Section 1: Syllabus

Catalog Description Including Prerequisites

JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION 1105
News Reporting and Writing
3 credit hours
Develops basic journalistic skills in reporting and writing news stories. Includes form and organization of news stories, leads, reporting of speeches and meetings, interviews, news gathering simulations and live exercises. Uses Internet, CD, word processing and other reporting resource technologies for assignments. Prerequisites: None.

Course Goals & Expected Student Outcomes

News reporting and writing includes the techniques of news gathering, reporting and interviewing; the use of library and online database research methods and other related skills. Students write basic stories under real time constraints. On successful completion of the course, students will be able to: (1) write clear, concise, accurate, complete, balanced and readable news stories; (2) define what constitutes news and how news stories differ from features and opinion pieces; (3) effectively apply research skills for writing news stories; (4) write effective leads; (5) write a variety of types of news stories; (6) gather and write news in an ethical manner and apply the laws governing journalists; (7) demonstrate knowledge of AP stylebook rules; and (8)write under deadline pressure.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to do the following:

1. Apply skills in writing clear, concise, accurate, complete, balanced and readable news stories, according to standard newswriting guidelines

2. Apply journalistic questioning techniques while conducting interviews with news sources

3. Demonstrate basic journalistic skills to news lead writing

4. Apply basic news style to lead writing

5. Demonstrate introductory skills in electronic copy preparation through standard word processing and page layout systems

6. Define the elements of news and how news differs from features, opinion pieces, and other forms of journalistic writing

7. Apply journalistic research skills to write publishable balanced and multi-sourced news stories

8. Compose a variety of news story types, including government meetings, speech coverage, local government budgets, police news, interviews, live events, and surveys

9. Compose assignments under deadline pressure

10. Demonstrate knowledge of Associated Press stylebook rules as applied to print journalism style

11. Demonstrate an understanding of the laws and ethics of newswriting

Course Materials

News Reporting and Writing, 10^th Edition, Mencher, Melvin. Publisher: McGraw Hill, 2006 (Packaged with NRW Plus Student CD-ROM and Brush UP: A Quick Guide to Writing and Math Skills CD-ROM.)

ISBN – 0072981059. Order from efollett.com online or the College of DuPage bookstore, or a bookstore of your choice.

Student Course Materials, Library video and audio tapes.

Students are strongly encouraged to register their e-mail addresses with College of DuPage to allow better communication with the instructor and faster return of graded assignments. COD maintains a large number of computers for free student use at all its facilities.

Audio and Video Tapes

Videotapes for this course are available at the College of DuPage Library circulation desk for check out.

Delivery System

The student works independently with the instructor via e-mail, phone and private appointment, per student request.

Orientation

None required for this course. You may arrange for an individualized orientation by contacting the instructor during scheduled office hours as noted on the Course Information Sheet. It is helpful if you read through your packet first and then call or email with specific questions.

Assignments

To assess your skills and knowledge, you will be required to submit unit activities listed in the Course Handbook. All assignments must be e-mailed from the official College of DuPage assigned e-mail address to the instructor’s e-mail address listed on the Course Information Sheet.

Unit Number	Assignment	Point Value
1A 1B	· News value identification · Attribution analysis	10 10

2A	· Classic knowledge quiz	10

3A 3B	· Summary of Sunshine laws · Annotated list of official sources & thesis for story on higher education	10 10

4A	· Develop 25 different news leads based on “Covering Chiapas” video	10

5A 5B	· News coverage analysis of “When Evil Struck” CD · Develop news story of “Operation Thunderbolt”	10 10

6A	· You Be the Reporter · AP style exercises	10 10

7A	· Covering Speeches	10

8A	· City Council online – National Cold Storage story	20

9A	· City Council online – Budget story · Property tax sheet	20 10
10A	· Sports checklist – page 432 · Business vs. labor Newspaper story analysis	10 10

11A	· Using hunches in news: Einstein’s model page 340	10

12A	· Using trial procedure on page 417, analyze newspaper example	10

13A	· Developing George W. Bush obit with 20 annotated sources		10

14A	· Live meeting coverage		20

15A	· Live event coverage	20

EXAMS

Both the midterm and final exams will be multiple choice and true/false questions. The midterm exam covers material from Units 1-7. The final exam covers material from Units 8-15. You should plan to take the midterm after Unit 7 and the final after Unit 15, although you may take them any time during the course. Exams must be completed by the last regular instruction day before the week of Final Exams/Culminating Activities. The last regular instruction day is one week before the end of the semester.

No retakes will be allowed for either exam, which will be administered in the IC 100 Testing Center on COD’s main Glen Ellyn campus in the Berg Instructional Center. Students may take as much time as needed to complete the test. No outside resources such as the text or a dictionary will be allowed.

Grading Policy

Your final grade will be based on the total number of points earned during the term as a percent of the total number of possible points.

• Two exams (midterm and final each 100 points) –200 points

• Assignments –250 points

To obtain a perfect score on the activities, the work submitted must be perfect.

Points will be deducted for the following:

Missing identification information

Your Name, Course Name, Name of Assignment, Date

Spelling, grammar, punctuation and factual errors

Incorrect writing assignments

No prior approval for specified assignments

Improper electronic submission. All assignments must be submitted to the instructor via the official College of DuPage e-mail address mailed to your home, or official COD address. No paper or faxed copies of assignments will be accepted. All work must be word processed.

Your final class grade will be assigned as follows:

Grade

Score

450 – 405

404 – 360

359 – 315

314 – 270

-269

100 - 90%

89.9 - 80%

79.9 - 70%

69.9 - 60%

59.9 - 0%

Testing Locations

Students registered in the CIL in Glen Ellyn should take their exams in the Assessment and Testing Lab in IC 100. Appointments are not required, but check the testing lab for open hours. The testing lab is not open on Sunday.

When you are ready to take an exam, sign in at the front desk of the testing lab. You will need a photo ID and evidence of enrollment in the course.

You may not use notes or books during the exam. No food, drink, pagers or cell phones are allowed in the testing room.

All tests must be completed in one sitting. All tests will be collected 10 minutes prior to closing. It is important for you to plan sufficient time to complete your test within the Center’s hours. No additional time will be given to complete a test. No tests are distributed 30 minutes prior to closing.

