COM 260: Fundamentals of Journalism

COM 260: Fundamentals of Journalism Ron Bishop, Ph.D., Drexel University, Department of Culture and

Communication

Journalism Still MattersNews of journalism’s death, or the decline in its

importance, is greatly exaggerated.Essential to the functioning of a democracy. Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable.Who let the watchdogs out? A contract with the reader. An act of conscience. We must rediscover journalism’s public service

value.

Journalism Still Matters Journalists provide us with the information we need to

make sense of what’s going on. Connect us to the rest of the “global village.” Enables us to band together. An important accountability mechanism – journalists keep

an eye on the powerful. Gives voice to genuine outrage; it takes us a while, but it

can mean major reform. Connects us to the comedy – and the tragedy – that

makes life so compelling. Helps us scratch our curiosity itch.

Journalism Still MattersThe Jerry Sandusky story, reported by Sara

Ganim of the Harrisburg Patriot-News

Journalism Still Matters…When thousands of Massachusetts public school

students were suspended during the 2009-2010 school year for smoking, skipping class, tardiness and other minor infractions under “zero tolerance” discipline policies that are creating what critics call a “cradle to prison” pipeline.

When the U.S. Government engages in a huge national security buildup in the years since the 9/11 attacks.

When over the last five years several complaints, including red and yellow smoke, explosions and fire, have been reported around Houston-area metal recycling plants.

Journalism Still Matters…When a closer look at the opioid painkiller binge

(retail prescriptions have roughly tripled in the past 20 years) shows that the rising sales and addictions were catalyzed by a massive effort by pharmaceutical companies to shape medical opinion and practice.

When two judges from Pennsylania, Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., and Michael T. Conahan plead guilty to wire fraud and income tax fraud for taking more than $2.6 million in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers run by PA Child Care and a sister company, Western PA Child Care.

Journalism Still Matters…

When officials in Washington state moved vulnerable patients from safer pain-control medication to methadone, a cheaper but more dangerous drug, coverage that prompted statewide health warnings.

When severely wounded veterans returning home from a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan return home to face severe physical and emotional challenges.

The Dogs of JournalismWatchdog

Acts autonomously; “afflicts the comfortable.” Acts in the public interest. Keeps an eye on dominant institutions Our “eyes and ears.”

Lapdog Submissive Not independent, lacks power Protects those dominant institutions Supports and protects the status quo.

The Dogs of Journalism, Continued

“System” Dog Part of the power structure Interacts with powerful groups Co-actors (see Journalism, Public) Relationships damage ability to cover powerful interests.

“Guard” Dog “Sentry” for powerful interests Suspicious of potential intruders Sounds the alarm when there’s a threat to dominant

institutions. Those institutions (e.g. the government) don’t need

their help.

You’re a Journalist If…You dig for information, talk to sources. You actually show up at the scene of an event. You create original reporting. You leave personal opinion out of your reporting.You think extremely carefully before making yourself

part of the story.You clue the reader in when opinion is being expressed. You move toward truth and don’t rely on the “tennis

match” approach.

What is News, Anyway? Events that are out of the ordinary, that break through the

routine. “Man bites dog” vs. “dog bites man.”

“The best available version of the truth.” “The first draft of history.” The quality that gives events, people, and places public

character. A social construction of reality. A way of knowing (journalism, not news). Whatever your editor says it is. Information powerful folks don’t want to see in print – the rest is

PR.

A Journalist’s Key AttributesCommitmentCompassionCredibilityCourageCuriosityEnterpriseKnowledgePersistence

Always Challenge the Conventional Wisdom…

Does putting our headlights on when we engage our wipers really make us safer?

Do “Amber Alerts” really work? Is homeownership really better than renting? Are we really getting obese? Is the NRA really that powerful?

To Quote The Talking Heads…

“Facts are simple and facts are straight. Facts are lazy and facts are late. Facts all come with points of view. Facts don’t do what I want them to.” - from the song “Crosseyed and Painless.”

Parental Units, Where Do Stories Come From?

