Cal State , Long Beach Department of Journalism

CAL STATE LONG BEACH -- Dept. of Journalism & Mass Communication JOURNALISM 321 (Section 01/02) – Fall 2013

INTRO TO BROADCAST NEWS WRITING

Monday & Wednesday 2:00 pm – 3:50 pmRoom SPA- 206

Professor Carla YarbroughOffice Hour: Monday 12:50 – 1:50 pm Email: Other Times by Appointment

Office: SS/PA- Room 004BPhone: 562-985-5568

Course Objective: The purpose of journalism in a democratic society which guarantees freedom of speech and press is to gather and communicate information that enables people to protect their individual rights and interests and to fulfill their responsibilities as citizens. In Intro to Broadcast Writing you will learn how to write and gather sources and information for television and radio broadcast. The goal of this course is to explore broadcast news style rules, visual and sound bite selection, writing news scripts, interviewing, timing formats, and learn information gathering techniques for broadcasting.

Course Outline: The course will build on your knowledge of general news writing and reporting to develop the necessary skills required for gathering and presenting news through the medium of television and radio. The materials will be studied under the following headings:

Television Story Forms & Structure News Leads & Endings

Timing scripts

Phrases & Phrasing Interviewing

Radio news writing

Sound Bites, Actualities, & Natural Sound

Prerequisites: Upon entering this course you must have completed English 100, J120, and J311 with the grade of “C” or better. You must have met the University Catalogue requirements for the English Placement Test and the Writing Proficiency Examination.

Required Texts: Hewitt, J. (2012) Air Words: Writing for Broadcast News in the Internet Age, 4th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Video and audio examples will be provided throughout the semester.

Course Expectations: My mission is to help you achieve professional competence. So I function mainly as a teacher and coach but also as your news director. In this course we will work to lay a basic foundation of competence in the areas gathering information, organizing this information, and writing clearly and concisely for broadcast news.

By the end of the semester, you should possess the skills to write and properly time basic television news scripts, understand television line-ups, prepare, research and conduct interviews. You will also develop skills for radio news.

Class Activities: Classes will consist of lectures pertaining to television/radio news writing and student lab work. There will be extensive class discussions, writing exercises, and news quizzes. You are encouraged to ask questions and talk about writing concepts and styles that are new to you. You will be writing both in and outside of class. It is essential for journalism students to read newspapers daily and watch local and network news. You will be expected to discuss current news events in class.

I encourage you to keep a working file of ideas. Throughout the semester, I will ask you to turn in a couple of story ideas at a time.

GRADED WORK: Professional standards of competence direct my praise and criticism of your work and ultimately the grade that I assign it. I will use these criteria to evaluate your writing and reporting:

Is the story in the proper television format? Does it have a clear focus or theme?

Is there a lead-in for the story?

Does it have a lead-in to each soundbite (actuality)?

Have you used appropriate sources for balance and fairness? Have you attributed information appropriately?

Is your information accurate?

Have you checked your spelling, grammar, and style? Is your writing clear and concise?

Is it written to the required time?

You will be graded on in-class writing exercises; homework and reporting assignments, class participation/attendance, mid-term and final exams, and news quizzes.

The elements on which grades in this course will depend on the percentage weight of each element in the total course grade are as follows:

*Story Assignments & Writing Exercises are graded on a 100-point system:

90-100 = AExcellent professional writing. Broadcast Ready. 80-89 = B Solid reporting, can be improved.

70-79 = C Generally OK, but needs repair. 60-69 = D Major problems, need overhaul. Below 60 = F Not acceptable.

At the end of the semester percentage grades will be converted to letter grades: 90% & above =A

80%-89%=B

70%-79%=C

60%-69%=D

0-59%=F

Writing & Reporting Assignments: There will be numerous writing assignments and in-class exercises throughout the semester; therefore, you must have a good grasp of the English language and of television writing style guidelines to successfully complete your work. Guidelines and grammar will be discussed early in the semester. You will be required to write readers, packages, and voice-over scripts for television and radio.