Satisfactory/Fail (S/F) Grade Option

If you choose the “Satisfactory/Fail” grading option for this course, you must sign the "Satisfactory/Fail" option that is available from the Records Office or the Center for Independent Learning (CIL). To achieve a grade of “S” in this course, you must have enough points to earn a grade of “C-” Grade option forms will be submitted to the Records office by the instructor of record with the final grade report forms.

Grade options will not be changed after they have been sent to the Records office. The satisfactory of "S" grade will not be computed in the GPA; the fail or "F" grade will be computed. Students seeking any associate's degree may apply only 20-term hours of satisfactory or "S" credit toward these degrees. It may be issued under the following conditions:

A written statement must be completed and signed by the student and the instructor on or before 8^th week in the term.

The student must have achieved 70 percent or more of the total available points in the course to receive a Satisfactory (S) grade.

Incomplete Policy

Grade of “I” (Incomplete) are not granted in this course under any circumstance. A student who doesn’t finish the course will be graded on the work submitted with “0” (zero) calculated for assignments or tests that haven’t been submitted. Students who don’t complete the course should see the Withdrawal Policy below.

Withdrawal Policy

Course Withdrawals

Students are encouraged to consult directly with the instructor when considering a course withdrawal. The student may withdraw from a course by contacting the Registration office up to the eighth calendar day following the midterm date in any term (or the equivalent in any term of non-standard length). Thereafter, a grade will be assigned which reflects the student’s actual performance in the class. Exceptions require an agreement with the instructor and the student. Written permission to withdraw signed by the instructor must be presented to the Registration office by the student BEFORE THE FINAL EXAM/CULMINATING ACTIVITIES WEEK.

Medical Withdrawals

Initiate a medical withdrawal from credit classes for medical reasons by contacting the office of the Director of Admissions, Registration and Records, (630)942-4284. Verification from a physician or medical institution is required. A request for medical withdrawal does not guarantee the refund of tuition or the grade of “W”. You will be notified of the decision to grant a medical withdrawal within three weeks.

Administrative Withdrawals

Students not actively pursuing the completion of course objectives may be withdrawn from the class by the instructor, any time up to two weeks prior to the end of the term and given a grade of “W”.

Plagiarism/Academic Dishonesty Policy

All work submitted for credit must be completed by the student who is registered for the course. Students found guilty of plagiarism will fail the course and might be excluded from other telelearning and alternative delivery courses. Disciplinary action will be pursued in all instances in which it is determined that academic dishonesty has occurred. Academic dishonesty can include the dishonest use of course materials such as student papers and exams.

Library Information

The College of DuPage Library has a wealth of information in both print and online formats. The Library homepage is found at http://www.cod.edu/library. To access the online sources, click on Article Databases under the Quick Links heading. You may access these databases from within the Library or from off-campus with a College of DuPage library card. You will need to come to the Library or an Off-Campus Center for Independent Learning to get a card.

The Library is located in the Student Resource Center (SRC) building at the Glen Ellyn campus.

Additional information regarding the current Library hours and services can be obtained by visiting their web site at www.cod.edu/library.

Computer Use

The Library computers may be used for more than accessing the Library Catalog and online sources. You can also use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.

Center for Independent Learning (CIL) computer labs are intended for all CIL students; therefore, use must be restricted to tasks that take less than 30 minutes. You may use tutorials and review course materials with your instructor. Access is granted on a first-come, first serve basis.

Academic Computing Center (ACC) is located in the Student Resource Center (SRC) room 3600. The Academic Computing Center is open for use by individuals registered at College of DuPage, as well as, community residents.

Off-Campus Centers for Independent Learning welcome CIL students to use the computers. Access is granted on a first-come, first serve basis. To use computers at an Off-Campus center, the person must be currently enrolled at the College of DuPage and have a photo ID.

At all College of DuPage computer labs, you are expected to work independently and bring your own disks for your work. Please check for and remove viruses before each use. Disks are NOT available in the computer labs. Students must bring their own disks. No peripheral equipment (e.g. calculators, laptop computers, or mice) may be attached to any computer in the CIL. Students may NOT install software or programs on any computer in the computer labs.

Notes:

Section 3: Course Handbook

Foreword

This course focuses on the basic skills and knowledge needed for a journalism or mass communication career in news reporting and writing in print or electronic media. Students will learn a variety of techniques in order to write leads, develop news stories, infuse Associated Press style in their writing, coordinate news resources and apply interviewing skills. Computer usage, e-mail fundamentals and Internet savvy also are incorporated into this foundation course.

How to Use the Handbook Section

In this handbook, you will find the information you need to complete Journalism 1105. The course consists of 15 units. Each unit in this handbook follows this structure: an overview, a statement of objectives, key terms, learning activities, an assignment for submittal, and a self-test. You should complete one unit per week for a 15-week period, OR two units per week for an 8-week period.

Overview of the Unit: This is a brief statement intended to focus your attention on the subject matter of the unit.

Objectives of the Unit: Some general objectives are mentioned here to let you know what is expected of you in the unit to successfully complete the work by the due date.

Key Terms: One of the important objectives of this course is for you to correctly identify terminology associated with elements of news as defined in newspapers, magazines, press releases, broadcast outlets and new media. Self-tests will help you understand everyday news jargon as explained in the textbook.

Components of Learning Activities:

Textbook: The exact sections from the texts that you are to read and the activities you are to complete are listed.

Course labs: CD-ROM, Internet and paper-based exercises will reinforce learning concepts and prepare you for graded assignments and exams. Students must word process all graded assignments for paper or electronic submission.

Assignments: Points are awarded toward your final grade for each submitted assignment. Should you have a question, call the instructor for clarification. Your instructor wants you to do as well as possible and have a good learning experience.

Word process your name, assignment name and date on each assignment. Only plain text e-mailed assignments will be accepted.

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

You must use your official College of DuPage Campus Cruiser e-mail address to submit all assignments. This is the only e-mail address that will be kept in your student file for communication. All prior e-mail addresses on file will be removed and no others will be allowed.

Your new college e-mail address will be mailed in a letter to your home address with instructions and passwords. You must submit your word processed assignment for this class through the dupage.edu e-mail address that will be mailed to your home address.

