MMR SYLLABUS

 

BASIC MULTIMEDIA REPORTING SYLLABUS

MDST 3559-003

FALL 2016

Class Location:     Monroe Hall 134    11-1150  MWF (lecture classroom) 

Studio Location:     Wilson 235            Scheduled as needed. 

 

Instructor:         Wyatt Andrews

Office:              Wilson 212

Office Hours:      MW     2:00-4:15 PM

                Tu Th   1:00-4:15 PM

                Other times by appointment

 

Email             wga5ca@virginia.edu  or wyatt@virginia.edu

 

Office               434 243 1675

    

    Basic Multimedia Reporting MDST 3559-003 Fall 2016 

 

    Basic Multimedia Reporting will provide you with the basic skills needed to become a professional journalist and attempt to do that quickly. This goal is only achievable by students willing to devote an unusual amount of time and effort outside of class. You need to want this. The goal of the class is to achieve a resume tape or portfolio that reveals a strong reporter and writer. 

    If  journalism is in your future, the class will be hard, but exciting. The stories you’ll cover successfully will bring a sense of accomplishment and joy that makes the effort stop feeling like work. That’s my hope for you. 

    Please read the syllabus below to understand the technical and creative demands you will face and the speed with which the course will unfold. You will get a lot of hands on training by experts, but the details of some technical skills like editing, graphics and web posting you will have to practice and develop outside of class. You also need to find, shoot, write, narrate, edit and post your stories outside of class. I repeat: you need to want this. 

    If, as you read this, the class feels too demanding, please drop now; we will understand. But if you read this and think, "I can't wait," then, great, we have that in common. I can't wait to teach this and cant wait to help you grow as reporters. You can do this. 

    Ready?  What follows is a complex and detailed syllabus. Dig in. Read carefully. Good luck. 

 

_________

 

 STRONG STORY CONTENT, FULLY AND FAIRLY REPORTED,  POWERFULLY WRITTEN, VIVIDLY DISPLAYED.

_________

 

REQUIREMENTS

 

9 STORIES

    By December 6, 2016, you will participate in and complete 9 story projects. There are no papers, no midterm and no final exam. Stories and  team members need to be approved in advance. That “approved story” project then becomes a grade item in Collab.

 

3 Stories on which you will be the principal reporter, researcher, writer and where desired, the on camera reporter and narrator. 

3 Stories on which you will be the video editor, the upload file manager and the person creating the web post.

3 Stories on which you will be the photographer, which includes primary responsibility for the sound recording, the lighting where necessary and the proper care and storage of the gear. 

 

When you are the photog or editor, you must also help the principal reporter with research as needed. And you are equally responsible for any factual errors that may arise.

When you are the principal reporter and on-air talent, you have to help check out and carry the gear, help with wiring and sound and help ensure the gear is stowed and charged. 

You can do more than 9 stories and that’s encouraged, including stories you do by yourself.  But 9 is the minimum. 

 

**Very important.***  You are allowed to do a story by yourself, or with one other teammate. But, you will only be graded on one skill requirement per story and you must declare what that is upfront. For example if you do a second professor profile (categories below), and the first one counted toward your writing, the second profile has to count toward your photog or editing requirements, even if you write it as well.  

    

STORY CATEGORIES FROM WHICH YOU MUST CHOOSE

 

Spot News. 

A story that breaks that day and you move fast to cover, write and produce it within 24 hours. Up to 5 points extra credit. 

Local Governance. 

An issue of importance to the Charlottesville community being debated by local officials.  Up to 5 points extra credit. 

Facebook Live. 

Finding an event you can stream to Facebook Live is encouraged, but you can’t just show up and blather in a whatever, uninformed manner. Upfront research and prep work is required. Up to 5 points extra credit, but the threshold to earn this is high. 

Sports Story. 

An issue related to sports news. This may not be a simple athlete profile.  **Important*  Our sports minded classmates can do as many sports stories as they want, but only one sports story will count toward your 3 writing/author requirements. You have to write in two other categories. 

