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Week 6: Journalism 2001

Week 6: Journalism 2001. October 16, 2006. Its Its’ Or it’s? Bottom line: Use it’s when mean it is, it was, it has – its’ is not a word!. Announcements. Microsoft Word available for $5 through the UMD Computer Corner. Review of last week’s news. Hard News:

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Week 6: Journalism 2001

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  1. Week 6: Journalism 2001 October 16, 2006

  2. Its • Its’ • Or it’s? Bottom line: Use it’s when mean it is, it was, it has – its’ is not a word!

  3. Announcements • Microsoft Word available for $5 through the UMD Computer Corner

  4. Review of last week’s news • Hard News: (murders, city council, government, etc.) • Major local stories • Major national/international stories • Major sports stories • Soft News: (retirements, school programs, human interest) • Local stories • National/international stories • Sports stories

  5. Let’s look at a story from last week Headline: Explosion kills one, closes plant Subhead: A 24-year-old worker dies at the Forbes plant, which is shut down for an unknown time. Fatalities at Iron Range taconite plants during the past 17 years have been few and far between. However, when an accident does occur within the heavy-equipment, high-voltage industry, the consequences can be tragic. A 24-year-old employee of United Taconite died Thursday afternoon when two electrical explosions rocked a motor control room at the facility’s concentrator and main substation near Forbes. The male employee died at the scene, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department.

  6. North Dakota Proposal!

  7. Review of last week’s assignment Wordiness, attribution, allegedly • Retrieved the money: recovered • Avoid full name, full address in lead • Editorializing: thanks to excellent work • Exhibiting suspicious behavior: acting suspiciously • Attribution • Looking through the windows of parked cars lined along the street: Looking in parked cars • Wall kicked in and an illegal entry had been made: Wall kicked in • Was found with: had

  8. Style errors: • States • Ages • Addresses • Numerals • Run-on sentences • Recovered all of the approximately $741.10: recovered the $741.10 • Made contact: talked • Pockets overfilled with money: full pockets • Admitted • Had stolen: is charged with

  9. TEMPE, Ariz. – A 20-year-old man was charged with third-degree burglary and felony theft on Monday after police, suspicious of the man seen peaking into parked cars, made contact and found that he had his pockets stuffed with money. TEMPE, Ari. – A 20-year-old former employee of Panhandler’s Pizza was arrested and charged with third-degree burglary and felony theft after entering and stealing approximately $740 from his former place of employment. A Tempe Arizona man held on a $6,850 bail was arrested last night after he allegedly robbed a local pizza parlor. After trailing a suspicious person the Tempe Police Department arrested suspect John Q. Smyth, 20, of Tempe early Monday on charges of third-degree burglary and felony theft of Panhandler’s Pizza. TEMPE, Ariz. – John Q. Smith, 20, was arrested Monday on accounts of a burglary after robbing $741.10 from Panhandler’s Pizza on 106 E. University.

  10. Let’s rewrite a few graphs!

  11. What’s misspelled? • Croisant • Breakfast

  12. Chapter 14:Speeches, news conferences

  13. Covering a speech • Preparation: • Research subject, speaker • Prepare questions • Catch the speaker early • Advance texts • Research easier, but speakers often wander from text • Tape recorder • Use for backup of quotes

  14. Steps to follow during the speech • Take copious notes • Quotations: mark notes • Make observations • Clothing, mannerisms • Listen for news • What makes this speech special? • Listen for summaries • Follow-up questions

  15. Writing the speech story • Questions to answer: • What is the key point? • What are the other major points? • Which quotes are the best? • Is any of this news? • When is the deadline?

  16. Organizing the information • Inverted-pyramid news stories • Summary lead: • 35 words, usually one sentence • Second paragraph: • Back up lead with strong quote, paraphrase • Third paragraph: • Continue developing lead, or write transitional paragraph (possibly bullets) • Fourth paragraph or after the bullets: • Continue developing lead, or developing bulleted items • Balance of the story: • Quotations, paraphrases • Final paragraph: • Try to end with direct quotation • Never: “he/she concluded”

  17. News Conferences • Gang interview • All reporters get same information • Why call a news conference? • After a crisis • Explain controversy • Make an announcement • Can control what’s given to reporters

  18. Covering a news conference • Do your homework! • Read news releases • Research old stories • Research speaker • Talk to editors • Talk to other reporters • What will not be covered

  19. Advance story • Brief story announcing event • Often only coverage of event • Questions and answers • Television reporters often have the edge • Speakers wants to be seen as well as heard • Arrive early for a good seat

  20. News conference as media event • Presidential news conference • Began with Theodore Roosevelt • Today major news event • Reporters also want to be seen and heard • Draws 300 reporters, usually lasts 30 minutes

  21. Online speech sources • Great American Speeches: PBS • www.pbs.org/greatspeeches/ • The History Channel • http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/ • infoUSA • http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/speeches.htm

  22. An awfully long day…

  23. Chapter 18: News Releases • What is a news release? • Announcements • New line of products • Events • Promotions • Public service announcements • Cause-promoting • Fundraising • Volunteers • Image-building • Politicians • Corporations

  24. Evaluating news releases • Does it have news value? • Local, regional or national • Is it trying to gain free publicity? • Is it worth following up? • Story and/or photograph • Can it be trusted?

