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| On a trip to USA Today's headquarters in Virginia, 2015 Scholars listen to editor Shannon Green discuss podcasting. From left: Justin Danziger, Brieanna Bowman, Godsee Joy, Marin Langlieb, Taylor Markey, Leilani Chavez, Milan Polk, Adam Cines and Helen Ahkivgak. (Photo by Chris Harvey) |
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE:
This schedule may be adjusted to meet the needs of the class and shifting schedules of guest speakers. Readings should be done before each class meets. Please check this daily on our class Elms site and blog for updates!
WEEK ONE:
Monday, July 10: Introductions and syllabus overview. Then students will write mini-profiles of each other, which will be read aloud for introductions. Your teacher will take a group photo of you that will be posted on our About Us page, so come dressed as you’d like to be remembered. Students will be introduced to free blogging software (blogger.com) that we'll use in class to blog. You'll also be introduced to our Elms class site, where you will find announcements and grades and notes (in Files). If time permits, we will begin a discussion of what news values make stories publication-worthy. Homework: Please add a comment to my first blog post, about how and where you go for your news, and do the readings listed for tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 11: We'll continue discussing what news values make stories publication-worthy, along with the need for accuracy and fairness. We'll move into basic newswriting skills: The inverted pyramid story structure and writing strong leads: summary leads, including those with immediate identification (full names of celebs and public figures) and partial identification (by home town or occupation, for those whose names are unfamiliar). We will begin discussing use of direct quotes, paraphrasing and attribution. With in-class lead-writing assignment. SPECIAL GUEST: College of Journalism Dean Lucy Dalglish is expected to drop by.
WEEK ONE:
Monday, July 10: Introductions and syllabus overview. Then students will write mini-profiles of each other, which will be read aloud for introductions. Your teacher will take a group photo of you that will be posted on our About Us page, so come dressed as you’d like to be remembered. Students will be introduced to free blogging software (blogger.com) that we'll use in class to blog. You'll also be introduced to our Elms class site, where you will find announcements and grades and notes (in Files). If time permits, we will begin a discussion of what news values make stories publication-worthy. Homework: Please add a comment to my first blog post, about how and where you go for your news, and do the readings listed for tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 11: We'll continue discussing what news values make stories publication-worthy, along with the need for accuracy and fairness. We'll move into basic newswriting skills: The inverted pyramid story structure and writing strong leads: summary leads, including those with immediate identification (full names of celebs and public figures) and partial identification (by home town or occupation, for those whose names are unfamiliar). We will begin discussing use of direct quotes, paraphrasing and attribution. With in-class lead-writing assignment. SPECIAL GUEST: College of Journalism Dean Lucy Dalglish is expected to drop by.
Readings: Great writers talk about great writing: "Real Writers Don't Burn Out: Making a Writing Apprenticeship Last a Lifetime," by Donald M. Murray, his keynote address to the National Writers Workshop, Apil 1, 1995. "The Best Tip I ever got was...," by John Hatcher, published March 16, 2002, on PoynterOnline; and "The Greatest Writing Tips the World Has Ever Seen," by John Hatcher, published Dec. 11, 2002, on PoynterOnline.
Wednesday, July 12: intro to the Associated Press Stylebook and basic style points and copy editing symbols. I'll hand out one of my crib sheets, with frequently used AP style points. AND, we’ll do small group breakouts on the history of the media from the early days of newspapers, to the advent of radio and TV news, and finally to the 24/7 digital environment of the Internet age. I will break the class into small groups to do pertinent readings (beginning with those listed, below), and you will meet with your group to discuss and begin summarizing high points. Feel free to read well beyond the links below to research your topic. Each group will have up to 5 minutes on Friday to present your findings. You should have a visual to project up to the screen (and which you will print out and hand in at the end of your presentation). The visual could be a Word Doc with bullet points; a slide show; a Powerpoint, a timeline -- whatever you're comfortable with. But it should give the highlights and list sources cited for your talk.
GROUPS:
Wednesday, July 12: intro to the Associated Press Stylebook and basic style points and copy editing symbols. I'll hand out one of my crib sheets, with frequently used AP style points. AND, we’ll do small group breakouts on the history of the media from the early days of newspapers, to the advent of radio and TV news, and finally to the 24/7 digital environment of the Internet age. I will break the class into small groups to do pertinent readings (beginning with those listed, below), and you will meet with your group to discuss and begin summarizing high points. Feel free to read well beyond the links below to research your topic. Each group will have up to 5 minutes on Friday to present your findings. You should have a visual to project up to the screen (and which you will print out and hand in at the end of your presentation). The visual could be a Word Doc with bullet points; a slide show; a Powerpoint, a timeline -- whatever you're comfortable with. But it should give the highlights and list sources cited for your talk.