From your editor, acting on what he/she believes will be of interest to readers/viewers.

Your own ideas, which you’ll have to pitch to your editor.

Tips from readers/viewers – approach them with caution.

Enterprise reporting/observation/digging/good fortune.

Parental Units, Where Do Stories Come From?

Regular contact with existing sources. Whistleblowers – think The Insider. Contact with public relations people for

companies/organizations/agencies. The work of other news organizations – very

often it’s The New York Times.

Other forms of media content – pundits, for example, or (Britney Spears help us!) the Kardashians.

What Does Your Editor Look For in a Story?

ConflictFamiliarityNoveltyProminenceProximityRelevanceTimeliness

The Big Questions: Will the story interest our readers? Will the story interest MANY readers? What do our readers want us to cover?

The “want vs. need” shift. Is the story easy to cover? Can it be assembled efficiently? Will it have impact? Is there a “holy shit” factor? Can it entertain while it educates and informs?

A Story’s Key AttributesAccuracyAttribution BalanceBrevityClarityFairnessObjectivity

How Events Become Stories

Make contact; ID yourself. Observe, observe, observe. Listen, listen, listen. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. Think AHOT. Put your reader at the scene. Double-check and double-source. Approach people, don’t ambush them. Beware of folks in “we’re thrilled” mode. Don’t give folks a chance to dance.

Observe, Observe, Observe…

What’s the weather like? Describe in detail where you are - the room, the

space. How big (or small) is the crowd? What’s the speaker’s demeanor?Be “the kind of person on whom nothing is lost,” as

Henry James said.What can’t the audience see or hear? What would they have missed standing right next to

me?

Put Your Reader at the Scene…

Anything striking, beautiful, awe-inspiring, out of whack about where you are?

Any notable smells? Sensations? What’s the body language of the participants

like? Help the reader envision the event – you’re

their eyes and ears, their representative.

You could write…“The game began in a thick unrelenting fog.” “Senator Feinstein pounded her desk in

frustration as debate on the bill turned raucous.”

“A cold steady rain did not deter the 10,000 protestors who gathered Thursday morning at City Hall.”

Chemical Fumes Cause Evacuation of MMS

Maplewood Middle School was evacuated Thursday morning after a release of toluene fumes sickened 19 students and the school’s custodian.

The fumes came from two drums of toluene stored in what had been a fallout shelter near the school cafeteria. An extremely hazardous chemical, toluene is often used as a dry cleaning solvent.

At 10:42 a.m., workers renovating the cafeteria discovered and then accidentally punctured both drums.


When school officials became aware of the puncture and the fumes, they evacuated the school’s 825 students, 50 faculty members, and 25 staff members in less than 20 minutes.

Essex County’s Hazardous Materials Team was called to remove the drums. The team arrived less than a half-hour after the puncture and release of the fumes.

School custodian Nick Sullivan, 64, and the sickened students were treated at the school by Maplewood EMS. Four students were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston for observation.


Maplewood Middle School will be closed for two days while the cleanup and fumigation are completed.

“We know this is a huge inconvenience, but we want to make sure the school is safe for our students and staff,” MMS Principal Marcy Young said.

A Story MUST AnswerThese Questions:

Who? What?When?Where?Why?How?Your goal: to have the reader finish your story

without needing more information – and maybe wanting to learn more.

Start to Think About Sources…

Who will I need to talk as I write?Will I need to corroborate something that was

said? A version of events? Will I need to contact for comment someone

whose work was cited, or whose reputation was questioned?

What do folks with other views think? “Regulars” will emerge – but don’t overuse

them.

Also Consider…What’s been reported in the past? How do I feel about the subject? How does my audience feel about the subject? How explicit are my editor’s directions?

Given All That…You’ll determine the story’s HOOK. The story’s LEAD will start to form.

Hypothetical #1A SEPTA bus traveling eastbound on Chestnut

Street skids on a patch of ice, flips on to its side, and comes to a stop outside the Left Bank condos.

As it skids, it plows into the back of a stopped gasoline tanker truck, which does not explode.

