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.

For Tuesday, April 1

"Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell."
--from The Elements of Style by E.B. White and William Strunk Jr.

For Tuesday: Read Chapter 16 in the text (Speeches, Meetings and News Conferences)
Pay close attention to the "Checklists" provided that sum up what is essential for covering each of these three types of events.

Then read the text and watch the video of "Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address." This is available many places online, including the Stanford website. Afterwards, write the lead and an additional 3 paragraphs (so 4 paragraphs total) of a news story as if you were covering this speech for a news outlet. Be sure to include in your piece each item listed in the textbook under "Checklist: The Speech Story." 
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.LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE REVIEWED FOR APPROVAL BUT WILL NOT RECEIVE POINTS.




Have a great weekend!

“Writing well means never having to say, ‘I guess you had to be there.’ ”
– Jef Mallett

Due Thursday: The one- to -two-paragraph synopsis of your story idea for class. It should follow the guidelines in Section I. in the handout from Tuesday titled "News Story Assignment." This is a 10-point assignment.  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.LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE REVIEWED FOR APPROVAL BUT WILL NOT RECEIVE POINTS.

Thursday: In-class news writing test. You will be given a fact sheet and asked to write a news story with strong lead, supporting graphs, lead quote, etc.

Extra Credit Opportunity

Extra! Extra!

United States Senator Richard Blumenthal is coming to WCSU on Monday, March 24 ^.
His topic: “Stopping Sexual Assaults on College Campuses.”  This is a topic that President Obama has begun to address as well. Blumenthal will speak at  9:30AM in the Midtown Student Center, Room 202.

It is not everyday that a U.S. Senator visits!
For extra credit attend this session and write a news story on it. You will be able to earn up to 20 extra points. 

Read previous post for the work for this week.

For Tuesday, March 25

"See a thing clearly and describe it simply. That is the essence of good newspaper work."
Arthur Brisbane - journalist, newspaper editor


For Tuesday: Bring your reworked news stories based on your in-class student interviews.

For Thursday: Story ideas will be due. This will be a typed, MLA heading/format paragraph explaining an individual news story idea appropriate for The Echo (actually submitting it is optional, but will bring extra credit). These ideas must be approved by the instructor before you start your work. Further details on this assignment will be given in class.

Thursday: In-class news writing test. You will be given facts and asked to write a news story with strong lead, lead quote, etc.

For Thursday, March 13

"You can't write well if you don't read. Don't show me your resume. Show me your library card," Joe Galloway, veteran reporter.

Due Thursday:

The homework "Using Quotes in News Stories." Please give your homework this title.

Editors from The Echo will be visiting class. Please bring questions!

Due to our guest speakers, we will postpone the writing test until after break.

After break, each student will begin work on an individual news story appropriate for The Echo (actually submitting it is optional, but will bring extra credit). These ideas must be approved by the instructor before you start your work. Begin to think about a story you would like to report and write. 

For Tuesday, March 11

"Democracies succeed or fail based on their journalism. America is strong because its journalism is strong. That is how democracies work. They're only as good as the quality of the information that the public possesses, and that is where we come in." Scott Pelley, 60 Minutes

Due Tuesday: The news story building blocks assignment handed out  in class. This should be written for The New York Times vs. a local paper, so keep that in mind when deciding what information to include. Remember you are writing the lead through the lead quote.

*The midterm will be split into two parts. On Tuesday you will be writing an obituary. Review the checklist for obits. to prepare. On Thursday you will write the top half of a news story from the lead - lead quote.

For Thursday, March 6

I am deeply interested in the progress and elevation of journalism, having spent my life in that profession, regarding it as a noble profession and one of unequaled importance for its influence upon the minds and morals of the people.

Joseph Pulitzer

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/joseph_pulitzer.html#R9zrIJjECZC7IBTG.99

I am deeply interested in the progress and elevation of journalism, having spent my life in that profession, regarding it as a noble profession and one of unequaled importance for its influence upon the minds and morals of the people.

Joseph Pulitzer

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/joseph_pulitzer.html#R9zrIJjECZC7IBTG.99

“I am deeply interested in the progress and elevation of journalism, having spent my life in that profession, regarding it as a noble profession and one of unequaled importance for its influence upon the minds and morals of the people.” -Joseph Pulitzer

For Thursday:
There will be a quiz on writing Obituaries. You will need to know the Obituary Checklist in Chapter 19 of the text (pg 363).

The midterm has been postponed until next week.

For Tuesday, March 4

"Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light."
--Joseph Pulitzer

Read: Chapter 18 in the text--Accidents and Disasters
Then go to www.pulitzer.org and click on "Current Winners and Finalists" on the left column. Then click on the subhead "Breaking News Reporting." We ARE NOT reading the winning story but one of the Finalists, so scroll down to Finalists and then click on "The Denver Post Staff." Read the first story in the list - "State of Alarm" - dated June 26, 2012 - about the Waldo Canyon Fire.

Use that story as the basis for your assignment "Accidents and Disasters. Deconstructing a Story" which was handed out in class.

On Thursday, March 6, there will be a quiz on Obituaries. You will need to know the Obituary Checklist in Chapter 19 of the text (pg 363).
Have a great weekend!

For Tuesday, Feb. 25

"Everybody's got one good story to tell. If you talk to them long enough, you'll find it. Nobody has lived a totally uneventful life." -Alan Richman, writer for GQ magazine.

For Tuesday:
1) Read chapter 19 in the text (Obituaries) and write an obituary for a prominent person or celebrity who is still alive. Gather information for your obit from news clips, social media, online sources, magazines, etc. The cause of death must be included in the story as well as comments the person has made and comments about the person made by others. The source of these comments should be included, as demonstrated in the examples in the text. Length: 550 words (give or take 20 words).

