POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENT REPORTING
FALL 2002
Instructor: Dr. James Simon Class
meets: MR 11a-1215p CNS304
My office: DMH106 E-mail
on-campus: jsimon
My office phone: 254-4000, 2792
off-campus:jsimon@fair1.fairfield.edu
English Dept phone: 254-4000, x2810
Office hours: TW 10a-noon; W 130p—5p.
I am here many
additional hours; just call first.
Here is a busy person’s guide to Political and Government Reporting
The challenges: How to gain experience in reporting and writing
about politics and government. How to better understand the relationship
between the press and government, whether at the campus level or national level
The technique: You will review the
basics of reporting and journalism writing in general, then focus on political
and government reporting and writing. You will hear from guest speakers from
the field who will give you a chance to sharpen your interviewing ability. You
will visit politicians, government officials and/or journalists in their
workplace, then write about it. You will write about these issues from the
campus level through the town level. You will help conduct a public opinion
poll in which you (and another FU class) will interview 400+ people on their
views toward campus and/or town, state or national issues. You will become a
professional (defined as getting paid (!)
journalist by working on Election Night at The Connecticut Post, Cablevision Channel 12 or another news
organization. And you will reflect on three of the best books currently
available on the practice of journalism, the mistakes political reporters make,
and how to conduct polls.
The fun: Journalists are the referees or umpires of society.
You get to decide which issues need/deserve to be highlighted, how you should
frame them, who should be used as a source, and how to present the information
to the public. You get to play watchdog and alert people as to how their tax
dollars – and tuition dollars -- are being spent. From the lowliest Mirror
story to the mightiest New York Times expose, these stories have an impact on
their audience. You get to be a player in the political system without having
to run for office or spend hours dialing for dollars.
Required Materials:
Kovach, B. &
Rosenstiel, T. (2001). The elements of journalism: What newspeople should
know and the public should expect.
Traugott, M.W., and
Lavrakas, P.J. (200). The voter’s
guide to election polls. (2nd
Ed.)
Jamieson, K.H. (2001). Everything
You Think You Know About Politics...and Why You're Wrong.
A two-inch, three-ring notebook with 10 section dividers
that can be labeled
Recommended Materials: Any pocket dictionary. A hole
puncher
Outline of the course. While the syllabus may strike you as terribly
ambitious, we actually will move very slowly through the material in the
course. We will start by spending several classes on the fundamentals of news
writing, then focus specifically on the tools you need to report on politics
and government. We will hear from some guest speakers who will give you a
chance to sharpen your interviewing ability and help you gain experience in
writing a story. Initial writing assignments will be ungraded.
We will then spend three
weeks crafting a story about campus government, campus politics or a campus
administrative policy issue. I will bring to class some students politicians
and administrators. You will attend a FUSA
meeting. You will bring a draft version
to class for peer editing, then finally submit a polished final draft after
three weeks of work on it.
We will follow a similar procedure
for a story on town politics, town government or a town public policy. I will
bring a speaker to class, and then you will attend a town council (RTM) meeting
where you will hear from a journalist and from some of the key people in town
government. Again you will have three weeks to work on the story.
Given this is an election
year (for governor), our attention then turns to covering state and national politics.
You will take part in a day-long trip to
Then it’s time to gain
experience in one of the fastest growing areas of political news coverage:
public opinion polls. After reading the Traugott book, you will help select a random
sample and conduct a telephone poll. You will pick the topics, create the
question, modify the survey form, interview the respondents, enter the data,
analyze the data and write at least one major story and sidebar. You will be
aided by the Lavrakas book.
We wrap things up by going full
circle back to the fundamentals of journalism. The Kovach book looks at some of
ethical questions and tradeoffs that journalists make in covering the news. It
is an opportunity to reflect on what you’ve learned and experienced in the
semester.
Story format. For the campus, town and poll stories, you will
a. Generate a story idea
and bounce it off me for feedback. Bring a typewritten “budget line” to class.
