This week

Today, we'll watch a video (see below) and work on the blogs. Thursday, your feature first drafts are due for peer editing.

For a recent NEWS PROFILE example, click HERE.

Governmental bodies must post a notice to say there will be a meeting 48 hours in advance of it to give the public a chance to attend. A quorum (majority or the number of members present needed to vote) may not get together and discuss SUBSTANTIVE issues outside of the public's view. There are 10 exceptions under which a board may hold a closed-door session although it must later make the results of decisions reached available to the public. 
To review the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law: https://www.mass.gov/the-open-meeting-law

Links to Independent Media in a Time of War with Amy Goodman

This is a 2004 video, but the message is just as important today: the media has to remain independent and play a watchdog role with respect to the government. Instead of promoting powerful interests, reporters give voice to people whose stories provide perspective on the actions of those in power.

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcVDGefrbJc

Our understanding of world events is limited by what we observe ourselves or what is reported in the media. But we have to be aware of media bias. Even two divisions of the same media outlet, CNN and CNN International, report the news differently.
Is it appropriate to show "tasteless" photos of casualties of war? "War is tasteless," Amy Goodman says. But instead of the human consequences of war, we see images of war as if were a video game.
Goodman talks about the concept of journalists "embedded" with military forces. Journalism has to stay independent of the government it reports on.

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NZpM7E4v6A

We have to remain skeptical of media that promotes the agenda of those in power without analysis. News organizations shouldn't mindlessly adopt and promote the Pentagon's euphemistic titles  like "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
The "daily drumbeat" of who gets covered on the front pages of the established media helps solidify power in the hands of the few.  Media should provide (truly) diverse perspectives.

Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl5Y1j-9XxU.

"Reporters' role is to go where the silence is to bring us the voices of people who are at ground zero," Goodman says. Reporters have to tell the stories of people who are not in a position to tell their own.
But much of the media is controlled by large corporations in whose interests it is to squash dissent. The media has to remain independent.

Deadline assignment today

Today is another groups deadline assignment, worth 5 percent of the total grade. You can see an example HERE.

• You can review the rubric at https://journ300.blogspot.com/p/assignments.html

• Chapter questions for next week's midterm can be found at https://journ300.blogspot.com/2017/10/fall-2007-study-questions-for-midterm.html

The final profile is due next Tuesday, OCT 24.Remember to INCLUDE A WORD COUNT AND PHOTO(S)

Updated schedule below:

OCT 19  In-class deadline assignment/(5 percent of total grade) 

OCT 24  FINAL DRAFT PROFILE DUE (1,000 words, INCLUDE WORD COUNT, 10 percent of total grade)  

• REVIEW FOR MID-TERM on readings, class presentations and common Ap Style points
• In-class work on features.

OCT 26

• MID-TERM
• Discuss potential Issue paper topics & interviews with 2-3 "experts." NEXT: Read Chapter 5 on Gathering and Verifying Information

OCT 31 

• Discuss mid-term answers
• Work on features and blogs 

NOV 2 Massachusetts Open Meeting Law 

• FIRST DRAFT FEATURE DUE (1,000) words. 
• Firm up issue story ideas. 
• NEXT: Write issue pitch to present next class. 
•  NEXT: Read Chapter 19 on Media Law

NOV 7  Issue pitch. 

• WRITE: 500-word Issue PRE-First Draft to peer edit next class. 

NOV 9 Peer edit Issue pre-first drafts. 

• Final FEATURE DUE (1,000 words, 15 percent of total grade)

NOV 14 FIRST DRAFT ISSUE (1,000 words with 4 voices, 2 of whom are "experts") due. 

• Discuss Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.
• NEXT: Read Chapter 20 on Media Ethics

NOV 16  Possible In-class deadline assignment

NO CLASS NOV 21 and 23/ THANKSGIVING BREAK

NOV 28 FINAL ISSUE PAPER DUE. (1,000 words 20 percent of total grade) 

• Review for FINAL QUIZ. 

NOV 30 END OF SEMESTER QUIZ

• Discuss summary/analysis writing. 

DEC 5 In-class deadline assignment: Watch film and write ANALYSIS (10 percent of final grade) on deadline, due at end of class.

