Select 2-3 articles from mainstream news sources (i.e., not a personal blog) pertaining to an event or research on marine mammals that has been covered in the media in the last year or two (see example news stories below). You can choose any species or location except bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia, as that will be the focus of your second assignment. Research the topic in depth using primary literature and examine the accuracy of the coverage and why it received so much public attention. Note: here primary literature refers to scientific research articles published in scientific journals (e.g., on Google Scholar or Web of Science).
Aim for 3-4 single spaced pages of text (about 1500-2500 words). Figures, tables, and references do not count towards the page length or word count. Figures and tables are optional, and should be referenced within the text of your report if included. References must be included and should be in a standard format, e.g., APA, Harvard, or Chicago style (see citation formats in Google Scholar). Note that you should cite the articles by author(s) and year in the text (e.g., Singh et al. 2018) with the full reference in at the end of your paper, including the DOI when available. The reference format and general writing style should be similar to what you would see in a typical scientific manuscript, but you wont have sections like a scientific paper (i.e., intro, methods, results, discussion). Use references liberally (min. 5-8 primary sources), but footnotes and quotations rarely unless they are essential to your point. Be critical and careful and your analysis.
This will be graded according to the following criteria:
(1) solid clear and concise writing
(2) well-researched background into the story and where the original scientific data came from
(3) careful and critical analysis which might include an examination of conflicting results (other papers that published on the same topic with different findings)
(4) consideration of why this story attracted attention and possibly more research on that in of itself
Article I found that could be used to research (unless you can find one better with more primary sources about a marine mammal): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/salish-sea-whale-fight-1.6602134
Example news stories from previous years: (DO NOT USE, JUST EXAMPLES)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/13/the-tale-of-the-killer-whalesLinks to an external site.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/u-s-navy-exercises-will-put-further-pressure-on-west-coast-s-endangered-killer-whales-experts-say-1.5701554Links to an external site.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7230067/coronavirus-oceans-marine-mammals/Links to an external site.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/nyregion/whale-rescue-ny-harbor.html?action=click&algo=bandit-all-surfaces_desk_filter&block=editors_picks_recirc&fellback=false&imp_id=714088417&impression_id=fc65d5a2-f09f-11ea-bd8b-21508be3bf98&index=2&pgtype=Links to an external site.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/science/whales-dolphins-genes-evolution.html?referrer=masthead
Rubric:
Big Picture:
Is the author enthusiastic about their chosen topic?
Does the author have a point of view about their media piece? Do they explain why it is interesting/important?
Does the paper have an overall narrative arc that is appropriate?
Does the author make connections to the broader themes of the course? Hint: look at the course description on the Canvas home page!
Content:
Does the paper clearly state the central message of the mainstream media piece in addition to that of the primary research article? Do these align? Do they contrast?
Does the author examine the accuracy of the media piece in context of the primary literature on the topic? If the primary literature presents conflicting results or patterns are unclear, does the author communicate that uncertainty?
Does the author explain their ideas about why this story was picked up by the popular media?
Are the statements made by the author throughout the paper supported by their sources?
Sources:
Does the author integrate primary sources liberally and discuss them in context of the mainstream media piece? (Minimum: 5-8 sources)
Do the sources indicate author researched their topic widely? (e.g. they come from a variety of authors/labs/research efforts; author does not rely too heavily on 1-2 papers)
Grammar and Aesthetics:
Does the student use clear, concise writing?
Does the formatting make sense? (e.g. 1 inch margins; legible font; if figures/tables are included they are somewhere that looks nice; sub-headings are clear if used; title and references headings are obvious)