JRN 200: That's All, Folks

Everything is in. Nothing left to do. I'll do the math on your base grades, and then I'll make any adjustments based on extra credit, and that's that. Your grades will be locked in, and soon you'll be finding out exactly what you got.

The only thing left for you to do (if you haven't done it already) is evaluate this class via the SIRS online teacher evaluation site. Please take a few minutes to let us know how this version of JRN 200 went, what we should keep doing, and what could be better.

Plus, there's only one thing for me to do, and that's to thank each of you for spending a semester with me. I enjoyed working with each and every one of you. I really did.

Everyone comes into JRN 200 at a different starting point. Some have some journalistic experience; others don't. A few people have a natural talent; others need that talent cultivated a bit before it becomes apparent.

No matter where and how you started, I got to see improvement. Growth. Little everyday victories. Some defeats, but also renewed efforts to overcome those losses.

No matter if you did great in this class or just eked by, remember this is just one step in a larger journey: one toward the day after graduation. Between now and then you'll build on the skills you learned here. You'll improve. You'll get more comfortable doing this. Things will seem more natural as you do them (like AP style).

If journalism was easy to learn, it would be a two-week certificate class at the local community college, and not a four-year major. This is just an early step in that longer trip to your careers and independent lives.

You're on your way. If there's anything I can do to help along the way, please don't hesitate to ask. (All because our class is done doesn't mean I'm not willing to help!)

Good luck to everyone in the coming semester, and one last time, thank you.

JRN 200: Homework for Wed./Fri. 11/29-12/1

First, you will have the AP Style quiz posted below to do as homework. The AP Style quiz will be due no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 4 by email to omars@msu.edu. That is the same deadline as your third out-of-class story and job shadow report.

Also, because you have so much due after the weekend and we have so little left to do in class right now, we will not have class on Friday, Dec. 1. Please do not show up here that day.

Class will resume on Wednesday, Dec. 6. In the meantime, I will be available as usual via email on weekdays, and by phone or text during nights and weekends.

JRN 200: Classes For The Week of Thanksgiving

Obviously, we have no classes on Friday, Nov. 24. That's during MSU's Thanksgiving break.

But in addition to Thanksgiving break, JRN 200 will also be giving you a break: no class on Wednesday, Nov. 22, either. Please sleep in or go home early or whatever; just don't come here because no one will be here.

That means our next class session will be Wednesday. Nov. 29 at 8 a.m. See you then, and have a safe and happy holiday.

JRN 200: Homework For Friday 11/17

Next up is your third multimedia assignment. Your topic will be the same as your third out-of-class story. So when you do your interviews for your third out-of-classer, be sure to gather material for all mediums at the same time: print, video and online.

The multimedia package should include:

... a 1-2 minute video, uploaded to YouTube, with B-roll and at least two source interviews on-tape;

... a 100-200-word preview or one side of the issue, posted to blogger.com and done in a journalistic style, taking a look at the issue going into your reporting or one side of your issue, with at least two relevant working hyperlinks embedded in the text;

... and a 100-200-word recap or other side of the issue posted to blogger.com and done in a journalistic style, taking a look at what you discovered about the issue/how it ended or a second side to your issue, with at least two relevant working hyperlinks embedded in the text.

For this exercise, you may re-interview sources from your previous stories or interview new sources. You may also use what you gathered and your notes from your original stories in putting together your new media news products.

Also, when I say you can do the entire comprehensive story or just an aspect of it, this is what I mean: let's say you did a story on the pros and cons of living off-campus vs. on-campus. The video and tweet stream may just look at one aspect, such as student opinions on the issue. The preview online story might look at the experiences of on-campus residents; with the recap looking at off-campus viewpoints. None of the mediums necessarily have to look at the issue as broadly as you did in a traditional text story (though you may do so if you so choose).

Your deadline for the third multimedia assignment will be 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 4, via email to omars@msu.edu. Please put ALL your links to your work into a single email, with the subject line of MM3.  

Please do your best to put in your best effort on these assignments. In many ways, these assignments are our finals.