GROUPS:
The muckrakers; the African-American press in the U.S.; the rise of radio news, including the impact of Edward R. Murrow's overseas coverage of Hitler's march across Europe and the bombing of London; the advent of TV and TV news, and how coverage of President Kennedy and his assassination and/or the first televised presidential debate (Kennedy/Nixon) raised the bar for breaking news coverage on TV; the rise of digital news, focusing on the 1990s to today, when most major news organizations launched sites on the Web, and on mobile platforms; and the rise of virtual reality and augmented reality on news sites. What software and cameras and other equipment are needed? What sites are using AR and VR well? What ethical issues are raised by the use of AR and VR on news sites?
Readings (at a minimum, read those that pertain to your presentation): "A Short History of News" by New York University Associate Professor Mitchell Stephens, and published on the Center for Media Literacy site; "Early American Newspapering," by James Breig," on the Colonial Williamsburg Journal, spring 2003; "The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords," on PBS; "Black Press History," from the National Newspapers Publishers Association; Black Press Research Collective; "The Muckrakers of the Progressive Era: Definition and Influence," on the Education Portal; "The Muckrakers," on ushistory.org; "Radio Activity: 100 Years of Public Broadcasting," by Marina Ruben, published Jan. 26, 2010 on Smithsonian.com; "Edward R. Murrow: Inventing Broadcast Journalism," published June 12, 2006, on History.net; "The First JFK Nixon Debate" on History.com; "Kennedy holds first live television news conference," from History.com; "How John F. Kennedy's Assassination Changed Television Forever," by Tierney Snead, published Nov. 14, 2013, on U.S. News.com ; Fear.com by Chip Brown, published in the June 1999 issue of American Journalism Review; "Digital News Audience: Fact Sheet,
(Links to an external site.)" from the Pew Research Center. “The New Reality in Newsrooms is Virtual” (http://projects.nyujournalism.org/newsliteracy2017/topics/virtual-reality-and-360-video/ ), by Alessandra Freitas, published March 7, 2017, on NYU Journalism; “Virtual Reality in Journalism: New Report Provides an Overview of a Growing Platform for Storytelling,” by the Knight Foundation, March 13, 2016 (https://www.knightfoundation.org/press/releases/virtual-reality-journalism-new-report-provides-ove ); “The elephant in the room: why you should care about augmented reality,” by KPMG Newsroom, Sept. 20, 2016 (http://newsroom.kpmg.com.au/elephant-room-care-augmented-reality/ ).
(Links to an external site.)" from the Pew Research Center. “The New Reality in Newsrooms is Virtual” (http://projects.nyujournalism.org/newsliteracy2017/topics/virtual-reality-and-360-video/ ), by Alessandra Freitas, published March 7, 2017, on NYU Journalism; “Virtual Reality in Journalism: New Report Provides an Overview of a Growing Platform for Storytelling,” by the Knight Foundation, March 13, 2016 (https://www.knightfoundation.org/press/releases/virtual-reality-journalism-new-report-provides-ove ); “The elephant in the room: why you should care about augmented reality,” by KPMG Newsroom, Sept. 20, 2016 (http://newsroom.kpmg.com.au/elephant-room-care-augmented-reality/ ).
Thursday, July 13: More on story structures and writing techniques to guide readers through your copy. (Parallel constructions within sentences and between sentences; telling and showing in stories, through declarative statements followed by quotes or examples.) More on handling direct quotes and attribution in stories. When do you quote, and when do you paraphrase? And when do you not use the information at all? AND: Preparing for interviews and interviewing techniques.