The e-mail address will list your lastname, firstname and last 4 digits of your student ID (Social Security number). To help you remember, the temporary password will be the first two letters of your city’s name plus your PIN number. The default account name will be on the form.

A typical e-mail address would like doe.john.6789@dupage.edu You will be prompted to change your password when you first sign on.

If you can’t remember the password, go to the registration page at http://weblink.cod.edu/login. After signing in with your student ID and PIN, follow the links to reset your email account password.

Please submit your assignment as a plain text (no attachments) message through your official college e-mail address All assignments must be word processed and submitted as plain text e-mail message through the official e-mail address that you receive by postal mail from College of DuPage after you register. DO NOT SUBMIT ASSIGNMENTS AS E-MAIL ATTACHMENTS. To pace yourself and get instructor feedback, this assignment should be submitted at the end of the first week of the term. However, there is no specific due date.

If you misplace and do not receive your official campus e-mail address, please contact the office of Admissions, Registration and Records at 630-942-2482.

Your final due date for all assignments and tests is noon on the last day of the regular term before the Final exam/Culminating Activities Week, or date designated by your instructor. Please contact the instructor for exact dates because terms may change.

Self Test: These tests are similar in format to the actual Midterm and Final exams you will take. Do not submit self test answers to the instructor. Questions are meant to help you focus your study. Use the text to find the answers.

Unit 1: Introduction to the Ingredients and Criteria for News Writing

Overview of the Unit

This unit introduces you to traditional criteria of newsworthiness, factors that affect news development and treatment, and guidelines for determining the importance of news in a gatekeeping process.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit you will be able to:

Explain the news filtering process.

List and explain the seven categories for newsworthiness

Define and explain factors affecting news treatment

Describe differences in news judgment as applied by editors

Learning Activities

Read Chapters 1-3 in the textbook.

View the video, “What is News?” (14 minutes). It is available at the Library circulation desk of COD’s Glen Ellyn campus. The video call number is PN4783.W48 1997.

View the video from “Before the first word” (29 minutes). It is available at the Library circulation desk of COD’s Glen Ellyn campus. The video call number is PN4781.B4 1982.

Review key terms. Use the textbook index to locate pages on which these words appear.

Complete and submit Unit 1 assignments.

Take Unit 1 Self Test and check answers. DO NOT SUBMIT.

Key Terms

Chapters 1-3:

news

prominence

balance

credibility

timeliness

proximity

demographics

conflict

objectivity

hard news

impact

human interest

news instinct

audience

competition

news mix

verification

consequence

news judgment

trial balloon

Notes:

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Assignments should be submitted after you finish each unit when the information is fresh in your mind. Pace yourself to finish one unit a week, except when terms are shorter because of holidays or summer schedules. All assignments must be finished and submitted on the last day of the regular term before the Finals/Culminating Activities Week, approximately 1 week prior to the semester end listed on the official college calendar.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade if the instructor doesn’t know who submitted the assignment.

Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Assignment 1A -

(Estimated completion time 75 minutes. Finished assignment should be approximately 500 words.)

The purpose of this assignment is to develop your awareness of news values in the journalist’s decision to cover one story over another.

Go to the NRW Plus CD-ROM. In the Chapter 1 – On the Job exercise, click on Supplement. Then click on both At USA Today and Terror Bombings. These readings will explain some of the behind-the-scenes actions that one top U.S. media organization took in deciding how to cover news.

For your assignment, explain how the fast-breaking individual “events” of the 9/11 larger news story defined the overall news coverage for weeks and months to come based on the 8 factors starting on page 58 of the Mencher textbook that affect news decisions. You’ll note that Mencher defines these factors throughout Chapter 3.

Assignment 1B

(Estimated completion time 30-45 minutes.)

Chapter 2 lists four types of attribution on page 39. Your assignment is to look through a daily newspaper for one example each for the following attribution types:

1) On the record – official source name and title

2) On background – statements made by spokespersons

3) On deep background – statements vaguely attributed

4) On the record – secondary sources such as quoting other publications, radio, television or the Internet

Self Test (These questions will be used as a basis for exams)

1. List the eight factors that determine the newsworthiness of events, personalities and ideas.

2. Name the six characteristics of a reporter.

3. Editors tell their news writers that journalism begins with the ABCs. What does this stand for?

4. What are the generally-accepted four types of attribution?

5. Name the well-known broadcast journalist who made a transition from radio to television in the early 1950s and pioneered in-depth reporting.

6. What are newspaper chains?

7. What are the two concepts of attribution?

8. Define the three methods of news filtering.

9. What is the principal source of revenue for media?

10. What is objective reporting?

Notes:

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade if the instructor doesn’t know who submitted the assignment.

Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Unit 2 Assignment 2A – 10 points

(Estimated completion time 60 minutes )

The National Assessment of Educational Progress tested 8,000 17-year-olds of different races, both sexes and in all regions of the United States. Let’s see how well you do in finding some of the correct answers. Use your favorite search engine on the Internet to find the answers to the following statements. List the URL where you find the information for each question after your answer. List both the statement and your answer as part of the assignment. See page 271 for some background. This tests your overall knowledge, much as the ACT and other nationally-scored tests do.

1. Identify the following famous people from their last names in 50 words or less.

· Joyce

· Dostoyevsky

· Ellison

· Conrad

· Ibsen

2. Name a principal work by each of the above famous people.

3. Write a sentence to identify Chaucer and the importance of “The Canterbury Tales.”

4. Quote the Christian biblical verse associated with Job and patience.

5. State the date, place and suspect in the assassination of Pres. Abraham Lincoln.

6. What was the World War II event that killed the most people, civilian and military? List your source, too.

7. What is the Magna Charta (Carta) and what were the circumstances of its enactment–who authored it and where was it enacted? Why is it significant? List your source, too.

Self Test (These questions will be used as a basis for exams)

1. In familiarizing yourself with records that are accessible to the public, name five or more

public records.

2. All states have “Sunshine laws.” True or False.

3. What are “Sunshine laws”?

4. When was the Freedom of Information Act enacted by Congress?

5. Although it took 17 years to receive information, what did the San Francisco Chronicle

newspaper find out in 2002 from a Freedom of Information Act request?

