WSJ Essay Questions

NAME: Kelli VanHouten

OCTOBER 27, 2008 MMC 1000 ESSAY NO. 2

Answer the following questions (type answers on this document), save the file, e-mail it to Professor Ken Carpenter, and post the questions and answers on your blog.


1. Have you enjoyed reading the Wall Street Journal? Explain why you have enjoyed it, or why not.

Answer: I, believe it or not, have enjoyed reading the wall street journal. I quite often tell people that I am the ‘last to know anything’ though since I’ve started reading the WSJ that hasn’t been the case. I now find myself telling people things or even responding with ‘I already knew that’ when they tell me the latest bit of news.


2. How has reading the newspaper helped you learn about Mass Communications media? Explain, and give some examples of what you’ve learned.

Answer: Reading the News Paper has taught me about Mass Communications media not only with the recent stories it has about it, but also by experiencing it firsthand. Though newspapers are diminishing it’s still a leading form of mass communications and reading it not only introduces one to how they would need to compose a story to work in this field, but also broadens the knowledge base which is key to being successful in the communications field.


3. Compared to traditional textbook-based study and learning methods, is reading the newspaper a better or worse educational experience? Expand your answers with details and examples.

Answer: I feel that reading the newspaper is MUCH more informative than learning from a text book. A history book does no justice to the stories it tells compared to viewing a reenactment, or even having lived there. You can’t learn something unless you do it, like the sign hanging up in SSB 200 “What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing.” You’re not going to get the same real-world experience from a book that you would from a news paper.

4. Has the reading assignment changed your behavior, i.e., your daily schedule, your study habits, your desire for news and information?

Answer: The reading assignment has changed my schedule to the fact that I wake up a little earlier to read the paper. It has also changed my desire for news because I don’t find it boring as I once did. I now see the relevance in the stories and how they apply to this course as well as my life.


5. Are the weekly quizzes an effective way to measure what you’ve learned by reading the Wall Street Journal? If yes, why? If no, why? Add suggestions for other ways to measure learning.

Answer: I definitely feel that the quizzes are an effective way because they’re made just hard enough so that if you haven’t read them you won’t be able to answer. It measures first of all if you’ve read it, and second of all challenges you to get has much out of it as possible rather than just skimming through.


6. How likely are you to renew your subscription to The Wall Street Journal after this semester? Give an expansive answer, with reasons.

Answer: I’m not sure if I would renew my subscription, as much as I enjoy reading it, simply because the funds aren’t there and it is rather difficult to find time to take out of the day. I can justify taking the time out for a class, not so much when it’s for myself. Also, many of the articles I’ve found are available on the internet for free as opposed to paying almost $100 (Yes, I’ve just contributed to the downfall of newspapers). I enjoyed reading it, though the likely hood that it is something that I can, and would continue is slim.