Journalism107:Introductiontomultimediareporting

Fall2013:TuesdayandThursday,8a.m.9:45a.m. BrianDuggan,instructor
Phone:7022037679(callortext) Email:bpduggan@gmail.com(pleaseputJ107inthesubjectline) Twitter:@brianduggan(agoodwaytocontactme,viaDirectMessage) Officehoursbyappointment.Generallyavailableanytimeinthemorningbefore10a.m.orafter7p.m. Classwebsite:journalism107.wordpress.com

CourseDescription:
Journalism107isanintroductoryjournalismclasswhereyouwilllearnbydoingthebasicsofnews gatheringandwriting.Iruntheclasslikeanewsroom,andyouareexpectedtoworkasifyouwere areporter.YouwillpublishyourworkfortheentireworldtoreadonaWordpressblog.Theclassis dividedintothree,fiveweeksections.Eachsectiondevelopsthetheorythatturningoutadecent storyinvolvesagoodidea,reporting,research,writingandediting.Eachfiveweeksectiondigs deeperintoeachoneofthosesteps.Thisisnotalectureclass.Instead,wewillspendtimein classdiscussingtheimportantideasthatbuildthefoundationforjournalism:Ethics,theFirst Amendment,theideanewsandhowitcandiffer,attentiontodetail,APstyleandthetrends affectingthemediaindustry.Youmustenrollinthecounterpart108classtotakethisclass.

Learningobjectives:
Bytheendofthiscourse,youwillbeintroducedtoanddemonstrateprogressindoingthefollowing: Writecorrectlyclearlyandconciselyinformsandstylesappropriateforthe communicationsprofessions,audiences,andpurposestheyserve Writewithfew,ifany,spellingorgrammaticalerrors Howtousestylesandforms,appropriatetoavarietyofnewsstories Howtofashionstoriesthatflowwellusingtext,andimagestoengageaudiences Gatherinformationthroughobservation,theInternet,electronicdatabases,printed documents,publicrecordsandbyinterviewinghumansources Analyzeinformationforitsimportanceinachievingthepurposeofthecommunicationand makegooddecisionsaboutwhatshouldbeincluded Demonstrateanunderstandingofgender,raceethnicity,sexualorientationand,as appropriate,otherformsofdiversityinoursocietyspecificallyastheyrelatetothe assignments UnderstandtheFirstAmendment,itsapplicationtothefreedomofspeechandthe investigationandproductionofnewsstories Applyprofessionalethicalprinciplestoyourwork.

Othergoals
Findandtellnewsstories Writeacoherenthardnewsledeandacoherentstoryondeadline. Writeastraightnewsstoryusingmultiplesources. Identifywhatisnewsworthyandwhy. Conducteffectiveinterviews,beabletoresearchpeople,andusepublicrecordslawsto accomplishthat. Developcuriosityandskepticism.Havededicationtoaccuracy,fairnessandbalance. Developnewsjudgment. Haveanunderstandingofethics,medialaw,libelanddefamation.

Whatyouneedforthisclass:
AssociatedPressStylebookandLibelmanual. Textbook:WritingandReportingNews:ACoachingMethod(Seventhedition), Stayingconsistentlyuptodatewithnewssources:RenoGazetteJournal,Nevada Sagebrush,RenoNewsandReview,localTVstations,nationalmediaoutletssuchasthe NewYorkTimes,theGuardian,Gawker,NPR,etc...Yourjobisnews.Youmustreadit. Discussionsandtestsoncurrenteventswillhappensobeprepared. Equipment:Youmusteitherhaveacloudbasedsystemforsavingdocumentsorbringa flashdrive(8Gorhigher)tosaveyourwork.Jschoolcomputerswillnotsaveyourwork.

