Great Basin College

JOUR 102, Section 1001

News Reporting and Writing

Fall 2016

ONLINE

  • Professor Susanne Bentley
  • Office: Room: MH126
  • Office Hours - Mondays: 9:30 – 12:30, T: 9:30 - 12:30, and by appointment. We can schedule an online or phone conference around your schedule, if needed.
  • Phone: 775-753-2358
  • E-mail: Use WebCampus e-mail for all correspondance
  • Office e-mail:

Class Meets: ONLINE

Catalog Description:

Principles of researching news stories, gathering information in the appropriate arenas and writing clear and accurate articles in accordance with journalistic standards established by the Associated Press. Explores the roles and responsibilities of a reporter for a news organization in keeping the public informed as well as acting as a watchdog. The course examines ethical concerns in journalism and legal issues that influence media coverage.

Credits: 3

Course Description:

Of all the skills needed to make it through college, as well as in the workforce, the ability to write well and with confidence is one of the most important. This course will build on the writing skills you already have and give you experience in gathering and evaluating information to create news stories that will appeal to a broad audience. This course teaches the core skills of news judgment, news writing, basic reporting and editing, feature writing, law and ethics.

The course emphasizes basic news reporting and writing skills that you will find necessary for any career in journalism. The only way to acquire these skills is by practice, so you will write a lot this semester. This course will also give you the ability to understand and critically judge the media. You will come to understand what news is and the reasons that some stories get covered while others do not. You will learn to think like a journalist through writing exercises and story assignments. And every time you write, you will gain new insights into the business of news gathering.

Because this course fulfills a requirement for students in the Secondary Education English Endorsement Program, I am also approaching the course from the perspective of what a secondary school newspaper advisor would need to know, such as how to organize a staff, defining the mission of the publication, designing a newspaper layout, and ensuring First Amendment rights. If you are not an education major, these skills will still be valuable to you if you have the opportunity to manage a small publication.

We will be studying writing style and perfecting basic writing principles that include the most proper forms of punctuation and grammar. There is alsoAssociated Press“style,” which further dictates rules of conformity for most journalistic writing. At the same time, we will be studying different types of news stories themselves – from feature stories to op-ed pieces. You will also learn about news blog and social media’s role in modern journalism.

Required Texts and Materials

These must be obtained by the end of the first week of class:

  1. Inside Reporting: A Practical Guide to the Craft of Journalism, 3rd edition,by Tim Harrower.McGraw Hill. ISBN: 978-007-352617-1
  2. Associated Press Stylebook 2015 or 2015. (The 2015 edition is cheaper than the newest edition, and will serve the purpose of our class. You may certainly purchase the latest edition if you like). Associated Press Publishers. ISBN:978-0-917360-61-9.
  3. WebCampus login
  4. Reliable access to Microsoft Word

Course Format:

This is an online course offered through GBC WebCampus. There will be weekly writing assignments that will include newswriting workshops, original newspaper stories, assigned readings, and reviews of student work.

Goals/Objectives/Learner Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students will:

  1. Be able to write clear, accurate, deadline-driven news stories that adhere to professional standards and procedures.
  2. Understand and be able to use Associated Press style in news stories and assignments.
  3. Demonstrate skills in writing well in a variety of genres including news stories, a short feature story, a review, an op-ed piece, and an enterprise story and use appropriate description, details, and quotes.
  4. Develop skills for researching news stories and gathering information.
  5. Be able to conduct interviews that elicit information and quotes for use in news and feature stories.
  6. Be cognizant of the ethical principles, constitutional foundation, and state and federal laws that influence media coverage in this country.
  7. Gain an understanding of the principles of design and use of graphics.
  8. Understand the role of a newspaper adviser or the manager of a small publication.

Measurements of Learner Outcomes:

This is a writing-intensive course.For your written submissions, I expect you to revise and proofread your writing to submit work that could be published in a small local paper. Expect to write every week this semester. The grading section of this syllabus covers more details about the evaluation of student writing.

