JRN 200: Your Friday 9/30 Homework

Once again, you'll have some writing and some reading for the weekend. Here we go:

The writing assignment will be from Reporting For The Media Ch. 17, Ex. 3, P. 364. The slug is MISSING. Your deadline will be no later than 9 a.m. Monday to omars@msu.edu. Give yourselves 90 minutes to do the story.

For this assignment, your state is Michigan. Your city is East Lansing. The statistics are from the U.S. Department of Justice. The professor's school is Michigan State University. The name of Jason Abare's wife is spelled two different ways; the correct spelling is Anne. Using the spelling of Ann without the "e" will result in a fatal.

Also, you will have an ethical situation to handle in this story. You interview Sabrina Diaz, on the condition that you don't use her last name. How will you handle attribution in this situation? Review the prior text readings and blog posts, and come up with an ethical way to handle this situation that still addresses audience transparency.

Also, for your reading assignment please read Reporting For The Media Chapter 15 (p. 303-328) by 9 a.m. Tuesday.

And, per usual, please read today's latest blog posts reviewing our last writing exercise.

Any questions? Call me at 702-271-7983, email me at omars@msu.edu, or stop by and say hello by scheduling an appointment to see me at my office at CAS 360.

Out-Of-Class #1: Your Deadline ...

... if I have approved your topic (and I probably did; GREAT range of topics that you can self-report. If you haven't yet gotten a reply, you will before the weekend), will be no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12 to omars@msu.edu. 

That gives you almost two weeks to work on it. That's a very generous time allotment, as the syllabus notes you should usually have a one-week turn-around time.

Please don't wait to start on this; lining up sources and finding sources willing to be interviewed can take a lot more time than you'd expect. And if you're doing an internship or job (or both) this semester, you may not have a gazillion time windows in which to do interviews.

If you wait, you may miss opportunities to gain key interviews, and end up turning in a subpar product.

Please note the assignment parameters, as listed in your syllabus:

• The topic must be pre-approved by me, via tip sheet 
• The story must be at least 700 words long
• You need to note the word count at the end of the story
• The story should include at least three sources who you have personally interviewed. Three is the bare minimum, but I expect to see many more than that. 
• ALL your sources should have been personally interviewed; do not borrow content from news articles and Web sites. If you see someone cited online whose comments you want to use, Google the source and contact him or her directly.
• You should try to incorporate at least one neutral expert, as noted in the syllabus
• On a separate page, attach a source sheet where you list by name, title, phone number and email address each interview source you communicated with. I will be randomly spot-checking sources to check your accuracy and make sure you spoke to whom you claim to have spoken.
• Also, keep in mind you will have the opportunity to do an optional rewrite of your story, after the graded version is returned to you.   To earn credit for a rewrite, you must do additional reporting and rewriting, as suggested by me. Then, your initial grade and rewrite grade are averaged, and that average becomes your final assignment grade.
• In structuring your story, use the lessons we've learned and been working on with our practice stories. That's the point of doing those; so we can have a well-organzied story utilizing interview material with strong ledes and nut grads and such.

I strongly suggest you take advantage of rewrite opportunities; first, because out-of-class stories are such a big part of your final grade, any increase in grade is bound to make a difference. Second, the more you write and report, the better you get.

So, you get an opportunity for a higher grade, and I get the reassurance that you're taking more opportunities to refine your craft.

Good luck, everybody! 

Out-Of-Class #1: How To Write It

I recently was asked how we were supposed to write the out-of-class story; in a structure similar to the practice stories?

The answer was -- and is -- absolutely!

The reason we've done all these practice stories was to initiate you into a journalistic style or writing and information organization. Essentially, the out-of-classers are like your midterms and finals, in that that's where I get to evaluate in a more definitive way what you've learned.

So, let's make sure our out-of-class stories have ...

>>> No fatals! Like I've said a million times, journalism isn't about writing; it's about getting it right. So, our first and highest obligation is to make sure we've double-checked not only our work to make sure what we wrote is accurate to our notes, but also double-check our sources against other sources, to make sure what we were told by our original source is verifiably true.

There's a rule of thumb in journalism that goes, if your mother says she loves you, check it out. What that means is, if your mom says she loves you, don't simply take her word for it. Seek evidence that supports what she claims.

For example, if your mother says she loves you and you're trying to verify it, you can go by documented evidence (such as, birthday cards she went you every year, in which she wrote how much she loves you) and historical evidence (like, she never missed any of your sports games in high school, and always rooted loudly for you) and source/witness evidence (like friends and relatives, who say she never shuts up about how much she loves you).