We also have one final reading from the RFTM textbook this semester: Chapters 6 and 7 (p. 79-132), by the start of class Wednesday, Nov. 29.

Don't forget you also have existing deadlines for your third out-of-class story (Monday, Nov. 27), your optional fourth out-of-class story (Friday, Dec. 8) and job shadow (Monday, Dec. 4).

If you need any assistance, contact me ASAP. And good luck, everybody!

JRN 200: Homework for Wednesday 11/15

There are two things you will be asked to do:

1. You will be asked to put together a resume for yourself in a structure that adheres to professional standards in the journalism and communications industries, as laid out in earlier related blog posts (putting media experience ahead of other experience, putting education lower in the resume, keeping the resume at no longer than one page, etc.).

2. You will be asked to write a cover letter for yourself in a structure that adheres to professional standards in the journalism and communications industries, as laid out in earlier blog posts (written in more of a narrative voice moreso that a simple businesslike form, etc.).

We'll start working on these with the remainder of our class time today, and then finish them on our own time. Each should be in a separate Word document. Your deadline is no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20 by email to omars@msu.edu.

JRN 200: No Class on Friday 11/10

Just a reminder: we will not be meeting for class on Friday, Nov. 10. Please keep working on your scheduled assignments, and we'll see you back in class on Wednesday, Nov. 15.

OOCs: Remaining Due Dates

* The optional rewrite of the second out-of-class story will be due no later than 8 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 to omars@msu.edu. Please keep in mind you get to rewrite just ONE of your out-of-class stories.

* The third out-of-class story will be due no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27 to omars@msu.edu. That is the Monday after Thanksgiving, so you have a VERY long period to work on this story.

* One important note to go with the third OOC: please gather multimedia materials (URLs, B-roll, video interviews) related to your third OOC, as we will be doing online story and video story versions of OOC #3 as well. Due dates for those MM elements will be announced soon.

* The optional rewrite of the third out-of-class story will be due no later than 8 a.m. Friday, Dec. 8 to omars@msu,.edu. That is the last regular class day of the fall semester.

* The optional fourth out-of-class story will also be due no later than 8 a.m. Friday, Dec. 8 to omars@msu,edu. There will be no rewrite opportunity for this story.

* A surprising amount of people did NOT turn in a pitch for the optional fourth out-of-class story. A reminder: if you do the fourth one, I will use the best three grades of your four stories in determining your final grade. And nothing impacts your final grade like out-of-class stories. If you had fatals on an OOC, I strongly urge you to do a fourth OOC. I am giving you all one last chance to make a fourth pitch that will be due no later than 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10. After that, you are out of luck.

JRN 200: No Class on Deadline Day 11/3

Since your second out-of-class story is due no later than 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, we will NOT be having class that day. Please get some sleep or get started on your homework due for the following week or whatever. And I'll see you back here on Wednesday, Nov. 8.

JRN 200: Your Homework For Wednesday 11/1

First, start working on your third and optional fourth out-of-class story pitches. Use the same formats as before. If you choose to do a fourth story, it will replace your worst grade from your other three stories. Your pitch deadline is no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 6 to omars@msu.edu.

Second, we now have a video story assignment. For this assignment, you will be asked to create a news video no shorter than 1 minute long and no longer than 2 minutes long, on the subject of, what have people been up to this semester? Your interview subjects can be working or going to classes or hanging out; whatever. 

You will be required to interview at least two people on-camera and shoot b-roll (a video camera would be great, but a good smart phone will suffice); edit the raw video using iMovie or FinalCut Pro or some other comparable video editing software; create an edited news video with a lede and attribution and such; upload the video to the YouTube account you were supposed to create for this class; make sure that the YouTube account is set to a public setting (and not private); and then email me a link to the video to omars@msu.edu, with  a subject line of video #1.

As long as you meet the basic parameters of this assignment, I will give you a 4.0 equal to that of a practice story. Those parameters include:

-- staying within the 1-2 minute range and on-topic
-- containing at least two human interviews on tape
-- containing B-roll
-- showing signs of editing; that is, not simply pasting entirely unedited tape onto YouTube. You want to create a video story using raw video as a base to be edited and moved around, in the same way we want to write a text story using raw information as a base to be edited and moved around.
-- containing NO fatals

The penalty for failing to meet these parameters is 0.5 of your grade, per error. In addition, a fatal resulted in a 1.0 grade. And failure to turn it in, of course, is a 0.0. Please review the video links provided in the earlier blog post to get an idea of what this assignment may look like, in finished form.

