AP Style Tip

AP does not use TM or Circle-R symbols in news stories. (apstylebook.com)

Chapter 15 worksheet

JOURN 300/Chapter 15 Interviewing Principles and Practices (and writing a profile)

1) It is better to prepare for an interview. If so, why? Or is better to approach an interview with a mind like a blank slate?

2) Could you write a story about a fire if you didn't see it? If so, how? Would it be preferable to go to the scene during or after the fire?

3) Read the excerpt on page 298. Which paragraph is the NUTGRAPH -- that is the paragraph that sums up what the story is about, puts it in context and answers for the reader the question -- "Why am I reading this story?"

4) What are the two "P's"of a good interview, according to the book (299)?

5) Who can the reporter legitimately "demand" information from?

6)What is meant by A) an open question, B) closed question and C) "courageous" question?

7) If an interviewee expresses a view the reporter disagrees with, what should the reporter do?

8) Should the reporter abide by requests for non-attribution, "background only" or off-the-record requests (304)?

9) What does the book say about momentum, background and quotes in a profile?

10) What are some of the book's tips for becoming a good listener?

11) In a direct quote do you ever change the words someone said? If so, in what cases?

12) Is it acceptable to conduct an interview by email?

13) Should you use anonymous sources?

AP Style Tip: Percentages

Percentages are always expressed in numerals followed by the word "percent."

Example: The price rose 20 percent.

Robert McChesney and John Nichols event

Hi Everybody -- Here's the information about the event we're planning to attend on Monday and write about for the speech assignment:

February 1st 2010 Lecture/Reading
Time 5:00 pm
Admissions / Ticket information Free and open to the public.
Campus UM
Location Bernie Dallas Room, Goodell Building
Title Talk and Book Signing by Robert McChesney and John Nichols
Robert McChesney and John Nichols, the award-winning authors of twenty books on media and politics, will speak about their newest book, The Death and Life of American Journalism. Followed by a book signing.

Event sponsored by the UMass Department of Communication, the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), and the Media Education Foundation.

Check out this biographical information about McChesney and other material you can find online in advance of the talk.

The speech assignment should be 750 words (include a word count after your name and date) and the basics are:


1) The lead should get to the heart of the event -- NOT just say it occurred.
2) Include in the first few sentences of the story --what the occasion was, -- who sponsored it, --where it was held and -- how many attended. (We'll talk about how to estimate how many people are in the audeince.)
3) Nutgraph: This takes the reader beyond the lead and sums up in a few sentences the major points the speaker made or the basic gist of his/her argument/case/presentation.
4) Body of story: Take the reader through the points that the speaker made in support of his or her case/main point/argument/presentation. Provide specific examples and direct quotes.
5) Interview 3-4 people who attended for their reaction/thoughts and include direct quotes.

Worksheets for Chapters 5 and 16

JOURN 300/SPRING 2010

CHAPTER 5/LEADS

1) It's good to start a story with a quote. True or False

2) It's good to start with a question. True or False

3) The lead does not have to be grammatical. True or False

4) Explain why the following are good or bad leads: A) A snowplow hit a cow on South Pleasant Street, Thursday, splattering its guts all over the road. B) When the mayor announced there would be deep cuts in next year's budget, she let the cat out of the bag.

5) Is it a good idea to start thinking about your lead at the same time you are reporting a story?

6) Which of the following two leads is best and why? A) A Harvard sociologist studying teen-age pregnancy gave a speech last night to more than 200 students and faculty members in Hall Auditorium. B) Teen-age pregnancy is costing the country billions of dollars a year, a Harvard sociologist told students and faculty Monday.

7) Will any anecdote or incident related to the story suffice as a delayed lead?

8) You go to a city council meeting that lasts two hours. Board members spent the first 15 minutes discussing whether they should meet on Tuesdays instead of Thursdays, an hour listening to reports from the DPW and Council on Aging directors, approved four taxi-driving licenses and voted to close City Hall on Fridays. What would you report in the lead?

