Reporting, Writing & Editing for Print
Boot Camp 2007
JOUR 5153.03 – Group B
Instructors: Dean Jobb
Phone: 422-1271 ext. 143; e-mail: djobb@dal.ca
Fred Vallance-Jones
Phone: 422-1271; e-mail: fred.vallancejones@ukings.ns.ca
All classes run 9:30 a.m. – noon in the Computer Lab
Goals: This course is an introduction to reporting and writing news and the basic elements of the news story. While concentrating on print, we will explore story forms and reporting and editing skills common to all media, including online journalism. Through lectures, class discussions, in-class exercises and deadline assignments, students will learn the skills needed to report and produce solid, clearly written news and feature stories.
Texts: (Available at King’s Bookstore)
- The Canadian Press Stylebook, 14th edition
- CP Caps and Spelling, 17th edition
- Oxford Canadian Dictionary (optional)
Classes: (Note: Readings to be completed before each class)
Class # 1: Monday Aug. 20: Intro / Getting the Lede Out (Dean)
An introduction to print journalism and the writing of news. Inverted pyramids, ledes and other staples of print journalism. Finding the all-important lede to the news story. Or is that lead? In-class assignment.
Class # 2: Tuesday Aug. 21: Basic news story structure (Fred)
The much maligned inverted pyramid: why we use it and why it still works. Recognizing what’s news and what’s not, what’s important and what’s not, what belongs where and what doesn’t belong at all. In-class assignment: rewrite a hopelessly mixed up story so the news is where it should be, and the supporting facts are, well, supporting facts.
Readings:
Class # 3: Wednesday Aug. 22: Reporting on Deadline (Dean)
When a story breaks on deadline, reporters have to go with what they’ve got. Getting it right on deadline, even when the truth is elusive. An in-class exercise that will test your news sense and note-taking skills.
Readings:
Class # 4: Thursday Aug. 23: Saying it with style, part 1 (Fred)
How to spell, what to capitalize, where to put the commas and how to abbreviate. There is no one right way, but we have to pick one so the newspaper is not a jumble of websites and web sites, colours and colors, B.C. Lions and BC Lions, Smiths and Mr. Smiths. We’ll explore CP style, the most broadly used style system at Canadian newspapers, then do an in-class assignment rewriting a story to conform to CP rules.
Readings:
- Read CP Stylebook pp. 6-8 (introduction). Familiarize yourself with pp. 191-198 (abbreviations and acronyms), 206-231 (capitalization), 263-267 (numbers), 287-288 (possessives), 289-309 (punctuation), and 321-325 (titles).
- Caps & Spelling pp. 7-8 (spelling)
Class # 5: Friday Aug. 24: Quoting and Attribution (Dean)
Attributing the news, using quotes effectively and avoiding jargon. When to quote and when to paraphrase. How to “avoid overusing (quotes) when writing (news stories) and recognizing (when a quote is) a bad one (like this one).” In-class assignment.
Readings:
Class # 7: Tuesday Aug. 28: Interviewing 101 (Fred)
An introduction to the art of interviewing. How you ask the question really matters. Varying your questioning style to suit the situation. Assignment: Interview a classmate and write a 250-word story. Interview subjects will be assigned. Deadline: 5 p.m. Thursday Aug. 30.
Readings:
Class # 6: Thursday Aug. 30: Writing Online (Tim Currie)
The parts of an online story. The grammar of hypertext links. Writing for an international audience. The tone of online communication.
Reading:
Deadline: Thu. Aug. 30, 5 p.m.: Interview assignment due (15%)
Class # 8: Tuesday Sept. 4: The Glamour of Grammar (Fred)
Despite its reputation as a potent sleep aid, English grammar is a key part of a writer’s toolbox. Consistently good grammar and usage lets readers see past the merely technical, and focus on what we are trying to say. Following a few rules will make our stories more readable and comprehensible, and avoid the next-day phone calls from that retired English teacher. That’s truly something to perk up about. In class quiz: spot the egregious grammar giraffes (umm, gaffes). Assignment: Group editing.
Reading:
Class # 9: Thursday Sept. 6: Writing News Features (Dean)
Understanding the news feature story and the “nut graf.” Each student will be assigned a university “beat” and will write a 500-word news feature for the King’s Transcript. Story idea (one paragraph) due 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12.
Readings:
Class # 10: Tuesday Sept. 11: The News as Story (Dean)
Telling stories while reporting the news. Using people, events and anecdotes to bring the news to life. Exploring story forms beyond the inverted pyramid.