These same deductions will apply on all future multimedia assignments. But future assignments WILL include consideration of content and journalistic value.

The deadline for this assignment will be no later than 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7 via email to omars@msu.edu. Again, you should be emailing me links to your YouTube account, and not an attached video file.

If you are unsure about your topic or fuzzy on some of these concepts like B-roll or captions or whatever, or if you have any questions whatsoever, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Now, how do you do the video assignment? Follow along in the following posts, and good luck, everyone! 

JRN 200: Your Friday 10/27 Homework

What is due will be:

-- At least 12 tweets regarding a happening or event you are observing; and,
-- Two breaking news blog posts on the same event, with one post previewing the event, and the other recapping it.
  Parameters of that content include:

-- Each breaking news entry being about the SAME topic, being covered as a preview and then a recap of what happened;
-- Each breaking news story staying between 100 and 200 words each, with each being no shorter than 100 words;
-- The breaking news stories being written in a journalistic style, as opposed to a first-person blog-like style;
-- Each breaking news item containing two working hyperlinks, inserted onto text;
-- A minimum of 12 tweets on the same subject as the breaking news topic; and,
-- Each tweet having a consistent unique hash tag, to allow the tweets to be chained together.

Now, on these assignments, everyone will get a 4.0 as long as long as we meet the basic parameters of the assignment.

The penalty for failing to meet these parameters is 0.5 of your grade, per error. So, if your tweets lacked a consistent unique hashtag, you got a 3.5. If your breaking news stories lacked topic consistency AND the minimum hyperlinks, you got a 3.0.

In addition, a fatal resulted in a 1.0 grade. And failure to turn it in, of course, is a 0.0.

These same deductions will apply on all future multimedia assignments. But future assignments WILL include consideration of content and journalistic value.

Your deadline will be no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 30 by email to omars@msu.edu. Again, you should be emailing me links to your Twitter and Blogger accounts, and not actual text.

Now, how are you supposed to do this assignment? Please follow the latest blog updates below to get that straightened out. This assignment isn't a hard one; you'll see.

If you are unsure about your topic or fuzzy on some of these concepts like hashtags or hyperlinks or whatever, or if you have any questions whatsoever, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Plus, don't forget you still have your second out-of-class story is also due no later than 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 3 via email to omars@msu.edu.

JRN 200: A Field Trip Opportunity!

From J-school internship coordinator Amy Haimerl:

Lucinda has graciously agreed to rent a bus to take students to Detroit for a tour of newsrooms so they can get a better idea of the different opportunities as they embark on their career paths.

Here are the details:

Date: Thursday, November 30

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. 

Newsrooms: Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Channel 4, Crain Communications, media startup created by alum Aaron Foley

Space available: 20

Transportation and lunch provided.

Students can sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/detroit-newsroom-tour-for-jrn200-students-tickets-39256069962

NOTE! This is a private listing, so they need the password: JRN200

If you can start spreading the word to your classes, that would be great. We’d love to get this all sold out soon!

Questions: Students can email me at haimerla@msu.edu

Thanks!

Amy

---

a m y  h a i m e r l

professor/Michigan State University

author/Detroit Hustle: A Memoir

journalist/NYTimes, Fortune, Reuters

amyhaimerl.com

tel: 917-847-3006

twitter: @haimerlad

JRN 200: Your Wednesday 10/25 Homework

First, read the latest blog posts, including those from the latest practice story assignments. Next, we need to read Ch. 12 and 13 (p.253-284) in Reporting For The Media, 11th Edition, by Friday morning.

Also, we need to read a download: The Reporters' Guide To Multimedia Proficiency (p. 1-42) by Friday morning.

You can get the free printable download right here by clicking on the following link: here is The Reporters' Guide To Multimedia Proficiency.

