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.