DEC 7 - Wrap-up, finish work on group blogs

DEC 12  LAST DAY OF CLASS/ recap/ Final blogs presentations

Fall 2007 study questions for midterm

Worksheets

JOURN 300/FALL 2017

Chapters 3,4,8,9,10 and 14 worksheets with questions to review for midterm

CHAPTER  3 Interviewing

1. What is the most preferable interview and why - in-person, phone, email?

2. What is a primary source? Secondary source?

3. How should you prepare for an interview?

4. What should you learn about a subject before you interview him/her?

5. What is the aim of a profile, according to the text (42)?

6.What can you do to make it easier to ask an uncomfortable question?

7. Fill in the blank: The accurate of your story is only as good as your ______.

8. What are 3 useful questions to ask in an interview?

9. Should you stop asking questions at the end of an interview?

CHAPTER  4 Quotations and Attributions

1. Is every direct quote a good addition to your story? Explain.

2. Should you relate basic facts (where a person was born, for instance)  in direct quotes or paraphrase them?

3. Should you repeat information in quotes, using similar working that you have already included in the story and in the lead-in to the quote?

4. How do you judge whether something is quotable? (63)

5. Why does the text say that "Now and then even a commencement address can yield a great quote or two"? Wouldn't you EXPECT there to many great quotes in a commencement address?

6. What is a colloquialism? Can it be a good addition to a story?

7. Do you need to include words like "huh," "um," and "you know" in a direct quote?

8. Should you verify that everything that someone has said that you directly quote is accurate?

9. What is pre-publication review?

10. Should you ever alter words in a direct quote?

11. If you are quoting from an interview done by someone else, must you acknowledge this?

12. When is attribution NOT needed? (81)

13. Why do reporters and editors prefer the word "said" to other words like it?

14. What are some reasons you should never use anonymous sources?

15. What does off the record mean? Not for attribution? Background? Deep background?

CHAPTER 8 The Inverted Pyramid

1. What is meant by the term "inverted pyramid"?

2. Explain what the problem is with the following leads:

• "So, how hot was it yesterday?"

• "Amherst residents might be looking forward to warmer weather."

• "Amherst residents warmly greeted spring yesterday."

3. What are some reasons that quote leads are not recommended?

CHAPTER 9 Writing to be Read

1. Give an example of a concrete detail vs an abstraction. (175)

2. Give an example of "showing" vs. "telling."

3. Give an example of jargon.

4. Give an example of a cliche and how you could convey the same meaning using a non-cliche.

5. What is a simile? Give an example.

6. What is a metaphor? Give an example.

7. Give an example of jargon (186).

8. What was possibly wrong with describing Nancy Pelosi as a grandmother when she became the first female speaker of the United States House of Representatives? (187)

9. What is AP Style for "pro-choice" and "pro-life." Explain why.

10. Write a scene with dialogue in it.

11. Give an example of a question you might ask a source that would elicit an anecdote that you could use in your story.

CHAPTER 10 Alternatives to the Inverted Pyramid

1. Should all stories be organized according to chronological order? What kind of a story would be good to organize chronologically?

2. What's the difference between a hard news story and a news narrative or feature?

3. What is meant by the "focus structure"? (207)

4. Give some examples of "service journalism." (213)

CHAPTER 14 Speeches, News Conferences and Meetings

1. Explain how a speech is different from a news conference or a meeting.

2. How should you prepare before attending a speech that you will be reporting on?

3. How can you prepare for a meeting story?

4. 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

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

6. Could an interesting story be written about a dull speech?

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?

Aviva Luttrell class visit

Updated schedule for next few weeks and two stories about the same event

Click HERE for two approaches to a story about the same event.

NEXT FEW WEEKS SCHEDULE

OCT 10: NO CLASS/FOLLOW MONDAY SCHEDULE

OCT 12 ****update: visit from UMass All Star/Greenfield Recorder reporter Aviva Luttrell**** Read about the All Star event that begins at 6 in the Old Chapel at https://www.umass.edu/journalism/all-stars-alumni-panel

• FEATURE PITCH 
• If time, work on blogs. 
• NEXT: write 500-word feature PRE-first draft to peer edit next class. 

OCT 17  Peer edit PRE-first draft Feature stories. 

OCT 19  In-class deadline assignment/(5 percent of total grade) 

OCT 24  FINAL DRAFT PROFILE DUE (1,000 words, INCLUDE WORD COUNT, 10 percent of total grade)  

• REVIEW FOR MID-TERM
• In-class work on features.