6. The Census Bureau data is available only through a Freedom of Information Act request.

True or False

Notes:

Unit 4: Gathering Facts and Writing News Story Angles

Overview of the Unit

This unit will help you learn the importance journalistic thinking in lead writing.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit you will be able to:

Organize lead information based on what’s most important

Demonstrate understanding of writing different news story angles

Learning Activities

1. Read Chapter 5 in the text.

2. View the videos from the Effective Newswriting series: “Part 3 – News writing language and style” (30 minutes) and “Part 4 – Development and organization of a story (30 minutes). View “Covering Chiapas” in preparation for your assignment. Both are on the same VHS tape available at the Library circulation desk of COD’s Glen Ellyn campus. The video call numbers are PN4775.N4 1995.

3. Review key terms. Some may not be in the chapters you read.

4. Take Unit 4 Self Test and check answers. DO NOT SUBMIT.

Key Terms

Chapters 5:

spot news

inverted pyramid

action verbs

human interest

euphemisms

sentence length

transition

readability

news order

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. For more information, go to “My COD” on the College of DuPage home page, www.cod.edu

No attachments will be accepted. You should use standard word processing software and save your original work on removable media such as a rewritable CD, diskette, jump drive or zip drive to be able to retrieve it if you need it, or you should save your original work in your e-mail folder or on your hard drive.

1. Copy your work electronically according to your software and computer instructions.

2. Paste it into the e-mail message box. Because of formatting differences, check that all paragraphs are properly spaced or indented.

3. Make sure you copy all of the text that you write.

4. To pace yourself and get instructor feedback, this assignment should

be submitted before you start the next unit. Prompt submissions will

assure prompt instructor feedback. Assignments submitted at the end

of the course will not be returned in time for you to learn from your

mistakes.

Unit 4 Assignment 4A

(Worth up to 10 points)

After viewing the “Covering Chiapas” video, research the Internet for stories written on the continuing political struggle in the Chiapas region of Mexico. Your assignment is to write 25 different news leads developed from the information you learned in the video. For example, you know that Amy Goodman is the reporter in the video. One scene shows many reporters in the newsroom in San Cristobal de las Casas all writing stories. Goodman talks about the angle she is taking as a radio reporter for Pacifica radio. You must develop leads that emphasize different aspects of the issues. Each lead is a complete sentence that would be suitable for the first paragraph only of a story about Chiapas. Approximately half of the leads must use information from the video. The remaining leads should use more updated information from Internet about the current plight of the Chiapas region. Make sure that you identify where the information comes from for each lead. Experiment with the leads, but remember that each lead should be fit for a news story or news feature story. Evaluation of your leads will be based on correct journalistic style, correct grammar, adequate citations for each lead and correct information. DO NOT MAKE UP INFORMATION.

SELF TEST

1. Active verbs are always preferred to passive verbs in news writing. True or False

2. Good writing has what four characteristics?

3. What is a “euphemism”?

4. It is a good idea to substitute many synonyms for the word “said” so readers don’t become bored with a story. True or False

5. A good example of why a reporter needs to have a firm understanding of word usage is contained in the following headline: “Baker Field Sight of Football Triumph/ Soccer Hopes for Tourney Birth after 2-1 Win.” Which words were not caught by the computer spelling checker?

6. Although the shorter the sentence, the easier it is to read, a series of sentences that read like a passive from “Dick and Jane” would not provide variety, rhythm and balance, according to Melvin Mencher. True or False

7. Conjunctions are connecting words that link sentences. Some of the most used are “the,” “you” and “said.” True or False

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Assignments should be submitted after you finish each unit when the information is fresh in your mind. Pace yourself to finish one unit a week, except when terms are shorter because of holidays or summer schedules. All assignments must be finished and submitted before the first day of Finals/Culminating Activities Week, approximately 1 week prior to the semester end listed on the official college calendar.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade if the instructor doesn’t know who submitted the assignment.

Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Unit 5 Assignment 5A

(Worth up to 10 points)

After viewing the video “Operation Thunderbolt” and CD “When Evil Struck America,” write a 500-word analysis comparing what you learned about disaster coverage from both. Your essay must address issues from the accident coverage checklist in Chapter 18, such as listing the number of dead and injured, as well as property damage. You must answer the how and why of news values for disaster and accident coverage by expanding on the concern for statistical accuracy. In addition, please examine the angles that can be taken for hard news coverage. Remember: “Operation Thunderbolt” was a simulated disaster while “When Evil Struck America” talked about news coverage from a real event. Examine the process of disaster and accident news coverage, as exemplified on the CD.

Unit 5 Assignment 5B

(Worth up to 10 points)

After viewing the video “Operation Thunderbolt,” use the simulation “facts” to write a “simulated” news story. DO NOT MAKE UP ANY INFORMATION. USE ONLY INFORMATION FROM THE VIDEO. Your story should be approximately 300-350 words, including all the necessary information that you can find from the video to “cover” the event. The event takes place in Oak Brook and involves a tornado that hit the area, killing and injuring people, as well as causing property damage. You should cite names, locations and statistics from the video, as if this were a real story. Use the disaster and accident checklist from Chapter 18. Also include quotes from officials who speak on the video in reaction to the tornado’s damage.

Self Test

1. A story about an accident in which at least one person has died is called what?

2. The most dangerous place to walk is located where, according to the Surface Transportation Policy Project?

3. The most important item of information on the motor vehicle accident checklist is the speed, origin and destination of vehicles. True or False

4. Name some of the official sources for information in an accident or disaster.

5. What is the fastest-growing job category in government service, according to the textbook?

6. The relationship between a reporter and a police officer generally is good because both like to catch criminals. True or False.

7. Felony crimes fall into what two general categories?

8. The newsroom adage, “If it bleeds, it leads,” refers to what news tradition?

9. Define the Miranda warning.

10. What is an arraignment

Unit 6: Introduction to the Associated Press Style in Standard News Writing

Overview of the Unit

This unit will introduce students to the grammar, punctuation, spelling and capitalization rules developed by the Associated Press and other news organizations in setting a standard for news writing style.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit you will be able to:

· Use proper punctuation in news writing

· Explain the rules of AP capitalization

· List several rules of AP abbreviation

· Use titles and names according to AP style

Learning Activities

1. Read the Stylebook section starting on S-1 in the Appendix at the back of the text. Review this section several times until you are familiar with the rules and exceptions. This is an abbreviated version of “The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law,” which is available in the COD library and through bookstores.