University Policy. 

An issue related to governing the University, or University policy that impacts students. 

University Breakthroughs. 

Some development in research important to the public or to students. 

Professor Profile. 

This professor is a game changer in some way, not just a good professor— and you tell us why. 

Global Perspective

You find a professor or student group with an important reaction to international events. It can’t be any reaction, it’s a “we need to hear this” reaction. 

Uplifting Feature.  

This person, event, artistic achievement or movement should make your heart soar, or make an unusual difference —and you describe why. It can’t just be this weekend’s play staged by the Drama Dept.  

Campaign Story. 

How the 2016 campaign impacts students, the University community or Virginia. 

Creative Video.  

If you have a creative video idea, let’s hear it. It must make a journalistic or cultural point, but otherwise creative, out there thinking is encouraged. 

 

SKILLS

All students will learn and must show proficiency in the following: 

Camera operation, including sound and basic lighting.

Video editing, with graphics skills. 

Basic journalistic research skills.

Interview skills.

Reporting and writing news stories for web and broadcast.

Asking a question on camera.

Web posting of your team’s project. 

 

For those who want TV reporting skills, add the following:

On Camera presentation skills.

Voice Over narration skills. 

 

Students who want to be print/web reporters only do not need to learn broadcast skills. 

However you will be taught to write in a broadcast style, which is now common on the web and which easily adapts to print. 

 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

—A small handheld audio tape recorder. This is for listening to interviews. It does not have to be expensive, but it has to upload files to the lab computers. Your phone is acceptable, except for when you might shoot on your phone.

—Your cell phone—with a phone to USB cable. You will use this to upload video from the phone to the lab or to your computer. 

—4 digital SD cards, 32 GB minimum each. Everyone needs their own SD cards when shooting video in the field with UVa cameras. 

—Editing software. Having Adobe Premier or Final Cut Pro on your personal computer is strongly suggested but not required. There will be an editing lab for us in Wilson 235  (see below), but if you want the option to work on your projects at home, you need high level editing software, and Adobe and Final Cut are what we are teaching.  

—Screen capture software. Having Camtasia or ScreenFlow6 on your computer is suggested but not required. You can use Camtasia on the lab computers. But if you want the option to edit at home, you will need HD screen capture capability. Ask for the student discount.   

—Video Meeting software. Either Zoom (UVA has a free subscription) or Skype, but you need the ability to conduct and record HD quality interviews by computer. 

—Makeup. Everyone, including print reporters, men and women, should see a local makeup consultant and purchase the kind of makeup you think/hope will maximize your on camera appearance, and be a good match for your skin. Some people will only need powder, but everyone needs something. Print reporters will need this as well, because you will appear on camera during interviews.

Looking good on camera is not a course requirement, but might make a difference when you apply for jobs.   Think of it this way: I will not grade on appearance, but many employers will when they watch your tape. 

 

BOOKS

You should consider News Reporting and Writing as the textbook. 

 

NEWS REPORTING AND WRITING, The Missouri Group, 11th Edition  2014  Bedford/St. Martin’s

        isbn   978-1-4576-5354-4

 

ELEMENTS OF JOURNALISM, Third Edition 2014 Kovach and Rosenstiel, Three Rivers Press

        isbn 978-0-8041-3678-5   

 

NEW ETHICS OF JOURNALISM, 2014, McBride and Rosenstiel, CQ Press

        isbn  978-1-60426-561-3

 

WRITING NEWS FOR BROADCAST, Third Edition 1994. Bliss and Hoyt.     Columbia Univ Press

        isbn  978-0-231-07973-0

 

CODES OF ETHICS: 

    SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS

    http://www.spj.org/pdf/spj-code-of-ethics.pdf    

    REUTERS’ TEN ABSOLUTES FOR JOURNALISTS

    http://handbook.reuters.com/?title=Standards_and_Values

 

    Download and print these last two documents. Come to every class with a copy. They will come up often and at random.  

 

SUBSCRIPTIONS

These can be full subscriptions or apps, but access to these news and video sites is required.

