Overview

JOUR 3450: Editing and Markup

‹‹overview››

Be careful. Journalism is more addictive than crack cocaine. Your life can get out of balance.
~Dan Rather

I always thought writing was the foundation and the basis for journalism in the same way being able to draw is the foundation for art.
~ Bob Schieffer

Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers.
~ T. S. Eliot

Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.
~ Joseph Pulitzer

The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and lightning bug.
~ Mark Twain

Course Description

This course is designed to give you an opportunity to improve on your journalistic writing and editing skills and help you develop a deeper understanding of the role that journalistic writing and editing plays in mass media. As digital technology and new media proliferate, it is important that young editors be deeply grounded in the fundamental principles that have shaped the best news editing for generations. “Contemporary Editing” stresses the continuity between tradition and innovation through repeated themes:

• Accuracy and truth-telling are imperative. Pure objectivity may be an unreachable ideal, but a commitment to facts, fairness and completeness are not. Good editors settle for nothing less.

• All editing has an ethical dimension. The popular notion that ethical thinking comes into play only on controversial stories is a dangerous myth. Ethics is about doing the small things well and consistently, from basic copy editing and writing headlines to cropping photos and posting breaking stories on the Web.

• Grammar and style matter deeply. They are not specific to one medium; neither do they belong to outdated tradition. When editors serve a large, public audience, they must speak in a public voice — a language of clarity and inclusion.

• Basic editing skills cross media boundaries. Newspapers, magazines, broadcast, the Web and public relations may have different aims and employ somewhat different styles. But all rely on a core of common editing principles and values.

• News is a conversation, not a monologue. Good editors have always encouraged readers and viewers to participate in newsgathering and commentary. The interactive possibilities of online media, however, raise the stakes. As “citizen journalists” become partners, editors must make the news culture more inclusive by serving as guides as well as gatekeepers.

• Editors don’t work in isolation. They make decisions based on news values and news judgment — time-honored but flexible standards about what is important and appealing to the audience. And students learn that discussion with other journalists and with the audience is crucial to making good decisions.

• Editing is a way of thinking. It requires specific mechanical skills, but it is much more than the sum total of those skills. Good editors balance logic with creativity, curiosity with caution, and an ability to listen with a strong sense of responsibility.

• Editing is not just for editors. Walls are falling, figuratively and literally, across the media landscape. Any career in journalism, communication or design requires editing expertise, technological skills and critical-thinking abilities unimaginable just a few years ago. A course in editing is one of the best places to develop that balance of talents.

Course Goals

This course is designed to help you discover, uncover, respond to and evaluate your abilities as a journalist. We will study many forms of the editing process, including: role of the editor, editing a variety of stories, ethical and legal issues, editing photos, graphics, designing pages, and media convergence. The course is designed to give you the hands-on practical experience and preparation for moving into your area of expertise.

To think critically about news context/content
To develop the basic elements and skills of news writing/editing
To develop a working understanding of editing a variety of news topics (meetings, speeches, police, courts, disasters, strategies, features, editorials, etc.)
To develop a working resume' and letter of introduction and make you first approach to getting work in your field

Course Outcomes

To sharpen skills in developing journalistic editing modes (including newspaper, magazine, promotional, online, etc.)
To enhance awareness of the importance of purpose, audience, and tone in writing
To become acquainted with the various levels of print and online professional editing skills
To refine editing/writing skills through varied sentence construction and appropriate word choice.
To gain self-confidence in journalistic editing and writing
To develop an understanding of the value of the computer as an aid in composing, particularly the tools of layout and design, word processing, spell checking and electronic thesauruses
To introduce basic research and Associated Press documentation skills

Course Requirements

1) Attendance is required and necessary. More than four absences are grounds for failure. There will be times in the semester when you really need the days off, so don’t miss meetings without good reason. If you know you are going to miss a meeting, let me know. Missed assignments will not be excused because of absences. Athletes: any special arrangements for athletes must be made with the professor at least two weeks prior to the event. Do not come late to meetings. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, for any reason, you will be marked as absent. Likewise for leaving meetings early. You will be credited with an absent if you are tardy three times. Late attendance and absences will affect your participation grade. If you miss more than three meetings, you will not receive an "A" for your participation grade.
2) Portfolio
3) Participation in editing and proofing sessions.
4 ) Thoughtful, active and responsible participation in the process, including contact with writing resources.You are expected to be prepared for every meeting. This means completing all reading and writing assignments on time. Failure to do so will greatly affect your participation grade.

Late articles or drafts are not acceptable and you will receive zero credit for them without prior permission, and even then under only extreme circumstances or emergency conditions.

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