2. View the CD-ROM, “You Be the Reporter.” (approximately 60-90 minutes to go through in Mac or PC versions. PN4786.R5 1994).

3. View the video from the Effective Newswriting series “Part 3 – New Writing Language & Style.” (30 minutes PN4775.N4 1995). The video and CD are available at the Library circulation desk of COD’s Glen Ellyn campus.

4. Review key terms. Some may not be in the chapters you read.

5. Go to Appendix F for Unit 6 assignments. SUBMIT THESE.

6. Take Unit 6 Self Test and check answers. DO NOT SUBMIT.

Key Terms

courtesy titles

popular names

numerals

plurals

stylebook

gender

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Assignments should be submitted after you finish each unit when the information is fresh in your mind. Pace yourself to finish one unit a week, except when terms are shorter because of holidays or summer schedules. All assignments must be finished and submitted by before the Finals/Culminating Activities Week, approximately 1 week prior to the semester end listed on the official college calendar.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade if the instructor doesn’t know who submitted the assignment.

Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Unit 6 Assignment 6A

(Worth up to 10 points)

Go to the library circulation desk to check out the “You Be the Reporter” CD. You will find several exercises on the CD that will help demonstrate your journalistic style and grammatical ability. Choose 4 exercises that you can do. Keep doing the exercises until you score 100 percent, or a score that you wish for the assignment.

Copy and paste the screen with your score for each of the 4 exercises that you choose into a plain e-mail text in the message area for your dupage.edu official college e-mail. Send to the instructor. Or, retype the information and copy into a plain text e-mail.

Self Test

Correct the style errors in the following sentences:

1. The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the case did not involve the 1^st Amendment.

2. The $8,900,000 fund would be used to help farmers hurt by the drought.

3. The Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins 5 to 3.

4. He said the odds were 3-2 that the Bulls would not repeat as champions.

5. Wednesday's high will be about 29 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Gladys Winston, twenty-one, and Prentice Houser, 19, will be married on Jan. 19^th.

7. She resides at 3,008 Paris Rd., which is in the 16^th Ward.

8. Housing costs may soar more than ten per cent annually during the next decade.

9. 15 more students are expected to enroll this year.

10. 1997 was a very good year for the rock group.

11. The homily should run an extra ten minutes today, he said.

12. Jersey's amendment would cut funding for the measure by 1/3.

13. She had received 5678 responses to the questionnaire by Sunday.

14. She is the number one student in a class of 1800.

15. He said Apple Computer Stock's value rose 100 points in less than 1 hour.

16. The firm of Griswald & Griswald Incorporated bid $9856 for the subcontract.

17. Police chief Don Wales said the seven per cent salary raise was sufficient.

18. Prof. Steve Miller quit his position as Chairman of the Faculty Senate.

19. New Orleans Tulane university was cited for the best agricultural program in Louisiana.

20. He was the Husband of Amy Starr, who died in the late 1970's.

Unit 7: Covering Speeches, Meetings and News Conferences

Overview of the Unit

This unit will help students discover the journalistic skills in listening to speeches, meetings and news conferences for important information in order to write news stories.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit you will be able to:

· Listen for important news in speeches

· Identify the theme of a speech

· Define the Illinois Open Meeting law

· List three exceptions to open meetings in Illinois

· Assess the importance of off-the-record information

· Develop a checklist for meeting coverage

Learning Activities

1. Read Chapter 16 in the text.

2. Go to NRW Plus CD-ROM for exercises related to Chapter 16 in the text. You’ll see a small black and white CD in the margins of Chapter 16 to guide you. See the web site of the Society of Professional Journalists, www.spj.org/foia, the Freedom of Information Center at the University of Missouri, www.missouri.edu/~foiwww/, and the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, www.freedomforum.org/first.

3. Go to the web site of the Illinois Attorney General’s office at www.ag.state.il.us/pdf/omg99.pdf to access a copy of the current Illinois Open Meetings Act, which is in a portable document format (PDF) for downloading.

4. Go to the library to listen to the “Great Speeches of the 20^th Century” CD-ROM (PN4201.G75 1991). It is available at the Circulation Desk of the main COD library in Glen Ellyn. Listen to your choice of 2 or 3 speeches from each of the four disks. You may wish to look online for speeches by famous people. However, check with your instructor for permission about which speech is appropriate.

5. Review key terms. Some may not be in the chapters you read.

6. Read and complete the assignment for Unit 7.

7. Take Unit 7 Self Test and check answers. DO NOT SUBMIT.

Key Terms

Chapters 16:

FOI

open-meeting laws

First Amendment

open-records laws

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Assignments should be submitted after you finish each unit when the information is fresh in your mind. Pace yourself to finish one unit a week, except when terms are shorter because of holidays or summer schedules. All assignments must be finished and submitted by the last day of the regular term before Finals/Culminating Activities Week, approximately 1 week prior to the semester end listed on the official college calendar.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade if the instructor doesn’t know who submitted the assignment.

Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Unit 7 Assignment 7A

(Worth up to 10 points)

After you listen to the “Great Speeches of the 20^th Century” CD-ROM, choose one of the speeches from the four disks to write up as if you had attended the speech. Write a 300-word speech coverage story, using the quotes from the tape for direct quote and paraphrased information. Your story should give the context of the speech (when and where it was first given), as well as some biographical information about the speaker from the time when the speaker lived. Again, do not make up any information, other than the pretense that the speech is current and you actually are attending the event. You may wish to look up other information about the time in which the speech was given so you can include ideas that the speaker has emphasized in similar speeches. If possible, find some information about any legislative or social recommendations that were being made.

