NEWS WRITING

EN/W 220c Spring 2004

Instructor: Cindy Simoneau

Class meets: MW 5-6:15 p.m.

My office: Donnarumma 141

My Connecticut Post phone: (203) 330-6391

E-mail: csimoneaulambert@stagweb.fairfield.edu

Office hours: M 12:30-2; Before class; and available by appointment

Welcome to News Writing. This introductory journalism course provides students with experience in reporting and writing for the news media. By the end of the semester, you will better understand:

· How news organizations decide whether a story is newsworthy.

· How to structure and write a story in a variety of ways.

· How to gather information through interviews, eye witness accounts, and written and electronic sources.

· How to deal with editors and the editing process.

· And whether you want to pursue a career in journalism.

While many of the lessons will be set in a newspaper environment, the skills you learn also will benefit students interested in careers in magazine writing, writing for the Internet, broadcast journalism, public relations, corporate communication, the law, government and politics, and many related areas. This course also will result in improved writing skills (and improved usage of spelling, grammar, punctuation and style) that will aid students in virtually every other class they take in college, especially other English Department writing courses.

As part of your course work, you will be encouraged to submit class stories to The Mirror for publication. Many students emerge from this class with a portfolio of stories that they can use to improve their job-hunting prospects.

Prerequisites: college-level skills in spelling, punctuation, grammar, writing and typing (projected 40 wpm). Familiarity with computer word processing.

Required Materials:

v Itule, B. D. & Anderson, D. A. (1997). News writing and reporting for today's media. (5th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

v Itule, B. D. & Anderson, D. A. (1997). Workbook for news writing and reporting for today's media. (5th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

v Goldstein, N. (Ed.) (1998). AP Stylebook & Libel Manual. 2” three-ring binder with formal, tabbed section dividers (your portfolio)

Recommended Webster’s New World Dictionary

Class format. This class will teach you about News Writing in several different ways. They include:

q Reading in the textbook about journalism theory and how to acquire specific skills such as interviewing and packaging a story. It is important that you learn from the authors and other journalists, not just from personal trial and error. You must bring to class in writing the answers to the Review Questions for each chapter in the workbook. You also must become familiar with the basic writing style used by journalists. That's why we use the AP Stylebook.

q Meeting journalists through guest lectures and through a trip to The Connecticut Post where you will sit in on the daily news meeting.

q Conceptualizing story ideas yourself, gathering information on the topics, writing and rewriting stories, and finally seeing them emerge in a polished form.

We will go back and forth, examining some journalism theory and then applying it to writing, more theory leading to more writing, for the entire semester. It might make more sense to wait until you learn all the theory about how to construct a story, but by that point the semester will be over.

Toward that end, much of the course will focus on five stories you will write for class.

STORIES 1 to 3. For the three original stories in class, you will:

a. Generate a story idea and bounce it off me for feedback.

b. Bring a typewritten “budget line” to a succeeding class. It consists of a focus sentence on the topic, then a brief explanation of who cares, and a list of sources (people and on-line).

c. Spend about 10 days in doing a complete draft version of the story. Save all drafts for the portfolio (details later).

d. Bring draft copies of the story to class so your peers and the professor can comment.

e. Rewrite the story and submit it to me for a grade. On this version, you also need to attach a cover memo (3-4 paragraphs). It serves as a reflective essay and gives you a chance to discuss:

ü What textbook/classroom lessons have been relevant (or misleading).

ü How the story compared to others you may have done.

ü What went right.

ü What lessons you learned.

ü What skills you still need to sharpen.

f. 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.

This grid may help you follow the process:

Story 1 Story 2 Story 3

Ideas Feb.11 March 8 April 5

Budget line/sources Feb. 18 March 10 April 7

Draft Feb. 25 March 24 April 19

Graded version March 3 March 31 April 28

(with cover memo)

DEADLINE STORIES. Stories 4 and 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 noon 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.) You must complete at least two stories before we have our mid-semester portfolio meeting; the grade on your first deadline story will drop by 20 points if you do not meet the deadline. I urge you to cover programs for the Open VISIONS Forum at the Quick Center. I will see about securing tickets in advance. Here are some details:

Fareerd Zakaria, Editor Newsweek International and political analyst ABC News, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m.; Fred Graham, chief anchor and managing editor of Court TV, Sunday, March 28, 3 p.m.; and Ted Kennedy Jr., civil rights advocateand health care issues for those with disabilities, Monday, April 14, 7:30 p.m.

I also encourage you to cover Sunday night meetings of FUSA, your student government. It works well as a deadline story; if nothing noteworthy happens, you also have the option of just writing a reflective essay on what did happen and submitting it for extra credit.

Grading Summary

Three original stories @ 15 points each 45%

The two deadline stories @ 10 points each 20%

Two tests will be held on the readings 6%

AP Stylebook 10%

In-class press conferences 9%

In-class writing assignments 5%

Class participation 5%

TOTAL 100%

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.

Grading Standards

Here is the standard I use in grading your writing:

“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.

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 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.

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. All writing assignments must be double-spaced and typed on 8½” by 11" paper using a conventional font. Writing a headline is optional. Place your name, the type of assignment (e.g., Draft, Original Story #1) and your home telephone number in upper right hand corner of the first page. Be sure the pages are stapled.

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 quizzes and then segments on the stylebook on the two tests. The style quizzes will be open-book.

Getting Stories Published. Many students emerge from this course with a portfolio of up to four stories that they do for class, then submit to the Mirror and get published. 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 last semester (!)

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. Here is the process:

r After you see my comments on your graded version, consider any suggested changes, then send your story via e-mail to Mirror news editor Jessica Holmberg at themirror@stagweb.fairfield.edu

r Write on the top: I did this story for Prof. Simoneau’s News Writing class and I want to submit it to the Mirror for possible publication. You can reach me at extension XXXX with any questions. Thank you.

r Add a byline, listing your name as you want it to appear atop the story.

r A Mirror editor also will come to class early in the semester to explain the procedure and answer any questions.

r Keep a copy of any stories appearing in the Mirror. Show them to me at our end of the semester portfolio meeting to ensure I give you the grade boost.

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.") This works so much better than saying, “It is for a class.”

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 to get in the habit of checking 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 at my office, though, if you have a more immediate need.

Honor Code. It is a violation of the Honor Code to give or to receive information from another student during an examination or to submit all or part of someone else's work or ideas as one's own. If a student violates the Honor Code, the faculty member may refer the matter to the Office of Student Life. If found guilty, the student may be penalized with failure of the assignment or failure of the course. The student also may be reprimanded or suspended from the University.

Prof. Simoneau adds: Let me underscore: do not pass off someone else's work as your own. It will be especially obvious in this class if you have a friend write your original news stories, then find yourself unable to write in class on your own. But I encourage you to have a roommate or friend read your news story and make suggestions for improving it before you submit it to me. Obviously, they cannot do the actual formal, final writing.

Likewise, I would encourage you to band together in groups to study for the tests, especially the AP component.

A word to the wise… A new study in Journalism Educator looked at which college journalism students did the best in an introductory news writing course. The researcher looked at the students’:

· high school GPA,

· whether they worked on their high school newspaper or yearbook,

· worked for the college newspaper,

· read newspapers outside of class,

· their college gpa, and

· whether they had a high sense of self-esteem.

The best predictor: reading a newspaper outside of class. Students who did so were more likely to get a high grade than those who did not read a paper.

Class Schedule (subject to change)