JOURN 220 Course Outline Page 1 of 6
Instructor: Jason Nix | 509.533.4185 | [email protected] | @sfcc_journalism
Building 19, Room 119 | Office hours: M-F 9:20 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. and by appointment
COURSE OUTLINE WEEK ONE (APRIL 1-5)
Class introductions/expectations
From Chapter One: The story of journalism Newsroom heroes, legends and folklore The birth of journalism News in the 19th century
News in the 20th century Today’s changing media landscape The student journalists’ news attitude survey
On the Web: Poynter NewsU The Be A Reporter Game The Interview
USC Annenberg Video Series Annenberg Video Series What is News?
Test: Chapter One and online content (TBA)
WEEK TWO (APRIL 8-12) Special Instructions for Monday, Week Two: Bring one copy of any daily newspaper to class (for example: The New York Times, The Spokesman-Review, or USA Today). Also, bring one copy of any weekly newspaper (The Inlander, The Seattle Weekly, etc.)
Monday’s class discussion: The anatomy of a newspaper
What are the sections of a newspaper? Why is a paper constructed this way? How do online papers differ?
From Chapter Two: How newsrooms work What is news? What readers read How a story gets written How the news comes together Who’s who in the newsroom What it’s called
JOURNALISM 220 INTRODUCTION TO NEWSWRITING
JOURN 220 Course Outline Page 2 of 6
Tools, talent and temperament
On the Web: Poynter NewsU News Sense: The Building Blocks of News
Annenberg Video Series Annenberg Video Series Hard News Leads Annenberg Video Series News Writing Language and Style
Field Trip: local media tour; Time TBA
Test: Chapter Two (Friday)
Major Writing Assignment One Due: (Thursday) Peer review on Wednesday
WEEK THREE (APRIL 15-19) From Chapter Three:
Newswriting basics Just the facts, ma’am The five W’s The inverted pyramid Writing basic news leads Beyond the basic news lead Leads that succeed After the lead … what next? Story structure
Rewriting Editing
On the Web: Annenberg Video Series Annenberg Video Series Dealing with Sources Annenberg Video Series Development and organization of a Story
Profile Piece Due: (Friday) Peer review on Wednesday, Thursday
JOURN 220 Course Outline Page 3 of 6
WEEK FOUR (APRIL 22-26)
Continued from Chapter Three: Newswriting basics Newswriting style Making deadline Newswriting tips Test yourself
City Makes a U-Turn: Speed Zone Set for Country Club, by Alandra Johnson The City has $548 Million: What do You Want?, by Bryan Gilmer All This Ice, and the Captain is Hot, by Judd Silvka
Test: Chapter Three (Friday)
Story Idea List Due Tuesday Peer review Monday
Special assignment for this week: Attend a Spokane (or Spokane Valley) City Council meeting and take notes. We’ll discuss your notes in class.
WEEK FIVE (APRIL 29 – MAY 3) From Chapter Four:
Reporting basics Where stories come from Finding and using sources Using the Internet Observation
Taking notes Interviewing Quotations Attributions Math for Journalists Diversity in news coverage
Test yourself
Test: Chapter Four (Friday)
SFCC Speech or Meeting Story Due Friday Peer review Wednesday, Thursday
On the Web: Poynter NewsU Cleaning Your Copy: Grammar, Style, and More Math for Journalists Annenberg Video Series Good Writing vs. Good Reporting
JOURN 220 Course Outline Page 4 of 6
WEEK SIX (MAY 6-10) From Chapter Five:
Covering the News Covering a beat Writing obituaries Covering accidents and disasters Covering fires Covering crime Covering courts Covering speeches Covering meetings Covering politics Covering sports Test yourself
Student-teacher conferences: Schedule TBA
On the Web: Poynter NewsU Introduction to Reporting: Beat Basics On the beat: Covering Cops and Crime Annenberg Video Series Beat Reporting
Test: Chapter Five (Friday)
WEEK SEVEN (MAY 13-17)
From Chapter Six: Beyond Breaking News The world of features Generating story ideas Feature style Feature story structures Writing profiles Test yourself
On the Web: Poynter NewsU Beyond the Inverted Pyramid: Creating Alternative Story Forms Annenberg Video Series Annenberg Video Series Feature Writing Styles
City Council Meeting Story Due Wednesday Peer review on Monday and Tuesday
Test: Chapter Six (Friday)
JOURN 220 Course Outline Page 5 of 6
WEEK EIGHT (MAY 20-23) From Chapter Eight:
Digital Journalism From print to the Web Reporting on multiple platforms Journalism and social media Blogging Updating stories online
Writing for the Web Incorporating links Incorporating multimedia Encouraging user participation Media Convergence Planning online packages Test yourself
On the Web: Annenberg Video Series Public Relations Writing
Poynter NewsU Anatomy of a Multimedia News Organization
From Chapter Seven: Law and Ethics Press rights When things go wrong Understanding libel Invasion of privacy Copyright law
Wild Card Hard News story Due: (Thursday) Peer review on Tuesday, Wednesday
Test: Chapter Eight (Wednesday)
WEEK NINE (MAY 28 - 31)
Law and Ethics Taste and decency (and censorship) The Seven Deadly Sins Journalistic Ethics Ethics survey Test yourself
On the Web: Annenberg Video Series The Ethics of Journalism Annenberg Video Series Media Law
Test: Chapter Seven (Friday)
JOURN 220 Course Outline Page 6 of 6
WEEKS TEN AND ELEVEN (JUNE 3 - 13)
From Chapter Ten: Public Relations
What is public relations? Planning a PR strategy Writing news releases Balance, bias and spin The Press Room
Hidden Spokane story Due: (Thursday, Week 11) Peer review on Tuesday, Wednesday
Test: Chapter Ten (Friday)
FINAL EXAM:
8:30 a.m. class Date: Wednesday, Dec. 12
Time: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Location: Distance Learning testing room
10:30 a.m. class
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 11 Time: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Location: Distance Learning testing room