Self Test

1. When was the Open Meetings Act enacted in Illinois?

2. Significant amendments were added in 1967, 1981 and 1994. True or False

3. An Appellate Court decision in one of the five districts of Illinois is binding in another district. True or False

4. Appellate Court decisions in any district are binding in all circuit courts if there are no contrary decisions in another district on the same issue. True or False

5. What state government officer/office is responsible for enforcement of the Open Meetings Act?

6. What is the intent of the Open Meetings Act?

7. Define a meeting, according to the Open Meetings Act.

8. How many exceptions exist to allow closed meetings under the Open Meetings Act?

9. Minutes of open meetings shall be available for public inspection within seven days of the approval of the minutes by the public body. True or False

10. A meeting of a political party committee is subject to the Open Meetings Act when the meeting is called to select a person to fill a vacancy in a public office until the next election. True or False

Notes:

Unit 8: Preparing for Specialty Beats: Localizing News

Overview of the Unit

This unit will give students a basic understanding of municipal and specialized local governments from a journalist's perspective. Students will learn how to write and analyze meeting stories, as well as understand local government terminology for follow-up questions.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit you will be able to:

· Explain common functions of a municipal government

· Define the two major systems of municipal government

· Explain how reporters cover beat stories

Learning Activities

1. Read Chapter 24 in the text.

2. View local governmental meetings on your local cable TV access channel if you have cable, or view some federal government hearings on C-SPAN. If you do not have cable access, or even if you do, check out stories on local government in area newspapers.

3. Read and complete the Unit 8 assignment

4. Review key terms. Some may not be in the chapters you read.

5. Take Unit 8 Self-Test and check answers. DO NOT SUBMIT.

Key Terms

Chapters 24:

beat system

meeting agenda

bonds

operating budget

user fees

police blotter (log)

capital budget

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Assignments should be submitted after you finish each unit when the information is fresh in your mind. Pace yourself to finish one unit a week, except when terms are shorter because of holidays or summer schedules. All assignments must be finished and submitted by the last day of the regular term before the Finals/Culminating Activities Week, approximately 1 week prior to the semester end listed on the official college calendar.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade if the instructor doesn’t know who submitted the assignment.

Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Unit 8 Assignment 8A

(Worth up to 20 points)

Go online to view Rich Cameron’s news simulation, “City Council,” at http://www.rcameron.com/journalism/citycouncil

Your assignment is to cover the National Cold Storage story. Familiarize yourself with the agenda, notes, Rolodex sources and other information in the newsroom simulation. All the questions and answers you need to do a story on the city council meeting topic of National Cold Storage are available within the program. You will not have to make up your own information or questions in order to write the story. It will take you approximately one hour to find all the necessary information to write the story, and another hour to write up the story. For those with slower Internet connections and poor word processing skills, this assignment could take up to an hour longer. DO NOT MAKE UP ANY INFORMATION. Use quotes, paraphrased information and the facts as provided in the program to write your story.

Self Test

1. What is the difference between a city resolution and a city ordinance?

2. Many of the municipal governments in the Chicago area, including DuPage, Cook and Kane Counties, use a council-manager form of government. Briefly define the council-manager system.

3. The city or village manager is an elected representative. True / False

4. The political side of municipal government, such as the city committees and commissions, usually report to the mayor and council. True / False

5. Almost half of the country’s population lives in suburbs. True or False.

Unit 9: Preparing for Local Government Budget Coverage

Overview of the Unit

Objectives

At the completion of this unit you will be able to:

· List the steps in the budget process

· List the main sources of revenue for local government

· Calculate property taxes

Learning Activities

1. Read Chapters 24 in the text.

3. Read and complete the Unit 9 assignments. SUBMIT THESE

4. Review key terms. Some may not be in the chapters you read.

5. Take Unit 8 Self-Test and check answers. DO NOT SUBMIT.

Key Terms

Chapters 24:

beat system

meeting agenda

bonds

operating budget

user fees

police blotter (log)

capital budget

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Assignments should be submitted after you finish each unit when the information is fresh in your mind. Pace yourself to finish one unit a week, except when terms are shorter because of holidays or summer schedules. All assignments must be finished and submitted before the first day of Finals/Culminating Activities Week, approximately 1 week prior to the semester end listed on the official college calendar.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade if the instructor doesn’t know who submitted the assignment.

Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Unit 9 Assignment 9A

(Worth up to 20 points)

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Go to the City Council program at http://www.rcameron.com/journalism/citycouncil to cover a budget story. Your story must be 350-450 words and include sufficient background information to explain to your readers how city budget and property taxes work in this community. The story also must include a comparison of the previous year's budget, as well as quotes from officials on the importance of the budget decisions.

Chapter 24 in the textbook contains many explanations and examples of budget stories.

Follow directions from previous units for submitting your assignment by e-mail.

Unit 9 Assignment 9B

(Worth up to 10 points)

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

CALCULATE ALL PROPERTY TAXES BASED ON THIS FOLLOWING INFORMATION on the Property Tax Worksheet below. Copy the finished worksheet paste it into a plain text e-mail message and send to your instructor.

To help you understand the importance of property tax as the chief source of revenue for most local government, re-read the textbook chapter and websites for this unit.

The Assessor might more accurately be called an appraiser. The Assessor does not tax, but rather places a value on all property for tax purposes.

The Assessor must estimate the market value of all property and assess that property at one-third its market value in the State of Illinois. The purpose of the assesses value is to proportion the tax burden, as established by the taxing bodies, over all the property in a taxing district in a fair and equitable manner based on the value of the real estate.

The Assessor’s office also keeps track of ownership changes, parcel boundaries on maps, descriptions and characteristics of properties; it helps individuals with exemptions and other forms of property relief. Most important, it analyzes trends in sales prices, construction costs, and rents to estimate the value of all-assessable residential, commercial, industrial, or farm property.

The Assessor does not create value. PEOPLE MAKE VALUE by their transactions in the market place. The Assessor simply has the legal responsibility to study those transactions and appraise your property accordingly.

Another source of up-to-date tax information is available from the following web sites:

National League of Cities

Illinois Department of Revenue

Notes:

Property Tax Worksheet

Student name: ________________________________________________________

Market value of property: $350,939

Assessed Value: one-third of market value (.3333)

State multiplier: 1.021

Equalized Assessed Value: (assessed value times state multiplier) Residential exemption: $2,000 (subtract from equalized assessed value)

Tax rates are calculated per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, minus any exemptions. Divide EAV minus exemption by 100. Multiply that figure by each tax rate to calculate taxes for each taxing district.

For total tax rates, add all the individual tax rates. For total taxes, add all the individual taxes.

