Required Texts: Always bring your textbook to class.

¨ News Writing And Reporting For Today’s Media, Itule & Anderson

¨ “All the President’s Men” by Woodward and Bernstein

Important Websites and Additional suggested materials for class:

¨ Morning Call web site www.mcall.com

¨ New York Times web site www.nytimes.com

¨ A binder for organizing handouts and keeping notes on readings and class discussions.

¨ A Portfolio Binder (see syllabus for description)

¨ One floppy disk for saving in-class assignments

¨ Stenographers note-taking pad or reporters notebook

Journalists must keep up with the news. Reading local and national newspapers is a crucial component of every reporter’s job. As students strive to develop their media writing skills, they must be informed about local, state, national and international events. Students are required to read the major stories featured in the Morning Call and to keep up with national news (via newspaper, television, radio or web sites). There will be 5 in-class quizzes on major news stories and important writing techniques.

Additional Texts and Supplies that may be helpful for class:

¨ Associated Press Stylebook, latest edition

¨ The Elements of Style, Strunk & White

Course Description:

This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of journalism. Students analyze, critique and write stories for print journalism. Contemporary issues in journalism are discussed and debated. Students also learn techniques of newsgathering within a socially responsible and ethical framework.

Course Objectives and Outcomes:

At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Organize and structure news stories and other journalistic pieces coherently and effectively

2. Acquire information competently and responsibly

3. Present information with clarity, objectivity, accuracy, and thoroughness

4. Present opinions with clarity and substantiation

5. Quote, paraphrase, and summarize accurately and appropriately

6. Present copy in accordance with current style criteria

7. Demonstrate understanding of the principles relating to libel and journalistic ethics

In this course, students will develop the basic skills needed to become effective writers in communications-oriented professions.

Course Format:

This course will employ a combination of lectures, discussions and newsroom simulation.

Student Assessment/Evaluation:

Students will write four news articles, complete in-class newsroom simulation assignments, present oral reports on news coverage and take unannounced news and style quizzes. They will also read an account of one of the most difficult and intriguing writing and reporting incidents.

Grades will be based on the timely and thorough completion of assignments — the quality of writing, the depth of research and interviewing, and adherence to deadlines. The following list of assignments will be discussed in more detail in class:

Story #1 (300-400 words)

Attend and write a summary of events on the lecture by Angus Kress Gillespie, Ph.D. on

September 11 at 7:00 p.m. (during class time) in Samuels Theatre. Your story should be interesting and draw from the highlights of the lecture. It is also important that you get quotes from the lecturer and from those in attendance. After the lecture, you will return to class to start putting your ideas together. The story is short, so it is important that you follow guidelines we discuss in class in order to make the story clear, concise and interesting. It is important to use quotes in this story as well as all necessary attributions.
(Dr. Gillespie, professor of American studies at Rutgers University and World Trade Center Historian will deliver and educational presentation entitled "Twin Towers, 1973-2001: The Life and Death of New York City's World Trade Center." Gillespie's 1999 book, "Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center," chronicles the history of the skyscrapers.)

Story #2 - Feature story on a campus event or local event (450-550 words)

This story will feature a local event that would be of interest to the community. It will be important to describe the event to the readers as vividly as possible and to get quotes from those in attendance or others that may be relevant to the story. Again, this is a short story so it is important to be concise and interesting. As with all stories, be sure that your lead grabs the reader and makes them want to continue reading.

Review of local arts event (i.e. local artist’s show, opening, play etc.) (600-700 words)

This story should summarize a local arts event. The topic for your story can be a local theater’s presentation of Hamlet, or it can be about a local festival or any other topic that would be appropriate and interesting. This story should incorporate quotes and attributions. Make the story interesting and really grasp the feeling of the event and portray that to the reader.

Final Story- To be determined by student (750-850 words)

This story has no specific topic, but the topic must be discussed and approved with the instructor. Please begin to think about this story and all stories as soon as possible. Make sure you have the resources to write a story BEFORE you begin the story. Feel free to ask questions at any time about any story topics or ideas. We will discuss all story ideas in class, but it is also important that you talk with me to discuss story topics. Do not procrastinate in picking topics for your story.

Why are the writing assignments rather vague when discussing the topic of the story?

Because of the varying schedules of the class members, it is important that there be some flexibility in the topics for each story. It would be easy to assign students to on-campus events, but it would not be easy for all students to attend those events. The last page of this syllabus gives the student a number of ideas for story topics and students are also encouraged to talk to the instructor to help with story ideas.

Quizzes

Will be throughout the semester. There will be 6 quizzes total and the lowest score will be dropped. The grade for the “All the President’s Men” quiz will not be dropped, even if it is the lowest score.

In-class newsroom assignments

These assignments will be given out in class and you will have a certain amount of time to complete the assignment and turn it in to the instructor. There will be 6 in-class assignments.

