JOURN 220 Course Outline Page 1 of 6

Instructor: Jason Nix | 509.533.4185 | jason.nix@spokanefalls.edu | @sfcc_journalism

Building 19, Room 119 | Office hours: M-F 9:20 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. and by appointment

COURSE OUTLINE WEEK ONE (APRIL 1-5)

Class introductions/expectations

From Chapter One: The story of journalism Newsroom heroes, legends and folklore The birth of journalism News in the 19th century

News in the 20th century Today’s changing media landscape The student journalists’ news attitude survey

On the Web: Poynter NewsU The Be A Reporter Game The Interview

USC Annenberg Video Series Annenberg Video Series What is News?

Test: Chapter One and online content (TBA)

WEEK TWO (APRIL 8-12) Special Instructions for Monday, Week Two: Bring one copy of any daily newspaper to class (for example: The New York Times, The Spokesman-Review, or USA Today). Also, bring one copy of any weekly newspaper (The Inlander, The Seattle Weekly, etc.)

Monday’s class discussion: The anatomy of a newspaper

What are the sections of a newspaper? Why is a paper constructed this way? How do online papers differ?

From Chapter Two: How newsrooms work What is news? What readers read How a story gets written How the news comes together Who’s who in the newsroom What it’s called

JOURNALISM 220 INTRODUCTION TO NEWSWRITING

JOURN 220 Course Outline Page 2 of 6

Tools, talent and temperament

On the Web: Poynter NewsU News Sense: The Building Blocks of News

Annenberg Video Series Annenberg Video Series Hard News Leads Annenberg Video Series News Writing Language and Style

Field Trip: local media tour; Time TBA

Test: Chapter Two (Friday)

Major Writing Assignment One Due: (Thursday) Peer review on Wednesday

WEEK THREE (APRIL 15-19) From Chapter Three:

Newswriting basics Just the facts, ma’am The five W’s The inverted pyramid Writing basic news leads Beyond the basic news lead Leads that succeed After the lead … what next? Story structure

Rewriting Editing

On the Web: Annenberg Video Series Annenberg Video Series Dealing with Sources Annenberg Video Series Development and organization of a Story

Profile Piece Due: (Friday) Peer review on Wednesday, Thursday

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WEEK FOUR (APRIL 22-26)

Continued from Chapter Three: Newswriting basics Newswriting style Making deadline Newswriting tips Test yourself

City Makes a U-Turn: Speed Zone Set for Country Club, by Alandra Johnson The City has $548 Million: What do You Want?, by Bryan Gilmer All This Ice, and the Captain is Hot, by Judd Silvka

Test: Chapter Three (Friday)

Story Idea List Due Tuesday Peer review Monday

Special assignment for this week: Attend a Spokane (or Spokane Valley) City Council meeting and take notes. We’ll discuss your notes in class.

WEEK FIVE (APRIL 29 – MAY 3) From Chapter Four:

Reporting basics Where stories come from Finding and using sources Using the Internet Observation

Taking notes Interviewing Quotations Attributions Math for Journalists Diversity in news coverage

Test yourself

Test: Chapter Four (Friday)

SFCC Speech or Meeting Story Due Friday Peer review Wednesday, Thursday

On the Web: Poynter NewsU Cleaning Your Copy: Grammar, Style, and More Math for Journalists Annenberg Video Series Good Writing vs. Good Reporting

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WEEK SIX (MAY 6-10) From Chapter Five:

Covering the News Covering a beat Writing obituaries Covering accidents and disasters Covering fires Covering crime Covering courts Covering speeches Covering meetings Covering politics Covering sports Test yourself

Student-teacher conferences: Schedule TBA

On the Web: Poynter NewsU Introduction to Reporting: Beat Basics On the beat: Covering Cops and Crime Annenberg Video Series Beat Reporting

Test: Chapter Five (Friday)

WEEK SEVEN (MAY 13-17)

From Chapter Six: Beyond Breaking News The world of features Generating story ideas Feature style Feature story structures Writing profiles Test yourself

On the Web: Poynter NewsU Beyond the Inverted Pyramid: Creating Alternative Story Forms Annenberg Video Series Annenberg Video Series Feature Writing Styles

City Council Meeting Story Due Wednesday Peer review on Monday and Tuesday

Test: Chapter Six (Friday)

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WEEK EIGHT (MAY 20-23) From Chapter Eight:

Digital Journalism From print to the Web Reporting on multiple platforms Journalism and social media Blogging Updating stories online

Writing for the Web Incorporating links Incorporating multimedia Encouraging user participation Media Convergence Planning online packages Test yourself

On the Web: Annenberg Video Series Public Relations Writing

Poynter NewsU Anatomy of a Multimedia News Organization

From Chapter Seven: Law and Ethics Press rights When things go wrong Understanding libel Invasion of privacy Copyright law

Wild Card Hard News story Due: (Thursday) Peer review on Tuesday, Wednesday

Test: Chapter Eight (Wednesday)

WEEK NINE (MAY 28 - 31)

Law and Ethics Taste and decency (and censorship) The Seven Deadly Sins Journalistic Ethics Ethics survey Test yourself

On the Web: Annenberg Video Series The Ethics of Journalism Annenberg Video Series Media Law

Test: Chapter Seven (Friday)

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WEEKS TEN AND ELEVEN (JUNE 3 - 13)

From Chapter Ten: Public Relations

What is public relations? Planning a PR strategy Writing news releases Balance, bias and spin The Press Room

Hidden Spokane story Due: (Thursday, Week 11) Peer review on Tuesday, Wednesday

Test: Chapter Ten (Friday)

FINAL EXAM:

8:30 a.m. class Date: Wednesday, Dec. 12

Time: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Location: Distance Learning testing room

10:30 a.m. class

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 11 Time: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Location: Distance Learning testing room