Like Ronald Reagan used to say about dealing with the Russians: trust, but verify. That's what journalists have always done. We don't just write down what people say; we check it out. It's not that we think they're lying; we're just making sure what they're saying is fully accurate and contextual, with nothing misinterpreted or left out.

>>> Strong ledes, whether it be a summary lede getting to the main point of the story, or an alternative or anecdotal lede that offers a humanizing example of the greater issue, before backing into strong nut grafs hammering home the main point.

>>> Thought given to the Peanut Barrel rule in crafting those ledes, so that readers can quickly get what is most interesting/relevant/useful about your story. 

>>> A focus on what is most newsworthy, in sequential order, rather than simply listing things as they unfolded.

>>> Lots of quotes, introducing human voices into your stories.

>>> Interviews you did yourself! Not stuff you found online, or something CNN reported. All info -- even background info -- should be from first-hand sources you spoke with.

This is the difference between writing a term paper and writing a news story. With a term paper, you start with a conclusion, and then find evidence from second-hand sources like Wikipedia or whatever to support your main point.

But in journalism, we start out with a theory, and then fact-test our starting point by doing first-hand interviews and seeing what we can discover that confirms or rebuts our starting assumptions, or even takes us in a whole new (and newsworthier) direction. We folow teh facts, not necessarily the original expectation.

Only then -- after we have done our first-hand interviewing -- do we determine what the main point of our story is, and we write it based on what we discovered and the facts we gathered and verified, rather than what we started with. 


>>> Solid attribution, so that the audience knows exactly where you're getting your information from, and leveraging the expertise of your sources in a transparent way. For attributing statements, just use said.

>>> Short paragraphs, with only one main point OR one supporting idea OR one supporting quote per graf. Not all three; not even two of three. Just one per graf. This is done so that main ideas and supporting points can stand out (like in an outline), and for ease and clarity of reading and editing.

When in doubt, hit the "return" key and start a new graf. There's no such thing as too small a graf in journalism,but there are grafs that are too big. 

If you have any questions, please see me sooner rather than later. A reminder: your deadline is no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12 at omars@msu.edu.

And please be careful, thorough and timely. Each out-of-class story equals about 10 percent of your final semester grade, or roughly equal to all the practice stories we've done sofar, put together.

Again, these are our midterms and finals, so treat these out-of-classers with the same level of importance.

Squirrels: Ledes I Liked

A good number of good grades on this assignment. Good job, folks!

Additionally, you guys took different lede/nut graf approaches, offering a sampling of different ways to do the story. Here's a few examples. This first one was a basic lede/nut graf that did the job well. The lede summed up the problem; the nut graf detailed the consequences, and then you launch into the individual examples of squirrel-insipred woe:

         Lansing Community College officials are blaming squirrels for a recent run of car damage across campus.

  
          Students, teachers and staff members have faced repair bills amounting 

to hundreds of dollars after squirrels began nesting in their cars. 

Here, you did an anecdotal lede that took several grafs before getting to the nut graf:

           For the past few weeks, Oliver Brookes couldn’t figure out why one headlight on his van refused to work.

           Despite having it replaced, the associate professor of English at Lansing Community College said he had continual problems with the headlight in his van. When he opened up the hood to poke around, he was greeted by more than just wires and machinery.

            “There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” he said.

            Lately, squirrels have been causing quite the hassle for many LCC students and staff members by finding refuge under the hoods of cars.

In these next two, you had some fun with word play with fun alternate ledes followed by more to-the-point nut grafs:

         Nutty car problems have been occurring for the student body and faculty members of Lansing Community College this past school year.

          University officials have determined that squirrels are to blame for the issues students, teachers and staff members have been experiencing with their vehicles. 

... and ...  

                  Problems with your car? A furry friend may be the cause. 

                  College officials at Lansing Community College are blaming squirrels for car problems being had by students, teachers, and staff members. 

... and ...  

             Students, teachers, and staff members at Lansing Community College are going nuts courtesy of many problems caused by a familiar animal: the common squirrel. 

             Officials at LCC are blaming squirrels for an influx of car problems affecting individuals who work at and attend the institution.

And these silly ledes are okay. Why? Because this is a silly story. It's not because of your writing preference; it's because the tone is true to the facts. And the facts are unexpected and weird and yes, silly.

As long as you let the facts dictate the tone, then you're doing it based not on opinion but on factual context.

