Eyes Wide Shut: Failures to Teach Student Journalists About Eyewitness Error. (September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Blom, Robin
• Is Part Of: Journalism & mass communication educator. Volume 74:Number 3(2019)
• Page Start: 345
• Page End: 357
• Publication Date: 2019-09
• Subjects: eyewitnesses, journalism -- public affairs reporting -- teaching -- textbooks -- professional skills; Communication -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- United States -- Periodicals; Journalism -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- United States -- Periodicals; Mass media -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- United States -- Periodicals; 070.07
• DOI: 10.1177/1077695818816546
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1077-6958

Abstract

Every news story depends on human memory one way or the other; in particular, eyewitness accounts. However, the amount of scholarly research on eyewitness misidentification in the fields of journalism and mass communication is minimal, whereas a plethora of studies is available in other disciplines. Journalism textbooks could fill that void by presenting information about eyewitness issues to student journalists. However, widely adopted journalism textbooks lack in-depth modules, if anything at all, that warn journalism students that they should not take all eyewitness accounts for granted. This essay is a call to increase research in an underdeveloped aspect of journalism education.