The hidden epidemic in schools: Cheating

In our instant gratification age, there appears to be a startling trend among students who are going to great unethical lengths to get A's without studying. Cheating is not new in education, however, the ways in which cheating culture is being promoted, shared, and valourized is greater than ever before. Information-sharing communities, such as Youtube, are littered with how-to videos on cheating, some quite elaborate and stealth. The above video is but one example of how people are using sophisticated techniques and tools to steal good grades.

As a student, you may have witnessed, heard of, or even partook in an incident of cheating at Ward. What are some of these practices? When and where do they occur? How is cheating at Ward different from cheating at others schools? Why do students cheat? What do you think about this state of affairs? How can students avoid the temptation to cheat?

Strong articles will be published in the Mary Ward Planet.

Barack to the Future

Tuesday, January 20, 2008 will be the swearing in of the 44th American president, Barack Obama. This momentous occasion will be a huge media event not only because he is the new leader of the free world in a time of war and financial crisis, but also because he is the first black president of a country that was founded on the backs of slaves taken from Africa. In a nation founded on the oppression of blacks, the inauguration of Barack Obama is truly a historical moment of great importance.

Carefully watch media coverage of the inauguration. What is the mood and tone of journalists on CNN, Fox News, or the CBC? Listen to the commentary of the journalists. What are the comments you agree with/ disagree with/ or that surprise you? What are some of your thoughts about Obama as he begins his presidency?

A Question of Journalistic Ethics, part 2

Sharing the community’s grief
Little Rock news coverage of three teen-age suicides
It was not a question of whether to report on the suicides of three Sheridan youths within hours of each other, but how to do it with the sensitivity the story — and the community — needed. Read the above story and comment on the way the story was handled by the Arkansas Gazette. What would you do differently in the handling of the story?

A Question of Journalistic Ethics, part 1

When a hero is not a hero

A firefighter is killed in the line of duty. He is given a hero’s funeral. Later an autopsy report reveals he was legally drunk. Read the above case study and discuss the ethical dilemma and how you would handle the story.