Each of these ledes is a good, solid lede. But which ones do you think worked best? And why?

Squirrels: A Story I Liked

With each of these lede/nut graf sequences, the writers followed by offering the fact/quote sequences that we talked about earlier. So does this story -- which I will show you in its complete form -- that starts with an alternative lede, then goes to two nut grafs, then launches into the compartmentalized individual examples. This is a good structure which to aspire to:

       In Lansing, there is a new addition to the squirrel’s diet — electrical wires.

       The squirrels on Lansing Community College’s campus have been making homes and feeding on the electrical wires in cars on campus.

       The damage from the squirrels is costing students and staff money to replace ruined wires.

       LCC dietitian Linda Kasparov said an attendant at a service station found a squirrel’s nest as the cause of broken a oil-pressure gauge, speedometer and headlights on Kasparov’s car.

        “The attendant put up the hood and then jumped back exclaiming, ‘My God, what have you got in there!’” Kasparov said.

       Kasparov said the attendant found three baby squirrels in a nest built of string, sticks and plastic bags. 

       Kasparov said the damage cost her more than $400.

       Laura Ruffenboch, a wildlife professor at LCC, said the soybean-based insulation on many electrical wires may be appealing to the squirrels.

        Ruffenboch said squirrels building nests in a car which is used regularly is an uncommon phenomenon.

       Oliver Brookes, an associate professor of English at LCC, also said he found a squirrel’s nest under the hood of his car.

       “There was a big squirrels nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said.

       Brookes said the squirrels chewed through the headlight wiring in his car, which cost more than $180 to replace.

Squirrels: The Satisfying Ending

In journalism there is no need for a so-called satisfying ending; e.g., and they lived happily ever after, like in English comp. That's because in journalism, we lede with the ending. 

So, just let the story trail off. That's fine. It'll look weird and abrupt but unless it's some sort of special narrative feature, that's how we end it.

Squirrels: Fewer Fatals, But Still ...

The good news is, we're having fewer fatals. The bad news is, we're still having some fatals. Here's samples of the latest:

PROBLEM: We identified Lansing Community College as East Lansing Community College.

SOLUTION: This will sound familiar: We need to be precise with names. Be sure to double-check the spellings of ALL names-- whether of people or businesses or pets or towns or whatever -- both before and after writing.

*** 

PROBLEM: We identified the campus as Michigan State University, when in fact it was Lansing Community College.

SOLUTION: Same as above. Don't assume; make sure you understand all the facts as they are before we start writing.

*** 

PROBLEM: When we meant to say furry critters (as in, small animals), we said furry fritters (small cakes made of batter). That misspelling creates a change in meaning, and a change in meaning is a fatal.

SOLUTION: Check your work word-by-word with your own eyes after we finish writing to make sure what we wrote is correct and what you intended to write. And don't simply rely on spell check; spell check wouldn't have helped here because our misspelling of exclaimed created a correctly-spelled explained, which was an unintended word. Spell check is a supplement to, but not a substitute for, checking our stories line-by-line, item-by-item, quote-by-quote and word-by-word.

*** 
  
Overall, I see you are starting to build in good fact-checking habits, and that's what we want. But do be warned: accuracy is not a matter of talent, but of vigilance. We have to keep doing all the right things, the right way, every time. Otherwise, we fall right back to where they are.

It's like staying in physical shape. As long as you run your five miles a day and do your 200 sit-ups, you stay in shape. But as soon as you start cutting corners -- maybe you just do 50 sit-ups, or skip a day of running here and there -- the flab comes right back.

You can be a great athlete, but if you're out of shape, you won't be great., Rigorously fact-checking and proof-reading our work is how we stay in journalistic shape. So don't let up.

I am sorry to say, however, we did have a couple of people who didn't turn in the assignment at all. Don't let this turn into a habit. Each practice story is only a small part of your final grade, but they can  add up quickly. Especially when combined with the two or three or four fatals that most people historically get over the course of a semester in this class.

And make sure you don't fatal in ANY way -- whether it's a fact fatal or a time fatal -- on the out-of-class stories. Those are such a big part of your final grade that a fatal could really cripple your final grade, or send you into a frenzy of extra-credit work to dig out of that hole.

So, you are warned. But the good news is, many of you are showing me that you're up for the challenge.

Squirrels: Show Me, Don't Just Tell Me

Many of you were very light in offering quotes. Why?