Plus, please set up FREE accounts at YouTube.com, blogger.com and twitter.com for use in class by no later than Friday morning. You may use personal social media accounts, but please be aware that if you do, I will see your personal content and your friends will see your class content. If this is a problem, please set up class-only accounts as needed.

Also, please make sure these accounts are set so they are open to the public.

And, please make sure that you have some sort of video recording device (for many of you, a recent-model smart phone should suffice) and an editing program on a desktop or laptop (iMovie or some comparable program is A-OK) that is ready to be used as soon as Friday afternoon.

Is something afoot? You bet.

For our practice exercises, we will be moving away from traditional writing for print, and moving toward story-telling by video, via social media and using a more multi-dimensional Web format. So, basically we're done with written practice stories; writing will focus on the out-of-class stories, and we'll move on to practice videos and online stories and social media streams before moving on to out-of-class story versions of those mediums.

I think the change of pace will be fun for this class, so don't worry and do get ready to try some new stuff.

Plus, don't forget your second out-of-class story is due by 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 3 to omars@msu.edu. Please see earlier homework blog posts for details.

JRN 200: Your Friday 10/20 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. Monday, to omars@msu.edu.

Rescue: Why Did A Few Of Us ...

. . . forget to make any mention that the city's zoning board was to be notified about the site's hazard to children, as indicated at the end of the report?

Isn't that an important detail relating to where the story may go from here, and detailing consequence for what happened?

Also, some of you referred to the site owner generically, but you never named the company directly. Why is that? Isn't that specific and useful information? Wouldn't readers want to know who owns the land, in the same way they want to know who died? Isn't who one of the five W's every story should have?

Finally, if this was a real story you were doing for a real news organization, what would have been some additional steps in reporting this story? Let's get some good answers.

RFTM Ch. 19: Advanced Reporting

Up to now, we've concentrated on reporting via sources and basic documents. Now, we'll look at other ways to gather data and offer news, including using statistics. Much of the information gathered by reporters come in the form of statistics (budgets, sports scores, studies, ect.).

Reporters must make those numbers interesting and understandable for readers. We need to highlight what those numbers mean for readers. How do those numbers impact them? How are those numbers interesting and relevant?

One way to do that is by emphasizing human interest. Like, finding an human anecdote that reflects the numbers. For example, for a tuition hike story, find a student socked by the tuition hike, and use his or her anecdote for an alternate type of lede.

Another way is to present numbers as simply as possible. Find the numbers that are most telling to the story, and explain what those numbers will mean to readers. For example, if tuition is going up 7 percent, figure out how many dollars that would be for someone carrying atypical load of classes. Telling readers that a tuition increase will mean paying $500 more per semester for the typical student is more impactful than just saying 7 percent.

Also, consider finding more illustrative forms of using numbers. Instead of saying something like, 33 percent of the population will die from cooties, translate that to a more easily-understood proportion, like, one in three people will die from cooties.

Plus, put numbers in context, consider proportion and be fair. If the number of fatal cootie deaths in the U.S. grows from one to two, it's unfair to trumpet a 100 percent increase.

JRN 200: Your Wednesday 10/18 Homework

In addition to reading the new blog posts below, you have some homework.

Due by 9 a.m. Thursday will be a practice story, slugged RESCUE. For this story, use the fire department report found in Ch. 18, Ex. 5, p. 396) of RFTM, 11th Edition. Please send your assignment to omars@msu.edu.

For this exercise, the city and fire department in question are those of East Lansing. Also, military time is used in this report, which you'll have to translate into regular time. A primer on military time can be found here.

Also, don't forget your second story pitch is also due Friday.

JRN 200: Your Friday 10/13 Homework

First, please read RFTM, Ch. 18 and 19 (p. 365-420). 

Next, please start working on the pitch sheet for your second out-of-class story. Same parameters as the first. Your deadline will be no later than 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 20 by email to omars@msu.edu.

Then, you will have TWO practice story assignments to do. The first one is slugged MEETING. For this one, use information provided in Reporting For The Media 11th Edition, Ch. 15, Ex. 5, p. 326. 