Learner Outcome / Measured By:
Be able to write clear, accurate, deadline-driven news stories that adhere to professional standards and procedures. /
  • Evaluation of weekly writing assignments
  • Assignments submitted by deadline

Understand and be able to apply AP style to news stories /
  • Evaluation of weekly writing assignments
  • Quizzes and exams

Demonstrate skills in writing well in a variety of genres including a short feature story, an op-ed piece, and an enterprise story and use appropriate description, details, and quotes. /
  • Evaluation of weekly writing assignments
  • Quizzes and exams

Develop skills for researching news stories and gathering information. /
  • Evaluation of communication with instructor and other students in discussion postings
  • Evaluation of weekly writing assignments

Be able to conduct interviews that elicit information and quotes for use in news and feature stories. /
  • Evaluation of weekly writing assignments

Be cognizant of the ethical principles, constitutional foundation, and state and federal laws that influence media coverage in this country. /
  • Evaluation of weekly writing assignments
  • Quizzes and exams

Gain an understanding of the principles of design and use of graphics. /
  • Evaluation of student’s news blog

Understand the role of a newspaper advisor or the manager of a small publication. /
  • Evaluation of communication with instructor and other students in discussion postings

Highlights of Skills We Will Emphasize:

  • Develop writing skills sufficient to work for a news organization in an entry-level position
  • Develop analytical and critical thinking skills concerning the sources and types of information that provide the foundations for news stories
  • Enhance abilities to produce written products that are accurate, fair, balanced, unbiased and timely
  • Be able to adhere to specialized style requirements of media writing
  • Be able to adhere to organizational requirements of written documents designed to be disseminated to the news and information industries
  • Develop original story ideas, use reliable and appropriate sources, and draft publishable stories by a deadline
  • Identify the types of stories that comprise a modern newspaper’s menu of offerings

Methods of Instruction:

Instruction will take place in a variety of ways including online lecture, online discussions, cooperative group activities, student-led discussions and presentations, peer critiques and feedback, instructor feedback, and student question/answer. Assignments are submitted via WebCampus.

Instructor Responses:I will respond to your e-mail messages within 48 hours, and often much sooner. Assignments will usually be graded within a two-week period after submission. More detailed papers will take up to an additional week to grade.

Course Policies and Expectations

Assignment format:

Assignment Submission Guidelines:All work must be formatted according to AP (Associated Press) style.. Your work must be saved as a Microsoft Word document. This means the file extension will say either “.doc” or .docx.” If you do not have Microsoft Word, you need to save your document as a PDF in order for me to read it and make comments on your paper. It is your responsibility to understand this process.Microsoft Works is not the same as Microsoft Word. If I can’t open your document, you will not receive a grade for the assignment. Ask the Help Desk for assistance if you do not understand how to save your work in the correct format.

Paper Format: Use 11 or 12 point type, double space, and check for grammar and spelling errors for everything you do in class. News articles must follow Associated Press style.Use the standard MLA format for your name and the header with the page number.

Class Activities: Public discourse does not exist in a vaccuum. While writing is an individual activity, much of Journalism 102 revolves around students working together to exchange ideas and offer feedback. You will be responsible for participation in class discussions group activities. Assignments may include individual responses and group activities. You will be assigned a discussion group if our class is large.

Your Commitment to This Class: As a student in this class, you should be prepared to spend at least 9 hours a week reading, preparing assignments and participating in class activities. It is essential that you commit yourself to this degree of involvement to be successful in this course. The class transfers to major universities, such as the University of Nevada and the University of California, so you should be prepared for a workload and a level of intellectual engagement comparable to these systems. The specific assignments and requirements for the class are explained in detail in the “Assignments” section of WebCampus.

Attendance and WebCampus Participation:My recommendation is that students regularly log on to the course Website a minimum of two days per week and spend time actually reading the lectures, assignments, and background information. I track how much time students spend on the class, and students who log in fewer than seven or eight hours per week usually are not very successful in the class. Make a commitment now to keep up with reading and assignments if you expect to do well in this class.

Assignment due dates:

  • I will strictly enforce the "no late papers" policy in Journalism 102. If you have problems with getting your assignments for other classes turned in on time, you will either need to change your organizational skills or find a different class.There will be absolutely no late assignments accepted in this class.
  • Each assignment has a due date.If you experience an emergencyand miss the due date, you may submit your assignment within 48 hours of the due date for a twenty percent reduction in credit. The assignment will be marked as “late.”
  • No more than two late assignments will be acceptedduring the semester.
  • After the 48-hour period, you cannot submit yourassignment. Only assignments submitted through the correct assignment dropbox will be accepted.
  • Absolutely no assignments will be accepted through email. This means that if you miss turning in a major paper by the due date, you will have to drop the class or earn an "F."
  • We will have peer reviews for some assignments. Missed peer reviews cannot be made up.