Quotes are good. Quotes allow us to elaborate on things and to put a human voice in the conversation and to give readers the confidence that they're not just taking your word for it; there's somebody else saying something to support what you're claiming.

Look at the way a quote graf helps support and build upon the first graf in this sequence:

After pulling into a gas station to get help, Kasparov said the attendant found a nest containing three baby squirrels under Kasparov's hood.

"The attendant put up the hood and then jumped back exclaiming, 'My God, what have you got in there?'" Kasparov said.

The first graf tells your readers, based on your summarization of events. The second graf shows your readers, via the direct words of a direct participant.

Don't just tell readers. Show them.

Squirrels: How Do You Know ...

... Brookes spent $184 to get his car's wiring replaced?

Were you there when he had the wiring replaced? No.

Did you pay for the repair bill? No.

So, how do you know?

It's because he said so, right?

So, why not let readers know your sourcing? Brookes said he spent $184 to get his car's wiring replaced?

How do you know Kasparov was driving home one night when her car fritzed out? Because she said! So add "she said" as attribution.

How do you know how her mechanic found squirrels under the hood? Because she said!

Pretty much everything not witnessed by you should have some sort of attribution. He said; she said; according to records; whatever.

Make sure you have properly attributed everything in your story. Basically, every paragraph after the lede and nut graf should have some sort of attribution affixed to it.

I know that's gonna look a bit weird, having graf after graf with so-and-so said this and this other dude said that and so on. But we do it as journalists to make sure that readers know exactly where we got our information. It promotes transparency and illustrates the factual basis for a story.

Squirrels: Paragraph Sizes

In journalism, we try to write in short paragraphs, with any single graf containing one main point OR one supporting idea OR one supporting quote. 

That's intended to make sure that different points and details stand out, instead of being lost in a mega-paragraph. It also means many grafs will be only one or two sentences long. 

Really, whether you have to start a new graf has nothing to do with size; rather, it's whether you have different types of information sets. So, I would say the following graf should be split up, even though it's pretty short ... 
 

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said. The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

 ... because you have two information sets: the main point in the first sentence, and then the supporting quote in the second. So I would do this:

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said.

The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

... which I know looks weird. The grafs look too small, if we're going by what we learned in English comp. But also keep in mind that in writing for newspapers and magazines, you have very narrow column widths, so to a reader the two grafs would probably look more like this:

“There was a big squirrel’s

nest in the corner where

the light wires were,” 

Brookes said.

The replacement of the

wiring cost $184, Brookes

said.

... and now the grafs don't look so tiny, do they? 
 
Let's look at this graf:

--> School dietician Linda Kasparov said she had a similar experience. Kasparov said she was driving home when the headlights, speedometer, and oil pressure gauge all quit working on her new car. Kasparov said she then pulled into a service station to find out what was wrong. She said the attendant was shocked when he opened the hood.  
  
... which, when it has its column width narrowed, looks like this:
  
School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience.
Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car. Kasparov said she
then pulled into a service station
to find out what was wrong. She
said the attendant was shocked 
when he opened the hood.
   
Kind of a big graf, right? Now, let's split it up: 

School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience. 

Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car.
 
Kasparov said she then pulled
into a service station to find
out what was wrong. She said
the attendant was shocked
when he opened the hood.
   

Now, key points stand out a bit more clearly. It's not a big jumble of text. And that's why we want to write in short grafs; to amplify key points and not let ideas get buried in a sea of words.

If in doubt, hit the "return" key. It wasn't your friend in English comp, but you all are pals now.

Squirrels: Don't Gush

Gush is what we refer to as journalistic sensationalism and exaggeration. While we do strive to use colorful language, those words must be based on the facts and be in a proper context.

I don't think this lede fits that standard:

There is a squirrel apocalypse and our cars are in danger!

That's a pretty strong stance for a situation where squirrels are chewing through electrical wires, and not ending the world as we know it. Now, if squirrels were going around and destroying buildings and overturning cars and killing large numbers of people, then calling it an apocalypse may be justified.

But all this lede does is hype up what really is an annoyance. Yeah, people are getting some three-figure car bills, but no one is dead. No one is even hurt. It's far from an apocalypse.

Let's be sure we never gush. In public relations we sensationalize to draw attention. In journalism we draw attention based on the facts in proper context. We don't exaggerate just to draw eyeballs.

Squirrels: FYI On Acronyms, BTW

Many of you referred to Lansing Community College in first reference. And in most first cases, it's best to spell out the full title of an entity.

But how do you handle subsequent references?

