August 2007 Archives
In class, we will do some practice interviewing.
Geist (J-Web)
Three short documents, found in the "Handouts" section of the course's J-Web site.
English Essay vs. News Story
English Essay |
News Story |
Usually, the
instructor knows more about the
subject than the student-author. |
Usually, the reporter knows more about the subject than the general reader. |
Essays for Your Instructor
|
Journalism for the General Public
|
Personal Perspective
|
Objective Perspective
|
Assuming that I've got the new weblog site up and running, we will spend some time going over it today. (If not, we'll put off the blogging introduction. Don't worry -- I'll introduce it carefully in class before I'll expect you to start blogging.)
WB 1: English Essays vs. Journalism
The workbook is available in J-Web, under "Handouts." Download the file, type your answers in the boxes, and save the file somewhere you can access it during class on Friday.
Spike (v.)
Hard News
The story about the lonely zebra in another state that escapes from the zoo and is recaptured when it takes an interest in a police officer's horse? Definitely soft news, unless, for instance the chase for the zebra causes a traffic snarl that leads to a violent road rage incident. (See "If it bleeds, it leads.")
Newsworthy vs. Snoozeworthy
"Dog bites man" is snoozeworthy because it happens all the time, but "man bites dog" is less common, so it is more newsworthy.
Ex 1: Local News: TV/Newspaper Comparison
Compare the August 28 local TV newscast on WTAE-4 and the August 28 edition of the Tribune-Review.
The Tribune-Review is usually available on a rack outside the cafeteria. There is also a copy in the library, and at most local stores.
Write a 2 page informal paper that describes the three most significant things you learned from the comparison.
Update:
In the future I will ask you to submit your homework via Turnitin.com, but for today just bring a printout to class.
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Details: The future of the industry relies heavily on how young people view newspapers and the journalism career path. In an effort to reach future journalists and readers, and to show our support for college newspapers, the Foundation is establishing a Student Editors' Interest Group.This interest group will be made up of college journalists and their advisers from colleges and universities across the Commonwealth. It is our hope that the Student Editors' Interest Group will provide a forum for student-newspaper journalists to discuss common challenges and concerns. For a full agenda, click on the link below. There is no fee to register. Please note that registration is required. Student & adviser travel stipends are available for this meeting. Registration: E-mail or call Janet Bevan, (717) 703-3004 |
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- clear
- relevant
- accurate
- fair
- timely
Key Concepts
News
Writing
Truth
Accuracy
Clarity
Timeliness
Relevance
Comprehensiveness
Proportionality
Objectivity
(Bias)
Transparency
(Advocacy)
Independence
Gate-keeping
Interactivity
Course Overview
Welcome to EL 227, "News Writing."
The course website is located at http://jerz.setonhill.edu/teaching/EL227. I will update the online syllabus periodically, so the printout I give on the first day of classes is just for your convenience. The official version of the syllabus is the online version (though I will notify you in advance of any significant changes).
Topics for today:
- Review syllabus.
- What is news writing?
- How does it differ from literature essays and creative writing?
- Discuss how writing for the general reader differs from writing for your instructor.
The front page of the blog only shows the main class topic and the main readings scheduled for that day. To get a full list of the lesson plan for any day, click on the date on the calendar. (You might want to see what's due on Aug 29.)
Preview upcoming assignments.
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