Readings: “12 basics of interviewing, listening and note-taking,” by Roy Peter Clark, Aug. 19, 2015, on poynter.org (https://www.poynter.org/2015/12-basics-of-interviewing-listening-and-note-taking/367011/ ); “How journalists can become better interviewers,” by Chip Scanlan, March 4, 2013, on poynter.org (https://www.poynter.org/2013/how-journalists-can-become-better-interviewers/205518/ ); “Don’t be boring and 6 other interviewing tips from Jacqui Banaszynski,” by Lauren Klinger, May 20, 2015, on poynter.org (http://www.poynter.org/2015/dont-be-boring-and-6-other-interviewing-tips-from-jacqui-banaszynski/345799/ ); "How Memories Become Memoirs," by Chip Scanlan, published Oct. 7, 2002, on PoynterOnline; “What makes a great interview? This podcaster sat down with interviewing legends to find out,” published June 19, 2017, on poynter.org (http://www.poynter.org/2017/what-makes-a-good-interview-this-podcaster-sat-down-with-interviewing-legends-to-find-out-update6/463828/ ).
July 14:
Group presentations (from Wednesday's research). THEN: Increasing readability: In general, short is better than long when writing words, sentences, paragraphs. An exercise using the Fog Index. THEN: Using Twitter for journalism, with a class handout from Ms. Harvey. If time permits, we'll begin discussing ideas for your final story. (Two story pitches are due next Friday.)
Readings: "Newsrooms Grapple with How to Avoid Twitter Bloopers," by Katie Takacs, American Journalism Review, Jan. 8, 2015; "Slate's Good Strategy for Correcting Errors on Twitter, Elsewhere," by Craig Silverman, March 4, 2014, on poynter.org; "NPR's Giffords Mistake: Re-Learning the Lesson of Checking Sources," By Alicia Shepard, Jan. 11, 2011, NPR; “The Journalist’s Guide to Twitter,” by Leah Betancourt, May 14, 2009.
WEEK TWO:
July 17: Start in our class lab, with Merrill Internship Director Adrianne Flynn. Then we’ll walk down together a few minutes after 10 to the first- floor Richard Eaton Theater (room 1208) to join Merrill College’s Povich Summer Sports Journalism Camp for the first part of class (10:15-11:30 a.m.), to hear about opportunities in sports journalism and coverage of the sports beat: How to take the sports beat beyond game coverage to investigate the business and culture of sports. We’ll hear from: Faculty member Kevin Blackistone, a sports columnist for The Washington Post and a panelist on ESPN’s “Around the Horn.” We’ll also hear from alums Daniel Gallen and Lindsay Simpson and Larry Michael (senior VP of media for the Washington Redskins). AFTER: Write the first 250 - 300 words of a story based on the panel discussion. You will not write about everything that was said, but you will focus on an interesting topic that was raised. Your lead should focus on a key point, and be concise. The second paragraph should elaborate on that key point, with a key quote or more information, and attribution. Subsequent paragraphs should add context, background, details and more quotes. Be sure to mention when the talk occurred, and to properly ID speakers with names and titles. You must work independently. You will turn this in at the start of class on Tuesday. Doublespace your story, put your name on top, and print it out.
July 17: Start in our class lab, with Merrill Internship Director Adrianne Flynn. Then we’ll walk down together a few minutes after 10 to the first- floor Richard Eaton Theater (room 1208) to join Merrill College’s Povich Summer Sports Journalism Camp for the first part of class (10:15-11:30 a.m.), to hear about opportunities in sports journalism and coverage of the sports beat: How to take the sports beat beyond game coverage to investigate the business and culture of sports. We’ll hear from: Faculty member Kevin Blackistone, a sports columnist for The Washington Post and a panelist on ESPN’s “Around the Horn.” We’ll also hear from alums Daniel Gallen and Lindsay Simpson and Larry Michael (senior VP of media for the Washington Redskins). AFTER: Write the first 250 - 300 words of a story based on the panel discussion. You will not write about everything that was said, but you will focus on an interesting topic that was raised. Your lead should focus on a key point, and be concise. The second paragraph should elaborate on that key point, with a key quote or more information, and attribution. Subsequent paragraphs should add context, background, details and more quotes. Be sure to mention when the talk occurred, and to properly ID speakers with names and titles. You must work independently. You will turn this in at the start of class on Tuesday. Doublespace your story, put your name on top, and print it out.
READINGS: "Covering the Business of Sports: An Introduction;" by Craig Harris, July 28, 2011, for the Reynolds Center; "Scandals Challenge Sports Reporters to Look Beyond the Field of Play," by Jeremy Gilbert, Sept. 23, 2011, for poynter.org; “A year on the beat: Globe sports reporters reflect on 2016,” by Matt Pepin, published Jan. 2, 2017, ( (https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2017/01/02/year-beat-globe-sports-reporters-reflect/J7iiFuD3UktPruxpgqmY1L/story.html ) .