You have a few options. One is to refer to the college in the generic, like I just did: as the college, lower-cased.


A second option would be to consider using an acronym, if there is a common acronym for the group. An acronym is a word formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words, such as MSU (which is the acronym for Michigan State University). In this case, the correct acronym is LCC.

If an acronym is well-known -- like NASA or FBI or USA -- then generally it is acceptable in a second reference, or even in a first reference.

This is where I'm going to refer you back to AP Style. Please carefully read and review the listing for abbreviations and acronyms.

Squirrels: Writing With (AP) Style

Is it 5402 Andover Drive, or 5402 Andover Dr., with Drive abbreviated as Dr.?

Actually, it's 5402 Andover Drive, with Drive spelled out. Here is AP Style, under addresses:

Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd. and St. only with a numbered address ... all similar words (alley, drive, road, terrace, ect.) always are spelled out. Capitalize them when part of a formal name without a number; lowercase when used alone or with two or more names.

So, if it was 5402 Andover St. or 5402 Andover Ave., you'd be correct to abbreviate. But it wasn't a street or avenue, which gets abbreviated as part of a full street address. It was drive, which does not.

AP Style has some silly inconsistencies. This is one of 'em. Still, AP Style is the baseline style system in the mass media world, so we do need to get used to all the rules, even if a few -- like this one -- seems pointlessly specific.

Also, in listing attribution, you only need one attribution in any graf where there is just one person being cited. So, if you have a graf citing only Brookes, you only need to use Brookes said once in that graf, no matter how long or short it is. 

JRN 200: Your Thursday 9/29 Homework

Just hang on tight as I grade the squirrels assignment and go over your story pitches. Assignment reviews will be posted Friday. In the mean time, go over some general story pitch/out-of-class story stuff posted below.

Plus, don't forget your job shadow proposal is due no later than 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 7! Here's the reminder:

The job shadow assignment in JRN 200 is unique from our other work in that it is not intended for publication.

It is intended to help students explore career options.

To do this, choose a person who is doing a job that you might like to do and plan to spend half a day with them as they work. This is one of the last things due, but set it up early so you are not in a tight spot late in the semester. It might take several tries to set this up. Some people, we have found, are not responsive.

Your are to shadow a journalism professional, not another student. We do not shadow people at The State News, WKAR or places where we have interned.

The person may work in any form of news media, as long as it is journalism and not PR, marketing or such. They can work in any city.

THE QUESTIONS

Learn largely by observing what they do, and use your own questions. Here are a few you can use:

* What is a really fun day on this job?

* What happens on a terrible day?

* What are the best parts of the job?

* What are the worst parts?

* How is the job changing -- and how fast?

* How did you get this job?

* What are its basic requirements?

* What do you like/dislike about it?

* Is job security an issue? How do you cope with that.

THE REPORT

You will not write a news article about this, as it is not a news story. You will be writing a 300-word report. About two thirds should describe what you saw and heard. About a third should describe how well this job -- or parts of it -- would fit you. Include any lessons you learned about your career path or getting a job someday.

The deadline for your job shadow proposal is no later than 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 7 to omars@msu.edu. The deadline for your job shadow report is no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 28 to the same.

Out-Of-Class #1: A Strong Example ...

... from a past JRN 200 class of mine as to what a good out-of-class story should look like. In all fairness, this was someone's SECOND out-of-class story, so this was after they got out of the way their first one, which usually is the hardest one.

Why is the first one so hard? It's because most of you have nothing to compare this to. If you have never written a news story for a news organization, you don't know exactly what a finished news story should look like. You don't know how interviews are supposed to go. We have to learn all that by doing that. And we have to start somewhere.

So, don't fret too much about how you do, grade-wise, on the first out-of-class story.

Three reasons not to fret: first, the point of the first one is to have you do everything one needs to do to put together a news story, so you have a template to work from in future similar assignments.

Second, you will have a voluntary rewrite opportunity, where you will be asked to make fixes as recommended by me and do additional reporting, and rewrite your story. If you do so, your assignment grade will be the average between your original version and the rewrite.

Third, you will have the opportunity to do an optional fourth out-of-class story. If you do a fourth, then the three out-of-classers that will be used to help determine your final grade will be the three with the highest grades, with the lowest-graded one thrown out.

Now, back to the example. Please note how the story is structured, using the fundamentals mentioned in the previous blog post. Also note how this is a localization of a global issue -- a range of topic I didn't allow you in your first one -- but it relies entirely on first-hand reporting. Even for background on things happening in China, the reporter cites a neutral expert who he interviewed himself.