 

NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON POST

WALL STREET JOURNAL

AP

REUTERS

DAILY MAIL 

HBO

SHOWTIME—or 60 Minutes Sports

AMAZON PRIME 

NETFLIX 

ESPN 

UVA TODAY

VIRGINIA SPORTS

CHARLOTTESVILLE TOMORROW

 

POLICIES AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 

THE WILSON MEDIA STUDIO

A two camera studio, editing lab and narration booth have been built for us (and some other college classes) in Wilson 235.  This is different from class, which is in Monroe 134. 

You will use the WMS for some interviews, much of your editing and all narration recordings. The gear you use will be checked out from WMS or from Clemons library. Access to the studio will be restricted. Respect for the check out procedures and the gear itself is mandatory. Violations will result in point loss. Simply put, having this studio is a privilege. We all must work to protect the studio, the gear and the dedicated server we will use for video uploads and editing. Not to mention, all use of the studio, the studio edit stations and the server is traceable. 

 

TEAMWORK

You must schedule your time in a way that allows you to cover, write, shoot and edit your nine stories outside of class. This includes being available when the team needs you. You will suffer a severe point reduction for failing your team or missing an assignment. You will suffer a deduction for improper handling, check out and return of the gear, and for not insuring that cameras and batteries are on charge. 

At the beginning you should form teams yourselves, typically with story authors recruiting who they want or who’s available to shoot and edit/post. If that doesn't work, I will step in and assign teams, based on who's missing their requirement slots. 

**Important**As we move deeper into the story production phase in October and November, you need to actively help other classmates get their nine requirements. That could mean you step in to shoot a story that you’d hoped to write. **

If you are on a team and members of the team are not doing well or not showing up, you must tell me in time to help rescue the story. Having a bad teammate will not be an excuse if the story fails to get produced, or is poorly shot or edited and I’m hearing about team issues for the first time. 

Think about it this way: teamwork and loyalty are very important, but not more important than the story and what you owe the audience.  

 

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Part of this class involves the adoption of the journalist’s culture, and the best journalists show up on time and ready.

Attending every class on time is mandatory. Failing to do this will hurt your effort evaluation. 

If you have to miss a class, tell me in advance, with a reason. You will have to make up the class content on your own. If missing a class hurts a team project, you will lose at least 3 course points. 

 

READINGS

Do them in advance and in time to think about them. The best professional reporters are over prepared so again, embrace the culture.

 

GRADING 

 

GRADING OVERVIEW

Grading will be complicated, highly subjective and largely based on effort and improvement. All the metrics I can identify are outlined below. Relentless effort is the key to an A. Lazily giving up on a source, on a story or failing your team is the path to a D or F.  

 

**Very important.** Preventable technical error, such as returning to the lab without useable sound and/or pictures will cost a point reduction of up to half letter grade. Stay focused during technical training. 

**Factual errors in your writing will cost you a severe point reduction. Commit yourself to zero factual errors. 

 

Relentless effort.  Never give up too soon. Do not commit preventable or factual errors.  This is how journalists operate, it defines the culture of the profession, so it's how I'm grading your progress. Do not invite me to see you as someone failing in effort or failing your team. 

 

GRADING AND POINTS 

You can earn 110 points in this class. We will use standard grading, where 90 is an A-. Please note below that just doing your assignments with noticeable improvement earns a mid level B. The B+ and A grade levels require more effort and noticeable achievement. On an ongoing basis, you will see me taking notes on your performance, attendance, improvements, teamwork, skills and successes! I will enter some of these notes in the grade book as we go along. 

 

The Nine Required Story/Projects : 84  Points 

Effort and Improvement as Writer/Reporter.                   16 points per story. 48 total. 

Effort and Improvement as Photographer/Sound Tech     8 points per story   24 total.