Assignmentsandgrading:
3MajorProjects:(100pointseach,300pointstotal) Threemultisourcenewsstorieswillberequired.Gradingwillbebasedondraftingprocess,quality ofresearchandreporting,clarityandstrengthofstorytelling,grammarandspelling,andqualityof accompanyingelements.Moreexplicitinstructionswillbegivenasweneartheassignmentdue dates.Draftswillberequiredbeforethefinalprojectisturnedinaswellalistofsourceswith contactnumbersandacopyofanyformaldocumentusedinyourreporting.Theseprojectswillalso beturnedintoyourJournalism108instructorforatechnicalgrade. Theassignments: 1.Anewsstorywithphoto.600words(Due:8:01a.m.Sept.24) 2.Anewsorfeaturestorythatincludesaudioandphotography900words(Due:Oct.29) 3.Anewsorfeaturestoryincorporatingaudioandphotographs1,200words(Due:Dec.10) Howthegradingworksforthethreemajorassignments: 1. Participationindraftingprocess(25points):Ahardcopydraftofyourstorymustbe presentedtome,inclass,beforetheassignmentsfinalduedate.Thedraftmustbea nearfinalversionofwhatyouintendtoturninforthefinaldraftandincludeasourcelist. Youwillalsoneedtobringasecondcopyforpeerediting.Thisensuresyougettheediting attentionyouneedtosucceed. 2. Qualityofresearchandreporting(25points):Didyougetthreeormoresourcestotell yourstory?Didyouuseaformaldocumenttohelptellyourstory?(Hint:Youneedallfour ormore).Aretheytherightsources?Didyouconductinterviewswithrelevantand interestingpeople?(Hint:Nofriendsorfamily)Youmustalsoprovidealistofsourcenames andtheirphonenumbersandacopyofanyformaldocumentyouusedasasource. 3. Clarityandstrengthofwriting(25points):Basically,isyourpieceanexampleofgood storytelling?Isitwellorganized?Doesituseitssourceswell?Enticinglead?Good nutgraph?Goodquotes?Isitinteresting?WillIlearnsomethingfromit? 4. Qualityofaccompanyingelements(25points):Didyougetagoodphototohelptell yourstory?Doestheaudioaddtotheideayouretryingtogetacross?Whataboutthe video?Basically,doesthismultimediaelementhelptellthestoryImtryingtotell? ***Gettingitright:APStyle,grammarandspelling:Iexpectyourworktobefreeofany AssociatedPressStyle,grammaticalfactualandspellingerrors.Everyspelling, grammatical,factualandstyleerrorresultsinfivepointsoffyourfinalgrade.Punctuation errorsareonepointeach.***

Inclassquizzes:(510pointseach100pointstotal) Quizzescannotbemadeupunlessyoureabsentforapreapprovedreason.Otherwise,youmust beinclasstogetthepoints.Asidefromextraordinarycircumstances,noexceptions.Thisiswhere attendancecounts.TalktomeaboutanyabsencesASAP.

Inclassandoutofclasswritingassignments.(510pointseach,100pointstotal) Regularwritingassignmentswillbeassigned.Gradingwillbebasedonclarity,accuracy(both factualandgrammatical),organization(useofcompellinglead,strongquotes,smoothtransitions), adherencetoAPstyle,relevancyandcreativity.Someassignmentswillbegradedbasedsolelyon completion.

Totalpoints:500 AtoA:450500points BtoB:400449 CtoC:350399 DtoD:300349 Fail:299orfewerpoints (Hint:200pointswilllargelycomefromjustshowingupanddoingthequizzesandwriting assignments)a

ClassSchedule(I'llletyouknowifanythingchangesalongthe way)
Week1:Introductiontonews Aug.27:Classsyllabus,writingtestandwhatisnews?SetupTwitteraccount.CreateWordPress blog. Aug.29:Outofclassassignment:Gooutandtalktoatotalstrangeroncampusandreportback whatyoufindwithaphotoofyoursource.Thequestion:Whatissuesconcernyouthemostat UNR?Discussthethreemainassignmentsforsemester.

Week2:TheBasics Sept.3:DiscussChapters1and2:TheBasicNewsStory.Whatmakesanewsstoryanews story?Activevs.passivevoice,leadsandnutgraphs(ohmy!).Inclasswritingassignment.Story ideas... Sept.5:GrammarandAPStyle:Howtousethestylebook.(ExpectthefirstofmanyAPstyle quizzes). Project1:WewillcomeupwithstoryideastogetherthatrelatetodiversityontheUNRcampusand assignstoriesforthefirstbigproject.PleasemakesureyouvereadChapter16:Multicultural sensitivity.