Please take a long look and try to get some ideas for how you can best report and write your first out-of-class story. The author's name has been removed to protect the innocent:

JRN 200
10.24.12 
Slug: China

An impending shift in political power halfway across the world could have a significant impact on MSU students, according to Yasumasa Komori, an expert in East Asian politics at MSU.

In early 2013, the Chinese Communist Party will introduce a new president — Xi Jinping — whose policies will likely add to the already significant influx of Chinese international students to MSU, Komori said.

Since 2007, the population of Chinese international students has grown by more than 400 percent to almost 3,500 in 2011, according to the MSU Office of International Students and Scholars.

These increases of Chinese students are common across major universities in the western world, Komori said, and are due to an increase in the population of China’s upper class amidst the nation’s swift economic growth.

“China’s economy has grown by very large percentages each year over the past few decades,” Komori said.

Most Chinese students who are undergraduates at MSU come from wealthy families, according to Li Kang, Director of the MSU Neighborhood Cultural Assistance Program. 

“The average income of a Chinese family is about $5,000 or $6,000 per year, and tuition and living expenses at MSU can cost 10 times that,” Li said. “Usually only the wealthy families can afford to send their children here.”

Li works within the integration process of Chinese students to the MSU community. He said that employers in China see huge value in students who have been educated in the western world and can speak English well.

“The American university system is very highly regarded in China,” Li said.

But even as an increasing number of Chinese students come to MSU, many have trouble adjusting to American culture, Li said.

“Often times Chinese parents don’t realize the difficulties that come with sending their children to the United States,” Li said. 

These difficulties can lead to resentment between American students and Chinese students, Li said, which will only increase as MSU’s Chinese student population grows.

“People don’t like what they don’t understand,” Li said. “It is so important that we find ways to bridge the gap between American and Chinese students.”

Komori said that American students sometimes feel threatened by Chinese students.

“Americans always hear about China as a growing economic superpower, so they view China as a threat,” Komori said.

However, China’s economic growth itself could be under threat, Komori said.

After nine years of stable growth under current president Hu Jintao, Xi is set to take over as Chinese citizens demand more transparency of their government all the time, Komori said.

“Xi knows that he is taking over a fragile superpower,” Komori said. “The rise of China’s middle class is dangerous to him because Chinese people are finding more and more about the how political processes work outside of China.”

Most of China’s federal decisions are made by a Communist Party panel behind closed doors, Komori said, and local elections are corrupt and often rigged.

As the middle class demands more input in China’s governance, it could negatively impact the nation’s economic growth through unrest, Komori said.

Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education graduate student Mei Jianyang said that life in China has been improving for most over the past decade, but few Chinese are interested in voting.

“Most people in China are so poor, they only care about having enough to eat,” Mei said. “China is not ready for free elections.”

However, she said that as Chinese people grow more educated, she thinks free elections are possible in a few decades.

“They will have to get rid of corruption among public officials,” Mei said. 

“Nobody trusts the few elections we do have. We know they’re rigged.”

Mei — who studied history at Nankai University in Tianjin, China — said that when she participated in elections for university officials, there were communist party members at the polls who effectively ordered voters who to vote for.

“Everyone knew how the election would turn out,” Mei said.

Mei said she came to MSU because of “new opportunities” that would not be available to her in China.

While she doesn’t expect Xi to be much different than Hu, Mei said she thinks that Chinese citizens will demand more transparency from him.

“Access to the internet has changed the way many Chinese people think about politics,” Mei said.

Word Count: 721

Sources:

Yasumasa Komori, James Madison College professor
Expert in East Asian Politics

komoriy@msu.edu

Li Kang, Director of the MSU Neighborhood Cultural Assistance Program

likang968@gmail.com

Mei Jianyang, Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education graduate student

meijiany@msu.edu

MSU Office of International Students and Scholars, 2011 Annual Report
http://oiss.isp.msu.edu/documents/statsreport/11pdfs/Asia.pdf

Out-Of-Class #1: How Do I Interview?

A number of people have been asking for interviewing tips, in that they don't know where to start, or what to ask, ect.

Happily, I do have some resources with which to help you guys out!

The first one is a handout called "Reporter's Tip Sheet" (not to be confused with the tip sheets with which we outline our out-of-class story proposals). Below is the text. Hope it helps! (And if not, see me ASAP so we can figure things out a bit):

REPORTER'S TIP SHEET

FIRST: Talk to you editor and ask questions to learn what the story is about, possible sources and your editor's perspective on why this is worth covering.

