Read Hack Heaven story: http://www.ep.tc/realist/140/11.html
Watch 60 minutes interview with Steven Glass: https://vimeo.com/30824692
You are going to write 2-3 pages (double spaced) on any of the following prompts:
1. What
is the significance of the audience being told the median age of the
reporters working for The New
Republic? Is there something
being said about younger generations?
2. What does this movie say about society’s expectations from journalists?
3. What does this movie say about loyalty? Loyalty between peers and between people who have left the peer group like the protagonist did? Loyalty between employee and supervisor? How valid is Glass’ claim that the editor should do everything he can to back up his reporter? What does this belief say about Glass? Do you think it’s a prevalent opinion?
4. What
do you make of the Forbes’ editor asserting that the magazine “must” run
the story about Glass?
5. If everything and everybody in Glass’ stories were made up, was what Glass did such a bad thing? Who did it hurt?
6. Can
you think of similar instances of either academic dishonesty or plagiarism
in the past few years? Do you know
what Jayson Blair did? What James
Frey did? Who Hwang Woo-suk is?
7. What penalties did Glass face? Do you think they were adequate?
8. The writer/director of the movie said the Charles Lane character emerges as the hero of the movie. What heroic qualities does he exhibit? What heroic actions does he perform? And by the same token, to what extent could one describe the Stephen Glass character as the villain of the story?
9. Watch the “60 Minutes” interview with Stephen Glass. Do you believe Glass in the interview? Why or why not? https://vimeo.com/30824692
10. Did you like the movie? Why or why not? How does this movie relate to what you learned about law and ethics in this class?
