JOUR 232 Reporting for Mass Media II
MWF 11-11:50 p.m. 220 Simpkins • Spring 2015
Lisa Kernek
C–
70-72.9
L-Kernek@wiu.edu
D+
67-69.9
Tel. (309) 569-1270
D
63-66.9
Office: Simpkins 226-i
D-
60-62.9
F
0-59.9
Office hours
T-Th 10-10:50 a.m.
T-Th 12:20-1 p.m.
F 8:50-9:50 a.m.
and by appointment
Required Books

Intimate Journalism:
The Art and Craft of
Reporting Everyday
Life, Walt Harrington

America's Best
Newspaper Writing,
second edition (white
cover), Roy Peter Clark,
Introduction
In this course you will practice reporting a news beat. You
will study the craft of writing by reading great works of
journalism.
Each student will be required to generate three stories from a
news beat. Periodically I will hold one-on-one meetings with
students to "coach" your reporting and writing.
Christopher Scanlan

On Writing Well: The
Classic Guide to
Writing Nonfiction,
30th anniversary
edition, William Zinsser
Recommended

Associated Press
Stylebook
Course Grading Scale
A
93-100 percent
A-
90-92.9
B+
87-89.9
B
83-86.9
B–
80-82.9
C+
77-79.9
C
73-76.9
Readings will be assigned from "Intimate Journalism" and
"America's Best Newspaper Writing." A brief written
summary of each reading will be due on the day that reading
is discussed. No summaries are required for the reading
assignments from "On Writing Well," but you will be quizzed
on those.
Course requirements
Story No. 1:
Story No. 2:
Story No. 3, first draft:
Story No. 3, final draft:
Reading summaries:
Quizzes
Participation/attendance*:
10 percent
10 percent
10 percent
10 percent
30 percent
10 percent
20 percent
Story requirements
You’ll be held to the standards of a working newsroom:
 Interviews with family members, boyfriends or
girlfriends are unacceptable.