It consists of a focus sentence on the topic, then a brief explanation of why
readers would care about your story.
b. Spend about 10 days in
doing a complete draft version of the story. Save all drafts for the portfolio
(details later).
c. Bring draft copies of
the story to class so your peers and the professor can comment. You also need to
attach a cover memo (3-4 paragraphs). It serves as a reflective essay
and gives you a chance to discuss:
·
why you picked this topic
·
why you used the sources you chose
·
how the essay changed through the drafting process
·
what you like about your effort
·
the problems you encountered
·
how it compares to past efforts
·
which readings were most useful -- and why
d. Rewrite the story and
submit it to me for a grade. Update the reflective essay and attach to
your story
e. After I return this
rewritten version of the story with a grade, you must rewrite it once more and
place it in your portfolio, putting the most recent rewritten version on top. I
often will encourage you to run off another copy and submit it to the Mirror.
I will look at the
portfolio during our two individual meetings, held mid-semester and at the end
of the semester, and help you gauge your progress.
Late papers. The grade on the final version, if handed in late, will drop by one
letter (e.g., an A becomes a B) for each day the assignment is late. Maximum
grade loss is 20 points. The essay is still due even if you are sick; e-mail it
to me or send it with a friend or classmate.
Tip: Work hard to hand in a
polished version of the paper for the peer review; the suggested changes
will probably raise it one grade level.
This grid may help you
follow the process:
Campus Town Poll
Budget line Sept. 23 Oct. 17 Nov. 18
Draft Oct. 10 Oct. 31 Nov. 25
Graded version Oct. 17 Nov. 7 Dec.
2
Deadline Stories. Stories 4-5 are deadline
stories of your own choosing. They should be events -- lectures, meetings,
speeches, celebrity appearances -- that you can cover in a single day or night,
immediately write up a story (without additional reporting) and submit it (via
e-mail) for a grade by 7 a.m. the next day. The experience is designed to give
you a taste of writing under deadline pressure, while allowing you to pick a
topic you will enjoy writing about. I
encourage you to bounce the story idea off me ahead of time. (Yes, you can
cover additional deadline stories and submit them for extra credit; I will use
the two highest grades.) On this
version, you also need to attach a reflective
essay (see above).
I encourage you to cover at least two of the Open Vision
speakers:
Sept. 20, Benazir Bhutto
Oct. 23, Dominick
Dunne
Nov. 10,
But if you were going to a
political events (e.g., a campaign speech by Gov. Rowland) and wanted to
substitute that, that’s fine. One
deadline story must be done by the time of our first portfolio meeting (Oct. 24). Unless you have experience with
such stories, I urge you to follow a basic template we will discuss in class,
which includes interviews with spectators after the speech. Details to follow.
AP Stylebook. Professional journalists
are expected to follow a stylebook, and so are you. In this class, we will
follow The Associated Press Stylebook, which is used in more news rooms
and public relations offices than any other. To help you become acquainted with
it, there will be three open-book quizzes. You will have time to double check
some of your answers. I encourage you to study in groups for these tests. After a stylebook rule has been assigned, you
will lose 1 point for each style error made on your stories.
Grading
Standards. Here is the standard I use
in grading the reporting assignments:
“A”
– Publishable as is. No significant style errors. Shows superior command of
facts, judgment, organization and writing. On some level, extra-ordinary.
“B” – Better than average. Handled assignment
very well. Very few style errors. Copy only needs a bit of rewriting and
polishing before it could be published.
“C” – Average job. Not a story someone would
read unless the information was really needed. Several style errors. Some basic
organizational or writing problems. Needs significant rewriting.
“D/F” -- Poor piece. Lacks
fundamental judgment and/or writing skills. Frequent style errors. Important
facts omitted.
Grading Summary
Campus story 10 points
Town story 15
points
Poll story 25
points
Deadline stories (two highest grades @ 10 points each) 20
points
AP stylebook 10 points
Class participation 20
points
TOTAL 100
pts
There is no formal mid-term exam, final exam or term paper. Most students like this arrangement. But in
return, you are expected to put extra time into this course throughout the 14
weeks of class.
