Journalism Research Guide
Media (AV) Materials

Search the Library Catalog by subject or title, then limit the search by "Material Type," such as "videos, films, slides" or "spoken recordings." The "Location" box will indicate whether materials are located in W.E.B. Du Bois Library Reserves/Media, Special Collections, or another part of the Library.

Suggested AV Materials in Journalism

Video recordings and DVDs

The Boston Hoax: The Police, the Press and the Public (UM/Media V 828)
Discusses the actions and influence of police, news media, and public opinion in the 1989 murder case of Carol Stuart.

Business Coverage: Who's Giving Who the Business? (UM/Media V 529)
A classic press/business confrontation between "60 Minutes" and the Pacific Gas and Electric Company over who has the right to set the ground rules for a television news story.

Fear & Favor in the Newsroom (UM/Media V 1632)
Examines freedom of the press and investigative journalism when newspapers and television stations are owned and influenced by large corporations hostile to media exposure. Includes case studies of journalists deemed "too aggressive" who are dismissed or forced to resign.

Framing an Execution: ABC News & the Case of Mumia Abu Jamal (UM/Media V 2744)
Examines how ABC reporter Sam Donaldson's framing of African American journalist Abu-Jamal's case stands up to the available facts and how it measures up to basic journalistic standards of fairness, balance, and accuracy.

Illusions of News with Bill Moyers (UM/Media V 702)
Examines the impact of the visual image on the electing of presidents and the governing of America.

Legacy of a Kidnapping: Lindbergh and the Triumph of the Tabloids (UM/Media V 1852)
Traces today's tabloid journalism back to this landmark event of American mass communications.

Playing Unfair: The Media Image of the Female Athlete (UM/Media V 2741)
A critique of the male-dominated world of sports journalism with regard to current Title IX legislation, which granted women equal playing time.

The Reel World of News (UM/Media V 2741)
Looks at the unique 20th century institution of newsreels until its demise in the mid-1960s.

Rich Media, Poor Democracy (UM/Media DVD 311)
Demonstrates how journalism has been compromised by corporate conglomerates such as Disney, Viacom, and AOL Time Warner to produce a system of news high on sensationalism and low on information. The producer of this work suggests that unless citizen activism reclaims the commons, this new corporate system will be characterized by a rich media and an ever-impoverished poor democracy.

Smoke in the Eye (UM/Media V 1817)
"Frontline" investigates the war between network news and the tobacco industry.

Sources: A Matter of Trust / The Press and the Public (UM/Media V 448)
Discusses the pros and cons of using the confidential source as a journalistic device.

Telling an Old Story (UM/Media V 68)
Shows the process of writing a feature article for a metropolitan newspaper.

Reference Sources for Identifying Media (AV) Materials in Journalism

The Media in the Movies: A Catalog of American Journalism Films, 1900-1996 (UM/W.E.B. Du Bois PN1995.9.J6 L35 1998)
Entries include a brief plot summary and analysis, cross-references, and a selection of stills.