Use first and last
names for every
person quoted.
Anonymous
sources and fake
names are
unacceptable.
Stories will be graded on:
Accuracy and
completeness; strength of
lead; fairness, diversity in
reporting; news angle;
freedom from grammar,
AP Style errors.
Beat stories No. 1 and 2
 a minimum of three human sources
 three to four pages, typed, double spaced
 attached source list
Beat story No. 3--two drafts
 at least four human sources
 four to five pages, typed, double-spaced
 attached source list
Getting people to return phone calls takes time – don’t wait
until the last minute to make calls and do interviews. You are
expected to produce original work.
Reading summaries:
Reading summaries should note the following points:
1. The use of literary or storytelling techniques such as dialogue, scene-setting and description
through the senses.
2. The principal "characters" or sources.
3. How the story was reported, i.e. through interviews, direct observation of events,
reconstruction or a combination.
Deadlines
Stories are due at the start of class on deadline days. An assignment submitted late or e-mailed
after class on the day it is due will lose 5 percentage points or a half-letter grade. An assignment
will lose 10 percentage points or one letter grade for every weekday it is late.
*Participation/Attendance
I grant three automatically excused absences—no questions asked, no documentation needed.
Beginning with the fourth absence, points will be deducted from the participation grade and any
missed work may not be made up. I make exceptions for circumstances beyond students’ control,
so please contact me in the event of an emergency.
Homework missed because of the first three excused absences should be turned in within a week
of the absences. Make-up work turned in more than a week after the missed class will not be
accepted. Exams cannot be rescheduled or made up without special permission in advance from
me.
PLEASE NOTE: Eighteen or more absences will result in automatic failure of the course.
No-Cell-Phone Zone
Cell phones should be silenced and out of sight during class. Personal use of mobile devices
during class time may result in being dismissed from that day’s class and having it counted as an
absence.
Plagiarism/fabrication
You are expected to do your own, original work. WIU’s academic integrity policy defines
plagiarism as “intentionally or knowingly presenting the work of another as one's own”
(http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php). Penalties range from an F for an assignment to an
F for the course for plagiarism or fabrication of quotes, names, events or other material in what
are supposed to be original works of nonfiction.
Disabilities: Please see me if you have any special needs.
Class Schedule (subject to change, with notice). "ABN"="America's Best Newspaper Writing.
"IJ"=Intimate Journalism. "Zinsser"=On Writing Well.
WEEK 1
Wednesday Jan. 21
Friday Jan. 23
Introduction
Reading: Todd Frankel (handout)
WEEK 2
Monday Jan. 26
Wednesday Jan. 28
Friday Jan. 30
"All She Has," Bragg, ABN p.30
"Captain Lerro," Finkel, ABN p. 186
Beat conferences/no class
WEEK 3
Monday Feb. 2
Wednesday Feb. 4
Friday Feb. 6
Beat conferences/no class
"Last Housewife," Finkel, IJ p. 61,
"TV Without Guilt," Finkel, IJ p. 77
WEEK 4
Monday Feb. 9
Wednesday Feb. 11
Friday Feb. 13
Writing workshop: Read ch. 1-3, Zinsser
"Santa Claus Killer," LaPeter, ABN p. 13
"Caught in the Web," Frye, ABN p. 75
WEEK 5
Monday Feb. 16
Wednesday Feb. 18
Friday Feb. 20
Writing workshop Ch. 4-5 Zinsser
Story 1 due
Conferences/no class
WEEK 6
Monday Feb. 23
Wednesday Feb. 25
Friday Feb. 27
Conferences/no class
"Gunplay Victim," Albom, ABN p. 46
"Losing It," Boswell, ABN p. 34
WEEK 7
Monday March 2
Wednesday March 4
Friday March 6
Writing workshop ch. 6-7 Zinsser
"Ray Bolger," Shales, ABN p. 63
"Edward E. 'Ace" Clark," Nicholson, ABN p. 66
"Tastykake Retiree," Nicholson, ABN p. 70
WEEK 8
Monday March 9
Wednesday March 11
Friday March 13
Quiz: Ch. 1-7 Zinsser
"Life of a Cowboy," Blundell, ABN p. 114
"Property Tax Exemptions," Gartner, ABN p. 132
SPRING BREAK MARCH 16-20
WEEK 9
Monday March 23
Wednesday March 25
Friday March 27
Writing workshop: Ch. 8-9 Zinsser
"A One-Word Assault on Women," ABN Britt, p. 146
"Second Thoughts," Pitts, ABN p. 159
"Captain Waskow," Pyle, ABN p. 267
WEEK 10
Monday March 30
Wednesday April 1
Friday April 3
Writing workshop: Ch. 10 Zinsser
Story 2 due
Conferences: no class
WEEK 11
Monday April 6
Wednesday April 8
Friday April 10
Conferences: no class
"A Sentimental Journey," Ojito, ABN p.180
"Fighting for Life," Dwyer, ABN p. 238
WEEK 12
Monday April 13
Wednesday April 15
Friday April 17
Quiz: Ch. 8-10 Zinsser
Writing workshop: Ch. 11-12 Zinsser
"American Man at Age 10," Orlean, IJ p. 45
WEEK 13
Monday April 20
Wednesday April 22
Friday April 24
"Mrs. Kelly's Monster," Franklin, IJ p. 97
TBA
Story 3 first draft due
WEEK 14
Monday April 27
Wednesday April 29
Friday May 1
"Missing Alice," Earley, IJ p. 109
"Each Other's Mirror," Laskas, IJ 157
Story 3 first-draft conferences: no class
WEEK 15
Monday May 4
Wednesday May 6
Friday May 8
Story 3 first-draft conferences: no class
"Hope is a Muscle," Blais IJ p.123
TBA
FINAL EXAM WEEK MAY 11-15
Final exam 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 13: Story 3 final draft due