Week3:Sources,researchandreporting Sept.10:DiscussiononChapters5and6.Conductinginterviewsandfindingcrediblesources. Whatisacrediblesource?(Hint:ItsnotWikipedia)Theimportanceofusingmultiplesources. Sept.12:Publicrecords:Theresavastworldofpubliclyavailableinformationtohelpyourreporting andmostofitisontheInternet.Also,timetoplanandworkonProject1.

Week4:Thepartsofastory Sept.17:DiscussChapter7:Writingagoodleadandnutgraph.Practiceinclasswithabreaking newsassignment. Sept.19:Continueworkingonleadsandnutgraphs.UpdateonProject1progress.

Week5:Storyformsandorganization Sept.24:Storystructure:Howtoorganizeyourwriting(itstheeasiestpartifyouvedonethe reporting).DiscussChapter8:Storyorganization. Sept.26:Project1:Draftdue.Bringtwohardcopiesandyoursourcelist.Inclassworkshopand peerediting.

Week6:Journalismin2013:Multipleplatformsandnewaudiences Oct.1:Project1:Finaldraftandsourcelistdueby8:01a.m.Eachstudentwillbrieflypresentstory totheclassanddiscussthereportingandwritingbehindit.Classwilllivetweetthepresentations. Oct.3:DiscussChapters4and12:Howdoesonlinewritingdifferfromourtraditionalnotionsof journalism?BringstoryideastoclassandbrainstormforProject2:Thistime,eachstudentwill focusondifferenttopicsthatrelatetotheUNRcampus.Assignstories.

Week7:Featurestorytellingtechniques Oct.8:Chapter10:Makingyourstorysing.Writingworkshopandguestspeaker,RGJSenior ReporterGuyClifton. Oct10:DiscussChapter17:ProfilesandObituaries.Inclassassignment:Writesnapshotprofiles oneachother.WritingworkshopandanupdateonProject2.

Week8:Ethicsandjournalism. Oct.15:DiscussChapter15:Mediaethics:Whytheymatterandwhyethicalquestionsrarelyhave clearcutanswers.GuestSpeaker:ProfessorCaesarAndrews. Oct.17:Moreethics.Wouldyourunthisphoto?Howaboutthisstory?Comepreparedtodebate. UpdateonProject2status.

Week9:FirstAmendmentissues Oct.22:DiscussiononChapter14:Yourrightsasajournalist.Guestspeaker:ScottGlogovac, lawyerfortheRenoGazetteJournal. Oct.24:Project2draftsdue.Peerediting.

Week10:Alternativeversionsof"TheNews" Oct.29:Project2:Finalduetomenolaterthan8:01a.m.Classpresentationsofstories,live tweeting. Oct.31:TheDailyShow,TheOnion,andthemanywaystogeneratenewsbeyondthesocalled legacymedia.Inclasswritingassignment.BringstoryideasforProject3,astoryaboutan offcampustopic(thinkcrime,downtown,businesses).

Week11:Beatreporting Nov.5:DiscussChapter19.Howtodoabeat:FromcityhalltotheCapitol.Project3:Finalizeand assignstories. Nov.7:Fieldtrip!RenoCityHall.MeetatthepublicplazaacrossthestreetfromRenoCityHall. Requestadocument.

Week12:Broadcaststories Nov.12:Chapter11:Broadcastwritingbasics,inclasswritingassignment.Channelyourinner AndersonCooper. Nov.14:Fieldtrip!MeetLasVegasSunreporterandTothePointhostAnjeanetteDamonatthe KRNVstudios.

Week13:Enterpriseandinvestigativereporting.Plusdata! Nov.19:Chapters20,21:Coveringcrime,disastersandtragedy.Guestspeaker:MarthaBellisle, RGJreporter Nov.21:Data!Andwhyitmattersevenmoreforjournaliststothinkbeyondtraditionalsourcesof information.