District

Tax Rates

Taxes

City:

.7849

County:

.4745

Park District:

.4667

Library:

.3444

Fire Protection:

.5588

Airport:

.0412

Forest Preserve:

.0231

School District:

.0711

College of DuPage:

.2062

Mosquito District:

.2323

Township:

.0091

County Pension:

.0032

Township Roads:

.0095

TOTAL TAX RATES

TOTAL TAXES

TAXES DUE COLLEGE OF DUPAGE

Self Test

6. Define a story budget.

7. Define a capital budget.

8. In a local government budgeting process, what is the first step?

9. When are the usual dates for a fiscal year?

10. How is a capital budget different from an operating budget?

Unit 10: Developing Specialty Beats in Sports and Business

Overview of the Unit

This unit will teach students how to develop the various kinds of specialty beats that round out total news coverage. Students will learn how to use a checklist approach to develop complete stories and how to analyze news bias in beat coverage in limited beat areas.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit you will be able to:

· Ask specific questions of news sources to develop specialty beat stories

· Analyze news coverage for bias in coverage angle choices

Learning Activities

1. Read Chapter 22 in the text. Highlight or write key terms that you read from the list above.

2. Use the Internet to access press releases and speeches from corporate and government officials.

3. View the video “Effective Newswriting – Part 15 -The Ethics of Journalism- (30 minutes PN4775.N4 1995)

4. Read and complete the Unit 10 assignments. SUBMIT THESE.

5. Review key terms. Some may not be in the chapters you read.

6. Take Unit 10 Self-Test and check answers. DO NOT SUBMIT.

Key Terms

Chapter 22:

Specialty beats

News angle

News bias

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Assignments should be submitted after you finish each unit when the information is fresh in your mind. Pace yourself to finish one unit a week, except when terms are shorter because of holidays or summer schedules. All assignments must be finished and submitted before the first day of Finals/Culminating Activities Week, approximately 1 week prior to the semester end listed on the official college calendar.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade. Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Unit 10 Assignment 10A

(Worth up to 10 points)

Using the sports checklist on page 432 of the Mencher textbook, find a relatively short sports news or news feature story to list out how all the areas are covered. Cite a portion of the checklist for each sentence or paragraph while you match the checklist to the information in the story. Make sure to match each sentence with a particular section of the checklist.

Unit 10 Assignment 10B

(Worth up to 10 points)

Write a 300-400 word analysis of the business section of a weekly or daily newspaper for a single day (a weekday may work best) to see how the section is balanced between business and labor news. You will have to develop some working definitions to differentiate business from labor news. Leave out the stock reports from your analysis. Define categories for news coverage: big business, small business, business news, business features, business news briefs, pictures, etc.

No Self Test for Unit 10.

Unit 11: Reporter Feelings and Observations in News Development

Overview of the Unit

This unit will help students learn to recognize the news value in hunches and feelings, as well as rational, disciplined thinking.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit you will be able to:

· Ask specific questions of news sources to confirm a hunch or feeling

· Write a news story with relevant observations

Learning Activities

1. Read Chapters 12 and 17 in the text. Highlight or write key terms that you read from the list above.

2. Read and complete Unit 11 assignments.

3. Review key terms. Some may not be in the chapters you read.

4. Take Unit 11 Self-Test and check answers. DO NOT SUBMIT.

Key Terms

Chapters 12 and 17:

Stereotypes, biases and fears

Relevant observations

Participant observations

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Assignments should be submitted after you finish each unit when the information is fresh in your mind. Pace yourself to finish one unit a week, except when terms are shorter because of holidays or summer schedules. All assignments must be finished and submitted before the first day of Finals/Culminating Activities Week, approximately 1 week prior to the semester end listed on the official college calendar.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade if the instructor doesn’t know who submitted the assignment.

Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Assignment 11A

(Worth up to 10 points)

Using Einstein’s model on page 340 in the Mencher text, develop a news story proposal based on your personal bias toward the truth. Explain why you believe the story is newsworthy and why you believe the way to you do based on relevant observations, and even participant observations. The story proposal should be 450-500 words. You should not use the Internet or any official sources to develop your proposal – only your hunch.

No Self Test.

Unit 14: Press Freedom and Libel Law

Overview of the Unit

Students will learn the underpinnings of constitutional law and legal precedent upon which news gathering freedoms are based.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit you will be able to:

· Apply libel law to news gathering practices

· Write journalistic stories that use public records and observe privacy

Learning Activities

1. Read Chapter 25 in the text. Highlight or write key terms that you read from the list above.

2. Read and complete the Unit 14 assignment. SUBMIT THIS.

3. Review key terms. Some may not be in the chapters you read.

4. Take Unit 14 Self-Test and check answers. DO NOT SUBMIT.

Key Terms

Chapter 25:

Libel

New York Times v. Sullivan

Public figures

Actual malice

Public officials

Conditional and absolute privilege

Reporter’s rights

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Assignments should be submitted after you finish each unit when the information is fresh in your mind. Pace yourself to finish one unit a week, except when terms are shorter because of holidays or summer schedules. All assignments must be finished and submitted before the first day of Finals/Culminating Activities Week, approximately 1 week prior to the semester end listed on the official college calendar.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade if the instructor doesn’t know who submitted the assignment.

Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Assignment 14A

(Worth up to 20 points)

This assignment applies many of the principles you have learned during the course. There are more than 6,000 local governments in Illinois so you should have little trouble in tracking down a public meeting to cover. The best opportunity to learn about coverage of local government is coverage of the College of DuPage Board of Trustees. COD is its own taxing district with a locally-elected governing board called the Board of Trustees. Most board meetings are open to the public as mandated by law.

To find a local government meeting to cover, you may call your local village or city hall, school board, park district or numerous other governing bodies for times, dates and places. Many times, public board meetings are listed on the home page for these governing bodies.

You must plan your time carefully because board meetings are scheduled on a regular, but scheduled, basis usually in the evenings Monday through Friday. Meetings are held at 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. normally.

After you cover the pre-approved local government meeting, you must submit your story within 48 hours.