Effort and Improvement as Editor/Web Master.               4 points per story.   12 total

 

Earning the 84 Story Points

After you get approval for a story and team composition, you’ll get a deadline to show me an edited first draft. I will help you at any point along the way. Just as in the real world, the team has to assemble in WMS for a screening, during which I will ask for revisions in writing, editing, narration and camera work. Selected screenings will happen in class, but those will be scheduled on the fly. 

 

Exceeding the Minimum   8 Points total. 

Factors. Did you write more than 3 stories? Did you consistently improve your writing? Did you ever give up too soon? Were your stories original and not handed by assignment? Could your teams unfailingly rely on you? Were you creative with your web posts? For TV reporters, did you improve in narration and on camera skills?  Were you aggressive and creative in the use of Zoom/Skype to do interviews? Did you include citizen journalism without publishing citizen error?

 

Remarkable Effort and Achievement  8  Points total. 

Factors. Did you become a memorable writer, with every word precisely chosen and necessary? Did you publish on the website of a partner organization? Did you get that extra memorable or breathtaking shot? Did you add graphics and FAQ's to your post? Did you land the impossible interview that created (positive) buzz? Did you break a monster story no one else had? Were you unselfish in the drive to make the team better? Was your effort in pursuit of information and interviews relentless? For TV reporters, were your on camera choices and locations memorable? 

 

WEB PUBLISHING

All stories will be published to the web by the editor—somewhere! The list of where to publish is below, but it includes your own personal Word Press website or You Tube. Remember: this course is all about developing a resume tape for your fourth year job search. You do not have to join any of the partners listed below, but working with them will make your story completion process faster and easier and will impact your effort evaluation. 

 

PARTNERS AND PUBLISHING OPTIONS

Joining is not required—but you are invited to:  

 

-Join the Cavalier Daily Video Department. (if they accept you) Contact: Courtney Stith ces3bn@virginia.edu    

-Join WUVA Online. (If they accept)  Contacts: Christie Lombardi cll3qs@Virginia.EDU or Monica Casey mac7ka@Virginia.EDU    

-Take assignment from and publish to UVa Today. 

-Take assignment from and publish to virginiasports.com

-Take assignment from and publish to  http://www.cvilletomorrow.org

-Publish to Prof. Siva Vaidhyanathan’s Virginia Center For Media and Citizenship.

    http://www.mediaandcitizenship.org

-Last resort: Publish to your own Word Press or You Tube. 

 

**Important** If you are working with some of our partner groups you will first follow their rules for assignments, coverage, writing and posting. Others, like UVa Today will want you to complete and revise the story for the class before submitting it to them for additional revisions that meet their editorial standards. This will get complicated but in the end you’ll have a strong resume. At any point in any story, you can ask my advice. 

 

CLASS POLICIES

Competition. 

Just as in a newsroom, story selection is competitive. If you are the first to pitch a story idea, you get that assignment. But you lose the assignment if you don’t assemble the team and get it done as soon as possible. 

Sources and interviews. 

—“X did not get back to me,” or “Y did not return my email,” will not be an excuse in this class. Research interviews must be done in person or by phone. You will not ask “for quotes” by email, unless we need it for reasons of fairness or as a last resort, but any use of quotes by email has to be approved by me. 

Argument and criticism. 

—Come to class prepared to give and take respectful criticism. News reporters thrive in a world of argument. Questioning others and defending your thinking has the effect of sharpening stories. That shy part of you? Best to leave that home. 

My critiques of your work. 

—They will come often and might sound harsh, but will never be a personal attack. Please trust that the intent will be to build you up and point the way to improvement. 

Disagreement with me. 

—I learned from arguments and challenges every day. When I have it wrong, call me out; I will no doubt need it. 

Ethical Behavior

—You will learn basic ethics, but essentially; don’t lie or mislead anyone, especially sources. Do not plagiarize anything or anyone. Don’t make stuff up. Admit error immediately.  In the end, it makes your story better. 

—You are UVA journalism students, and will carry yourselves as professionals. The best journalists have a style of behavior that is aggressive but always honest, always respectful, always truly curious.  

Computers. —Bring but don’t turn on until asked.