“Best of” Clippings
In addition to the above, you will choose "best of” clippings from local media. Every other week you will select a different type of article from a different publication, analyze it, evaluate it, and share it with the class. These articles will serve as models for your own writing. These articles and typed analysis (1 page) will be due on the Thursday of each week.

EXTRA CREDIT: The last clipping will be due on Thursday December 11 and will be for 2% extra credit.

Writing Portfolio:

Your writing portfolio should include all of your in-class assignments, quizzes, “best of” clipping and summaries as well as your stories and all rewrites. Your portfolio should be in a 3-ring binder and please remember that part of your participation grade is your portfolio.

News articles will be graded as follows:

A—an exceptional article that is accurate, demonstrates creativity, and superior research and writing skills and could be published without editing.

B—an engaging article that is accurate, demonstrates good research and writing skills and could be published with little or no editing.

C—an average article that is accurate, researched and could be published with some editing

D—an article that is inaccurate and/or requires more research and significant editing.

F—an article that is inaccurate, insufficiently researched and in need of major revision.

Assignment	Value	Points	Due
Dr. Gillespie story (300 words)	5 percent	50	September 18
Campus or Local Event (450 words)	10 percent	100	October 9
All the President’s Men reaction	5 percent	50	October 23
Local Arts Story (600 words)	15 percent	150	November 6
Self designed story (750 words)	20 percent	200	December 11
“Best of” news clippings	10 percent	100	Approx. every other week
6 news and style quizzes (lowest dropped)	10 percent	100	See syllabus
6 in-class assignments (lowest dropped)	15 percent	150	See syllabus
Participation and Portfolio	10 percent	100	Every day

As you can see, there is no final exam on the schedule. If class participation is high throughout the course, students will not be required to take a final exam, but if it appears through lack of discussion that students are not keeping up with their readings, a final exam will be administered during the designated final exam time.

The following is the grading scale for this course:

A	= 100-93	C	= 76-74
A-	= 92-90	C-	= 73-70
B+	= 89-87	D+	= 69-67
B	= 86-84	D	= 66-64
B-	= 83-80	D-	= 63-60
C+	= 79-77	F	= 59 and below

Participation/Attendance:

Participation is mandatory. Participation means taking an active role in class discussions and projects and possibly providing constructive criticism of your classmates’ work. In-class assignments and discussions are central to this course. Students will earn up to 100 points for participation. Obviously you can’t participate if you do not attend class. There will be no make-ups for missed quizzes and other in-class assignments. Extended absences due to illness or a family emergency will be excused only with notification from the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs. I realize that we all have busy lives outside of school but because we only meet one night a week, it is important to be present every class session.

Rewrite Policy:

Journalists have to write under tight deadlines. Many in-class assignments will be given under similar time constraints, but students will be allowed to rewrite any in-class assignment that has been handed in by the deadline. Rewrites must be submitted with a copy of the original graded assignment and must be handed in within one week after the assignment is graded. Students will also have the opportunity to rewrite one of the first three news stories. This rewrite will be due on December 11. The rewrite grade will be an average of the original grade and the new grade. For example, if you receive a 70% initially, and then receive a 90%, your final grade for the assignment will be an 80%.

Deadlines:

Deadlines are part of journalism! Part of learning about the media is learning how to cope with deadline pressure. Work handed in after the deadline without prior approval will be marked down 10 points for each day that it is late. The best way to make a deadline is to finish work before it is due. Reporting takes time—don’t procrastinate.

Classroom Protocol:

The instructor fully supports the Cedar Crest College Honor Code and the Classroom Protocol code as stated in the Customs Book.

“Appropriate classroom behavior is implicit in the Cedar Crest Honor Code. Such behavior is defined and guided by complete protection for the rights of all students and faculty to a courteous, respectful classroom environment. That environment is free from distractions such as late arrivals, early departures, inappropriate conversations and any other behaviors that might disrupt instruction and/or compromise students’ access to their Cedar Crest College education.”

Plagiarism:

Deliberate or accidental, plagiarism is a serious academic and professional offense and a violation of the spirit of the Cedar Crest Honor Code philosophy. Depending on the severity of the offense, penalties for plagiarism will range from the assignment of an “F” for the article or work, to the assignment of an “F” for the course. All cases of plagiarism will be reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty. Under certain circumstances, acts of plagiarism may result in suspension or expulsion from the College.

Learning Disabilities:

Students with documented disabilities who may need academic accommodations should discuss these needs with their professors during the first two weeks of class. Students with disabilities who wish to request accommodations should contact the Advising Center.

On-line component to the course:

It is important with all of our writings that we get others’ opinions on what to clarify, what needs work, as well as what works well in our writing. Throughout this class we will be sharing our stories with each other though on-line discussion. Most of the discussion will take place in class during class time. Students will be asked to post their story to the webpage before class begins and at a designated point in the class, each student will evaluate other student’s work.