Unit 15: Media Ethics in News Gathering

Overview of the Unit

This unit will help students develop and apply a personal code of ethics in relation to the standard codes used in the field of journalism and mass communication.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit you will be able to:

· Compare and contrast various journalistic codes of ethics

· Analyze differences between media law and journalistic codes of ethics

· Applying journalistic rules and codes to definition of offensive material

Learning Activities

1. Read Chapters 26 and 27 in the text. Highlight or write key terms that you read from the list above.

2. Read and complete the Unit 15 assignment. SUBMIT THIS.

3. Review key terms. Some may not be in the chapters you read.

4. Take Unit 15 Self-Test and check answers. DO NOT SUBMIT.

Key Terms

Chapters 26 and 27:

Offensive material

Cleansing a quotation

Commercial pressure

Filthy words

Obscenity

Defining taste

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Submit your summary/analysis via a plain text e-mail message by using your official Campus Cruiser college e-mail address. Send your assignment via e-mail to the instructor.

Note: The instructor maintains office hours in her office, SRC 1560 (Courier student newspaper). There are no required meeting times during this course..

Assignments should be submitted after you finish each unit when the information is fresh in your mind. Pace yourself to finish one unit a week, except when terms are shorter because of holidays or summer schedules. All assignments must be finished and submitted before the first day of Finals/Culminating Activities Week, approximately 1 week prior to the semester end listed on the official college calendar.

Each assignment must include the following information to link the assignment to you. Missing information may cost you your grade if the instructor doesn’t know who submitted the assignment.

Your First Name/Your Last Name

Journalism 1100-CIL

Term of enrollment

Assignment # - Name of Assignment

Date of Assignment

Assignment 15A

(Worth up to 20 points)

For your final assignment, you will choose a pre-approved live event to cover. You must attend this event, write your story and submit your story to the instructor all within 48 hours to prove your ability to work under deadline pressure.

Pre-approved events consist of any local government meeting, parades, fairs, local sporting events (not professional teams), or similar newsworthy events. Your instructor must pre-approve the event you plan to cover, so plan at least a week in advance.

This event does not include interviews; only events that are newsworthy. Covering a PTA meeting or local condo association meeting would NOT be examples of newsworthy events.

Your final story should be 350-400 words, and include quotes from official sources as well as eyewitnesses and your personal observations. Please use the textbook and area newspapers for examples of good event coverage.

Self Test – Study cases listed in both Chapters 26 and 27.

The following items should be included in this packet:
●	Course Information Sheet
●	Student Course Materials
●	Calendar

*Number*	*Required Text*	*Video Tapes*	*Assignments*	*Exam Number*
	Mencher – Ch. 1-3	• “Before the first word” • “What is News?”	1A – News Values 1B – Attribution analysis
	Mencher – Ch. 4	• “Following the paper trail: a journalist’s guide to locating legal documents” • “Effective Newswriting – Part 1”	2A – Classic knowledge quiz
	Mencher – Ch. 4	• “The Lead” • Effective Newswriting – Part 2”	3A - Summary of Sunshine laws 3B - Annotated list of official sources & thesis for higher education story
	Mencher – Ch. 5	• “Covering Chiapas” • “Effective Newswriting – Part 3- 4”	4A – Develop 25 different news leads based on “Covering Chiapas” video
	Mencher – Ch. 18	• “Effective Newswriting – Part 13” • “Operation Thunderbolt” • “When evil struck America” – CD	5A – Analysis coverage of “ When Evil Struck ” 5B – News story of “Operation Thunderbolt”
	Appendix –Stylebook S1	• “Effective Newswriting – Part 3” • “You Be the Reporter” – CD	6A – You Be the Reporter exercises
	Mencher – Ch. 16	• “Great Speeches of the 20^th Century” – CD • NRW Plus CD	7A – Speech leads/quotes	MIDTERM EXAM
	Mencher – Ch. 24	• NRW Plus – Assessment districts	8A – City Council online – National Cold Storage

*Number*	*Required Text*	*Video Tapes*	*Activity*	*Exam Number*
	Mencher – Ch. 24	• “Fear and Favor in the Newsroom” • “Effective Newswriting – Part 14”	9A – City Council online – Budget story 9B – Property tax sheet
	Mencher – Ch. 22	• Effective Newswriting – Part 15”	10A – Sports checklist story– page 432 10B – Business vs. labor coverage analysis
	Mencher – Ch. 12 & 17	No videos	11A – Using hunches in news: Einstein’s model on page 340
	Mencher – Ch. 20 & 21	• A Journalist’s Guide to Civil Procedure”	12A – Using trial procedure on page 417, analyze newspaper example
	Mencher – Ch. 19	No videos	13A – George W. Bush obit with 20 annotated sources.
	Mencher – Ch. 25	No videos	14A – Live meeting coverage
	Mencher – Ch. 26 & 27	No videos	15A – Live event coverage	FINAL EXAM

Journalism 1105

Course Withdrawals

Medical Withdrawals

Administrative Withdrawals

How to Use the Handbook Section

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Overview of the Unit

Objectives

Learning Activities

Key Terms

Chapters 1-3:

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Assignment 1A -

The purpose of this assignment is to develop your awareness of news values in the journalist’s decision to cover one story over another.

Assignment 1B

Self Test (These questions will be used as a basis for exams)

Overview of the Unit

Objectives

Learning Activities

Key Terms

Chapters 4

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Unit 2 Assignment 2A – 10 points

Self Test (These questions will be used as a basis for exams)

Overview of the Unit

Objectives

Learning Activities

Key Terms

Chapters 4:

Unit 3 Assignment 3A

Unit 3 Assignment 3B

Self Test

Overview of the Unit

Objectives

Learning Activities

Key Terms

Chapters 5:

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Unit 4 Assignment 4A

Overview of the Unit

Objectives

Learning Activities

Key Terms

Chapters 18:

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Unit 5 Assignment 5A

Unit 5 Assignment 5B

Self Test

Overview of the Unit

Objectives

Learning Activities

Key Terms

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Unit 6 Assignment 6A

Self Test

Overview of the Unit

Objectives

Learning Activities

1. Read Chapter 16 in the text.

Key Terms

Chapters 16:

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Unit 7 Assignment 7A

Self Test

Overview of the Unit

Objectives

Learning Activities

Key Terms

Chapters 24:

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Unit 8 Assignment 8A

Self Test

Unit 9: Preparing for Local Government Budget Coverage

Overview of the Unit

Objectives

Learning Activities

Key Terms

Chapters 24:

Guidelines for Submitting Assignments

Unit 9 Assignment 9A