2) Rewrites of the news story on Board of Ed. vs. high school biology student due

3) AP Stylebook exercise due

4) Due Thursday, Feb. 27: Compare, contrast and generally analyze the front page of The Tulane Hullabaloo and the front page of the WCSU Echo. Consider story choice, the quality of the writing (brief and clear, long and wordy, etc.), and the visual presentation. I am not looking for an opinion on which is better, but more an objective analysis of each. Choose one or two stories to focus on specifically in each paper. This is due Thursday, Feb. 27. Length: 600 words.

The test on writing leads will be Tuesday.

SNOW DAY!!

Due to the snow day we will slightly alter the plans for upcoming classes. THE LEAD-WRITING TEST WILL NOW BE TUESDAY, FEB. 25.

For this Thursday, Feb. 20:

We will have a news quiz covering news from last week until Monday, Feb. 17 (as usual).  We will also do an open-book AP Stylebook assignment.

1) Bring in the three story ideas for the WCSU Echo previously assigned. Please check previous post for details of that assignment.
2) Bring in your copy of the Tulane Hullabaloo distributed last class.
3) You no longer need to bring in the hard copy news stories previously assigned with the different leads. I will no longer collect those.

For Tuesday, Feb. 18 and Thursday, Feb. 20

"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."
--Thomas Jefferson

BRING YOUR AP STYLEBOOK TO CLASS!

For Tuesday:

1) Prepare for the Lead Writing test by looking over your graded work and reading my comments. The test will be Tuesday.

2) There will be the usual news quiz

3) Bring in again the hard copies of the 2 news stories that were assigned last week, but we didn't get to during class. To refresh your memory, that assignment was: Bring in a news story (hard copy) with a "delayed" lead relating to the weekend's Olympic events (refer to delayed leads in your text if you still aren't comfortable with what exactly they are), AND bring in a story with an "updated" lead related to the latest development in the Philip Seymour Hoffman case.

For Thursday:
1) AP Stylebook open-book quiz
2) Bring in your copy of the Tulane Hullabaloo that I handed out. We will be using it in class. Bring in a copy of the WCSU Echo as well.
3) Bring in 3 story ideas for the Echo. These should be stories that you personally would like to write or read. Please write about 3 sentences for each one on what exactly you think they story should be about/should include. These will be collected and should be typed using MLA format, heading, etc.

I am postponing the reading homework in your syllabus for a week - so no reading homework this week.

Enjoy the snow day and the long weekend!

For Tuesday, Feb. 11

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple." Oscar Wilde
 
For Tuesday: Using the information on the homework handout, write a five - six paragraph news story. Follow the guidelines we discussed Tuesday from the text on story structure and used when writing the in-class story today.

--Bring in a news story with a "delayed" lead relating to the weekend's Olympic events (refer to delayed leads in your text if you still aren't comfortable with what exactly they are), AND bring in a story with an "updated" lead related to the latest development in the Philip Seymour Hoffman case.

For Thursday: Prepare for the test on lead writing.

There is no reading in the text this week.

For Thursday

“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”– Voltaire

--Locate and bring in a hard copy version of a news story with a delayed lead, as discussed today in class. If it is a lengthy story, you need only bring in the first 6 paragraphs (assuming the nut graph falls in the first 6 paragraphs).

--Check the previous post for the reading homework, due by Thursday, and for the extra credit assignments.

For Tuesday, Feb. 4

"Journalism can never be silent: That is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air." Henry Anatole Grunwald

For Tuesday:

-Follow the news in preparation for news quiz
-Complete the Writing Basic News Leads assignment started in class.
-Also write a news lead for two upcoming events at WCSU: The upcoming visit and speech by the NCAA President and the upcoming art exhibition titled "It's Only Rock and Roll." Information on both can be found on the WCSU website.
**In addition, you may earn up to 20 points extra credit by attending either event and writing a short news story on it.**

For Thursday:
Reading: Mencher, chapter 6 (Story Structure). We will discuss the reading this week so don't fall behind!

For Thursday, Jan. 30

"Skepticism is as important for a good journalist as it is for a good scientist." Freeman Dyson

-Watch the State of the Union address. Bring in an article (hard copy!) about the address from a Wednesday newspaper for class discussion.

-Finish reading as assigned last week (see previous post).

FOR TUESDAY, Jan. 28

"Journalism is literature in a hurry."  Matthew Arnold

Update:  You do not need to further correct the breaking news leads we worked on in class. Consider that in-class practice. However, if you would like to rework them, I would be happy to review on Tuesday.

Due Tues., Jan. 28:  HOMEWORK:  Complete the handout titled "Exercise 2: Writing Leads" following the format we used today in class, with a byline and a dateline (place only, no date). Use your AP Stylebook where needed. If you struggle with these, read some breaking news leads online or in a paper. The Hartford Courant, which we used in class, is easily accessible online.

Due by Thursday, Jan. 30: READING: Mencher: Chapters 1 (On the Job), 2 (Components of a Story), and 4 (The Internet and Other Tools of the Trade).

TUESDAY--Class in session!

We will have class today. We will dismiss early due to the weather.
see you soon--

Welcome!

Week One - Jan. 14/16

For Thursday:
Bring in the first 3-4 paragraphs of 5 different breaking news stories. Write a brief explanation (about 3-4 sentences) for each one explaining why it is "newsworthy." The briefs can be all on one page.

For next week:

1) Follow the news to prepare for news quiz

2) Bring your AP Stylebook to class (every week!). We will use it during class.

3) Reading: --Mencher--Chapters 3 (What is News?) and 5 (The Lead) AND The ethics statement from the Society of Professional Journalists. Be prepared to discuss.
Web site (http://www.spj.org/ethics_code.asp)