News Writing and Journalism Workshop 63-006-18
Ms. Sivan Raviv
Course Type: Workshop, B.A.
Year:2019Semester: FirstDay/Hour:Monday, 18-20Credit hours:2 hours
Office Hours:Monday,17:30-18:00 (or per appointment)
Office:#1, Communications building
Office phone: TBA
Email:
A.Purpose of the course:
In this workshop course, students will be taught about the unique trade of Journalism. We will address the question of what is a news story? How do we write for news?
We will learn about the different mediums used to deliver a news story, along with the various styles.
This workshop aims to provide students with a basic knowledge of news writing. The workshop will provide the students with practical experience: by the end of the course, students will have written one or two of their own feature stories compiled from their original reporting and will be taught how to pitch these stories to an editor as well as post them online in their own blog.
B.Content of the Course
Themes:The course will tackle news and feature story writing. It will address the status of the media and tackle news gathering. Students will learn to pitch a story, research it, report, interview, and write.
Lesson plan:
Lessons will be carried out in an interactive manner, students will share their news and world knowledge and learning will be done in discussion, via story samples, and by doing in-class and take-home drills. The class will have access to a Moodle site. A potential guest lecturer from the media will participate as well.
Syllabus:
1. Writing, News and Media
-Explaining the class, guidelines, and course assignments.
-Introduction about mission of Journalism
-Discussing the news of the week
-Where do we acquire our news? Sources of information.
2. Different types of stories
We will discuss the various styles of writing in journalism: Hard news versus news magazine, profile stories, features, bios, analysis, op-eds, etc. Examples will be provided for the numerous forms of writing.
-The Inverted Pyramid, Five W's and H
-The Lead
3. The lead / Structure to a story
-Writing a story, where do we begin? All about structure.
-Gathering of information, assembling sources and quotes
-The different types of leads.
In class exercise:Given information and quotes, each student writes a hard news story. Hand in.
Potential Guest lecturer: Reporter/ Editor from the media
4. Descriptive Writing
-When to use the Adjective, when are we overdoing it, in which format is it appropriate? The concept of 'Show, don’t tell'
-Descriptive writing exercise:describing a person/locationusing 'show don’t tell' method.
HW: Hand in Descriptive writing exercise
5. The Pitch
-Teaching students about how to pitch their written story idea to an editor, how to come up with the story idea, what makes a good pitch for a story? And then, how do you write the pitch?
In class Exercise: In groups, thinking of story ideas and writing pitches in class.
Assignment: Hand in 2 story pitches for your first story assignment
[10% of grade]
6. Ideas and Angles in a story
--What to do once your story pitch has been approved. What is my next step as a journalist? What is my angle?
--Split into groups, consultation and approval of the story ideas/pitches for first assignment (to be handed in 2 weeks after pitch is approved).
7. The Interview
-How do we interview? Who do we approach? Who do we call?
-Sources / Source lists.
-In Class exercise: Interviewing
8. TV Journalism
-The difference between writing for TV, Print, and Radio.
-Discuss final assignment, work on story pitches.
*Hand in Assignment 1
9. TV Interview / Writing a standup
-The technical elements of the TV interview
-Standup- What do we write in it? Where do we place it in the story.
-TV Terms
Exercise: Write a standup for a relevant topic
10. Writing for TV Journalism
-Watch TV stories in class, learn how to write a TV news script.
-Hard news versus features in TV news.
Take Home Exercise: Write a TV script for a relevant topic using your own original material. [10%]
- Final pitch due next class.
11. Journalistic Ethics
-What is okay to publish? What is unethical? Where do you draw the line?
-Approving story pitches, outlining course materials- summary, going over. questions for final story assignment.
12. The online News Sphere
-Writing for the web – with constant changes and developments to the story, accuracy versus speed, quality versus breaking a story.
13. Journalism- what's next?
-Where do we go from here? Conclusion of the course.