Cell phones. —Off and stowed until needed. Don’t come to class to glance at your phone. 

 

**Very important** 

—Because so many stories will fail because of normal hurdles and hassles, you may not, must not, cannot commit preventable technical error, like showing up with an uncharged microphone or camera, or returning to the studio with no sound because you weren’t checking levels in the field. Because enough bad luck will happen as it is, preventable error will cost you. My view on this can be described as extreme. 

—Factual error will also not be tolerated. Check every fact you report because first, I will challenge every one I think needs checking and second, reporters can’t be wrong because of a failure to confirm. 

 

DON’T EVEN CONSIDER PROCRASTINATION. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL CLASS. 

The first four weeks will be a mashup of creative and tech skills all at once. No shooting. Still, from day one, you have to be thinking about what stories you want to pitch and how to achieve your 9 requirements. Stories are competitive and others might propose your best idea first. 

Be ready to start aggressively pitching projects and choosing teams the week of Sept 15 and to start shooting interviews and stories the week of Sept 26. In addition, reporting with cameras is tougher than you think; you are going to face obstacles. Sometimes, the gear might not be there when you need to shoot (we are working on that). Don’t. Even. Consider. Procrastination. Trust me, even as you read this in August, you don’t have time. 

Since Thanksgiving week is a wash, that leaves 9 weeks to do nine stories, while you also attend class. Oh, and your other classes too. You will be wise to always have a couple of projects working at the same time, trading time between author and tech duties. You won’t get to all 9 if you wait.   

 

FLEXIBILITY

This syllabus will change, guaranteed, so that we can react to events. I will also suspend formal class time on occasion when you need more time in the field or edit lab. The class from Oct. 21 forward is devoted to production and completion of your requirements, but coming to class is still required for reasons outlined below. 

You are responsible to stay alert for announcements via email or Collab. 

 

THE UVa Honor Code

The honor code established at UVa is important to adopt in your role as young journalists. This is where personal and professional codes of behavior are a perfect match. Don’t lie or cheat, or steal material from others without credit. Don’t deceive anyone, starting with sources and your classmates. 

 

__________________

 

 STRONG STORY CONTENT, FULLY AND FAIRLY REPORTED,  POWERFULLY WRITTEN, VIVIDLY DISPLAYED.

__________________

 

WED AUG 24  Course Introduction and Expectations

                Read: Elements of Journalism,  Introduction and Ch. 1 What is Journalism For? 

 

FRI AUG 26     How Reporters Think: everything is or can be a story.

                Read: Reading: News Reporting and Writing, Chapters 1-3. The Nature of News. The Changing Media Landscape. Emerging Media. 

                Elements of Journalism Ch. 3 Who Journalists Work For

                

MON AUG 29  Camera Training 1 

                Reading. News Reporting and Writing Ch. 4 Interviewing. Pay special attention to the anecdotes related to Mike McGraw and Lane DeGregory. 

                 Class: Two-camera set up demonstration. 

                 Class exercise—Tell Me Something.  After the camera set up, two teams of students will be asked to conduct a well framed two camera interview in which they learn something important from a classmate. 

 

WED AUG 31  Camera Training 2/Inverted Pyramid 1

                Read: News Reporting and Writing Ch. 9  The Inverted Pyramid

                Who, what, where, when, why, how, so what?

                Class exercise:  Two camera set up with wiring for sound. Some in the class will do the initial setup. This time, three teams of students will play Tell Me Something, and will have five minutes on tape to coax something important from a classmate. 

                Assignment. For Friday Sept. 2, write a lead paragraph using the inverted pyramid on any one of the interviews. Submit to Collab under Student Interviews 1. Due Thursday evening Sept 1. 5pm.

 

FRI  SEPT 2      Camera Training 3 /Inverted Pyramid Exercise 2

                 Class. We review lead submissions. You set up cameras and sound. Three teams do the sound set up, then the Tell Me Something exercise. 

                 Assignment for Monday. Write a lead paragraph using the inverted pyramid, on two of the three class interviews done Friday.  Submit by Sunday, Sept 4. 2pm. to Student Interviews 2 in Collab.