July 18: News quiz likely at start of class. THEN: Ethics and Libel, Fair Use and Copyright: How to work ethically and stay out of legal trouble! A discussion of personal ethics, libel and copyright issues, with a possible assignment on a Code of Ethics for your student newsrooms. Each group will likely come up with bullet points for items that you consider essential to a high school newsroom code. We'll also talk about photojournalism ethics, and what NOT to do in the newsroom.
Please read: "Distorted Picture," by Sherry Ricchiardi, from the August/September 2007 issue of AJR, before the start of class, along with "Transmitting Values: A Guide to Fairer Journalism," by Keith M. Woods, in the July 1999 edition of PoynterOnline.
During class July 18, we will read/reference the following: the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics, The "Briefing on Media Law" in the back of the Associated Press Stylebook; The Washington Post Code of Ethics, the National Press Photographers Association code, RTDNA's code and NPR's code.
July 19: Continue with Monday's discussion. Then: 10:30 – 11 a.m.: Tour of Studio C in Knight Hall (the college’s digital newsroom) to hear from digital newsroom director Sean Mussenden about the digital and data journalism projects created by Merrill College of Journalism students, and other in-depth reports from Capital News Service. THEN: from 11:15 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.: The role of women and minorities in newsrooms, and coverage of minority issues. GUEST SPEAKER: Anne Farris Rosen, who has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications, and who teaches a course at Merrill College on media coverage of racial issues.
Readings: "RTNDA Research: Women and Minorities in Newsrooms," published July 11, 2016; "ASNE's 2015 Census: Percentage of minorities in newsrooms remains relatively steady," published July 8, 2015; "Are We There Yet?" Newsweek, March 19, 2010; "Where Women Rule," by Sherry Ricchiardi, published in the January/February 2001 issue of AJR; Media Report to Women: Covering all the Issues Concerning Women and Media. For more readings on the media and diversity, bookmark: The Maynard Institute.
During class July 18, we will read/reference the following: the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics, The "Briefing on Media Law" in the back of the Associated Press Stylebook; The Washington Post Code of Ethics, the National Press Photographers Association code, RTDNA's code and NPR's code.
July 19: Continue with Monday's discussion. Then: 10:30 – 11 a.m.: Tour of Studio C in Knight Hall (the college’s digital newsroom) to hear from digital newsroom director Sean Mussenden about the digital and data journalism projects created by Merrill College of Journalism students, and other in-depth reports from Capital News Service. THEN: from 11:15 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.: The role of women and minorities in newsrooms, and coverage of minority issues. GUEST SPEAKER: Anne Farris Rosen, who has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications, and who teaches a course at Merrill College on media coverage of racial issues.
Readings: "RTNDA Research: Women and Minorities in Newsrooms," published July 11, 2016; "ASNE's 2015 Census: Percentage of minorities in newsrooms remains relatively steady," published July 8, 2015; "Are We There Yet?" Newsweek, March 19, 2010; "Where Women Rule," by Sherry Ricchiardi, published in the January/February 2001 issue of AJR; Media Report to Women: Covering all the Issues Concerning Women and Media. For more readings on the media and diversity, bookmark: The Maynard Institute.
July 20: CLASS TRIP (by chartered bus) to The Washington Post newsroom in Northwest Washington, for a tour and talk with mobile editor Mark W. Smith. Please arrive at TAWES HALL NEXT DOOR TO KNIGHT HALL at 9:40 a.m. SHARP, for a 9:45 a.m. departure. Please meet on the outside steps FACING LOT 1. We'll have a tour of the Post, led by Merrill College adjunct instructor Mark Smith. We'll leave The Post by 12:15 p.m. for the return trip to UMD. Brown-bag lunches will be passed out on the bus. Please dress appropriately for this trip with nice slacks, skirts or dresses. No shorts. No flip-flops. Readings: Please thoroughly review the website of The Washington Post! Don't forget: We'll have a news quiz on the bus ride into town...
July 21: 10 - 11 a.m.: interview GUESTS David Ottalini (formerly of CNN) and alum Ashley Westerman (of NPR) about their careers in TV and radio journalism and advice on handling tough stories and advancing in the field. You'll write a short story during the second half of class based on the interview. (250-300 words; due Monday at 10 a.m.)