It’s 4:45 p.m. – right before the start of rush hour. Philadelphia PD, FD, and EMS respond.

Hypothetical #1When did it happen? How did it happen? How many folks hurt or killed? Their IDs? Where were the injured taken? What caused the crash?

Hypothetical #1 How many crashes at this location? Weather conditions? Bus driver’s safety record? The bus’ safety record? Trucking company’s safety record? Were the tire treads on the vehicles OK? Can gasoline ignite after it starts to leak? Was there any danger to surrounding buildings? Were any buildings evacuated?

Hypothetical #1The story’s structure, with practice, will start to

unfold. What’s the HOOK (aka the PEG)? Pitch me…Why should the reader care? Why is the story

relevant? What are the possible ANGLES to this story? What can I file away to FOLLOW UP on?

You could write…

A SEPTA bus late yesterday afternoon flipped over on Chestnut Street and slammed into a gasoline tanker truck.

Check your notes…ask more questions…

Not bad, but make it better…

Ten people were injured late yesterday afternoon when a SEPTA bus flipped over on Chestnut Street in the heart of the Drexel University campus and slammed into a gasoline tanker truck.

Your Basic Summary Lead…

You’ve got the who, the what, the where, and the when…not bad.

They typically run less than 35 words, and often are made up of one short sentence.

You won’t answer all the big questions in the lead.

You’ve started with a compelling noun. You haven’t overwhelmed the reader with

figures, although…

Make it even better…

Ten people were injured late yesterday afternoon when a SEPTA bus flipped on Chestnut Street in the heart of the Drexel University campus and slammed into a tanker truck carrying 2,500 gallons of gasoline.

On to the “Nut” GraphNow move on to tell the reader WHY something

is important – why should they care? Then arrange the information from most

important to least important.Remember to insert the quotes you’ve

gathered from folks on the scene. Observe (for now) the “one new idea per

paragraph” rule.

And About Those Quotes…

Let’s agree for now to use a quote only if it ENLIVENS, CLARIFIES, or AMPLIFIES a piece of information you’ve gathered.

Now Back to Our Story…Dana Gustavsen, a SEPTA spokesperson, tells you:“SEPTA is conducting a full investigation of the

accident.” Philadelphia Fire Chief Brian McGinnis tells you: “I can’t believe SEPTA still lets that son-of-a-bitch

drive a bus. He could have killed almost 30 people. They were just trying to get home from work.”

SO: Which one do you quote directly? Which one gets paraphrased/summarized?

And Back to the Nut Graph…

The crash was the fourth in six months involving SEPTA bus driver John Jacob Jingleheimerschmidt. A SEPTA spokesperson said the agency is conducting a full investigation of Jingleheimerschmidt’s safety record, but Philadelphia Fire Chief Brian McGinnis expressed anger at what he believes is SEPTA’s willingness to keep putting an unsafe driver back on the road to endanger passengers and pedestrians.

Then the Quote…“I can’t believe SEPTA still lets that son-of-a-

bitch drive a bus,” McGinnis told reporters at the crash site. “He could have killed almost 30 innocent people. They were just trying to get home from work.”

And a Story is Born…Continue to add new facts, keeping space

restrictions in mind. Add quotes to enhance each new fact.

Make sure the reader always knows who is speaking – and when and where they spoke.

Provide clear time frame. Provide enough information to give a basic

understanding of what happened.Use information reported earlier to BACKFILL the

story.

As You Write, Ask… (Of each piece of info): do I know this to be

true? Is every first and last name spelled correctly? Are my beliefs/opinions even slightly leaking

through into the story? (the “predisposition check”).

Am I the story at any point? Am I advancing my own views?

Remember: It’s Totally OK to Write…

“Police declined to comment on the status of the investigation.”

“Bishop refused to comment on speculation in academic circles that he was planning to run for Governor.”

“McNelis refused repeated requests for an interview.”

“Phone calls to Bishop seeking comment were not returned.”

Don’t Forget to Transition

Move the reader along from one graph to another.