*Accuracy is important. There will be a 2 point deduction for each error in spelling, grammar, and the inability to adhere to broadcast news style standards; and there

will be a 5 point deduction for any misspelled name or major factual error. We will also review the student’s work in class and give constructive feedback on the

assignments.

It is also important to learn about deadlines when writing for broadcast. The deadline on every out-of-class assignment is firmly established for the start of the class for which it is due. Deadlines are a part of the normal operating procedure in the news industry; therefore, you must adhere to the time table. A missed deadline will result in a 20 point deduction in your grade for that assignment.

A missed assignment or a missed examination will count as an F unless express authorization of the instructor has been arranged in advance. There will be no make-ups. Acceptable excuses include: 1) illness or injury to the student; 2) death, injury or serious illness of an immediate family member or the like; 3) religious reasons; 4) jury duty or government obligations; 5) CSULB-sanctioned or approved activities. A request for an excused absence must be accompanied by documentation for these or any other reason cited.

Students are encouraged to include in their work people and subjects that traditionally have been overlooked. These include ethnic, racial and religious minorities, gay men and lesbians, the elderly, the disabled, the poor and other groups.

Current Events Quizzes: There will be announced news quizzes on local, national, and international news from a local broadcast news station (KABC-7). The quizzes will be given at the beginning of class; therefore, you must be on time for class. No make-ups will be allowed for quizzes. There will be at least five quizzes during the semester.

Examinations: There will be one in-class midterm and a final exam.

Midterm: The midterm will focus on television news style rules, guidelines and grammar. A script writing exercise will be included. There will be no make-up midterm exams.

Final Exam: The final exam will consist of writing a television news package. There will be no make-up final exams.

Attendance: Attendance is expected to be on-time and regular. I will not admit you to class more than 15 minutes after class begins. If you sleep in class, I will mark you as absent. Grades will be significantly lowered for unexcused absences and missed assignments. Anyone missing three or more classes, without proper

documentation and approval, will be docked one letter grade when final averaging is done.

PLAGIARISM & CHEATING: Students are expected to adhere to the standards of academic honesty. All of your work should be your own, not copied from a book/magazine/newspaper or the Internet. When words, video or graphics from other sources is used, the information should be attributed to the proper source. You may not make up or fabricate any information for use in your stories. Any form of academic misconduct (cheating or plagiarism) will result in an automatic “F” for the course and possible expulsion from the university.

ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS: As we progress throughout the semester, there will be additional assignments that are not listed on this schedule.

August

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES (subject to change)

Mon 26Overview, Review Syllabus, & Class Introductions

Wed 28Introduction: Understand What Your Audience Needs, Chapter 1, pp. 1 -13

September

Mon 2Labor Day (No class)

Wed 4Continue – Chapter 1

Mon 9Making Some Major Changes, Chapter 2, pp. 15-29

Wed 11A Closer Look at Grammar and Word Choice, Chapter 3, pp. 31-54 Mon 16 Continue – Chapter 3

Wed 18Writing Lead Sentence, Chapter 4, pp. 55-80

Mon 23Continue – Chapter 4

Wed 25Completing the Story Essentials, Chapter 5, pp.81-90

Mon 30The Actuality: Gathering Useful Soundbites, Chapter 6, pp. 91-99

October

Wed 2Using Soundbites From Those Interviews, Chapter 7, pp.101-107

Mon 7Building Packages With Bites and Tracks, Chapter 8, pp. 111-120 Wed 9 Writing to Stills and CGs, Chapter 9, pp. 121-129

Mon 14Review for Midterm

Wed 16Midterm

Mon 21Understanding Video Sequences, Chapter 10, pp. 129-136

Wed 23Writing the VO Story to Accompany Video, Chapter 11, pp. 137-144 Mon 28 TV: Writing the VO/SOUND, Chapter 12, pp. 145-152