9) Should you make sure to include the who, where, why, what and how of an event in the lead even if it makes the lead, hard to read and clunky?

10) Is the following a good lead? Ayla Brown, a Boston College student, will appear on "American Idol" this season.

CHAPTER 16/SPEECHES, MEETINGS and NEWS CONFERENCES

1) If something unusual occurs at a speech event, it's best to just leave it out and focus on the theme of the speech. True or False

2) If the reporter is unsure of the main theme of a speech, what is one way to try to find out what it was?

3) Could an interesting story be written about a dull speech?

4) Does the reporter have a right to be present an an official, public meeting and report on anything he or she sees or hears? Is the same true of a private meeting?

5) What does off- and on-the-record mean?

6) Is it a good idea to get a meeting agenda ahead of time?

7) Is there any reason why you interview someone who wasn't at a meeting for a story about it?

8) Should you include direct quotations from a speech or meeting and, if so, who should you quote?

9) Research online the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law at http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/39-23b.htm and briefly explain it.

Coming event

Hi Everybody -- Here's some information about the Wed., Feb. 10 event (7-9 p.m., Fine Arts Center) we discussed attending and reporting on. It's PostSecret, an invention of Frank Warren that involves people writing their "secrets" on a card and sending it to him.

There is a Facebook page, where it says you can go to the Fine Arts Center and get two tickets with your student ID. It seems like a good idea to get two tickets each ASAP.

Spring 2010 schedule and syllabus

JOURN 300/CAREY/ SPRING 2010--M/W 3:35-5:30 p.m.-Dubois 720

This is a tentative schedule of topics subject to revision to accommodate the news, campus goings-on that we’ll attend and classroom visitors. Check the blog (Journ300.blogspot.com) for updates and changes. Each day 3-4 people will bring in an article to discuss and post an "AP Style tip" to the blog.

JAN 20 Introduction, In-class writing assignment. Next: read Chap. 5; write 300-word summary for next class. Bring three or more ideas of speeches/events to attend at UMass or nearby in the coming days.

JAN 25 Discuss Chap. 5 and speech options, in-class exercise on leads. Next: Read Chap. 16 on speeches, write 200-word summary for next class.

JAN 27 Discuss chapter on speeches, how to write a speech story. In-class work on blog. Next: Read Read Chap 15 on Interviewing Principles to discuss. Write 6 "bullet points" based on information in chapter.

REVISED:

Monday, FEB. 1 --We attend the Robert McChesney-John Nichols speech, beginning at 5 p.m. after we talk about Chapter 15 and the profile pitch. Next: Write a brief profile pitch to present Wednesday.
Wednesday, FEB 3 -- Discuss McChesney-Nichols event. Present profile pitch. Next: Speech paper due Monday. Read Chaps. 2 and 3.

Monday, FEB 8 -- SPEECH paper DUE (750 words). Discuss Chaps. 2 and 3
Wednesday, FEB 10 -- In-class work on profiles. Read Chap. 7 on the Writer's Art. Write 100-200 words SHOWING something (vs TELLING)

Monday, FEB 15 NO CLASS
Wednesday, FEB 17 -- FIRST DRAFT PROFILE DUE Discuss feature stories. Discuss Chapter 7 and SHOW v. TELL examples. In-class work on profiles. Next: in-class feature pitch, read Chap. 8 on Features.

REVISED

FEB 22 Have read Chapter 8 on features to discuss. Peer edit first draft profiles. (Final draft is now due Wed., Mar. 3) Next: Read Chapter 18 on Accidents and Disasters and Chapter 19 on Obituaries.

FEB 24 FEATURE PITCH. Discuss chapters on accidents and obituaries. Next: read Chapter 21 on Courts.

MAR 1 In-class work on feature and blog, discuss Chap. 21 on Courts

MAR 3 FINAL DRAFT PROFILE DUE (1,000 words, include word count) In-class work on feature drafts Discuss Issue paper requirements, including interviews with 2-3 "experts." Next: read Chaps. 11 on layered reporting. and 14 on sources.

