Journalism Today Chp. 5

is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event.

• Open-ended question

• Formal interview

• Primary Source

• Stock question

a question that is structured to allow the interview subject latitude in answering. This type of question does not allow for a simple one-word answer

• Primary Source

• Open-ended question

• -est question

• Stock question

These questions usually solicit one or two word responses. Such questions are generally avoided by good interviewers.

Ex. "What part of the test was the hardest?"

• -est question

• Stock question

• Formal interview

• Open-ended question

an all-purpose question usable in any situation- for example, "what are your immediate and long-term goals?"

• Stock question

• -est question

• Open-ended question

• Primary Source

an interview set up and planned in advance

• Primary Source

• off the record

• Q and A

• Formal interview

an agreement reached, before an interview view begins, that the interviewer will not print the information the the interviewee provides

• Q and A

• off the record

• Formal interview

• Stock question

a technique for writing an interview story in which the reporters exact questions are reported

• Q and A

• off the record

• Formal interview

• Stock question

When you’re doing research about an event, person or period in history, you want to look for historical sources of information. Some sources are considered primary sources, and others are considered secondary sources. Primary sources are made by someone who was actually a witness to the events described. Secondary sources are created some time after an event. They are information that someone has gathered and shaped. Secondary sources are often a summary, analysis, criticism or interpretation of the events based on one or more primary sources.

Which of the following best describes historical sources?

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• • People imagine events from the past and write about them to create historical sources.

• • Primary sources are works of fiction, while secondary sources are generally nonfiction and both are historical.

• • Historical sources come from witnesses and from people who study the accounts of witnesses.

• • Secondary sources are historical because they analyze information, but primary sources are not historical.

Primary sources are always original, first-hand information. They are usually created at the time a specific event occurred. Sometimes, though, primary sources are told later by someone who witnessed the event. What matters is that the person giving the information actually experienced what he or she is telling about. Primary sources give an eyewitness account of what life was like at a certain time. They sometimes show the witness’s opinion about an event. Primary sources can be letters, diary entries, audio or video clips, personal interviews, photographs, property deeds, court records and even objects from a certain time and place.

Thea is writing a report on President Donald J. Trump and wants to include both primary and secondary sources. Which of the following sources is not a primary source about President Trump?

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• • 
    a videotaped interview with him

• • an encyclopedia entry about him

• • a tweet he wrote and posted

• • an email from him to his chief of staff

Secondary sources are made by someone who did not experience an event first-hand. Examples include textbooks, biographies, encyclopedia entries, concert reviews and magazine articles in which the reporter had to do research. A secondary source often uses one or more primary sources to create an overall picture of what life was like at a certain time or place. For example, the author of a book about the American Revolution would probably study letters, journal entries and artifacts from that time. Secondary sources are useful because they can give a lot of information at once. In essence, someone has already done a lot of research for you.

Which of the following is not true of secondary sources?

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• • 
    They were created by a witness to the event being discussed.

• • They can give a lot of information at one time.

• • They create an overall picture of history.

• • They often use one or more primary sources.