Attendance. Skipping class is like skipping
a day of work. If you can’t manage your time, then journalism isn’t a good
career option for you.
I am very old-fashioned
about attendance; I take it every period based on the theory that you learn
more when you are in class. Your
final grade in the course will drop two percentage points starting with the
third cut (e.g., a 90 will drop to an 88). Save your cuts for when you are
sick or have an emergency, medical or academic.
The only exception will be made the lingering illnesses or family
emergencies that force you to miss consecutive classes. For your grade, I also
take into account your being chronically late to class. For my sake and the
sake of your classmates, please be on time.
If you are going to miss a class, I expect you to call or e-mail ahead
of class and tell me not to expect you there. We then can make arrangements for
you to make up the work missed.
Presentation. I generally prefer
students to bring assignments to class rather than e-mailing them to me. They
should be
double-spaced and typed on 8 ½ by 11" paper using a conventional font and
allowing 1-inch borders. Writing a headline is optional. Place your name, the
type of assignment (e.g., Draft, Major Story #1) and your campus telephone
number in upper right hand corner of the first page. Be sure the pages are
stapled.
Getting
Stories Published. Many students take the stories they do for class and submit them to
the Mirror. On their resume, students can list themselves as a contributing
writer to the Mirror, then use their portfolio of published work to improve
their chances of getting a good internship or initial job out of college.
There is no requirement to submit your stories. But
to encourage you to do so, I will raise the final grade by two-thirds of a
letter (a C becomes a B-; a B+ becomes
an A) for any class story that you submit to the Mirror and get published. The Mirror used 28 stories from this class
the last time it was offered (!)
When
grading your papers, I will often note whether I think it is a good candidate
for publication, but you also can act on your own. Several Mirror editors are in class to help
guide you.
Gathering Information. 1) We
will be discussing, at length, the ground rules for gathering information and
when you should go "off the record" with a source. But until we do,
you must introduce yourself to all sources by saying you are working on a
news story for class that may get
printed in The Mirror. (My advice: say you are "working on a story for
The Mirror on Subject X.") Again,
you must alert sources from the start that their remarks may wind up in the
paper. If the source is reluctant to talk to you, use your persuasive skills
(and tips we will learn) to get them to cooperate. But under no circumstances should you say the
story is just for class; too many students make such a statement, get the story
published in the Mirror for extra credit, and then face an angry source.
2) Sources routinely ask to
see a story before it is published. This is widely frowned upon in journalism.
Do not agree to show anyone the story before publication. Instead, offer to
call them back and double check their own quotes and any information they gave
you. This will result in a stronger, more accurate story and avoid any ethical
dilemma. Obviously, if you agree to call back a source and double check the
information, you must do so.
If you violate these rules -- by telling a source
their remarks won’t be used in the newspaper or by agreeing to let them see a
story before publication -- it is grounds for receiving a failing grade on the
story.
Deadly errors. News stories lose all credibility when the reader notices a glaring
error and starts to wonder how many other problems there are within the story.
Imagine a Mirror profile on your roommate that misspells her/his name in
the first sentence: would you believe the rest of the story? Accuracy is the
most important element in a news story.
Therefore, misspelling the name of a principal actor in a story
will result in your receiving a failing grade on the story. THIS HAPPENS AT
LEAST TWICE A SEMESTER; DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU!
E-mail. Today’s journalists rely on computer
communication, and so will you. For this class, you need to have an e-mail
address, and you need to check your e-mail regularly, preferably every day.
Some class assignments may be made via e-mail. I check my e-mail twice a day on
average; it is
the best way to communicate with me.
Don't hesitate to call me in my office, though, if you have a more
immediate need.
Individual meetings. We will meet individually
in my office Oct. 24-25 for 20 minutes and again during the final exam period.