Week14:Backtobasics Nov.26:Writingworkingshop,craftingleads.ReviewChapters2and7. Nov.28:TurkeyDay,noclass

Week15:Writingworkshop(TheHomeStretch) Dec.3:(AL)IndividualmeetingswithBriantodiscussfinaldraftsofProject3,gradesandwhatever elseyouneed.Classtimetoworkonproject. Dec.5:(MZ)IndividualmeetingswithBriantodiscussfinaldraftsofProject3,gradesandwhatever elseyouneed.Classtimetoworkonproject.

Week16:Yousurvived!Nowaboutthosejournalismjobs... Dec.10:Project3Finaldue.Inclasspresentationsandlivetweeting.Discussiononthemedia industry,whereit'sgoingandhowyoucouldbecomeapartofit.

Finalday: Dec.17(8a.m.):FinalExam.Looseends.Breakfastpastries.Coffee.(I'mbuying.)Shallbegrand.

Afewmoreimportantnotes:
Awordaboutwritingassignments...Youwillberequiredtowritedozensofnewsstoriesduring

thesemester,bothinclassandashomework(andnotalwaysforagrade).Thisisn'tlikeanEnglish class.Youtypicallywillhavewordlimitsthatarefairlylow.Everywordmustmeanwhatyouwantit tomean.Youmustbeaccurate.Idon'tcareaboutyouropinioninarticles.Firstpersonwritingisn't allowed.Sourcesaregenerallypeople.Generally,thebestwritinginthisclasscomesfromthebest reporting. AwordaboutdeadlinesDeadlinesareofparamountimportanceinjournalismandinthisclass. Deadlinesareabsolute.Homeworkassignmentsmustbeturnedinatthebeginningoftheclassfor whichtheyaredue.Theywillnotbeacceptedafterdeadlineexceptinrareinstancesinvolving extreme(anddocumented)hardships. AwordaboutparticipationThoughtfulandenthusiasticparticipationisexpected.Thisclassis runlikeanewsroomthatmeansthatyoumustparticipateinthediscussion.Iwilltrytoprovoke youandgetaresponseIwanttohearyouropinion!Disagreewithme.Argue.Thisisjournalism notcoldcut,soullessmath. AwordaboutTwitter...Ifyouhaven'talready,signupandstartpracticing.We'llbeusingthisover thecourseofthesemester. Awordaboutattendance...AttendanceistakenthroughAPstylequizzesandinclass assignments.Wehaveonemostweeksandtheywillbeunannounced.Thepointis,ifyou'renot theretotakethequizordotheassignmentthenyourgradeforthatquizorassignmentwillbea zero.Chroniclateness,absencesormisseddeadlineswillaffectyourgrade.Incompleteswillnotbe givenexceptinextremeanddocumentedcases.Ifyoucannotinvestthetimethisclassrequires, pleasedropit. Cheatingdontdoit.Academicdishonestywillnotbetolerated.AccordingtotheStudent ConductCode,academicdishonestyischeating,plagiarismorotherwiseobtaininggradesunder falsepretenses.Penaltiesaresevereandwillmostlikelyincludean"F"gradefortheassignment orcourse. Disability:Anystudentwithadisabilityneedingacademicaccommodationsisrequestedtospeak withmeorcontacttheDisabilityResourceCenter(ThompsonBuilding,Suite101),assoonas possibletoarrangeforappropriateaccommodations. AcademicSuccessServices:YourstudentfeescoverusageoftheMathCenter(7844433or www.unr.edu/mathcenter/<http://www.unr.edu/mathcenter/>),TutoringCenter(7846801or www.unr.edu/tutoring/<http://www.unr.edu/tutoring/>),andUniversityWritingCenter(7846030or http://www.unr.edu/writing_center/<http://www.unr.edu/writing_center/>.Thesecenterssupport yourclassroomlearningitisyourresponsibilitytotakeadvantageoftheirservices. RecordingLectures.Surreptitiousorcovertvideotapingofclassorunauthorizedaudiorecording ofclassisprohibitedbylawandbyBoardofRegentspolicy.Thisclassmaybevideotapedor audiorecordedonlywiththewrittenpermissionoftheinstructor.Inordertoaccommodate studentswithdisabilities,somestudentsmayhavebeengivenpermissiontorecordclasslectures anddiscussions.Therefore,studentsshouldunderstandthattheircommentsduringclassmaybe recorded.