For Tuesday, April 29

For Tuesday:

-All outstanding work is due.
-We will prepare for the final.

For Thursday--Final

Have a great weekend!

For Tuesday, April 22

"Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information." - Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics

Tuesday: 
--News stories due with the edits/changes from our conference during class on Thursday, April 17.

--Group Presentations. Groups will get 8 - 10 minutes per case study. Please be fully prepared.  Members must be present to earn the group grade. The group presentations are worth 20 points each (per case study). Below are the grading criteria:
-Group clearly and objectively presents the case and any relevant background info (5 pts)
-Group lays out the two (or more) sides of the ethical dilemma from the journalist's/media's standpoint (5 pts)
-Group effectively leads a class discussion of the case--soliciting student opinion on both sides of the issue (5 pts)
-Group then presents the group's view on the case, using specifics from the SPJ Code of Ethics to support their final opinion (5 pts)

Thursday, April 24

--Finish group presentations. Individual papers on case studies due. Discussion on preparation for final.

Have a great weekend!

For Thursday

"News Corporation, today, reaches people at home and at work... when they're thinking... when they're laughing... and when they are making choices that have enormous impact. The unique potential.. and duty.. of a media company are to help its audiences connect to the issues that define our time."
--Rupert Murdoch

For Thursday, April 17: We will spend the first part of class doing a writing exercise. The second half of class will be dedicated to meeting in your groups to discuss your ethics case studies and upcoming presentations.

Upcoming Deadlines:
Tuesday: April 22--Group Presentations on Ethics Cases-these should be 8- 10 minutes long.
Thursday: April 24--Finish Group Presentations. Individual papers on ethics cases due.


Extra Credit Opportunity! Write a news story appropriate for The Echo based on a WCSU event. There are numerous events coming up; they are listed on the website. You must attend the event and conduct appropriate interview(s), similar to the class assignment you just completed. However, this article should be short and sweet-no more than 300 words. This is worth a potential 30 points, plus 5 points additional if submitted.

For Tuesday, April 15

Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault.
-Henry Anatole Grunwald

For Tuesday:
News stories due. Length: 500-600 words. This story assignment is worth 200 points. See previous post for checklist on grading criteria. Also, your Revision Plans are due, on a separate page from your news story. If you have photos or a chart, please also turn that in on a separate page. Do not incorporate it into your text.

For Thursday, April 10

“News is only the first rough draft of history.”   Alan Barth, journalist


Thursday: You will meet in small groups to peer edit your news stories. Please bring 3 copies of your story to class. This is a first draft of your story. If there is still some information you are gathering/interviews you have scheduled but have not completed yet, then write that into your story--for example, In this paragraph I hope to provide a quote from the president of the club commenting on enrollment this year.
If you are getting nowhere on your story--it may be necessary to choose a new topic. Email me if this is the case.

The following checklist will give you an idea of the criteria upon which your work both in this draft and in the final story will be evaluated:

Ø        Is your lead an appropriate springboard into the story?

Ø        Have you developed the story logically? Interestingly?

Ø        Have you attributed information in the story to sources? Do you have a/some colorful or interesting quotes?

 

Ø        Is your information accurate?

Ø        Have you included all appropriate sources and 'covered the bases' for balance and fairness?

Ø        Have you tailored the story to its intended audience?

Ø        Have you corrected spelling, grammar and punctuation errors?  Have you followed AP style properly?

Ø        Have you double-checked the spelling of all proper names?

Ø        Is the story clear and concise?

 

See you Thursday.

For Tuesday, April 8

"Try to be conspicuously accurate in everything, pictures as well as text. Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it is more interesting."
William Randolph Hearst, American publisher, 1863-1951

For Tuesday:

1) Continue work on your news stories. The first draft of these is due Thursday, April 10, for peer review. Please bring 3 copies of this story to class on Thursday. This first draft is worth 80 points. Please email me if you run into any roadblocks.

2) Complete the Student Response questions on the movie Shattered Glass. It should be typed with proper heading, etc. This is a 30-point assignment. THIS HOMEWORK MUST BE PRINTED BEFORE CLASS AND READY TO HAND IN AT THE START OF CLASS. DO NOT PLAN TO PRINT THIS IN CLASS. I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS VIA EMAIL.
 
 

Have a great weekend!

FOR THURSDAY

The greatest felony in the news business today is to be behind, or to miss a big story. So speed and quantity substitute for thoroughness and quality, for accuracy and context. The pressure to compete, the fear somebody else will make the splash first, creates a frenzied environment in which a blizzard of information is presented and serious questions may not be raised.
Carl Bernstein, American journalist and writer, b. 1944

On Thursday we will meet in Higgins Annex room 215 at 10:45 a.m. We will be watching a movie based on a true story relating to ethics in journalism. It will run 5 minutes over the end of class time. If you can stay for the end, please do; if you have class please feel free to leave on time.