Can be a single word, a paraphrase, a direct quote, or a sentence.

Examples…Unlike many Paralympic athletes, Tracy

Wolfington had no experience with participatory sports before she was disabled in a car accident 12 years ago. Her sister, Sue, swears she never even held a basketball, let alone sunk a basket.

But today, the 31-year-old Wolfington is a regular for the Sacramento Gold Rush, and is the only player who’s been with the team since its inception.

Examples…“State game and fish agencies need to do a lot

more research as the land base declines,” Johnson said.

Carol Martin, an activist with the New Mexico Wolf Coalition, agreed: “There needs to be more awareness of the total environmental picture, rather than just game animals.”

How Do I End a Piece? Used to be you didn’t, since editors edited from the

end. Impactful endings are often what readers most

readily remember.Don’t tidy up an untidy story. Life ain’t tidy. One thing’s for sure: Don’t save the really important

stuff for the end:At the conclusion of her two-hour concert, Lady

Gaga announced her retirement and said she plans to become a yoga instructor in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Fun With Leads Immediate Identification Lead

President Barack Obama today named the popular Sesame Street character Elmo ambassador to the South American nation of Uruguay.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter on Friday restated his goal of painting every city fire hydrant purple by July 1.

Fun With Leads Delayed Identification Lead

A 35-year-old Maplewood resident was arrested Monday night by the FBI and charged with selling secrets about the manufacture of the popular Snuggy blanket/poncho to the North Korean government.

Agents arrested Keith Dorton, a lifelong resident of Sommer Avenue. The son of a prominent newspaper editor, Dorton faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted of the charge.

Fun With LeadsMultiple Element Lead

Ten people were injured late yesterday afternoon when a SEPTA bus skidded on a patch of ice, flipped over, and slammed into the back of a tanker carrying 2,500 gallons of gasoline. The impact did not cause the tanker to explode.

Fun With LeadsNarrative Lead

Joe Puleo sat in a Haddonfield coffee shop and watched through the window at events unfolding last Saturday afternoon on Westmoreland Street. He wasn’t looking at passing cars or the still festive storefronts. He was marveling at the number of runners passing the shop.


The cameras were rolling and the reporters were ready inside the auditorium, so the Iraqi police gave the signal: Bring in the prisoners. In they shuffled, 21 men accused of terrorism and murder, hands shackled, eyes tracing the floor. This was no day in court. Today, they were lined up to meet the press (NYT, 1/8/12, p. 1).


It came down to living by candlelight. When Ivonne Diaz went through her monthly

bills last year to see which ones she could afford on her unemployment, she realized she would have to go without electricity.

Having Con Edison turn off her lights is just one more obstacle she has faced since losing her job in December 2010 (NYT, 1/1/12, p. 16).

Fun With LeadsScene-Setting Lead

A few days before the Iowa caucuses, Newt Gingrich’s campaign headquarters just outside the city is a spectacle of computer-age disorder, with volunteers rushing voter updates across the room on yellow Post-It notes (New York Times, 1/1/12, p. 1).

Fun With LeadsDirect Address Lead

Just when you thought winter was on permanent hiatus, temperatures in Delaware today struggled to break 20 degrees.

Fun With LeadsSingle Item Lead

There is finally a traffic signal at the intersection of Verree and Pine Roads.

Fun With LeadsQuote Lead

“It’s time for the robe, Johnny.” With that brief instruction and a subsequent bit

of wardrobe assistance from Chief Justice Kenneth Schankler, John Wargacki this morning officially became New Jersey’s newest supreme court justice.

Fun With LeadsQuestion Lead

It must be thrilling to play college basketball for a big-time program, right?

Have you ever wondered what goes into putting on the morning television show you have on in the background as you get ready for work?

They’re cute. They’re cuddly. They’re…lizards? Need a tour guide with an encyclopedic

knowledge of San Antonio? Justin Thomas is the person for the job.

Fun With Leads

“Faced with the high cost of caring for smokers and overeaters, experts say, society must grapple with a blunt question: Instead of trying to penalize them and change their ways, why not just let these health sinners die? (WNJ, 1/27/13).

