Journalism

Investigative or Two Editorials Assignments

• Word count ~800-1000 words
• Interviews – implementing at least TWO interviews.
• If you wish, you can do two editorials instead (each should use at least one interview, each with word counts ~400-500 words).
• Due date: March 3

Intro to Journalism

Read and respond to the questions at the bottom of the editorial below. Post your responses to your blog in a post titled “February 27”). You do NOT need to answer the challenge question.

Why Professors Object to Being Recorded

Into to Journalism

1. Choose one of the following editorials to read:
   1. NFL Ratings
   2. Keep the Internet Free
2. Answer the questions at the end of the editorial on your blog. Make sure to include the title of the article you read as well as today’s date.

Journalism

Investigative: As part of the leg work for your investigative story, you should start setting up your interviews (you need at least TWO). Your first interview should be completed no later than MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20.

Editorials: Your first editorial is due by Tuesday, February 21 (there will be a folder in the drive for this).

Intro

1. Please go back through the first two weeks worth of posts and make sure your blogs are caught up with all of the posts you should have.
2. Choose three other students blogs. Go through their posts and reply to any three (comment on ONE post of your choice on each of three different blogs). Be constructive and thoughtful – imagine having a conversation with the person. Avoid generalizations (“I agree!”-  instead offer some specific insight).

Journalism

Please see yesterday’s post – you have deadlines!!

Intro to Journalism

1. Finish the Google form from yesterday’s post first.
2. Today you should get mad about something.
3. The best editorials stem from discontent. Post to your blog about an issue that bothers you. You will eventually be taking this post and fine-tuning it into a cleaner (less ranting) editorial. The post should be no less than 200 words.

Journalism

Investigative: As part of the leg work for your investigative story, you should start setting up your interviews (you need at least TWO). Your first interview should be completed no later than MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20.

Editorials: Your first editorial is due by Tuesday, February 21 (there will be a folder in the drive for this).

Journalism

See previous post regarding our current investigatory project.

Intro to Journalism

If you haven’t finish it, continue to work on the Guided Writing Activity (due by the end of the day today).

When finished, start work on this form: https://goo.gl/forms/n2LhnNMPe6ZPaWwg2

Journalism

See previous post regarding our current investigatory project.

Intro to Journalism

Continue work on the Guided Writing Activity (due tomorrow by the end of the day)

Journalism

Send an email to me (eklauber@smithtown.k12.ny.us) in which you propose an investigative project. The subject should be:

• of public interest
• original and proactive
• something into which you can dig deep
• something most people (students, residents, etc) wouldn’t necessarily know.

I will email you back with suggestions and/or approval.

If you choose to do the investigative assignment, you may work with ONE other student. The project can be video and/or photographic. Some creativity is definitely welcomed here.

• Word count ~800-1000 words
• Interviews – implementing at least TWO interviews.
• If you wish, you can do two editorials instead (each should use at least one interview, each with word counts ~400-500 words).
• Due date: March 3

Intro to Journalism

We will be spending the next two days on the activity below. You will be crafting your first, short news story.

1. CLICK HERE:
   • https://docs.google.com/a/smithtown.k12.ny.us/document/d/1PkFTVSSgZzVnqha9zPjUWgiAnu1uMqU0ZU50L6ILL8A/edit?usp=sharing
2.  BEFORE YOU TYPE: Go to “File –> Make a Copy” and save it as “YOUR NAME Guided Writing Activity.”
3. Follow the steps!

Journalism

1. Continue reading “Busted” – parts 3 and 4.
2. Complete form: https://goo.gl/forms/LZ7gdK5PDwYdQMwD2
3. Brainstorm some possible local (or state or national) topics you might investigate.

Into to Journalism

We will be spending the next three days on the activity below. You will be crafting your first, short news story.

1. CLICK HERE:
   • https://docs.google.com/a/smithtown.k12.ny.us/document/d/1PkFTVSSgZzVnqha9zPjUWgiAnu1uMqU0ZU50L6ILL8A/edit?usp=sharing
2.  BEFORE YOU TYPE: Go to “File –> Make a Copy” and save it as “YOUR NAME Guided Writing Activity.”
3. Follow the steps!

Journalism

1. Continue reading “Busted” – parts 3 and 4.
   (Section 3 = “AFTER HE ARRESTED Amy Albritton”… “No controlled substance identified. Albritton was innocent.”
   Section 4 = “INGER CHANDLER OVERSEES the small conviction-integrity unit” … “Not only do the innocent tend to plead guilty in these cases, but they often do so more quickly.”)
2. Complete the survey: https://goo.gl/forms/SjzXsVf2uGPcfOu12

Intro to Journalism

1. Read the following information about hard news articles and leads.
2. Answer the questions: https://goo.gl/forms/fW5AYCFjHlBbDj5Y2

Hard news articles are written so the the reader can stop reading at any time, and still come away with the whole story.  This is very different from an essay, which presumes that the audience will stick around to the end, and can therefore build to a finish.

The Lead: The lead, or the first sentence of the story, is arguably the most important part of the article. Based on the content of that first sentence, a reader will either look deeper into the story, or move on to the next one.

• Read this article, especially paying attention to how the lead, the first sentence, is constructed.

Therefore, how you craft your lead is very important. There are some basic rules one can follow:

• The who, what, when, where, how, why lead.
• Basically, just like it sounds. This lead tries to answer the 5 w’s and one h in one sentence.
• EXAMPLE: A 15-minute operation involving a forklift, 20 firefighters, seven police officers and one scared pig ended a two-hour traffic delay on Interstate 94 Sunday morning.
• How you craft the sentence is also important:
  • Five Ws and an H (or, finding a lead by emphasizing the most important news element first):
    1. WHO: President Clinton will visit Cuba next week at the request of Caricom nations.
    2. WHAT: Lightning struck the upper deck at Wrigley Field last night while the Cubs were playing in San Francisco.
    3. WHEN: Midnight tonight is the deadline for tax returns, but the local post office is ready to accommodate procrastinators.
    4. WHERE: The Emerson and Towanda intersection is officially the most dangerous crossing in Bloomington, according to the Illinois Bureau of Transportation.
    5. WHY: Because she could correctly spell “ostentatious,” Lisa Wheeler will go to the state Spelling Bee finals.
    6. HOW: By hitting his 50th home run last night for the fourth year, Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa etched his name in the baseball record books alongside Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire.

Journalism

1. Read just the first TWO sections: https://www.propublica.org/article/common-roadside-drug-test-routinely-produces-false-positives (“AMY ALBRITTON can’t remember if her boyfriend signaled when he changed lanes late that August afternoon in 2010″ … “At that volume, even the most modest of error rates could produce thousands of wrongful convictions.”)
2.  Complete the Google Form: https://goo.gl/forms/Gf03g8BAM7whz0An2

Intro to Journalism

1. Go through your classmate’s blog links listed on the side —>
2. Respond to at least THREE student’s posts (can be either existing post on their blog). Comments should be productive and substantive. This means your comments should be specific to what the author is saying – referring to details and adding your own detail to the conversation. No simple responses like “I agree!”
3. Add one more post to your blog:
   • In 1-2 paragraphs, respond to a current events news story of your choice. Similar to your first post, you can do this “rant” style. Please provide a link to the story to which you are responding.