News Reporting & Writing Practice
Journalism 5010
News Reporting & Writing Practice
Fall 2009
Classroom GAB 110
Instructor
George Getschow Office phone 940-369-8631
Home phone 817-491-2923
Email:
TA Danny Fulgencio
Cell phone:
E-mail:
Office Hours
My office is GAB 113. I’m available by appointment two hours before class.
Teaching Tenet
“Then said a teacher, speak to us of Teaching. And he said: No man can reveal to you anything but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge. The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.”
-- The Prophet, p. 56
Course Description and Objectives:
This course is designed to prepare students for the wide-ranging world of journalism - from basic news and event reporting to more literary forms of storytelling. For those planning a career in journalism, this course provides basic instruction and training in interviewing, reporting, writing and editing – essential skills whether you’re working in print, online media or broadcasting.
Today, we are seeing an increasing number of professionals move back and forth between careers in news, photojournalism, radio and television broadcasting, public relations, book publishing, scriipt writing, playwriting and other forms of storytelling. Thus, wherever you end up, it’s critical to learn the essential skills required to write clearly, creatively and concisely. With these skills, you are far more likely to find work in publishing, broadcasting, public relations and other fields.
Thus, the goal of this course is to help you:
1)Develop a passion for writing, whether it’s a news release, a news feature or an in-depth profile.
2)Develop the critical thinking, news judgment and a writerly imagination required of a professional journalist or nonfiction writer.
3)Learn how to compose a lead, a nut graph and other basic elements of a story.
4)Learn how to self-edit your prose.
5)Provide a broad perspective of the newspaper industry. You will learn how national, metropolitan and community newspapers are always in a state of flux, trying to meet the ever-changing needs of their audiences.
6)Conduct an interview and obtain essential material to write a story; we will explore various interviewing techniques.
7)Learn some basic investigative methods and procedures.
8)Know how to cover a press conference or a speech.
9)Learn the rudiments of covering a beat.
10) Write a coherent news story under deadline pressure.
11) Write a news story and news feature under deadline pressure.
12) Gain insight into the ever-changing legal, ethical and political issues facing journalists.
13)Become familiar with and use the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel
Manuel
Texts:
“News Reporting and Writing,” Eighth Edition, The Missouri Group.
“The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual.”
A good dictionary of your choosing.
You should closely follow local and regional events by reading a variety of publications – especially The Dallas Morning News, The Fort Worth Star Telegram, The Denton Record Monthly. Fort Worth Weekly, The Dallas Observer, D Magazineand Texas Monthly. In addition, for those interested in a career in writing, I strongly encourage you to make a daily habit of reading The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Outside Magazine, Rolling Stone, Harpers, Forbes, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and at least one weekly news magazines such as TIME or Newsweek. The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Fort Worth Star Telegram and many other fine papers and magazines (such as Salon) are available online without charge; The Wall Street Journal charges a nominal fee for its online edition.
Grading Criteria and Expectations
Writing an Inverted Pyramid and other Leads 10%
Covering/Writing about a Public Meeting 5%
Covering/Writing a Speech or other Newsworthy Event 5%
Transform a press release into a news story 5%
Writing an Obituary 5%
Writing a News Feature 10%
Investigative Reporting Methods 5%
Quizzes: 5%
Class participation 5%
In-class assignments: 10%
Midterm exam: 10%
Final Exam (Writing a Profile of an Individual/ Organization 25%
This is a skills course, and the quality of your reporting and writing will weigh heavily in your grade. If a student demonstrates exceptional effort and improvement during the semester, I will consider raising a borderline grade to the next level.
For most stories, you will be allowed to use your stylebook and texts in the classroom. So bring these books and your dictionary with you to every class. Poor spelling and poor grammar is off-putting to any editor or educator, including me.
Course Policies
This is a course in a professional field and, as such, students will be expected to adhere to standard workplace rules regarding deadlines and attendance. In other words, you are expected to attend every class, show up on time and turn in work on time. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class. Students who are not in class by the time roll is taken will be counted absent. Since we meet only once a week, it’s critical that you come to class. Two unexcused absences will result in a full letter grade devaluation of your final grade for the course. Three unexcused absences will result in yet another full letter grade devaluation of your final grade for the course.
Students who have more than three unexcused absences may be dropped from the class at the instructor’s discretion. Students who disrupt the class by talking during class discussion or using the computers without permission may be ejected from the class.
Documentation for an illness is a note from a doctor or nurse that states explicitly that the student was too ill to attend class. Documentation for a family emergency could be a note from a relative explaining the emergency and should include a phone number so the instructor can verify the note. Any such documentation must be turned in during the class period immediately following your absence(s).
Assignments, unless otherwise indicated, must be typed and double-spaced. Assignments that do not follow these two simple rules will not be accepted. Late assignments will not be accepted except in the rare case of a documented illness or family emergency.
Plagarism
Plagiarism is literary theft. Plagiarism and falsifying stories are the two most serious offenses in journalism, and have ruined the careers of otherwise promising writers and journalists.
The minimum punishment in this class for such cheating will be an F for the assignment in which the offense occurred. The offense will also be reported immediately to the department administration for possible further disciplinary action.
You are responsible for making copies of all your work on computer disk and saving all graded copies of your work that have been returned to you. This is the only way to resolve any discrepancy between the grade you are assigned and your own calculation of your grade.
Disabilities
The Journalism Department complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act in making reasonable accommodation for qualified students with disabilities. If you have a qualifying disability as defined in the ADA and would like to request accommodation, please see the instructor by the 12th class day.
Tentative Course Calendar (Chapter numbers refer to the textbook:
Classes of this nature are not set in stone. If we need an extra lecture or two to more thoroughly cover an important topic or to provide the time for a guest speaker, I reserve the right to do so. For the most part, however, I will adhere to the following schedule and I expect you to read the scheduled chapter before you come to class.
Week 1: Introduction/Overview
Week 2: Interviewing Techniques
Week 3: Writing leads. Read chapter 7
Week 4: Press releases, Police and Courts Read Chapter 11 & 13
Week 5: Quotations and attribution. Read Chapter 4
Week 6: Obituaries: Read Chapter 10
Week 7: Midterm
Week 8: Writing a news feature
.
Week 9 and 10: Investigative Reporting Methods
Week 11 and 12: Good reporting begins with good writing and Going Beyond the Inverted Pyramid. Read Chapters 8 and 9
Good reporting and good writing also begins with good critical
thinking. I’ll explain.
Week 13: The Profile. Read chapter 3
One or two lectures on preparing, organizing and writing in-depth profiles. Students should begin coming up with ideas for profile candidates. Profile proposals are due before Midterm exam.
Week 14: Drafts of in-depth profiles/narratives submitted for editing and
revision
Week 15: Press Law and Journalism Ethics. Read Chapter 22 & 23
Final: Completed profiles due