   

MON SEPT 5   Camera Training 4/ Writing with Quotes and Sound

                 Read: News Reporting and Writing Ch. 5 Handling Quotations—pp 81-90 only.

             Watch Basics of Lighting  http://nofilmschool.com/2012/05/interview-lighting-tutorials-thatll-kick    

              We do a three camera set up today with sound and this time, lights.  Two teams of students play Tell Me Something. Review of selected lead submissions.

                  Assignment for Wednesday. Write a three paragraph story on one of the two Monday students using the inverted pyramid lead and two of the best quotes. Submit to Student Interviews 3 in Collab by Tuesday, Sept 6, 5pm.   

 

WED SEPT 7     Becoming a Reporter 1.  Fact gathering.

                  Reading: News Reporting and Writing. Ch. 6 Gathering and Verifying Information.

                Ch 14 Covering a Beat.  Ch 19. Investigative Reporting pp. 410-416 on sources.    

                  Class: Critiques of Monday submissions. 

 

FRI SEPT 9      Becoming a Reporter 2.  Over prepare your research. 

                 Prep: Get familiar with basic navigation of Factiva and Lexis-Nexis Academic. See the Alderman web site. Click to Research, look left. 

                Optional. Revise any writing submission to work on your leads and set up to sound. Submit to Student Interviews 3. No deadline.

                Read: Elements of Journalism Ch. 4 Journalism of Verification

                  Class: Training on the Use of Factiva/Lexis Nexis.  Critiques of Monday Submissions.

 

MON SEPT 12     Becoming a Reporter 3. Basic Ethics and the Treatment of Sources 

                     Read: News Reporting and Ethics Ch. 22 Ethics

                    New Ethics of Journalism Ch 5 Seeing is Not Believing.

                    Codes of Ethics.

                    http://www.spj.org/pdf/spj-code-of-ethics.pdf    

                    http://handbook.reuters.com/?title=Standards_and_Values

                    Class. Bring your codes of ethics for a discussion of how to practice day to day ethics as you research your upcoming stories and request interviews.  

 

WED SEPT 14      Becoming a Reporter 4. Finding sources and people

                    Read: Elements of Journalism Ch. 6 Monitor Power and Offer Voice to the Vo iceless

                    Guest Seminar. Jennifer Janisch, Investigative Producer, CBS Evening News

                    with Scott Pelley 

 

FRI SEPT 16        Story Pitches. Bring your ideas for stories and teams for discussion and approval. 

                    Class: Doing stories with Charlottesville Tomorrow. 

                    Guest: Brian Wheeler, Executive Director, Charlottesville Tomorrow

 

MON SEPT 19        Story Pitches.

                    Class. Doing stories with UVa Today.

                    Guest: McGregor McCance, Executive Editor, UVA Today

 

WED SEPT 21       Story Pitches. 

                    Class. Techniques for best visuals and on camera presentations. 

                    Guest: Kailey Leinz, President, WUVA

 

FRI  SEPT 23         Story Pitches.

                    Class. Doing stories with Virginiasports.com

                    Guest: Jim Daves, Asst. Athletics Director for Media Relations

 

MON SEPT 26        The Basics of Video Editing.

                    Preparation: Study the Final Cut Pro or Final Cut X training video on lynda.com

                    Class: Guest. Ted Alvis, Media and Software Instructor, Clemons Library

                    By now every student should be doing interviews and research toward their writing requirements and be on a team as a photog or editor. 

 

WED SEPT 28          Story Writing and Structure 1  The best stuff first. 

                    Read: Writing News for Broadcast Ch. 9 The Lead

                    Elements of Journalism Ch. 8 Engagement and Relevance

                    News Reporting and Writing Ch. 10 Writing To Be Read

                    Class. News writing for the web and broadcast starts with a powerful lead, immediately moves the most compelling quotes and information, then fleshes out the context, and closes with a memorable punch. You must give a web reader a compelling and interesting written structure from the start or the story fails. 