- Tentative Class field trips / Guest Lecturers (pending approval)
- There may be one potential field trip and one guest lecturer from the following list (depending on availability and logistics):
-Potential Field Trip:A tour to one of Israel's news outlets
-Potential Guest lecturer:Guest lecturer: Reporter/Editor from the Israeli media
C.Prerequisites:
Students need not have any prerequisites for this course. They must however, follow the news, and partake in class discussions.
D.CourseRequirements:
Every class will begin with a discussion of the news of the week. Each student will be required to follow the headlines both in Israel and around the world and participate in a class discussion about current events. Participation will be graded.
In addition to the material taught during lectures, in-class practical exercises will take place as well as take-home exercises. Additionally, there will be one or two main assignments.
Attendance and active class participation in this workshop courseare mandatory. No more than two absences will be permitted per semester. Above two absences, students will be unable to complete the course.
E.Final grading
Final grade will be composed as following:
30% In-Class Drills
10% Participation
10% Pitch Assignment (2 story pitches)
20% Story 1 Assignment
10% TV Script Assignment
20% Story 2 Final Assignment - to be handed in on last class of semester
- In the event that the class only has time to produce one story, according to the professor’s decision, the story will be worth 40% of the grade (instead of 20% each for 2 stories)
Assignment:
Writing a story
Once students' story ideas are approved, they will be reporting the story as student 'reporters', making calls, conducting phone/in person interviews (as taught in class), going out to cover a place and event, and then writing a journalistic story in proper feature story structure, using the different types of leads they were taught, along with authentic quotes and research about their story idea.
[Students will provide a source list- including names and contact information of the sources/interviewees included in their stories.]
F.Bibliography and Requirements
Lecture 1: Writing, News and Media
Mandatory:
Freedman, S. G. (2006). Letters to a young journalist. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books. pp. 1-10.
Reserved under FRE (2375071)
Lecture 2. Different types of stories
Mandatory:
Digging JFK grave was his honor. (1963, November). The New York Herald Tribune.
Kennedy is killed by sniper as he rides in car in Dallas; Johnson sworn in on plane. (1963, November 22). The New York Times.
Lecture 3. The lead / Structure to a story
Optional:
Proustian. (2011, August 15). The New Yorker.
Lecture 4. Descriptive Writing
Mandatory:
Clark R. P. (2008). Writing tools: 50 essential strategies for every writer. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. Pp. 72-75; 133-136
Reserved under CLA w (2375073)
Misery and hope by snowflake. (2010, December 28). The New York Times.
Lecture 5. The Pitch
Mandatory:
"Get me a Great quote", Sharon Wheeler, pp. 56-61
N/A
Lecture 6. Ideas and Angles in a story
Optional:
Bill Kovach & Tom Rosenstiel (2007), The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect. NY: Three Rivers. pp. 186-205.
Lecture 7. The Interview
How to Write a Profile Feature Article.
Lecture 8. TV Journalism
Mandatory:
Rick Thompson (2005).Writing for Broadcast News, NY: Routledge. Pp. 1-11
N/A
Lecture 9. TV Interview / Writing a standup
Mandatory:
Rick Thompson (2005). Writing for Broadcast News, NY: Routledge. Pp. 73-88
N/A
Lecture 10. Writing for TV Journalism
Mandatory:
Rick Thompson(2005). Writing for Broadcast News, NY: Routledge. Pp. 98-101.
N/A
Lecture 11. Journalistic Ethics
Optional:
Freedman, S. G. (2006). Letters to a young journalist. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books. Pp. 28-46; 78-85.
Reserved under FRE (2375071)
Kovach B., Rosenstiel T. (2001). The elements of journalism. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press.Pp. 35-49; 78-110.
Reserved under KOV (2375330)
Lecture 12. The online News Sphere
Mandatory:
What effect has the internet had on journalism?' (2011, February 20) The Guardian
'Fast and wrong beats slow and right' (2013, April 22) Columbia Journalism Review
Lecture 13. Journalism- what's next?
Mandatory:
Freedman, S. G. (2006). Letters to a young journalist. Cambridge, MA: Basic BooksPp. 15-20; 142-166.
Reserved under FRE (2375071)
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