PREPARE FOR THE INTERVIEW:

>>> Read back issues of the publication or any other publication that has covered the story for background.

>>> Think about who is likely to know the information you need.

>>> Surf the Web and use other reporting tools to find sources to interview both on the Web or phone (for those who live out of your area) and in-person.

>>> Identify those individuals.

>>> Email or call to set up an interview.

>>> If you need biographical info from a business executive, politician or celebrity, ask in advance of interview and check out online resources like Wikipedia.

>>> Write down your questions in advance.

>>> Organize the questions so your interview flows.

>>> Read over the questions to make sure you cover all you need to in the interview.

>>> In all stories, at a minimum, you need to answer the 5 W's and H (who, what, when, where, why and how).

FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEWS:

>>> Be on-time and dress appropriately in, at least, business casual

>>> Introduce yourself, shake hands and sit down

>>> Observe the surroundings (e.g., if you're in an office, there are family pictures, unusual artwork, ect.). Use the information for color in your story, if appropriate, and as an ice-breaker to start the interview.

>>> Make sure you have the correct spelling and title of the person you're interviewing.

>>> After one or two ice-breaker questions, start asking your formal interview questions (leave the hard or controversial questions to near the end of the interview; just be sure you don't run out of time!).

>>> Take careful notes using a reporter's notebook or laptop computer. If you use a tape recorder, you MUST still take thorough notes. (Tape recorders are notorious for malfunctioning during critical interviews.)

>>> Control the interview -- you ask the questions. Don't get tricked into answering your subject's questions or getting into a discussion or conversation with the person. That's the oldest trick in the book. Before you know it, the interview is over, and you don't have what you need for the story.

>>> Listen AND take good notes. Rich, full, direct quotes are essential in well-written stories.

>>> Get a cell phone number and email address for follow-up questions. Tell your subject you need the numbers in case you have further questions after business hours and to ensure accuracy of your story.

>>> Ask the interview subject who else could provide you with additional information.

>>> Thank the person for his or her time. 

>>> Remember, journalists do not show stories to any interviewee for their approval or verification, prior to publication. This isn't public relations for the company newsletter.

PHONE INTERVIEWS:

>>> Interviewing by phone has some strong limitations -- depriving you of visual cues from the person being interviewed.

>>> However, the phone is such a common method of communication that many times you can actually pull more information from a person in a phone interview, if you know how to ask the questions and control the direction and speed of the interview.

>>> Most of the same rules of face-to-face interviewing apply.

>>> When in doubt, check it out.

EMAIL INTERVIEWS

>>> Interviewing people by email has some inherent pluses -- you get agreat set of accurate quotes back.

>>> However, the flexibility and flow of an interview is more formalized and stilted.

>>> And, you have to make sure you are getting answers from the person you are interviewing and not some flunky or publicist who is a stand-in.

>>> It is preferable to make contact via email, then if the person is still within the U.S. to do a phone interview if a face-to-face is impossible or geographically unfeasible. 

Out-Of-Class #1: More On, How Do I Interview?

In this post, we have a few more tips on how to interview and what to watch for in interviews. Off we go: 

THE NEW IMPROVED RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE ART OF INTERVIEWING

BY BRUCE SELCRAIG

1. WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT …? Has anyone ever gotten a good response to this all-time cliché query? Let’s call for a moratorium. Besides, it’s a yes or no question, which should be avoided if possible. Try to rephrase it with a “why” and you’ll likely get better responses.

2. PROMPT YOUR SUBJECT. If you ask an eight-year-old child what happened in school today, the answer is likely to be, “Nothing.” If, however, you prompt the child with, “Was your teacher kidnapped by the Taliban?” he or she may remember that indeed this occurred before lunch. Adult sources often need the same treatment. Don’t assume people remember everything or place the same significance on events that you do. Don’t just ask, “Did anything happen in the executive session?”

3. THE ARTFUL LIE. Good liars, most lawyers and many media-wise types have perfected the response that either answers a question you didn’t actually ask or conceals a larger lie. Question: “Senator, did the Tobacco Institute pay your way to Rio de Janeiro?” Answer: “It’s been my policy to never accept such junkets.” (Who asked about your policy? I want to know if you took the trip and who paid for it.)