 

FRI SEPT 30         Story Writing and Structure 2.  Shorter is better; it’s a word choice thing. 

                    Read: Writing News for Broadcast Ch. 1  A New Way of Reporting. Ch. 4 Tell Your Story.

                        Class. Writing exercise, in which we play Take Me Out. How many words in news stories can be removed without losing facts or fairness? How many words can we take out and then replace to make the word more precise and powerful?

I

WED OCT 5        Story Writing and Structure 3  The character driven story. 

                    Read. News Reporting and Writing Ch. 11 Alternatives to the Inverted Pyramid

                    Read: All story pitches in Forums. Focus on click lines and instructor responses. 

                    Class. One of the most powerful writing techniques describes the challenges facing an individual or family and uses their travail to represent a larger truth. 

 

FRI OCT 7            Tradecraft Day. How did they get and do that story?

                    Guest. Katie Wall, Producer, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

 

MON OCT 10        Social Media Sourcing

                    Read: New Ethics of Journalism Ch. 9 A New Pathway Toward Sourcing

                    Class. Social media and crowd sourced news are now crucial to the research and editing of your stories. But there are rules regarding permission, crediting the source and verification of what you use.  

                      

WED OCT 12        Editing with Graphics

                    Read: New Ethics of Journalism, Ch. 3 Storytelling in the Digital Age

                    Class. Guest Training, Ted Alvis. How to edit with graphics. Use of Effects. 

            

 FRI OCT 14        Story Pitch Day.   

                    If you are behind on story ideas and team composition, here’s your day. 

 

MON OCT 17        Screening Day. 

 

WED OCT 19        Legal Issues Facing Reporters

                    Read News Reporting and Writing Ch. 21 Media Law

                    Class. We discuss those areas where the press faces legal constraints. There are rules regarding private property, privacy, copyright protections, slander and libel. There is freedom of the press, until there isn’t; it’s been both expanded and limited by the courts, and today we learn the basic of where those lines are drawn. 

 

FRI OCT 21*        Tradecraft Day. The fact checking press. 

                    Read: News Reporting and Writing Ch. 4  Fact Checking 2.0 

                    Class. Guest. TBD 

___________________________

 

Note.

From this point forward we move to a less structured academic syllabus to one where we focus on getting your stories completed, edited and posted. This syllabus will change if you need additional training in areas where you have not caught up.

**Class remains mandatory, because the process of pitching new stories and screening drafts of stories requires your participation and critical thinking about content. However,class could be suspended on rare occasions if we face an overload in story shoots. Stay alert. 

 

MON OCT 24        Story Pitches.

WED OCT 26        Screenings and revisions in class.

FRI OCT 28        Tradecraft. 

MON OCT 31        Story Pitches.

WED NOV 2        Screenings and revisions in class.

FRI NOV 4        Tradecraft.

MON NOV 7        Story Pitches.

WED NOV 9         Screenings and Revisions in class.

FRI NOV 11        Tradecraft

MON NOV 14        Story Pitches **Last day for pitches**

WED NOV 16        Screenings and revisions

FRI NOV 18        Tradecraft. 

MON NOV 21        Screenings and revisions.

MON NOV 28        Screenings and revisions.

WED NOV 30        Screenings and revisions.

FRI   DEC 2        Screenings and revisions.

MON DEC 5          Course Summary

 

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 STRONG STORY CONTENT, FULLY AND FAIRLY REPORTED,  POWERFULLY WRITTEN, VIVIDLY DISPLAYED.

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     Basic Multimedia Reporting will provide you with the basic skills needed to become a professional multimedia journalist and attempt to do that quickly. Those skills include reporting, writing, ethical behavior, camera operation, story editing and web posting. Future TV reporters will also learn narration and on camera skills. 

    This goal is only achievable by students willing to devote an unusual amount of time and effort outside of class. You need to want this. The goal of the class, beyond reporting, writing and posting real world stories, is to compile a resume tape or portfolio that reveals a strong reporter and writer.