Fun With LeadsContrast Lead

Pamela Adlon had a little talk with her 11-year-old daughter a few weeks ago, just in case she or any of her middle school classmates accidentally encounter Mommy’s latest work, which happens to involve the simulated ingestion of many illegal drugs, assorted sexual acts, and a number of obscenely specific suggestions about where some of the other grown-ups should place certain body parts (NYT, 11/21/08).

Fun With LeadsContrast Lead

Facebook rots the brain, according to a report by a Stansbury University psychology professor. Jim Wallace, honors student and an avid user of the popular website, says that just isn't true.

They are smart, but a little scared. Capable, but worried that their skills have grown rusty. Experienced, but conscious that prospective employers may focus too closely on that long, quiet gap in their resumes (WNJ, 1/27/13).

Fun With LeadsShort Sentence Lead

One-fifth of an inch.That's all the snow it took to trigger more than

30 accidents on local roads yesterday as a late spring storm snuck up on Cleveland motorists.

Fun With LeadsStaccato Lead

Sunshine. Beer. Suntan lotion – SPF 50 or higher. Folks heading – or at least thinking about heading – to the Jersey Shore. This isn’t supposed to happen on January 20, but the city got a glimpse of summer Saturday as record heat toasted the region.

Fun With LeadsAnalogy Lead

The Netherlands is considering anti-terrorism laws that make the United States' Patriot Act look like a civil libertarian's dream come true.

Fun With LeadsAmazing Facts and Startling Statements

Alaska is the state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work, according to a government survey.

The average major league baseball lasts seven pitches, claims a local statistician.

It should be perfectly OK to argue with a cop, says a Hockessin, Delaware civil rights activist.

Fun With LeadsWordplay Lead

The naked jogger was described by police as a very cold white male, about 5 feet, 11 inches tall and about 180 pounds.

The recent boycott of allegedly unsafe meat is a lot of tripe, says a longtime local butcher.

A Maplewood resident opened a box of cake mix Saturday and found a lot of dough – about $4,000 in crisp new $100 bills.

Fun With LeadsAllusion/Pop Culture Lead (Warning: Please be

timely)

An exciting new species of rhododendron previewed at this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show isn’t the result of some complicated drawn out scientific experiment; it was born this way.

Thoughts on LeadsWhen in doubt – and beyond – lead with who or what. Unless person is famous, don’t lead with a name;

delay the ID. Don’t lead with when, unless time frame is

significant: “For the sixth time in two weeks…” As opposed to “On Tuesday morning, the airport shut down after all the planes mysteriously disappeared.”

Don’t lead with where, unless it’s significant: “The White House was the site today of the first

meeting in decades between officials of the U.S. and North Korea.”

Thoughts on LeadsBe judicious with the prepositional phrases: “In

a decision sure to cause outcry from civil libertarians, the Supreme Court today ruled…”

And finally, be careful not to bury the hook too deep in a piece; don’t lead with “Philadelphia City Council met Thursday morning” and then in paragraph 10 write, “Council voted to ban bars and restaurants in the city from showing Jersey Shore on their televisions.”

Let the People Speak!To capture and present a source’s personality. To put a human face on a story. To supplement a statement of fact. To capture exchanges in dialogue. To add personality, color, impact, vividness. To add (you hope) credibility. To authenticate your story.

Approach People…Can’t avoid being part of the “courtroom crush”

all the time. Build a rapport; listen to your grandma: be

nice. The first question is always the most difficult.Save the confrontational tone for folks who

dodge.

You could ask…“Mr. Dolenz, can I ask you just a couple of

questions?”“Can you help me understand how climate

change occurs?”

You shouldn’t ask…“What do you have to say for yourself Dolenz –

did you sacrifice those goats or what?”“Is there anything you’d like to say to your

constituents, who didn’t sign up for this goat sacrificing when they elected to you?”

“How do you feel?”*

And Now, Some Quoting Basics

Attribution can come before…

Bishop said, “Lint is America’s number one unintentionally produced substance.”

