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Put both parts in a single document file, and upload it to the slot on Turnitin.com.

1) 400-word news article, covering your contribution to the Oct 14 issue of The Setonian. You may supply your own quotes for yourself, but I'm asking you to supply quotes from two other sources as well. (In class I reminded everyone that it's easier to get quotes from people while you are actually doing the work.)  (As of Friday, Oct 15, there's still work to be done in distribution and posting the Setonian Online.
2) Story Pitch for NCCHE Conference. (See the ad in this issue of The Setonian, or consult the conference website.)  A story pitch is your request to be assigned a particular story for an audiou news story. What's the news hook -- the recent world or local event that means the public will care about the particular story you chose? Whom will you interview? An effective story will move beyond "Joe Expert spoke on Topic X last night, at a forum sponsored by such-and-such."  Note that the conference will bring international scholars to campus. While Joe X may be here to talk about an historical event from the WWII erea, here on campus you will have access to people with first-hand knowledge of genocidal issues and interfaith conflicts that drive many of today's headlines. So, while "I want to cover the banned music concert" seems like a no-brainer for a course focusing on audio production, I'm actually more interested in why you want to cover the event you select. How can you get a newsworthy story that relates to current events? (See What is Newsworthy? (mp3) or Newsworthy vs. Snoozeworthy)

Submit, in the slot in Turnitin.com, a single Word file with all text components of the portfolio.

Portfolio Requirements

1) Lab Report

Write a 400-word news story, in the style of an inverted pyramid news article (with a lead instead of a thesis, short body paragraphs with direct quotes that perform most of the work for you, and no conclusion -- see News Articles vs. English Essays and Invisible Observer) that reports on your contributions to the print edition of The Setonian that was just published. 

As I have mentioned in class, I am very happy if you write an article or take a photograph, but EL200 asks you to perform additional "backstage" work, such as copyediting, layout, advertising, and distribution.  The lab component of the course asks you to be assertive in arranging a lab time that is not only convenient for you, but also for the Setonian staff members who will supervise your work. (The Setonian editors are just as busy as you are, so please give them the time to respond to your requests, and please recognize that if you are only available from 2-2:45 on Tuesday afternoons, there might not be any work for you just then.)  Another option is learning how to upload articles and edit the Setonian Online, which you can do from home (once you learn how to do it).

Introduce all people you use in your story, by giving their full name and identification.  On subsequent references, use just the source's last name.  I'm asking that you include direct quotations from editors, fellow staff members, and anyone else who can help you present a picture of your contributions to the paper.

Please note that if you e-mail someone and say, "I need quotes for my lab report," you are asking that person to do work for you.  Remember, the Setonian editors are just as busy as you are, and I don't expect them to drop everything to help you at the last minute.

If, instead of "asking for quotes," you will get better results if you take a moment or two to formulate a question, such as "Do you have any advice for students who want to get involved in the Setonian?"   You might interview an upper-class student for advice on time-management, if you didn't actually manage to spend much time working on The Setonian this time around.



2) Story Ideas

What ideas do you have for news stories that make creative use of sound?  List three ideas, and develop one or two of them in more detail -- taking care to explain why the sound is especially important to the story.

3) Blogging Questions

If you have blogged before and you are comfortable with the blogging software, just say something like "No questions about the blogging."  Since I realize we didn't have the chance to demonstrate the blog software for either of the first two days the class met, and since we've moved on to Audacity, I want to make sure that if you would like some extra pointers on the weblog software, that you can tell me (in this section) what questions you still have. 

All I ask is that first you watch these two YouTube videos (20 minutes todal) that explain the blogging software.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Submit an audio recording of your editorial, as an MP3. (Have access to your file during class, when I will tell you exactly where I want you to put it.)

Please note that next week, for Ex 2c, I'll ask you to write the wrapper -- the text that an announcer will read, to tell the listeners who you are and what you're writing about. (The sample podcasts on NPR.org include samples of these wrappers.)

Bring a written version to read aloud in class. I'm not asking you to record it yet.