MAR 8 MID-TERM QUIZ Discuss Chap. 11 and 14.

MAR 10 FIRST DRAFT FEATURE (1,000 words, include word count) DUE. Discuss issue paper ideas and strategy. Next: Issue pitch.

SPRING BREAK

MAR 22 Discuss issue ideas, experts. In-class work on blog.

MAR 24 Issue pitch.

MAR 29 In-class work on Issue papers. Next: read Chap 20 on police.

MAR 31 FINAL FEATURE (1,000 words, include word count) DUE. Discuss Police chapter. In-class work on issue, blog. Next: read Chaps. 26 on Taste in Journalism and 27 on Morality.

APR 5 ISSUE DRAFT DUE DATE POSTPONED TILL APRIL 12 (with four voices, two of whom are "experts") due. Discuss chapters on Taste and Morality.

APR 7 INTERVIEWS WITH 2 EXPERTS DUE!!!In-class work on Issue paper, blog. Watch video "Independent Media in a Time of War" and discuss with reference to chapters on Morality and Taste. Next: Read Chaps. 24 and 25 on Government and Reporters and the Law.

APR 12 FIRST DRAFT ISSUE DUE!!!!!Discuss Open Meeting, definitions of slander etc.

APR 14 , discuss Chapters 24 and 25

APR 19 NO CLASS

APR 21 FINAL DRAFT ISSUE DUE!!!!!Discuss review writing, issue paper issues.

APR 26 Watch film and write REVIEW (10 percent of final grade) on deadline, due at end of class.

APR 28 Begin review of take-away points from the class

MAY 4 LAST DAY OF CLASS/ REVIEW

JOURN 300 :NEWSWRITING and REPORTING, Spring 2010

MARY CAREY mary.carey@att.net, 413-549-4595, 413-219-7772 (cell), Journ300.blogspot.com

REQUIRED TEXTS

Melvin Mencher, News Reporting and Writing (latest edition)

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READING

Daily newspapers and news magazines. Try to scan online or in print at least one of the local newspapers including the Collegian, Daily Hampshire Gazette or Springfield Republican every day. Also be aware of what’s on the front page of, for instance, the Boston Globe and New York Times. Each class, three or four people will bring in a newspaper article and comment on some aspect of the news, news coverage, style, choice of stories or contrast between coverage. Being conversant with what is in the news is essential to writing it.

GRADES

Grades are based on timely and thoughtful completion of in-class and out-of-class writing assignments and quizzes, attendance and in-class participation. Writing criteria include news judgment, clarity of writing, grammar, accuracy, organization, spelling, conciseness, use of AP style, and meeting deadlines. Although the big picture things like news judgment and solid reporting are important, misspelling names and other seemingly minor shortcomings can ruin a story and your reputation, so they will count. Numerical equivalent of grades: A=95, A-=92, A-/B+ =90, B+88 etc.

ATTENDANCE

Not making appointments or missing the action will also undermine your career and the class. You MUST tell me BEFORE class if you are going to be absent and it has to be a legitimate excuse. (I read my e-mail regularly and have a phone message machine at home.) Otherwise you will receive zeroes for the day’s assignments. Please do not be late or leave early. More than three absences and/or repeatedly being late or leaving early will result in a significantly lowered final grade. We'll follow university guidelines regarding swine flu.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

In-class writing assignments usually won’t be longer than 2-3 typewritten pages. Most major assignments are 1,000 words or 4 pages. Among your assignments are a profile (counts for 15 percent of final grade), feature (15 percent), coverage of a speech (15 percent), issue piece (25 percent) and review (10 percent), minor papers, including first drafts (10 percent), participation/homework, worksheets and quizzes etc (10 percent).

HONESTY

There’s no excuse for any dishonest use of material. Any instance of plagiarism or any other form of cheating is ground for course failure.