  25. What is Public Relations? • Promoting an organization, institution or corporation • UMD Communicators Council • University Relations • Natural Resources Research Institute • Minnesota Sea Grant

  26. Which releases will be used? • No set formula • Interests of reporters, editors • How many people affected • Usually rewritten • Eliminate “fluff:” self-serving, promotional info • Embarrassing if two media use exact same wording • Often raise additional questions

  27. Emailed releases • www.pressrelease.net • www.eReleases.com • How to write a press release • Concise • Well-written • Factual • Honest • Timely

  28. Using news releases • Boiling down a handout • Determine 5Ws and H • Find the lead • Eliminate fluff • Avoid free ads • Determining local news value

  29. How to write a news release • Avoiding hype • Avoiding jargon • Structure of a release • Contact information • For Immediate Release • Dateline • Headline • Lead, inverted pyramid style copy • Quotes • Boilerplate paragraph

  30. Handouts • Wise Words from PR Week Career Guide • Women in Sports Journalism • Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sports

  31. Another wayward sign! What’s the correct spelling? • Souvenirs! • Souvanirs

  32. Chapter 19: Multicultural Reporting • NY Times: How Race is lived in America • One year project • Published in June, July of 2000 • 15 installments • Teams of reporters, editors

  33. Rodney King beating • Footage of the Rodney King beating • http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-042102kingbeating-qt,1,5983436.quicktime?ctrack=2&cset=true • Ten years after the LA Riots: • http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-042902poll-470pa2an,1,2314339.story

  34. Trends in multicultural coverage • Cultural sensitivity training • Diversification of media staffs • 13.42 percent in 2004 • Overall newsroom staffing tumbling • 4 percent decline overall • Diversification of coverage • Inner cities: Minorities are the majorities

  35. Approaches to multicultural coverage • Guidelines for media and reporters • Provide consistent, daily coverage • Get to know the communities you cover • Develop multicultural links and friendships • Expand coverage beyond the “problem people” perspective • Mainstream sources for all stories • Periodically assess the representativeness of sources • Don’t “overcredential” sources • Recognize that there is diversity within cultures • Bring your own perspective to the newsroom

  36. Multicultural websites • Asian American Journalists Association • Maynard Institute • National Association of Black Journalists • Minnesota Spokesman Recorder • National Association of Hispanic Journalists • National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association • Native American Journalists Association • The Center for an Accessible Society • Disability Resources on the Internet • Disability Data

  37. Checklist for improving coverage • Have I covered the story with sensitivity, accuracy, fairness and balance regarding all of the people involved? • What are the likely consequences of publication? Who will be hurt and who will be helped? • Have I sought a diversity of sources? • Am I seeking true diversity or using tokenism by allowing one minority person to represent a community or point of view? • Have I allowed preconceived ideas to limit my efforts to include diversity?

  38. Am I flexible about the possibility that the focus of the story may change when different sources are added? • Have I thought about using quotations from minority experts in non-traditional field? • Have I spent time in minority communities and with residents to find out what people are thinking and to learn more about lifestyles, perspectives, customs, etc.? • Have I written about achievements on their own merits, rather than as “stereotype breakers?” • Have I guarded against allowing place names to become code words for crime? • As I seek diversity, am I being true to my other goals as a journalist? • Will I be able to explain my decision clearly and honestly to anyone who challenges it – and not to rationalize?

  39. Speech/News Conference/Multicultural Reporting Assignment • Story Pitch Due: 10/23 • No more than three paragraphs, 200 words • Include 5Ws and H • Review Chapters 15, 18 • Email to: lkragnes@d.umn.edu • Final story due: 11/20

  40. Hard News 1 Assignment:Due 10/16 • Any problems? • Tips: • Just use said: he said, she said • Keep paragraphs short: no more than two sentences, three absolute max • Story length: 8-10 paragraphs, 350-400 words • Write strong summary lead of one sentence, no more than 35 words • Need attribution from sources • Review text • Review class lecture notes at: • www.d.umn.edu/~lkragnes • Write story in Microsoft Word, doublespaced, and email as an attachment to: lkragnes@d.umn.edu

  41. Sports Reporting Assignment • Story pitch due 10/9: • Length of story pitch: no more than three paragraphs, or 200 words • Include the 5Ws and H: what makes this story newsworthy • Detailed information at: • www.umdbulldogs.com • Final story due 11/6

  42. Out of Class Assignment for 10/23 • Meet the Press Senate Debate • Write a short story (350-400 words) on the Meet the Press debate on October 15 between U.S. Senate candidates Mark Kennedy and Amy Klobuchar • Netcast at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608 • Email story to: lkragnes@d.umn.edu

  43. Egradebook • Doublecheck assignments correct in egradebook: • http://www.d.umn.edu/egradebook • Mid-term alerts to students with Ds, Fs If grading today: • A: 85-105 • B: 70-84 • C: 55-69 • D: 40-54 • F: 0-39

  44. Portfolio • Store academic information on your Electronic Portfolio. Each student has 100 mb of storage. • Access Electronic Portfolio at: https://portfolio.umn.edu/portfolio/index.jsp

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