OCT 26 

• MID-TERM
• Discuss potential Issue paper topics & interviews with 2-3 "experts." NEXT: Read Chapter 5 on Gathering and Verifying Information

__________________________

FEATURE TIPS:

Features

Describes a group of people, place, event, subculture, trend or just about anything you can think of. Should be visual, with concrete, specific language, anecdotes and examples and a lively mix of voices. 1,000 words

• Write your feature with the idea that you will try to get it published. Don’t include material that will appear “dated” or as if it’s “old news” a few weeks from now. If your feature is about an event that is coming up, mention the date and time of the event high in the story.

• Do NOT lead with a sweeping, unreported generalization; plunge right into the reported material

• Describe/SHOW vs. Tell

• The more reporting, the better. You can’t make up for a lack of reporting by trying to write cleverly. You need several voices, so that you’re not going back to the same source for more than a couple or so paragraphs. Every page should have a lively, dynamic mix of voices – not just one person!

• Eliminate wordiness! Do NOT repeat anything!!

• Paraphrase or rewrite rather than using parentheses/brackets. You should only need to use parentheses once or twice a year – NOT once or twice in a single paper. 

• Keep quotes short so that they have a greater impact. Paraphrase!!

• Don’t jam together, spliced by a comma, two complete and unrelated sentences. For instance, don’t say something like, “Wearing her black moccasins, Jane Doe is a graduate of UMass.” Avoid getting into traps like this by using SVO.

Examples:
Aviva – “Wires, computer chips and various other electronic parts cluttered the nearly empty UNOCCUPIED? rows of workstations in the basement laboratoryGOOD SPECIFIC LOCATION; ESTABLISHES THE PLACE WHERE THIS SCENE TRANSPIRED of Marcus Hall at UMass Amherst on a recent Thursday evening.GOOD – PLACES THE SCENE IN TIME Among the mishmash of components and equipment GOOD VISUALS; AS THOUGH THE STUDENTS ARE OUTSIZED BY THE EQUIPMENT sat four students, focused intently on the prototype in front of them.GOOD VISUAL With their April 8 deadline looming, GOOD PLACES THIS IN TIME; ESTABLISHES THAT THIS IS CURRENT, NEWSWORTHYthe group was making the final adjustments to their Senior Design Project – a football helmet fitted with a real-time concussion analyzer.” IF IT WERE A MOVIE, THE CAMERA WOULD NOW ZOOM IN ON THE OBJECT AT THE CENTER OF THE STORY

Jason: Max Nowak pauses in front of a door, DOOR IS SPECIFIC, CONCRETE, VISUALloud music and shrieking voices emitting from the room. He bangs on the door and says, “RA’s on duty!” The room plunges into silence as a nervous resident cracks open the door. CHEERFUL TONE Nowak reminds him of quiet hours and recommends that everyone calm down. It’s just a warning – for now. INTRO PLUNGES US INTO THE ACTION/SCENE

Deadline assignment rubric and example

Tomorrow, we will do the in-class, deadline assignment in groups. I've pasted a rubric for the assignment below, along with an example from last semester.

Thursday is when your 1,000-word first draft of the profile is due for peer editing. (Please include the word count.) If you want to email it to me sooner than that, I'll try to take a look at it.
___________________

OCT 3: ****update**** In-class, deadline writing assignment: In your groups, interview 2-4 people EACH on campus on subject TBA; write 500 word story on-deadline with quotes from each of your sources and photos with cutlines. (5 percent of total grade)

OCT 5 -  FIRST DRAFT PROFILE DUE (1,000 words, INCLUDE WORD COUNT) Peer edit, work on blogs.

• NEXT: Read Chapter 10 on Alternatives to the Inverted Pyramid
• NEXT: Write Feature Pitch for next class. 

OCT 10: NO CLASS/FOLLOW MONDAY SCHEDULE

In your groups:

•  Interview at least two people EACH, IN PERSON Ask them an initial question on the topic you've selected. Develop a few follow-up questions and engage them in conversation for a few minutes, so you have a meaningful exchange.

 • Write down exact quotes, but be prepared to paraphrase most of their responses and just pick the best one or two sentences to directly quote. 

• Ask how to spell their names. (Double-check that you wrote it down correctly using UMass.edu Peoplefinder.) Ask them where they are from and what their majors are.