For this exercise, the city council is the Grand Ledge School Board. All relevant locations for this assignment are in the city of Grand Ledge.

Your deadline for MEETING will be no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16, to omars@msu.edu.

The second one is slugged POLICE. For this one, use information provided in Reporting For The Media 11th Edition, Ch. 18, Ex. 2, p. 389). 

For this exercise, the incident is taking place in Okemos. The store is also located in Okemos. The responding authorities are from the Ingham County Sheriff's Department.

Your deadline for POLICE will be no later than 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, to omars@msu.edu. 

Now, the POLICE exercise is a bit different from previous practice stories, in that instead of being given a set of information, you are being given a mock police report form which to discern information, make sense of what happened and write your story.

For you to be able to figure things out, you need to know what military time is. The police report, like most police and fire reports, are written in military time, which differs somewhat from regular time.

In regular time, the daily clock is divided into two 12-hour clocks. For example, we have 12 hours of the morning (known as a.m.), and 12 hours of the afternoon (known as p.m.). The number indicates how many hours we are into the morning or afternoon. Like, 8 a.m. is eight hours into the morning. 2:30 p.m. is two hours, 30 minutes into the afternoon. Duh, right?

Now, let's compare that to military time. In military time, the daily clock is a single 24-hour clock, where the number indicates how many hours we are past midnight, and into the day.

For example, 0500 hours is equal to 5 a.m., since it's five hours into the day. 1430 hours is equal to 2:30 p.m., since 2:30 p.m. is 14 hours, 30 minutes after midnight.

The reports will list information in military time, but for the stories we must translate that info into regular time, since the latter is the time people in regular society use.

JRN 200: No Class on Friday 10/13, But ...

... there will still be stuff for you to contend with that day!

First, obviously, your first out-of-class story is due that morning. Please make sure you meet the deadline.

Second, there will be new blog posts up that morning that you'll need to review. Please make sure you carefully consider what content is offered.

Third, you will have various homework assignments posted that morning: textbook chapter readings, practice stories (plural), and a second out-of-class story pitch assignment. Please make sure that you carefully review what new assignments are on tap, and make sure you meet all deadlines as posted.

So, to restate: we will not be meeting in class on Friday, Oct. 13. You will have work due, and the blog will be updated with new work for you to review and complete. We will next meet in class on Wednesday, Oct, 18.

If you have any questions or concerns, I will have a full day of office hours on Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feel free to reach out to me during that time.

JRN 200: Your Friday 10/6 Homework

Once again, you'll have some writing and some reading. 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. Wednesday.

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

Any questions? Call or text me at 702-271-7983, or email me at omars@msu.edu.

JRN 200: Your Wednesday 10/4 Homework

Yep, another practice story!

You will write a story based on information from Ch. 16, Ex. 1, p. 341, #1. The slug will be SQUIRRELS.

For this assignment, the school in question is Lansing Community College. The city in which all this is taking place is Lansing. The name of a professor is spelled two different ways; the correct spelling is Brookes. The incorrect spelling is Brooks, and using the latter spelling will get you a fatal.

Your deadline will be no later than 9 a.m. Thursday to omars@msu.edu.

In filing, be sure that you put down your name, the due date, the assignment slug and the assignment page numbers in the upper left-hand corner of your Word document.

Also, please make sure you are, in fact, using a Word document, and not some other format that I may or may not be able to open or add comments to.

Also, in the email subject line, just put down the slug, and nothing else. Not your name, not anything. Just the slug,m which in this case is SQUIRRELS. Doesn't matter if it's upper-case, lower-case or a combination thereof.

Also, make sure you are reviewing the AP Stylebook and/or AP Style blog posts, as needed. I have begun grading you in part based on your adherence AP Style.

(And it wouldn't hurt to backtrack to blog posts regarding any subject area where you think you still need some work. Each blog post has a tag at the bottom that categorizes it. Clicking on such tags will bring up all blog posts with similar tags. So, if you click on one "AP Style" tag, the blog will pull out all blog posts with that tag.) 


Any questions? Call or text me at 702-271-7983 or email me at omars@msu.edu.