4. THE FIRST CONFESSION. An admission of wrongdoing is a critical moment in any investigation, but be aware that the first admission is very often a lie, usually an understatement of the frequency or severity of the offense. “Yeah, I look a little money once, so what?” (He took plenty on a routine basis.)

5. THE TELEGRAPHED PASS. Many reporters preface their most sensitive questions with almost apologetic cream-puffery. “Sorry, but I’ve got to ask you this question … I know you’ve heard these allegations before, but … “ Don’t prepare them for hard questions. That moment of uncertainty on their part may tell you more than the answer itself. 

6. THE JOE THEISMANN SYNDROME. Many reporters, myself lamentably included, ask questions with half-lives greater than plutonium. Err on the side of brevity. Be concise. This may be one of the few things to be learned from television reporters – but, of course, don’t tell them this.

7. THE NERVOUS LIAR. Notice stress indicators like frequent crossing and uncrossing of legs, constant handling of desk items like paperclips, picking at one’s clothing, and obvious signs like sweating or stuttering. They may not be lying yet, but you may be getting uncomfortably close to the right question. Try asking, “Have I made you nervous?” or “You seem to be bothered by something today.” 

8. THE EXPERT INTERVIEW. Experts appreciate that you’ve done your homework and can ask intelligent questions, but they don’t want to hear you demonstrate your expertise. That’s why you’ve come to them. Let them impress you. Remind yourself to listen.

9. HEAR WHAT WASN’T SAID. We are often so intent on getting accurate quotes and atmospheric readings that we forget to listen between the lines. Who isn’t being discussed? Why doesn’t the mayor ever discuss that program? Why does he talk about his kids and not his wife? Which questions always get short answers?

10. THE TRUTH TEST. Especially with informants, learn to periodically ask questions to which you know the answer and know that he does, too. Be wary of the source who seems incapable of saying, “I don’t know.” The classic con hates to admit this.

11. THE HEAD FAKE. You’re trying to confirm if the FBI has begun an investigation at Steroid University. You may get nowhere if you simply ask an agent, “Can you confirm this or that?” Instead, try: “What’s the Bureau’s jurisdiction for entering this case?” “Which agent will be supervising the investigation at the university?”

12. A CHANGE OF SCENERY. Most interviews work best when the subject is relaxed and comfortable in his or her surroundings. But that’s not always wise or possible. Try adversarial interviews in settings where they can’t just simply stop the questions and show you the door. Source interviews may often work better out of the office – driving a car, attending a sports event, ect. This often relieves the one-on-one tension.

13. DO YOU CARE TO COMMENT? A real pet peeve of mine. For most people this is a red flag that screams, “I’m going to quote you, so choose your words carefully.” Similar version: “Do you have a reaction to this and that?” Many corporate executives, who are accustomed to ghostwritten quotes and p.r. puffery, think you’re not quoting them until you’ve asked for a “comment.”

14. THE EMOTIONAL OFFENDER. Generally, those who have physically harmed another person will be more emotional about the act than, for example, someone who embezzled money from a company. With the first type you might attempt to play upon their guilt. The second one, however, may feel little remorse and might be drawn out by a suggestion that the company would never miss such a small sum. (“With all the waste in this company why’d they pick on you?”)

15. LOOSE LIPS SINK REPORTERS. When that long-awaited Deep Throat calls one day and asks if you’re the ace reporter looking for dirt on Dr. Mal Practices, resist your immediate urge and calmly reply that you’re looking for any information, pro or con. Do not ever, even in joking among other reporters, say things such as, “I’d love to nail that guy” or “I know he’s guilty. I just can’t prove it.” Your libel lawyer will worship the ground you walk on.

16. THINK STRATEGICALLY. Some things will only be available to you while you’re on good terms with the subject – resumes, home phone numbers, corporate brochures, internal reports, ect. Ask for them early or during blissful interludes in your ruthless interrogation. Especially remember this if you need photos.

17. THE ELUSIVE TARGET. Some people will not speak to reporters, and no amount of magic will work. Try several times, and don’t get discouraged. But don’t completely give up until you’ve exhausted every method, including:

a. Emails, text messages, IMs, social media like Facebook, ect.

b. Contacting people away from their home city,  at conventions, perhaps.

c. If Target A won’t talk, interview his best friend or close business associate and be the very essence of charm. Word will get back.

d. Find an obscure detail about their background or family.

e. Beg, grovel, whimper, date their daughter, speak in tongues, move next door to them, promise them a co-byline, lose badly at poker, tickle their fancy, drop the names of girls they dated