Course Outline

Unit reading assignments should be completed and ready to discuss in class by the beginning of classes each day. A minimum 250-word, thoughtful response is required for assigned readings.You will also be required to keep a weekly online journal of observations about the role of news media. You may use any of several platforms (including, blogger, blogspot, wordpress, etc.) upon which to develop your online journal site. Email the web-address to me (tonyraymorris@gmail.com) by the end of the first week of class.

Starting the second week of class, you will begin to critique the news using the elements of journalistic ethics and values that we cover in the course. A week’s coverage is equal to a minimum of 3 entries (three separate days) of at least 250 words each. You should have a minimum of 12 weeks covered in you online blog for a total of 36 entries.

Remember, these are the minimum requirements—what you need to get at least a “C” on the assignment. Each day, pick one (or more) major news item and follow the coverage of those stories at the New York Times, Washington Times, huffingtonpost, and newsbusters (and just for fun, go to Brucified to keep your sense of humor).You are responsible for getting access to all these news outlets. Examples of approaches to your study may include, but are not limited to:

1) Evidence of story's impact on citizens
2) Evidence of monitoring power and offering voice to the voiceless
3) What's missing in the story or article?
4) How does the information differ between various media?
5) Include how much time/space is devoted to story
6) Evidence of independence from factions (or dependence on factions)
7) Can you find the truth of the story? What is it?

At the end of the semester, you will write a 1000 word essay summarizing what you learned about the state of journalism in your research.

Tools for writing news articles:

• Writing Ledes
• Attributions
• Other Tools

Week 1:

Unit 1: Introduction(s)

Students familiarize themselves with course textbooks and requirements. What is journalism for? Building democracy, community, to provide citizens with information they need to be free and self-governing. The awareness instinct, the birth of journalism, free press and electronic age, theory of journalism, the interlocking public, new challenges.

Assignments:

Monday

• Introduction to course syllabus and course expectations
• Read and write response to Introduction and Chapter 1: EOJ

Wednesday

• Read and write response to Chapter 2: EOJ by Monday, 8/24
  

Week 2:

Unit 2: Truth: The first and most confusing principle

Journalism's first obligation is to the truth, journalistic truth.

Assignments:

Monday

Discuss Chapter 2

Wednesday

Continue discuss Chapter 2

In-class exercise #1

Read and write response to Chapter 3 by Monday, 8/31

Week 3:

Unit 3: Who journalists work for

First loyalty is to citizens, independence to isolation, a backlash against detachment, citizens are not customers, the wall, owner/corporation must be committed to citizens first.

Assignments:

Monday

Discuss Chapter 3

Wednesday

Continue discuss Chapter 3

Read and write response to Chapter 4

Week 4: (Labor Day Holiday on Monday)

Unit 4: Journalism of Verification

The essence of journalism is a discipline of verification, the lost meaning of objectivity, journalism of assertion vs. journalism of verification, do not add, do not deceive, transparency, misleading sources: a corollary to transparency, originality, humility, bias, techniques of verification, edit with skepticism, accuracy checklist, assume nothing, red pencil, anonymous sources, truth's multiple roots

Assignments:

Wednesday

Discuss Chapter 4

Read and write response to Chapter 5

Unit 5:

Unit 5: Independence from faction

Journalists must maintain an independence from those they cover, independence of mind, evolution of independence, independence in practice, independence reevaluated, independence from class or economic status, independence from race, ethnicity, religion, and gender.

Assignments:

Monday

Discuss Chapter 5

Wednesday

Continue discuss Chapter 5

Read and write response to Chapter 6

Week 6:

Unit 6: Monitor Power and offer Voice to the Voiceless

Journalists must serve as an independent monitor of power, original investigative reporting interpretative investigative reporting, reporting on investigations, watchdog role, weakened investigative reporting as prosecution

Assignments:

Monday

Discuss Chapter 6

Wednesday

Continue discuss Chapter 6

Read and write response to Chapter

Week 7: S

Unit 7: Journalism as a Public Forum

Journalism much provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.

Assignments:

Monday

Discuss Chapter 7

Wednesday

Continue discuss Chapter 7

Read and write response to Chapter 8

Week 8:

Unit 8: Engagement and Relevance

Journalists must make the significant interesting and relevant, the lure of infotainment, some innovative approaches, a new definition of who, what, where, when, why, and how, experiment with new storytelling techniques, the most engaging approach, connecting the story to deeper themes, character and detail in news, finding the metaphor or hidden structure, power of the internet, narrative in service of truth.

Assignments:

Monday

Discuss Chapter 8

Wednesday

Read and write response to Chapter 9

Week 9:

Unit 9: Make the news comprehensive and proportional

Journalism should keep the news comprehensive and in proportion, the fallacy of targeted demographics, limits of metaphor, pressure to hype, marketing vs. marketing, new market research for journalists,

Assignments:

Wednesday

Discuss Chapter 9

Read and write response to Chapter 10

Week 10:

Unit 10: Journalists have a responsibility to conscience

Exercising conscience is not easy, a culture of honesty, intellectual diversity is real goal, the pressure against individual conscience, building a newsroom where conscience an diversity can thrive, the role of citizens.

Assignments:

Monday

Discuss Chapter 10

Read and write response to Chapter 11

Unit 11: Rights and responsibilities of citizens

Citizen bill of rights and responsibilities.

Wednesday

• Discuss Chapter 11
• Read and be ready to discuss Chapters 1-7 ENW
  

Week 11:

Assignments:

Monday

Discuss Basics

Discuss Article #1

Wednesday

• Continue basics
• Work on Article #1
• Submit Article #1 by deadline
• Read and be ready to discuss Chapters 8-16, ENW
  
  

Week 12:

Unit 12: The Basics

What is News, five rules of journalism, stylebook primer, how to read a newspaper.

Assignments:

Monday

Discuss writing news stories

Work on Article #2

Wednesday

• In-class editing and proofing Article #2
• Submit Article #2 by weekly deadline

Week 13:

Unit 13: Grammar, usage, writing news stories

Commonly misused words, commas, colons, and semicolons, punctuating quotations, active and passive voice, spell checkers, news story in 15 steps, strong lead, structure, interview.

Assignments:

Monday

• Discuss grammar, usage

Thursday

• Read and be ready to discuss Chapters 17-20
  
  

Week 14:

Unit 14: Covering Beats

Meetings and speeches, police and courts, disasters and tragedies, obituaries.

Assignments:

Monday

• Discuss Beats

Wednesday

• Work on Article #3

Week 15: November 22-28 (Tuesday-Sunday) Thanksgiving Break

Week 16:

Unit 15: Wrapping Up

Students receive and provide course feedback.

Assignments:

• Submit Article #3