Chapter 9 The Internet, News Media, And Test Bank + Answers

Test Bank, Chapter 9

Quiz questions set 1. True or False.

1. Complete freedom of speech effectively exists on the Internet.
2. ^The more attractive and expensive-looking a website, the more likely it is to be trustworthy.
3. The first question to ask, when evaluating a website, is, What religion does the designer belong to?
4. The primary purpose of advertising is above all to give you solid proof that the product is worth its price.
5. One of the most important questions to ask, when viewing an ad, is, Does the ad give me a good reason to buy the product?
6. ^Some ads use the bandwagon fallacy to sell products.
7. Many ads appeal to the emotions rather than to reason.
8. According to the text, we would all be better off if advertising were to be completely banned.
9. The text argues that advertising serves some socially beneficial purposes.
10. One question to ask, when evaluating a website is, What are the author’s credentials?
11. ^One way to evaluate a news story is to watch the story on several competing channels to see if one network left something out.
12. The text argues that a reporter’s personal bias can never influence a story as long as the news editor is in control.
13. News stories can be biased when they cover some aspects of a story and leave out other aspects deemed not newsworthy.
14. ^In some cases, a news organization might not cover a story if it is thought that the story might offend corporate ownership.
15. In some cases, a news organization might not cover a story if it is thought that the story might offend viewers.
16. In some cases, a news organization might not cover a story if it is thought that the story might offend advertisers.
17. ^Some Internet sites exist solely to make money—providing true content is not a preeminent concern in these cases.
18. Internet sites can be evaluated on the basis of some of the same criteria used to evaluate expert authorities.
19. The law does not allow advertisers to commit logical fallacies in their ads.
20. ^Caveat Emptor means “Let the buyer beware …”
21. One informal restraint on advertisers is that most businesses depend on repeat customers.
22. It is against the law for an advertiser to try to manipulate your emotions.
23. In some cases, a news organization might not cover certain aspects of a story if it is thought that doing so would offend some of its owners.
24. News organizations try to report all the facts that exist on a given story.
25. ^Some of the questions to ask, when evaluating a website, are the same questions we ask when evaluating experts on an issue.
26. One way to test a news organization for accuracy on a story is to observe how other news organizations cover the same story.

Quiz questions set 2: Suggested short answers

1. What should you look for when evaluating a website?
2. State two ways in which a news story can be biased.
3. State two ways in which a website can be biased.
4. State two ways in which an ad can be misleading.
5. Should the Internet be regulated by government? Argue your case.
6. Should the news media be state-owned and state-run? Argue your case.
7. State two questions to ask when watching an ad.
8. Should advertising be more closely regulated by government? Argue your case.
9. What is the difference between an innuendo and a logical implication? (In logic, P is said to imply Q when it is not possible that P is true and Q is false.)

Suggestions for Projects

1. Select an ad and rigorously evaluate it on the basis of the principles taught in this chapter.
2. Select a website and rigorously evaluate it on the basis of the principles taught in this chapter.
3. Select a news story from a specific news organization and rigorously evaluate it on the basis of the principles taught in this chapter.
4. Is advertising overall socially beneficial? Or is it overall socially detrimental? Critically discuss.
5. What role does advertising play in our lives? How should a critical thinker process the information received through advertising? Write a __ page paper on this subject.
6. What role does the news media play in our lives? How should a critical thinker process the information received through the media? Write a __ page paper on this subject.
7. What role does the Internet play in our lives? How should a critical thinker process the information received through the Internet? Write a __ page paper on this subject.