McNelis said he cannot believe there are so many global warning deniers (an indirect quote).

After…

“Lint is America’s number one unintentionally produced product,” Bishop said.


Or in between…

“Lint is America’s number one unintentionally produced product,” Bishop said. “We never thought we could make money from selling it, but we’ve got customers all over the country.”

“I really thought a frisbee could fit in a human mouth,” Bender said. “Then I tried it.”


Extend the attribution to ID the speaker: “They just should have stopped after eight

seasons of Scrubs,” said Ronald Bishop, a Drexel University communications professor.

NOT: …Ronald Bishop, a Drexel University communication professor, said.

Or use a colon (for drama): Said Bishop: “There are seven monkeys living in

my attic. My son named the biggest one Tralfaz.”


Avoid Orphan Quotes:

Micky Dolenz, the drummer for the Monkees, thought the CD didn’t feature the band’s best work. “It sucked.” (you have to attribute here).

Give a Short or Partial Quote Its Own Graph: Micky Dolenz, the drummer for the Monkees,

thought the CD didn’t feature the band’s best work.

“It sucked,” he said.

And Now, SomeQuoting Basics

Yes, Partial Quotes Rock, But Use Sparingly:

Bishop said Sarah Palin’s recent interviews have been “mind-boggling.”

Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, said the case was “an evolving clinical picture” and “not a classical presentation of the disease.”

The mayor said residents should “turn off” unnecessary lights and “turn down” their thermostats “to 65 degrees.”


Remember to Deploy The Ol’ “Bland-O-Meter:”

NOT: “Drexel will be closed tomorrow because of too many moths,” McKechnie said.

TRY: Drexel will be closed tomorrow, McKechnie said, citing the increased number of moths on campus.

“You can’t give a team like that extra outs,” Clemens said. “I walked a few guys, hit a couple of guys, and you can’t do that with these guys.”


Quote Across Two Paragraphs:

“I really thought a Frisbee could fit in a human mouth,” Bender said. “Then I tried it.

“The thing is, I’m a bit of a daredevil. I’ll try anything once. Last March, I drove from New York to Boston in a horrible thunderstorm with the top down just to say I did it. Took me an hour to drain my car, but it was worth it.”


Leave the Thesaurus at home: “Said” and a few other synonyms – recalled,

replied, stated, stressed, noted, claimed, emphasized – are enough to do a solid job.

Don’t go overboard: gasped, quipped, offered, proferred, screamed, shouted (unless the person does), preached, cajoled, blubbered, etc.

And make sure the attribution verb is used ACCURATELY! Did your source actually “rage?” Did he “crow?” Otherwise, it’s you talking – your opinion.


You can’t make this stuff up: “The fact that we’re going through the safest

period in aviation history is no accident,” said FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgill (4/9/08).


Tell the reader where the quote originated: An interview?

McNelis said in an interview Tuesday she has no intention of running for mayor of Hockessin.

A press conference? Bauer made the comment during a Monday press

conference in his office at the Pentagon. A document you’ve obtained or was supplied to

you? Documents obtained by the COM 260 Courier

confirm that Bishop maintains a collection of gumball machine football helmets.


A blog post? On his blog, The MORE Chronicles, Bishop on

Tuesday suggested it would be “impossible for a singer like James Taylor to win American Idol.”

A facebook status update? Writing on facebook Thursday, McNelis said she

had reconsidered and would in fact run for mayor of Hockessin.


Perils of quoting from blogs and posts? Person may not exist. Person may been using a false identity. Quote could be planted. The quote is packaged, not spontaneous. Bottom line: you need to know the person exists!


From an anonymous source? A source close to the investigation said police are

close to making an arrest in the case. A military official who requested her identity not

be revealed because she is not authorized to comment confirmed the new policy has been approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.


Problems With Anonymous Sources? Affects your news organization’s credibility – and

not in a good way. Affects your own credibility – people come to

think you can’t convince your sources to go on the record.

COM 260: Fundamentals of Journalism

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