Revised schedule

We'll have to postpone seeing "Reporter" again and do the Issue  pitches by email, because we will be meeting Tuesday, March 31, 4:30 p.m. at the Amherst Police Station, 111 Main Street in downtown Amherst, just about 100 yards down Main Street past Town Hall. Plan to stop by Town Hall before or after the police station, locate where upcoming meetings are posted and jot down when the next Select Board or other town board meeting is, which room it is in, when it starts and if an agenda is mentioned, one or more agenda items. 

We'll meet with Detective Jamie Reardon for one hour, 4:30-5:30 p.m.  That's how we will be covering the police chapter and you'll see what it's like to pick up and report on the police log.  

Each blog group will be responsible for writing a 500-word piece on the visit, with quotes from Det. Reardon and two classmates to be posted on the blogs by April 21.

Read the police chapter (Chapter 20 in all or most editions) and send me by  email by the end of this weekend, 2 questions for Det. Reardon. MAKE SURE YOU SEND ME THESE, SO I KNOW YOU GOT THIS MESSAGE TO MEET AT THE POLICE STATION  -- NOT OUR REGULAR CLASSROOM -- TUESDAY.

Also email me your Issue Pitch by Monday, as we won't be able to do the pitches on Tuesday as originally scheduled. Consider writing your Issue piece with another person in the class. On Thursday, April 2 -- the next class after the police station visit -- a hard copy of your 500-word pre-first draft is due for peer editing.

This is what the Amherst Police Station, 111 Main St., looks like
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REVISED SCHEDULE 

MARCH 31  Have emailed Issue pitch. Meet at the Police Station. FOR NEXT CLASS WRITE 500-word Issue PRE-First Draft to peer edit.

APRIL 2  Peer edit Issue pre-first drafts. Final FEATURE DUE (1,000 words, include word count, worth 15 percent of total grade)

APRIL 7  FIRST DRAFT ISSUE (1,000 words with 4 voices, 2 of whom are "experts") due. Discuss chapters, Massachusetts Open Meeting Law. NEXT: Read and complete worksheets on Chaps. 26 on Taste in Journalism and 27 on Morality.

APRIL 9  Discuss Chapters 26 & 27; in-class work on issue paper, blogs

APRIL 14  In-class work on Issue paper; continue chapters discussion.

APRIL 16  FINAL ISSUE PAPER DUE. (1,000 words; include word count, 20  percent of total grade) Review for FINAL QUIZ. At 4 p.m. Katie Manning, a freelance journalist reporting in South America and Latin America, is giving a talk that will touch upon subjects including entrepreneurship, international reporting and work across digital platforms.You can learn more about her here: http://www.katie-manning.com/about-me.html  (Blog groups will post pieces about the visit)

APRIL 21 END OF SEMESTER QUIZ  Discuss summary/analysis writing.

APRIL 23  - In-class deadline assignment: Watch film and write SUMMARY/ANALYSIS (10 percent of final grade) on deadline, due at end of class.

APRIL 28 – RECAP, final work on blogs