Computer Problems:Every semester, at least four or five students experience some kind of computer problem. It usually occurs after students have written a substantial paper, which subsequently vanishes. Then, students have to recreate weeks of research and writing, and sometimes they have to drop the course and start all over again. Do not let this happen to you.

Computers crash, flash drives get lost, students go out of town and do not have Internet access, dogs eat memory sticks, and your Internet service provider may not work. It is your responsibility as a college student to plan ahead to avoid these problems.Save your work often to avoid losing it. Computer or Internet problems are not valid excuses for not submitting your assignments.

***One easy way to save your work is to e-mail it to yourself through WebCampus. Plan on doing this before you close whatever you are working on each day.***

Professionalism in Writing:This course is a professional setting, and every message you send in such a setting needs to be clear, concise, and checked for spelling and grammar. Do not assume that because email and discussion postings can be written quickly that they can be sloppy. An infrequent mistake is understandable, but if your email messages and postings are continually difficult to read, this will affect your final grade. Use correct grammar, capitalization, and punctuation for all of your email correspondence and discussion postings. Proofread your email messages and check them for spelling before you send your message. I will not respond to email messages that do not meet the standards of correct grammar, punctuation, and syntax.

In this class, as in any professional setting, your writing reflects your thought processes. Every message you send has the potential to influence your reader’s opinion of you. Consider carefully how you want readers to perceive you. Make a conscious decision to show readers that you are a careful thinker and that your ideas are worth considering.

Point of View and Use of Contractions:In news writing, use the third-person point of view (he, she, it, or they). If you are writing about a personal experience, it is permissible to use first-person point of view (I), but use thissparinglyand only when it adds to your article. First-person point of view is not appropriate for a news story.Do not use second-person point of view (you) in newswriting writing.When we get to feature stories and other types of specialized writing, we will discuss the use of “you” in a story.

Contractions are acceptable in quotes or to indicate informal speech. AP recommends avoiding “excessive use of contractions,” which is somewhat vague. It is best to not use them until you know your particular publication’s guidelines.

Student Responsibility for dropping courses: If you are missing assignments, it is your responsibility to drop the course at the Admissions and Records Office by the completion of sixty percentof class. See theGBC Calendarfor this date. Students who have incomplete or late assignments who do not drop the course will receive a failing grade.This is important. You need to drop the class yourself to avoid earning an “F” for the course.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

Journalistic Ethics: In journalism, ethics are of primary concern.Never plagiarize or invent a source. Never make up a quote. Never quote a source whom you have not personally interviewed without referring to the original source. You may think no one will find out, but ethical violations will come back to haunt you some day.

It is also considered inappropriate to interview family members and friends as sources unless you ask me in advance, or submit stories previously submitted for credit in other courses. Journalists rely on their credibility, and ethics are the basis of credibility.

Neither your readers nor I will have any tolerance for cheating or plagiarizing another author’s work.

You are expected to be honest. Acts such as cheating and plagiarism are violations of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s code of conduct as well as violations of the standards of intellectual honesty. Students who violate these standards are subject to consequences ranging from failure of this class from to dismissal from the academic institution.

Academic dishonesty is defined as an act of deception in which a student claims credit for the work or effort of another person or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated information in any academic work. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. Any evidence of academic dishonesty/plagiarism in this course will result in a failing grade on the assignment and/or a failing grade for the course. Any act of cheating will be forwarded to the Vice President for Student Services and will be noted in your permanent record. You should be aware that acts of academic dishonesty may mean potential suspension/expulsion from the institution and are considered serious offenses. If you are ever uncertain about your use of another person’s work, please meet with me to discuss your questions.

Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:

CHEATING--unauthorized copying or collaborating on a test or assignment, or the use or attempted use of unauthorized materials;

TAMPERING--altering or interfering with evaluation instruments and documents;

FABRICATION--falsifying experimental data or results, inventing research or laboratory data or results for work not done, or falsely claiming sources not used;

PLAGIARISM--representing someone else’s words, ideas, artistry, or data as one’s own, including copying another person’s work (including published and unpublished material, and material from the Internet) without appropriate referencing, presenting someone else’s opinions and theories as one’s own, or working jointly on a project, then submitting it as one’s own;

ASSISTING--assisting another student in an act of academic dishonesty, such as taking a test or doing an assignment for someone else, changing someone’s grades or academic records, or inappropriately distributing exams to other students.