Issue story video

Good example of a local issue story told in a video: https://amherstcollective.org/all-too-human-a-look-inside-the-daily-reality-of-homelessness-131ee798dc5d

What's coming up

Example of Amherst Bulletin police log.

Class blogs:

https://thescoop100.wordpress.com
https://pyramidthatisinverted.wordpress.com (Libby's group)

extraontheordinary.wordpress.com
http://bloghardandblogoften.blogspot.com

https://voicesallaroundblog.wordpress.com

Schedule for the rest of the semester:

NOV 7  Issue pitch. BRIANNA, XENIA-QUIZ, EMILY,LIBBY-ARTICLE
• WRITE: 500-word Issue PRE-First Draft to peer edit next class.

NOV 9 Peer edit Issue pre-first drafts. KAITLIN-QUIZ, JONATHAN, JACK: ARTICLE
• 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. PARKER-QUIZ, LAURIE, VICTORIA-ARTICLE
• Discuss Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.
• NEXT: Read Chapter 20 on Media Ethics

NOV 16  Possible In-class deadline assignment OPTIONAL 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. ELLIOT-QUIZ, LYNDSEY, XENIA-ARTICLE

NOV 30 END OF SEMESTER QUIZ TYLER-QUIZ, COURTNEY, BRIANNA-ARTICLE
• 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 EMILY- QUIZ, NATALIE, LIBBY-ARTICLE

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

ISSUE Rubric and tips:

The issue piece is similar to a feature but is intended to shed light on a serious topic.

• It should be written in standard news story form with a lead that makes a point and a nutgraph that answers the question of why this story is relevant to readers now and provides a "road map" to the rest of the story. 
• It should have a minimum of four voices, two of whom have experience with the issue and two of whom are experts who study the issue. 
• Photos are encouraged.
• It should be 1,000 words. Include a word count.

TIPS:

·       The issue paper is a serious, “data-driven” piece. It does not include the reporter’s opinion and it should not include any unreported generalizations. The sources in your paper describe their experiences with the issue while the experts analyze the issue, cite studies/data and potentially suggest solutions.

For instance, in a story slated to be published in advance of the new smoking ban going into effect in July 2013, the issue is that a ban goes into effect in July. It was enacted by the Faculty Senate and students were not given a vote. Some students are against the ban and question whether it is goes too far in the effort to regulate behavior. Others question how it will be enforced. Good sources are student and faculty both for and against the ban as well as faculty who voted for the ban. Health Services staff charged with implementing it are experts on the subject of what the plans are to enforce the ban. Professor of public health are experts on the health effects of smoking. They can also speak on public health policy –how other bans like this one have worked and what the challenges are. Students and faculty who are for or against the ban but don’t have any information about how it will be enforced or any expertise in public health may be good sources; they are NOT expert sources.

·       The lead does not consist of unreported generalizations. Don’t back your way into the lead, dive into it. Ask yourself what was the single most important thing you learned about the subject in the course of your reporting. That should be your lead.

*For example, in a paper about the changes to the football team’s status and the fact that they were playing in Gillette stadium in 2012 which made it harder for students to attend games, the lead should catch readers up on what is new in the ongoing saga that the new UMass president referred to in January as an annoying problem that he inherited. After the delivery in the lead of the very latest installment in the saga, the nutgraph should sum up briefly how UMass got to this point – the years-long debate about changing leagues and what the pros and cons of that would be; the decision to change leagues and take on all the logistics that would entail, whether some groups felt left out of the decision making process, how the change has played out so far. (Have there been more or fewer fans? More or less revenue? ) Nutgraph should end with an expert saying where he or she sees the football program going from here.

*In a paper about conflict between students and neighbors, the reporters talked to a neighbor who was frightened by the  late-night disturbance she experienced 10 years ago and the problem is that despite all kinds of different efforts to address the situation it is still an issue 10 years later! In the delayed lead, the neighbor describes the incident from 10 years ago and says little has changed. It is based on reporting --NOT the reporters’ generic description of the issue.The nutgraph will sum up past and current efforts to address the problem an end with an observation about an expert about, why the problem is so hard to solve and/or what the expert thinks it will take to solve the problem.

·       Put your strongest, most detailed/specific/concrete material high in the piece.

·       Keep the paragraphs short. When you introduce another speaker, start a new paragraph

·       Do not repeat anything. Each speaker should make a separate point. If four speakers all say, for instance, that they think the ZooMass reputation is an unexamined holdover from the 1970’s, don’t quote each of them saying this. You can say something like students and faculty interviewed agreed that the ZooMass reputation is a holdover from the 1970’s.

·       Keep judgment out of the piece. Students who smoke in their rooms even though the second-hand smoke may be harmful to others may be thoughtless, uncaring people – but the reporter does NOT make judgments. The reporter can quote other people saying this, however.