Wed 30Continue Chapter 12/Lab

November

Mon 4Breaking News and Feature Video Packages, Chapter 13, pp.153-164

Wed 6Live Shots and Remote Live Reporting, Chapter 14, pp. 163-171

Mon 11Veterans Day (No Class)

Wed 13Producers Develop Individual Stories, Chapter 15, pp. 173-177 Mon 18 Lab

Wed 20Producing Effective Newscasts, Chapter 16, pp. 179-194

Mon 25Lab

Wed 27Happy Thanksgiving (No Class) December

Mon 2On-Air News and Website Coordination, Chapter 17, pp. 195-199

Wed 4Ethical and Legal Accountability in the Web Age, Chapter, pp. 201-214 Mon 9 Review for Final Exam

Final writing assignment due (Last Day of Class)

Dec. 16 Monday Final Exam (12:30–2:30 pm)

Additional Student Learning Assessment

The national accrediting agency for journalism education has established a requirement that all accredited journalism schools assess student mastery of 11 core values and competencies that any graduate of a journalism and mass communication program should possess. According to the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, all graduates, irrespective of their particular specialization, should be able to:

1) Understand and apply First Amendment principles and the law appropriate to professional practice.

2) Demonstrate an understanding of the history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communications.

3) Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of groups in a global society in relationship to communications.

4) Understand concepts and apply theories in the use and presentation of images and information.

5) Work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity.

6) Think critically, creatively and independently.

7) Conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the communications professionals in which they work.

8) Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve.

9) Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.

10) Apply basic numerical and statistical concepts.

11) Apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they work.

Addendum to Course Syllabus: Department of Journalism Policies on Grading, Conduct of Classes, Drops, Absences and Cheating

Grading: The grading policies and practices in this class are explained elsewhere in the syllabus. It is the student’s responsibility to read them and to seek clarification if necessary. The student should be fully aware of what is required for success in the course, such as group participation, writing, speaking, completing assigned readings, etc.

Seat in Class: An enrolled student may lose his/her seat in class if he/she misses the first class meeting without notifying the instructor. At the instructor’s discretion, a student who attends the first class but not subsequent classes may also be dropped from the course.

Withdrawal from Class: Students may withdraw from a class from the third to the 12th week for “serious and compelling reasons.” Normally these are defined as anything of import that is beyond the control of the student. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, death or serious illness in a student’s immediate family or a documented change in a student’s work schedule. Poor performance, tardiness and unexcused absences are not considered a serious or compelling reason beyond the student’s control for purposes of withdrawal.

Absences from Class: Grades in a course may be adversely affected by absences, and students should seek clarification from the instructor regarding the course absence policy. Make-ups usually are granted in strict accordance with CSULB policy, which defines excused absences as (1) illness or injury to the student; (2) death, injury or serious illness of an immediate family member or the like; (3) religious reasons; (4) jury duty or government obligation; (5) CSULB-sanctioned or approved activities [2002-03 Catalog, p. 75]. These and any other requests for an excused absence must be documented.

CSULB Cheating/Plagiarism/Fabrication Policy: CSULB takes issues of academic dishonesty very seriously. If you use any deceptive or dishonest method to complete an assignment, take an exam, or gain credit in a course in any other way, or if you help someone else to do so, you are guilty of cheating. If you use someone else’s ideas or work and represent it as your own without giving credit to the source, you are guilty of plagiarism. This does not apply if the ideas are recognized as common knowledge, or if you can show that you honestly developed the ideas through your own work. Any instructor can show you the correct ways of citing your sources, and you should use quotation marks, footnotes or endnotes and bibliographic references to give credit to your sources according to the format recommended by your instructor.

Responses, Penalties and Student Rights: Students should consult the appropriate sections of the Catalog for examples of cheating, fabrication and plagiarism, and instructor and/or CSULB response options in such circumstances. The Catalog also outlines student rights. Any instance of academic dishonesty may result in your immediate expulsion from the class with a grade of “F” and/or other sanctions, as the instructor deems appropriate.