, they may leak false information and make chatic situation and the authority may benefit from it. For example, some people may leak false information about the company’s profit or other information in order to make market panic.

Third, the journalists may not have access to the real information. There are many secrets in this world and the truth is not always revealed. Sometime it can be national secret or even international secrets. Or the person who may get harmed because of the information may threaten the journalists not to release the information.

7) It is not sufficient to conclude that a news outlet or journalistic organization is biased based on a few news reports and/or mistakes. Describe what you need to demonstrate to draw that conclusion
(about 100 words).

As a news outlets has many staff and has to do many reports, we cannot jump to conclusions using several reports.

First, we need to finds out the background of the news outlet. For example, do the major shareholder or the chief executive has any political or other economic preference. And when taking out the report of biased news, see if there are in line. For example, if the chief executive is pro-government and many news reports are pro-government we can make the conclusion that the news pullet is based.

Also, we should look at the report for longer time to judge.

8) There are seven steps in deconstructing a news story. Name five.

First, evaluate the source using I’M VA/IN
Second, make sure the reporter make his/her work transparent .
Third, make sure the reporter provide the context.
Fourth, make sure the key questions 5Ws1H is answer.
Fifth, make sure the story is fair.

9) Briefly explain some of the limitations news photographs have
(about 150 words).

The first one is selective publishing. As the journalists or the news outlets may have different judgment or standpoint, they may not publish all the pictures they captured. They may only publish pictures that are favorable to them. For the same event, there can be both positive and negative photos and angels describing the event. If there are selective criteria, it will not be fair.

Secondly, there are viewer’s interpretations. Everyone has different view point and perception. Even for the same photo, different people will view it in different way. For example, a smile from a Politian can be a sincere one to his admirers and a fake one to the opposing people.

Thirdly, there are postproduction processes. For example, photoShop. Maybe the effect of one skin care product is not that effective, but with photoShop, it can be very effective.

10) What is audience bias? Explain how news consumers avoid audience bias (about 150 words).

Audience bias means the audience has bias himself or herself. No matter what the journalists write, no matter it is true or false, the audience will put on his or her perception and will think that opinion od fact by opposing idea is not fair or not true.

To avoid this , we need to clear our mind before reading any source. Also, we can red more reports writing from different angle. So that we can have a clear picture of what is going on and we can make critical decision.

Part B (16 points): 1) Read the news article below and answer the following questions
(2 point x 4):

a. Find an example of direct evidence.
Direct evidence is the evidence that need lees corroboration to prove the accuracy. The example is the finding of the 406 submissions of the consultation paper by the public that only 30 percent support and 47 percent oppose. The SCMP will not create the figure itself so it do not need much corroboration.

b. Characterize Andrew Shum Wai-nam as a source using I’M VAIN.

Independent. It is not independent as Mr Shum is the spokesman for the Alliance Against National Education.

Multiple. It is not multiple. As the news only quoted the words of Mr Shum, no other person having the same view are quoted.

Verified. Mr Shum’s opinion is verified as the opposing view is supported by the high percentage of opposing view.

Authoritative. It is authoritative as Mr shum is the spokeperson of the alliance and has proper training. Informed. It is informed. Mr Shum clearly knows that he is talking about the national education case.

Named. It is named. Mr Shum is accountable for what he said and we all know it is said by Mr Shum.

c. How close did the reporters come to opening the freezer?
The reporter didn’t come very close to opening the freezer. After looking through the news report, there are actually two sources only. The first one is the response of the 406 submissions of the consultations of the public and the second one is the short quote from Mr Shum.

In order to coming closer to the freezer, the reporter can write more details of the opposing and supporting opinion. Like their real opinion. And for the interview, I think the quote can be longer and in a more detailed way.

Also, I think the writer should include more opinions from the supporting team to make this report fairer.

d. Is this news coverage fair in your view?
I think the news cover is not very fair. The whole report only focus on what the opposing team said but do not have any viewpoint from the government.

