The purpose of the cross cultural journalism module is a brief introduction to provide students with the necessary context and tools for navigating their way as a journalist in a complex, diverse and changing society. The best way to do that is to talk about excellence in journalism and the five essential components that lead to the best kind of reporting, which are context, complexity, voices, authenticity and proportionality.

To understand these five components, it is important for students to understand who they are, their backgrounds and the things that shape their lives. The late journalist and former editor of the Oakland Tribune, Robert Maynard, called “the understanding who we are,” fault lines, which include race/ethnicity, gender, generation, class and geography. In this module we will discuss how excellence in journalism, the fault lines and privilege intersect with each other to make students better journalists in a cross-cultural world.

After completing this lesson, students should be able to:

• Discuss the concept of privilege, fault lines and excellence in journalism

• Reflect on your own personal privilege

• Explain how privilege and fault lines affects the relationship to others

• Apply your knowledge of excellence of journalism to the practice of journalism

This document will provide you with a detailed summary of this lesson, learning objectives, a complete lesson plan and scaffolding for use in your classroom.