Acknowledging potential conflicts of interest

Provide students with articles that cite sources but do not disclose those sources' potential conflicts of interest (see examples below). Allow students time to research what the potential ties/connections are. Instruct students to rewrite the parts of the article using the source information so that relevant biographical details are disclosed.

• Article 1: Did Syracuse police arrest boy, 8, over stolen chips? Viral video explained

• “CNY Central brought the video to the attention of Dr. Keith Taylor, a policing expert at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. He said police did what they were supposed to do in detaining the 8-year-old and driving him home. ‘You don't see any inappropriate use of force by the officers,’ Dr. Taylor said. ‘They're simply doing their job.’"

• Article 2: Officer Whose Bullet Killed a 14-Year-Old Girl Wanted to ‘Change’ the Police

• “Philip M. Stinson, a professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green State University who studies police violence, said that, given the chaos that awaited officers arriving at the Burlington store, ‘this is going to be a difficult case for investigators and prosecutors in making the determination about whether the officer was justified in using deadly force.’"

• Article 3 : Brooklyn Shooting Fuels Debate Over Whether Police Really Make Subways Safer

• “‘There will be an increase of police presence in the subways, but not necessarily for a long term. This will be a typical reactive reaction to a major incident,’ predicts Maria Haberfeld, a criminal-justice professor at John Jay College. ‘No matter how many officers you are going to deploy there is never enough to cover all the stations and trains.’"