For fair play, it is not fair. Only the opposing view is included and it is quite clear that the writer has his or her own preference on opposing this national education stuff. It is not a fair play that not only a word from the supporting team is heard. For fair language, it is biased too. The title is pretty clear that the writer ahs a negative view towards government. Also the writer use only 30percent when describing the percent of supporting. And generally, we can feel that the language is against the national education.

For fair presentation, it is not very either. There are little scoop about the positive sign. But almost all the scoop is about the opposing view. Also, only people from the opposing team is quoted and the even for the government spokesperson the message is not clearly conveyed.

Government 'hid public split' on national education
Consultation documents reveal people's opinions on controversial lessons were divided last year, despite official claims of widespread support

By Staff Reporters | Friday, October 5, 2012 | The South China Morning Post

Public opinion was divided about national education in schools, despite official insistence that the subject had widespread support, documents have revealed. The revelation comes from the long-awaited findings of a public consultation on the controversial policy, conducted last year.

After repeated requests by the South China Morning Post, the Education Bureau has now released about 500 written submissions, as well as the findings of a separate survey of teachers. A study of the submissions showed no overriding support for the government's plan to require all public schools to incorporate patriotic lessons into their curriculum. Furthermore, many teachers who said national education was necessary felt it did not need to be introduced as a formalised subject.

The findings prompted opponents of the policy to accuse the government of lying and to warn that "dishonesty" in decision making could harm Hong Kong's stability in the long run. "It is very disappointing that the government does not even respect public consultation," said Andrew Shum Wai-nam, spokesman for the Alliance Against National Education.

A count by the Post of 406 submissions handed to the government between May and August last year, as well as 87 submissions made available for two public hearings at the Legislative Council, showed that more opposed or had reservations about the subject than supported it.

Only 30 per cent of those who made the submissions to the government and Legco expressed clear support for the subject, while 47 per cent opposed it. The rest either voiced reservations or did not indicate a clear stance.

A source in the Education Bureau, who refused to be named, insisted yesterday that the consultation had served its purpose. Shum, however, said the findings showed that the government "lied" about widespread support for the subject. "Public opinion on this matter is very clear. There is no need for national education in Hong Kong," he said.

2) Read the news article below and answer the following questions
(2 points x 4):

a. What is asserted?
The Yonglian Highway is not safe and the accident is caused due to the bad quality of the road but not the problem of the bus or the driver.

b. What kind of evidence is used to verify the death toll?
Direct evidence. It is the number from the scene and the hospital. Audience usually will not doubt about the accuracy and it does not need much corroboration. For example, the road is described as notorious and the report is mostly about the past bad record of the highway. But no scoop is focusing on other cause of the accident.

c. According to the I’M VAIN criteria, what kind of source is 1) The Normal College Teacher and 2) Zhou Ying?

1) For the teacher, the source is not very reliable.
It is independent, as the teacher do not have any interest involved and do not belong to any party which has interest in it.

It is not Multiple. Only the teacher saying the words that the bus didn’t low down. It is not verified. The teacher didn’t go for the trip, his or her words is not very reliable.

It is not authoritative. The teacher does not have any training on car accident and how to describe. It is informed. The teacher knows he or she is talking about this accident. It is not named. We do not know the name of the teacher.
Generally, it is not a good and reliable source.

2) For Zhou Ying, the source is more reliable.

It is independent, Zhou is a normal resident and do not have any interest involved.

It is multiple as there are also other sources saying that the road is not safe.

It is not verified as we cannot prove whether she did drive on the road or not.

It is not authoritative as Zhou is not a professional driver nor had undergone any training of it.

It is informed. Zhou knows that he is having interview about the accident.

It is named. The name of Zhou is given as Zhou Ying. d. Find an example of inference. What conclusion could replace the inference?
The inference is the accident is mostly caused by the bad quality of the road. There is corruption regarding the construction of the highway.

To replace it, another fairer conclusion is better. The conclusion can be car accident on a accident-prone highway. The real cause is not yet confirmed but the poor historyof this highway make it possible that bad quality of the highway may be the main cause.

