Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "DJRN 221-2"
COURSE NAME: "Introduction to News Reporting and Writing"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2024

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Elizabeth Macias Gutierrez
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above
OFFICE HOURS: By Appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course introduces writing and reporting techniques for the mass media. It focuses on the essential elements of writing for the print, online and broadcast media. The course also covers media criticism, ethics in media, and the formats and styles of public relations.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
All students will be required to create an e-portfolio using WordPress. This is where students will post and share their work from class assignments. Students will be required to create a blog with 3 posts minimum: a news story, a review, and an organization profile. There will be additional writing activities, both inside and outside of class, consisting of various different projects, including a press release, media kit, and short scripts (audio and visual) for a public service announcement and podcast. This course will include guest lectures from different media specialists.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

· Learn legal and ethical principles of writing for the media

· Demonstrate an understanding of the history and role of writing for various media professions

· Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for a variety of communications professions

· Apply tools and technologies appropriate for different communications professions

· Critically assess institutional and individual media practices

· Understand how to promote and share written works online

· Conceive, draft, edit and finalize a basic script for visual and audio media

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
News story pitch (oral & written)	criteria to propose news story coverage according to beat	20%
News story draft	sources & interviewing / attribution and quoting/ inverted pyramid structure / lead	20%
News story final copy	research and response to feedback	25%
Research files	background, context, fact checking, further reading.	10%
Final news story AP style	graded in news story	5%
Class engagement	Workshops, Discussion- hands-on individual and group activities, instructor and student feedback, oral "quizzing" Moodle Activities- biweekly assignments and online courses in preparation for consecutive sessions and workshops.	10%
Ethics Reflection	course review, media criticism, PR,	10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY

You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until December 7.

Students will not be penalized for three absences from classes meeting twice a week.

Participation grade will be deducted by 5 points for each additional absence beyond the three absences.

Three late arrivals count as one absence. A late arrival begins after one minute of the official class time.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Our journalism experience consists of 28 sessions across 14 weeks. Moodle is the main and mandatory platform of the course.

Course material: handouts, manuals, script templates and numerous Internet resources including an ethics course. You are expected to read and used all material.

Please refer to our Moodle course for a detailed bi-weekly breakdown of each session, with resources, activities and assignments and other course material. Each in-class session requires both preparation and follow up (homework).

COURSE BOOOK: For further reference of instructor’s classes the recommended books are: Journalism: Principles and Practice by Tony Harcup/ The Online Journalism Handbook: Skills to Survive and Thrive in the Digital Age by Paul Bradshaw/ Buying these book is not mandatory but HIGHLY ENCOURAGEDl. See Moodle for Google docs link.

Sessions: Each session covers a different topic. If you miss one session you miss important content and are expected to catch up from the respective Moodle week asap.

Homework: You are expected to work outside the sessions on each project on a daily/weekly basis according to weekly material on Moodle.

Electronic equipment policy- With the exception for learning accommodations or a class activity, the use of electronic equipment such as laptops, tablets, or phones is not allowed during class unless notified. Save battery and engage with your classmates and instructor.

Late submission policy- Late submissions will incur in a penalty of 3 percentage points per calendar day.

Week	Session		Topic	Activity	Homework	Deadlines
One	1		What’s NEWS 5 W’s + How+ Why So What? News values Storytelling Myths and narratives A “new objectivity”	Lecture Media bias charts Identifying news valuesaccording to theWs	Headlines forum Fact, Analysis, Opiniononlineactivity	Moodle welcome Read syllabus
One	2		NEWS dissection Your “type” ofBEAT hard andsoftnews Are features,opinion,and analysis“news”? Types ofjournalism	Lecture Reading stories Research	Readings: Breaking news Pulitzer Feature story Analysis article (why + so what) Opinion NYT video
Two	3		Where do stories come from? Common sources And strategies	RESEARCH WORKSHOP	Resourcesan dactivitiestoprepare fornews pitch
Two	4		Story’s: Timeliness (when) Prominence (who) Importance (what) Location (where)	Pitching potential stories according to news values Newsroom session	Finding your story
Two/Three	5		Newsroomsession- COVERAGE PLAN	Strategizing for a successful pitch and story	Preparingfornews pitch
Three	6		THE NEWS PITCH	Discussing pitches for approval
Three	7		PITCH FORUM	Research and contacts strategies	Poynter course	PITCHING
Four	8		Strategizing COVERAGE:Mapping types ofSOURCES	Lecture Q & A	Read codes of conduct/ public interest
Four	9		Media Ethics: journalist’s code of conduct	Lecture	Ethics Poynter Course: case studies
Five	10		NEWS REPORTING Types ofinterview Methodology, protocol, etiquette	Consent On and off the record	Map sources
Five	11		News story research: backround, precedents, interviewees	Workshop	Researchsources news / background
Six	12		Interviewing techniques
Six	13		Interviewing Techniques/ Post interviewing steps
Seven	14		On-sitecoverage Audio and video, name collecting
Seven	15		NEWS WRITING	Story organization	Inverted pyramid activity
Eight	16		News writing	Associated Press Style (AP)	AP activity
Eight	17		News writing	Attribution and quoting	A/Q activity
Nine	18		Types of quoting and attribution in news writing	Attribution and quoting	Drafting

Nine	19		News writing	VisualsCaptions Copyright	Activity	Writing
Ten	20		News writing	Leads & Headlines	Activity	Writing
Ten	21		News writing	Leads & Headlines	Drafting	)
Eleven	22			Fact Checking
Eleven	23			Fact Checking	Workshop
Twelv		T / Nov. 23	News writing/ Cleaning copy	Hyperlink/ Embedding Captions	Drafting
Twelve	24		Digital copy
Thirteen	25		Media Criticism: gatekeeping, agenda-setting, news framing and priming, firts-impression bias, mean-world syndrome,hypodermic needle theory	Lecture
Thirteen	26		Media Criticism A New Objectivity Independent journalism, investigativejournalism citizenjournalism, advocacy jouranlism	Lecture	Readings
Fourteen	27		Political economy of Mass Media: Public Relations and the poltics of mass media,Manufacturing consent, CHURNALISM,	Lecture	Documentary	LAST SESSION
			Public Relations: history The other side of the news Bernay's propaganda	Lecture	Discussion
			First Amendment,Censorship, Hate SpeechPublic Interest Torts (Privacy, Defamation, Copyright)