Readings:
Deadline: Wed. Sept. 12, 5 p.m.: Transcript story idea due
Class # 11: Thursday Sept. 13: Learning a new language – plain English (Fred)
Writing for Aunt Mabel. Clear English always wins the race in daily journalism, but too often we stumble out of the blocks. Identifying and fighting the forces that lead us to compose dense, impenetrable prose. The special case of “copspeak,” a language spoken fluently by duty sergeants but truly understood by no one. Assignment: Rewriting police press releases to put the news in the lead, weed out jargon and cut the fat.
Readings:
Class # 12: Monday Sept. 17: Just the Facts: Accuracy, Detail & Opinion (Dean)
A journalist who can’t get the facts straight is like … like … a prof who can’t think of a good analogy. Getting it right and letting the facts speak for themselves. Developing an eye for detail and knowing when too much detail is TMI.
Readings:
Class # 13: Friday Sept. 21: Saying it with style, part 2 (Fred)
Punching up the verbs, banishing excess conjunctions, using more periods, abandoning the passive voice, slicing out the fat, and avoiding long, ponderous lists. When you want to say it as strongly as you can, the economical choice of the right words goes a long way. Exercise: write a story in 10 bold words. Assignment: Flesh it out to 150 words of lean, muscular copy.
Readings:
Class # 14: Monday Sept. 24: Being Concise, Adding Context (Dean)
Brevity is not only the soul of wit – it’s the mantra of every news editor. How to keep stories concise without losing meaning. And while we’re on the subject of meaning, we’ll examine how to add context and perspective to the news. Think of it as reporting for the person who moved in yesterday. In-class assignment.
Readings:
Class # 15: Friday Sept. 28: Peer Editing – Transcript Story (Fred)
Break into pairs and edit the first draft of your partner’s Transcript story. Ferret out buried leads, noun-pronoun disagreement and CP style gaffes. Using Basic Tools: Dictionary & Stylebook (one-page exercise)
Readings:
Deadline: Fri. Sept. 28, 5 p.m.: Transcript first draft due (20%)
Class # 16: Monday Oct. 1 – Rounding up the Facts (Dean)
When the news is coming from all directions, reporters must impose order on the chaos. How to find the news and write roundup stories about storms, disasters, elections and other major events. In-class assignment.
Readings:
Class # 17: Friday Oct. 5: Want good writing? Gather good material (Fred)
There is an inextricable connection between good reporting and good writing, effort expended and results returned. In this exercise, we’ll start by rewriting a plain, government-issue news release. Then we’ll flesh it out for credit with some good old fashioned legwork and see the difference in what we can write.
Readings:
Deadline: Fri. Oct. 5, 5 p.m.: Transcript final draft due (15%)
Attendance: Mandatory
Deadlines and Marking: In-class assignments can be dropped off at Dean’s office, Room 162 or Fred’s office, Room163, depending on who led the class. Please submit the Transcript assignments by e-mail to: djobb@dal.ca and the “Interviewing” assignment to fred.vallancejones@ukings.ns.ca
- Friday Aug. 30, 5 p.m.: “Interviewing” assignment due. Mark: 15%
- Wednesday Sept. 12, 5 p.m. – Transcript story idea due.
- Friday Sept. 28, 5 p.m. – Transcript first draft due. Mark: 20%
- Friday Oct. 5, 5 p.m. – Transcript final draft due. Mark: 15%
- Seven in-class assignments Mark: 5% each, total 45%
- Two news quizzes: Mark 5 %
Late Assignments: The only acceptable excuse for missing an in-class quiz or assignment (including unmarked in-class assignments) or a deadline for submitting an assignment is illness, family emergency or other personal crisis. While that will relieve you of the obligation to meet the deadline, it will not relieve you of the obligation to complete the required work. One-third of a mark will be deducted for each day an assignment is late. For example, a story that would have received a B+ if it had been submitted on time will receive a B if it is one day late, a B- if it is two days late, and a C+ on the third day. If the assignment is not passed in by noon of the third day, the mark will be F.
Intellectual Honesty: Plagiarism is a form of academic fraud. It is a writer’s presentation of the work of another person in such a way as to give the reader reason to think it is the writer’s own work. Self-plagiarism is the submission of work by a person which is the same or substantially the same as work for which he or she has already received academic or professional credit. Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offence, which may lead to loss of credit, suspension or expulsion from the university, or even the revocation of a degree. For more information, see the King’s calendar, pp. 38-44 and the Dalhousie University calendar, pp. 34-35.
Students with disabilities should register as quickly as possible at Student Accessibility Services if they want to receive academic accommodations. Phone 494-2836, e-mail disabilities@dal.ca, or drop in at the Killam Library, G28. Website |