Four die when bus plunges off infamous Yonglian Highway and into a ravine

By He Huifeng and Choi Chi-yuk | October 19, 2012 | The South China Morning Post

At least four students were killed and three seriously injured last night, when a bus carrying them to exams plunged more than 30 metres off a notorious section of road in Yongzhou city, Hunan province. The bus - with 46 students, a teacher and a driver on board - lost control on the Chashu county section of Yonglian Highway and fell into a ravine, Xinhua said. It was one of four coaches travelling from Normal College in Daoxian county for public exams in Yongzhou.

Two of the students were pronounced dead at the scene, while the other two died en route to the affiliated hospital of Yongzhou Vocational and Technical College, Xinhua reported last night. The Yongzhou government said three students were seriously injured, with the rest in stable condition. A Normal College teacher said 171 students were travelling to attend self-taught higher education examinations. Such self-taught examinations provide a gateway to bachelor's degree programmes for students who have not attended traditional universities. The teacher, who was not on the trip, said the bus did not collide with other vehicles and did not appear to slow down before going off the road.

The meandering, 165-kilometre Yonglian Highway, which links Yongzhou to Lianzhou city in northern Guangdong, has been dubbed the "road of danger" by local drivers and residents due to the high number of crashes since it opened in 2003. More than 170 people have been killed on the highway in the past three years alone, the Yongzhou. Daily reported last month. The road has seen more than 5,000 collisions in that time. Municipal authorities have pledged to improve it.

On Wednesday, another seven people were killed and more than 20 injured on a Ningyuan county section of the highway after a truck collided with a passenger bus. Residents who live nearby blame the problems on sloppy construction and substandard materials. The road surface is so poor and lumpy locals have dubbed it "tofu road". "Even where it looks OK on the surface, underneath it is trash," said Zhou Ying, a Hunan resident who has driven the road several times.

The 1.1 billion yuan (HK$1.35 billion) construction of the highway has factored in several corruption cases, leading to the conviction of at least three senior provincial officials. Among them was Wang Daosheng, Hunan's former deputy secretary general, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2004, local media said.

Part C (4 points):

Watch the video titled “Swine flu alert! News/Death ratio: 8176” (http://youtu.be/V8bUtbODV-Q) and rebut arguments raised by Dr. Hans Rosling based on the concepts you have learned in the course (about 200 words).

We cannot judge whether it is fair or not only focusing on the number of news per death in comparison of the two diseases. We need to consider more factors.

First, it is the universal driver trend, new discovery and change. Swine flu is a new disease and Tuberculosis is not new. Although the death toll is higher, a new disease which has potential risk is more important and eminent to be reported. Actually, there are many diseases which has even higher death rate, and it is impossible to report it all the time if there is no further news.

As swine flu is a new disease and we do not know much about it ,it is very usual and reasonable to report it.

Secondly, the time frame for comparison is not fair too. The time frame Dr. Hans Rosling used is the time period that swine flu is discovered not for long. However, at that time, tuberculosis is discovered and being reported for long. If we make the time spend much longer to the time that tuberculosis is just discovered, the difference will not be so large.

There are even more factors need to be taken into account. So we cannot jump into conclusion so soon.

“Optional” bonus question (2 points):
Find a news story that illustrates how online media, including social networking services such as Twitter and Weibo, have greatly influenced the way news stories are gathered, shared, disseminated and discussed. The story has to be about a recent news event (in the last few months). Briefly explain what happened and discuss why you think it is a good example to demonstrate how online journalism and social media have changed both the news industry and news audience (150 words).

One very typical example is the 14 slaps Hong Kong girl. This news is actually generated from a YouTube video. In traditional news, it is released by the news report or newspaper or magazine. However, this news becomes news because the video is watched by many people and it aroused the concern of the public. Then the news is covered by the news media.

Also, this news is very popular on Facebook or Weibo and is shared by many people. And this social networking website power has made this news even more popular. And people will post the girl’s information about the girl on Facebook and news media will also quote the source on Facebook or Weibo or Youtube.

After this, the news audience and news industry has changed from gather information from normal interview to quo