We will use your portfolio as the starting point for a discussion on how well
you are doing in class, the problems you have encountered, and any suggestions
you might have for improving the class. Bring a two-page essay in which you
look across your work so far in the class, comment on your writing, and talk
about what like and dislike about the class.
Class participation. Participating in class is a
given; you are expected to come to class well prepared to take an active part
in discussions. If you repeatedly are unprepared for class, I reserve the right
to adjust your final grade. You also are required to take part in the on-line
threaded discussions and chat room experiences we may have.
We also will use Dr. Orman’s “Class MVP” approach. At the
end of the semester, you will decide which classmates you learned the most from
and who supplied the best comments in class and on your drafts. You will vote
for them in a secret ballot, and the winners will be announced and get 10 points
more on their class participation grade
Academic honesty. Academic honesty is essential to the educational experience at
Some students mistakenly feel it is a violation of
academic honesty to have other students (roommates, classmates, friends,
boy/girl friends, etc.) to read drafts of their papers. Not only is it NOT a
violation, I encourage you to do so. I want you to take other views of your writing
into account, sort out comments good and bad, and rewrite as much as possible.
Fairfield’s Writing Center (second floor, Donnarumma) is
a free service in which student tutors are given training, then made available
to help students like you with their writing. Check ‘em out. (If you enjoy
writing or want some practice in informal teaching, it’s also a good place to
work. See Dr. Boquet, English Department)
A final thought. One research study showed a strong correlation between how quickly a
professor learns a student's name and what grade the professor gave to the
student. While I will endeavor to get to know all of you as quickly as
possible, I urge you to meet with me during office hours to speed up the
process. You all are spending a small fortune to attend
INITIAL SCHEDULE
OF CLASSES: Fall Semester 2002
(schedule subject
to change)
Part One: Introduction to political and government reporting
In-class activities Outside class Writing due this date
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Th Sept 5
Intro to class |
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Mon Sept 9 Journalism basics 1 |
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Profile classmate |
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Th Sept 12
Journalism basics 2 |
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Mon Sept 16
Guest speaker 1 |
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Th Sept 19 Political and government reporting basics 1 |
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Story, guest speaker 1 |
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Mon Sept 23
Guest speaker 2 |
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Th Sept 26 Political and government reporting basics 2 Using the Web; |
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Story, guest speaker 2 Budget line(s), campus story |
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Fri Sept 27, |
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Part two: Covering campus, town and state election stories
In-class activities Outside class Writing due this date
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Mon Sept 30
Debriefing on |
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Th Oct 3 Guest speakers: campus government and politics |
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Sun Oct. 6, cover FUSA meeting |
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Mon Oct 7
Campus politics |
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FUSA reaction essay |
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Th Oct 10 Peer review |
AP quiz 1 |
Draft, campus story |
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Mon Oct 14 Jamieson 1 |
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Th Oct 17 Jamieson 2 |
AP quiz 2 |
Final, campus story Budget line, town story |
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Mon Oct 21 Jamieson 3 Initial polling discussion |
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Th Oct 24 NO
CLASS. Portfolio
meetings |
Fairfield RTM meeting; 630p-9p |
Post comments about RTM meeting via WebCT |
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Mon Oct 28 Covering elections 1 |
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Th Oct 31
Peer review |
AP quiz 3 |
Draft, town story |
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Mon Nov. 4 Covering elections 2 |
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Tues Nov 5, work Election night, 7p-10p |
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Th Nov. 7
Election aftermath Polling update |
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Final, town story |
Part three: Covering public opinion polls
In-class activities Outside class Writing due this date
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Mon Nov 11
Polling: in the field Lavrakas 1 |
Calling respondents for poll |
story |
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Th Nov 14
Lavrakas 2 |
Calling respondents for poll |
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Mon Nov 18
Inputting and analyzing poll results Lavrakas 3 |
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Budget line, poll story |
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Th Nov 21 |
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Mon Nov 25 Kovach 1 |
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Draft, poll story |
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Th Nov 28
THANKSGIVING |