Abbreviations: IR = Inside Reporting; WWC = When Words Collide

Week 1: Course introduction, news values, leads

• Lecture: Leads and inverted pyramid [diagram].
• Lab: Lead writing
• Readings: Plagiarism guidelines (.pdf), News values, stories to evaluate [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
• Open-book quiz (for section 6)
• Bring lab manual and permission forms

Week 2: Basics of news writing

• In lab: Basic writing assignment.
• Lecture: Week one corrections, copy editing marks, quiz
• Exercises: [1] [2]
• Readings: Inside Reporting (IR) pp. 6-44;
  • IR pp. 52-59, 201 ("Openers");
  • Lab manual, 4-7, When Words Collide (WWC) chapter 8;
• No class Monday

Week 3: Using quotes and attribution

• Lecture: Week two corrections, types of quotes (.pdf) and attribution
• Activity: Subjects, Verbs and Pronouns
• In lab: Complete two stories
• Readings: IR 80-83; Lab manual, quotes, She said-Said she, Zimmerman leads (anecdotal leads) [example]
• AP QUIZ: Abbreviations and acronyms, addresses, capitalization, directions, dimensions
  

Week 4: Profile stories

• Lab: Personality profile and interviewing subject.
• Lecture: Using transitions and interviewing.
• Profile example [another].
  
• Readings: IR, pp. 46-49, 118-119
  • Lab manual, organization
    
• AP QUIZ: Burglary (etc.), citizen (etc.), church, city council, closed shop (etc.), compose (etc.), disabled (etc.), every one, fractions, geographic names
  

Week 5: Usage

• Lecture: Using commas , confusing words
  
• Lab: News-feature writing assignment.
  
• Readings: IR 50-57, 132-133 (IMPORTANT P. 57);
  • Confusing words handout
  • Lizard story review
  • WWC Chapters 1,2,3, 4; Lab manual, Fixing and revising
    
• AP QUIZ: dateline (cities), lay/lie, majority/plurality, nationalities/race, numerals, percent
  

Week 6: Restaurant review

• In lab: Two stories
  
• Lecture: Libel
• Section 3: Quote/interview exercise
• Readings: WWC chapters 5, 6, 7, 13
  
• AP QUIZ: media, millions/billions, people/persons, plurals, possessives
  

Week 7: Ethics, libel, speech stories

• Readings: IR, 136-148, and review 118-119 & 102-103; WWC 11, 12;
  Also, guide to speech coverage
  
• WWC QUIZ (p. 187-204): adverse, affect, aholic, aid, allude, anxious, censor, collective nouns, complement, council, dash, discreet, elicit
• Midterm preview
• Restaurant review due
  

Week 8: Midterm

• Midterm exam
  
• Readings: IR 66-78, 112-121
  
• WWC QUIZ: Chapter 11
• Math for journalists and exercise
  

Week 9: Independent reporting, writing

• You are required to attend and report on one of the following events or speeches on campus:
  • Here is a brief guide to writing speech stories
  • Restorative Justice (10/20, 7:30 p.m.)
  • Campus Sustainability Day (10/22, 10 a.m. -- 2 p.m.)
  • Be eLiterate: Consider Blogs, Wikis & Podcasts (10/22, 4 p.m.)
  • Beauty Restored: The Moral Pull of the Beautiful (10/22, 7:30 p.m.)
  • Landscape: the Ground for Many Things (10/23, 5 p.m.)
    

Week 10: News release

• Lecture: Writing a news release
• Lab: Composing a news release
  • Sample news releases: FEMA, Microsoft, ACLU, PGE
• Slice of life story proposal
• Readings: IR, 70-71, 84-85, 154-162;
• Misplaced modifiers exercise
• WWC QUIZ: "Passive voice"
  

Week 11: Cover letters

• In lab: Cover letters
  • Recommended structure & assignment
  • Examples from CSU-Chico
  • Journalism dept's job cafe resource
• Researching using the Web
• Orion Stylebook, 2-17.
• ORION QUIZ: (PT. ONE) Academic courses, academic titles, arrested/charged, class standing, grades, police departments, students(identifying); (PT. TWO) bars in Chico, CAVE, California Faculty Association, residence halls, Thurs. night mkt.; UC and CSU schools. (Plus current events bonus)
  

Week 12: Slice of life story

• Writing the slice-of-life story
  
• Readings: IR, chapter 10
• Hourglass structure [related article]
• Due: Final project proposal [guidelines from CP]
  
• Quiz: Grammar exercises from p. 54-59 in the course packet
  

Week 13: Feature story

• Lab: Court case story
• Due: Final draft of slice-of-life story
  
• Readings: IR 102-103, Lab manual, speeches, final exam assignment
  
• AP QUIZ: Legislative titles, long time, months, pardon, people/persons, principal, second reference, Shariah, toward, times, who/whom

Week 14: Thanksgiving

• Thanksgiving break

Week 15: Conferences

• Student conferences with Blake during assigned time
  
• Readings: Review IR 66-73; profile lead example about GaryTrudeau
  

Week 16: Final project

• In-class story composition and revision
  
• Due: Final project
  

Finals week

• The final exam takes place in the lab (THMA 312)
  • Section 03 (morning): 10-11:50 a.m., Monday, 12/15
  • Section 06 (afternoon): 6-7:50 p.m., Wednesday, 12/17
• In-class writing activity is worth 10 percent of your final grade
  

 

Contact

I am available to meet with you or to help you when you need it. Do not hesitate to call my office or my home. But I cannot help you unless YOU ASK FOR HELP.

Please, do not wait until the semester is nearly over before meeting with me. If you have a physical problem or disability that affects your participation in this class, please see me immediately in private so that we can reach a reasonable accommodation.

 

Office: 530-898-3608
Cell: 352-225-1440
mdblake (at) csuchico.edu