• Try to interview a diverse bunch of people – different majors, different hometowns, different nationalities, gender and race etc

• Ask if you can snap a photo. Use your people skills to encourage them to say yes, but don't be "pushy.".

• When the group re-convenes in the computer lab, talk about the responses everyone got. See if you can make some kind of assertion in your lead BASED ON YOUR REPORTING. 

That is, you will probably have some kind of guiding ideas about, for instance, if you were doing a story about what seniors are going to do when graduate whether seniors are likely to know what they are going to do after they graduate.

But DON’T write a lead based on speculation, and DON’T write a generic, non-reported lead like, for instance: As graduation approaches, college seniors face the daunting prospect of figuring out what to do with the rest of their lives. 

Instead, review all the responses you got and SYNTHESIZE some of the information. For instance, if you interview 10 people and 8 say they have a job, while 2 say they are going to decide what to do next and where to go the day after graduation, you could say something like: Some UMass seniors have already lined up jobs after graduation, which is a mere six weeks away, but a few are waiting until the day after the graduation festivities to decide their next move.

•  After the lead, include a nutgraph saying about how many people were interviewed and characterize the range of their responses. In the body of the paper, mention each of the people you interviewed in a paragraph dedicated to him or her.

 •  Include photos

Email me your pieces by the end of class. (It would be great to submit one or more to the Collegian or Amherst Wire!)

Example:

Have We Fallen Out of Love with Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day may be known for candies, roses, and candlelit dinners spent with that special someone, but to a significant amount of UMass students, this past Tuesday was just another cold winter day filled with classes. 

It seems as though the feeling was more passive than passionate this year, especially to the students who spent the day single.

             “I don’t celebrate it because I don’t have anybody to love,” said Becca Demedeiros, a junior animal science major from Fairhaven, rather solemnly.

The general sentiment at UMass does not appear to be one of passion, but of apathy. While there were some who opted for a hopeful night out with friends, the vast majority instead went for the bare minimum, and either got small gifts if they were seeing someone, or simply did nothing at all. In the era of hook-ups and casual affairs, the love may be lost, and it seems as though UMass students have dumped Valentine’s Day.

Those who did not partake in the holiday opted for a far different kind of Valentine’s Day than expected. Some were surrounded by chocolates and flowers, while others, like S., opted for other special treats; the marijuana edibles she made with her friends.

S. spent the day with her closest friends getting high. She does not celebrate Valentine’s Day, and even considers herself to be “anti-Valentine.” 

“I won’t support a day for love when we should be celebrating love every single day, not just one day in February out of the entire year,” she said.

One of those friends getting high with her had a similar sentiment on the romantic holiday. “I spent the whole day high,” said M. M. considers herself “anti-Valentine “There’s just no point to be honest,” she said.

“I don’t see the point in spending a ton of money on commercial products and chocolates when we could be spending money on more important things to help society,” S said.

Other students see Valentine’s Day as a capitalist scheme as well.

The idea that big businesses and corporations flourish off the purchase of cards and flowers seems too shallow to some people, and often times is the source that turns them away from celebrating this day at all. 

Muntaha Elsir, who perhaps rather ironically was campaigning at a heart covered table, filled with free donuts, was blatant about her feelings toward the idea of Valentine’s Day. “I think it’s stupid. I don’t celebrate it because it is purely based off capitalism, not love,” she said.

Elsir (left) sits at a campaigning table in the Student Center

Valentine’s Day comes across as forced for some, and becomes a holiday where expectations are at an all time to high to spoil their significant other.

“In my past relationships it’s been kind of chill,” said Dianna Sorto, a UMass student. She also noted that she spent this past Tuesday in an exam. 

Sorto’s boyfriend, Anthony Tejada, a kinesiology major from Somerville sat across from her. “I just go along with it,” he said. “I just gave her some flowers and candy.” 

Tejada explains the passiveness of the Holiday. “I think it’s just expected that you have to get them a small gift. It is what it is,” Tejada said.

Donna Sorto (left) and Michael Tejada (right) sit for lunch at Blue Wall

As Valentine’s Day continues to be commercialized, many think the day has lost its luster. However, there are still those out there looking for a romantic rendezvous. Student Erica Luttazi, from Franklin, has not given up on the day just yet. 

“It is a bit overdone, but I still went out though.” Luttazi attended a Frat party on Feb. 14 Although this might not be the most ideal place to look for true romantic love, she still gave it the good old college try.