Readings (more on interviewing): "Shut Up and Listen: The Keys to Good Interviewing," By Dr. Ink, published July 2002, on PoynterOnline "Some Useful Interview Techniques," by Joe Hamelin, published March 2, 2004; "How Journalists Can Become Better Interviewers," by Chip Scanlan, on PoynterOnline; and "The Art of the Interview," by Ann Friedman, on Columbia Journalism Review. ALSO: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveottalini and http://www.npr.org/sections/npr-extra/2017/05/31/526811043/faces-of-npr-ashley-westerman .
PLUS: Assignment due: Your story pitches for your final story are due by the start of class; at least two ideas, each summarized in a paragraph, with possible sources (paper and people), are required from each of you for each pitch. The pitches should be for stories worthy of publication in the campus newspaper, the Diamondback. One of your two pitches could be a focused weather story. Another idea could be on exciting research being done on campus. (Check out the UMD News Desk for ideas.)
WEEK THREE:
Monday, July 24: 10 - 10:30 a.m.: Tour and talk at the campus radio station, WMUC, about opportunities for reporting and hosting shows (with News Director Anna Muckerman). Meet there at 10 a.m., in the south campus dining hall, 3rd floor OR in the Knight Hall lobby at 9:45 a.m. to walk together. Then: Discussion: Research strategies for journalists and scholars: How do you distinguish between reliable information and junk on the Internet? Is Wikipedia a reliable research tool? What other searching strategies should be followed? (See handout from instructor on domain names and advanced search strategies.) AND: A look at FAKE NEWS. What is it? How can journalists and consumers keep from being fooled?
READINGS: "Wikipedia in the Newsroom," by Donna Shaw, published in the February/March 2008 issue of AJR; “How to Sport Fake News,” from FactCheck.org (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkwWcHekMdo); “Most Students Cannot Distinguish Fake and Real News,” by The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 22, 2016, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYc-hd1QSwA ); “4 Ways to Spot a Fake News Story | What the Stuff?!” by HowStuffWorks, published Jan. 23, 2016 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5ON3u5rrmI ); “Here’s How Fake News Works (and How the Internet can stop it,” from Wired, published Feb. 14, 2017 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frjITitjisY ); “How false news can spread – Noah Tavlin,” on TED-Ed, published Aug. 27, 2015 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSKGa_7XJkg ); “In a Fake Fact ERA, Schools Teach the ABCs of News Literacy,” by Issie Lapowsky, Wired, June 7, 2017 (https://www.wired.com/2017/06/fake-fact-era-schools-teach-abcs-news-literacy/) ; and “Fake News and the future of journalism,” by Pablo Boczkowski, on Nieman Lab, (http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/12/fake-news-and-the-future-of-journalism/ ). To check facts, try: www.snopes.com or http://www.politifact.com/ .
Tuesday, July 25: Then REVIEW for test tomorrow (Wednesday). And: Structuring a feature story, with an in-class story assignment.
Readings: Review your notes for this week's test.
Blog Post 2 due at start of class Tuesday.
Blog Post 2 due at start of class Tuesday.
Wednesday, July 26: TEST!
Thursday, July 27: Out-of-class feature story due at start of class. THEN: Man on the Street interviews at the Student Union, to be posted to blog.
Friday, July 28: We'll spend the first hour in our normal classroom, brainstorming ideas for trend stories for your school publications, and talking about the future of journalism and your possible futures in communications and journalism. Then we'll move upstairs to Room 3200 (NOTE THE ROOM CHANGE) for pizza and discussions, from 11:30 to 12:30: GUESTS: Associate Dean Rafael Lorente and Merrill College Recruitment Coordinator Shelby Gluck will join us to answer questions about the college’s undergraduate program and the university's and college's admissions processes.
Readings: “The future of news is not what you think and no, you might not be getting ready for it the right way,” by Marianne Bouchart, published March 30, 2017 (https://medium.com/data-journalism-awards/the-future-of-news-is-not-what-you-think-and-no-you-might-not-be-getting-ready-for-it-the-right-a8c3fb7d6971 ; “What News-Writing Bots Mean for the Future of Journalism,” by Joe Keohane, Wired Business, Feb. 16, 2017, (https://www.wired.com/2017/02/robots-wrote-this-story/ ); and "Five Myths About the Future of Journalism," by Tom Rosenstiel, in the April 7, 2011, edition of The Washington Post.
PLEASE COMPLETE TEACHER EVALUATIONS ONLINE!