We will discuss the on-line component in further detail as we start to use the program. I believe that you will find this portion of the class very helpful. Each student will have a login “name” which is your student ID number, and your default password will be “CCC.” After the initial login, you will be able to change your password and other contact information.

Again, detailed instruction of how to use this easy on-line component will be discussed in class.

Students can find the login page at http://www.cedarcrestonline.net

In-class critiques using e-companion:

On a day that a story is due, students are asked to post a complete draft of their story to our website. When students arrive in class, they will read other student’s papers as well as get and incorporate feedback into their own story. At the end of class, the stories will be due. The final story should then be printed and handed in as well as posted on the website.

Please label each item posted according to the guidelines below:

Lead for Story #1

Outline for Story #1

Draft for Story #1

Final Story #1
Schedule Of Readings and Assignments

(Instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus.)

August 28: Course Intro

ü Overview of Course & Grading Policy

ü In-class Review of Pertinent Web Sites

ü Anatomy of a Newsroom/Newspaper

ü What is Journalism? What makes news?

ü Qualities of Good Writing

ü Discuss E-college component of class

Assignments for next class:

ü First “best of” clipping next Thursday. Please choose an article with a good LEAD.

ü Bring in lead for story #1 (the ecompanion system is not yet running so we will bring in paper copies of your lead. Please bring in 5-6 copies of lead.)

September 4, 2003: The Basics

ü Review of “best of”

ü Qualities of good writing, cont.

ü The beginning of a news story

ü Organization of a news story

Reading for today’s class from text book:

ü Chapter 1: Today’s Media

ü Chapter 2: Ingredients of News

ü Chapter 3: Qualities of Good Writing

ü Chapter 4: Summary Leads

In-class assignment: Writing a summary lead

QUIZ

Assignment for next class:

ü Bring in outline for story #1 (if the ecompanion system is running, you should post your outline online, if not bring in paper copies of your outline. Please bring in 5-6 copies of outline.)

September 11, 2003: Revisiting a Tragedy

Reading for today’s class from text book:

ü Chapter 5: Special Leads

ü Chapter 6 Organizing a News Story

During class time, we will be attending a timely lecture in Samuels Theatre. You will then write a story about the lecture using quotes from both the lecturer and guests at the lecture. After the lecture, you must return to class to put together a draft of your story.

Lecture: Angus Kress Gillespie, Ph.D.

7:00 p.m. - Samuels Theatre
Dr. Gillespie, professor of American studies at Rutgers University and World Trade Center Historian will deliver and educational presentation entitled "Twin Towers, 1973-2001: The Life and Death of New York City's World Trade Center." Gillespie's 1999 book, "Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center," chronicles the history of the skyscrapers.

Assignments for next class:

ü 1^st story draft due on Thursday:

ü “Best of” clipping: Please choose an article that uses quotes and attributions well.

September 18: Making it interesting

ü In-class critiques of story 1

ü Review of “best of”

ü Post Final Story #1 by 9:30pm

Reading for today’s class from text book:

ü Chapter 7 Developing a News Story

ü Chapter 8 Quotations and Attribution

ü Appendix A: Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms

ü Appendix B: Associated Press Stylebook pages 441-443

Assignment for next class:

ü Post lead for Story #2

September 25th: News Sources

ü Review of “best of”

ü Discuss story 2 ideas and critique leads

Reading for today’s class from text book:

ü Chapter 10 Interviewing

ü Chapter 11 Computer Assisted Reporting and Research

ü Chapter 12 Surveys

ü Appendix B: Associated Press Style Rules pages 444-446

QUIZ

Assignments for next class:

ü Please post Outline for Story #2

ü “Best of” clipping: Please choose an article that was based on a speech or press conference or that seems to be written from a news release from another institution.

October 2: Basic Reporting

ü Review of “best of”

Reading for today’s class from textbook:

ü Chapter 13 Obituaries

ü Chapter 14 News Releases

ü Chapter 15 Speeches and Press Conferences

ü Appendix B: Associated Press Style Rules pages 447-449

In-class assignment: Writing a story from a press release

QUIZ

Assignments for next class:

ü Please post Draft of Story #2

October 9: News Beats

ü Post Final Story #2 by 9:30pm

Reading for today’s class from textbook:

ü Chapter 16 Weather and Disasters

ü Chapter 19 City Government

ü Chapter 20 Covering Police and Fire Departments

ü Appendix B: Associated Press Style Rules pages 450-452

Assignments for next class:

ü “Best of” clipping: Please choose an article from the feature or sports section.

ü Post lead for story #3

October 16 : Court Reporting and “Soft” News

Guest speaker: Editor

ü Review of “best of”

ü Work on 3^rd Story

Reading for today’s class from textbook:

ü Chapter 21 Courts

ü Chapter 9 Features

ü Chapter 22 Sports

ü Chapter 24 Business News and Other Specialties

ü Appendix B: Associated Press Style Rules pages 453-456