JRN 200: Your Tuesday 7/5 Homework

First, we will need to write a practice story slugged LAWSUIT. The background material is a court document (which you may refer to as the lawsuit in attribution) that can be found in the 11th edition of Reporting For The Media, Chapter 18, Ex. 6, p.397.

For this exercise, the circuit court is the Ingham County Circuit Court. The school district is the East Lansing School District. All relevant individuals and institutions live or are located in East Lansing.

Also, here are explainers of some basic terms: plaintiffs are people who are filing a lawsuit, and making accusations. Defendants are the people being sued and accused. Damages are what plaintiffs seek from the defendants, if the defendants are eventually found guilty.

Plus, keep in mind everything contained in a lawsuit is an allegation that has yet to be proven in court. So, in describing things, I would advise you to overdose on the liberal use of allegedly.

For this assignment, your deadline will be no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday, to omars@msu.edu.

Also, if you haven't already you should be receiving your graded first out-of-class story shortly; no later than 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 6, for sure. The rewrite of your first out-of-class story will be due no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 13 by email to omars@msu.edu.

For the rewrite, do whatever suggestions I have noted, whether that involves additional reporting, AP Style fixes, rearranging story structure, whatever.  You do not have to do a rewrite, but I strongly encourage you to do so.

If you do the rewrite, then your assignment grade will be the average between your original one and the rewrite.