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A User-Friendly Guide to Journalism: Reporting Basics and Ethical Standards

This class provides a comprehensive introduction to journalism, focusing on the essentials of reporting, news judgment, and writing to professional standards. Students will learn about media law, ethics, and the importance of citizen journalism for self-governance. With a blend of lectures, assignments, and hands-on writing exercises, participants will gain skills in news gathering and factual reporting. The course framework emphasizes meeting deadlines, revising work for improvement, and engaging in discussions on current events and ethical issues within the field of journalism.

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A User-Friendly Guide to Journalism: Reporting Basics and Ethical Standards

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  1. JRN 312, Spring 2009 A user-friendly guide

  2. The basics • Reporting • Finding out what’s going on and telling somebody about it. • Journalism • Giving citizens the information they need to be free and self-governing

  3. What's this class about? • Reporting • News judgment • News gathering • Writing to professional standards • Convergence

  4. Other concerns • Media law • Open meetings, FOIA, libel, privacy • Ethics • Typical beats

  5. Contacting me • Come to class • Drop-in office hours • 9:50-11 a.m. and 11:50-12:20 p.m. MWF • No appointment needed • Phone and email • 989-631-0644; 989-708-5199 (cell) • Japalen@aol.com

  6. Warning • My email address is japalen@aol.com • DO NOT omit the “a” between the “j” and the “p.” • Mail sent to jpalen@aol.com goes to my nephew in Southern California. He no longer responds to it.

  7. Deadlines • You must meet deadlines to get a full grade. • Late work gets a grade deducted (A to B etc.) up to 24 hours late. • After 24 hours, work is returned ungraded.

  8. Format • Turn in all work in hard copy. • Double space it • Put your name and the date at top • Turn it in during class • If class is not being held, turn it in to my mailbox. Get it date and time-stamped. • Do not email work to me.

  9. Texts and materials • Textbook: Kovach and Rosenstiel. • Style guide: AP style sheet at www.bu.edu/com/writingprgm/ap_styleguide1.pdf • The NYTimes lead story Monday through Friday every week. • Technology to save your work

  10. Your grade • Spot quizzes make up 15 percent • Current events, reading, lectures, AP style. • Chapter summaries, in-class stories and outside stories are 75 percent. • Your blog counts for 10 percent.

  11. In-class writing • Chapter summaries • 100 words per chapter • Summarize the main points • Pop speed days • Guest speakers TBA • A feature exercise

  12. Chapter summary due dates • Jan. 21 -- Chapters 1-2 (100 words each) • Jan. 28 -- Chapters 3-4 (100 each) • Feb. 4 -- Chapters 5-6 (100 each) • Feb. 11 -- Chapters 7-8 (100 each) • Feb. 18 -- Chapters 9-10 (100 each)

  13. Four outside stories • This requires your initiative • Must be chosen from options provided by me. • Check class blog daily for options • One of four must be coverage of government meetings • List of meetings is in syllabus

  14. The fatal error rule • Work containing a misspelled proper noun or factual error receives no more than a D (revisable to a C).

  15. Revisions • All work except quizzes can be revised for up to one higher grade (D to C, B to A). • For full revision credit, do everything I ask you to do on the original. • Turn in the original with the revision.

  16. Questions?

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