SYLLABUS
Jour E-100, Section 2: CRN 12584 Fall 2020
Harvard University
JOUR E-100 Proseminar
Fundamentals and Practices of Journalism
Section 2
Harvard Fall Term 2020 CRN 12584
Tuesdays 7:40– 9:40 p.m. EST
Web Conference Course
Course start date: September 1, 2020
Instructor:
Sallie Martin Sharp, Ph.D., J.D.
sharp.harvard@gmail.com
Course webpage: canvas.harvard.edu
512-826-6777
Course format:
This course is taught via live web conference.
Tuesdays 7:40–9:40 p.m. EST
Classroom site: Zoom. The link to this is on Canvas home page.
Office hours in Zoom classroom one hour before class begins and by
appointment.
https://www.extension.harvard.edu/academic-calendar
Course description:
The graduate Proseminar is the gateway to the Harvard Extension School Master of
Liberal Arts in Journalism.
The course introduces students to the fundamentals and practices of journalism at the
graduate level.
Students gain experience in technical aspects of journalism, including selecting and
pitching story ideas, selecting visuals, developing sources, conducting interviews, writing leads,
constructing stories, and revising their work. Students report and write both feature and news
stories and are required to think critically and on a graduate level with respect to current issues
affecting journalism, including ethical and legal issues, and evolving roles and responsibilities of
journalists. The course has a heavy reading and writing load.
The class considers how the internet shapes journalism, including how journalism is
reported and written for various media platforms. The class examines reporters’ fundamental
responsibilities, including the obligation to present the facts most reflecting the truth, the
obligation to the citizens who comprise the media audience, and the obligation to provide a
forum for public discourse. Among the compelling issues affecting journalists are how to seek
competing viewpoints and how to verify facts that help establish which viewpoints are grounded
in evidence. Journalists use a defined set of research and writing skills to produce publishable
stories.
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Jour E-100, Section 2: CRN 12584 Fall 2020
Required textbooks and materials:
You may purchase books from any bookseller.
1. Writing and Reporting for the Media, 12th edition Bender, Davenport, Drager and Fedler.
2. Associated Press Stylebook. Purchase a paper or a digital copy (2020-2022 hardcopy or
online version). If you have a 2018 or 2019 AP stylebook, you need not purchase a newer
edition.
3. Canvas Course site. The Canvas site contains readings about most aspects of journalism
studied in this class. It contains examples of features and news stories.
4. News writing basics pdf. This is the first item on the course Canvas site. It is a basic
journalism book. For students with no journalism or media background, this book can be
especially useful.
5. Word Workbook. This is posted on Canvas near the bottom of the Modules section. The
workbook is out of print, but I use some of the assignments included in it. When I
indicate that an assignment comes from the “Word Workbook,” this is the document to
which I am referring
5. Legacy news outlets in print or online daily. Read one daily. Included among legacy
news outlets are these:
a) New York Times -- The New York Times offers a student subscription.
b) The Los Angeles Times
c) The Guardian -- The Guardian does not have a pay wall.
d) The Boston Globe
e) Washington Post -- The Washington Post offers free subscriptions with .edu email
6. Newspaper or news site that serves your local community.
With respect to both legacy and local community news sources, the print version (if one is
published) will reflect the editors’ decisions about which stories were the most important
at the time the print edition was submitted for publication. For legacy news outlets, the
online version generally reflects content and story placement changes throughout the day,
partly as a response to what stories readers are following.
7. Investigative news organizations, including several of the following sites:
a) New England Center for Investigative Reporting
b) Propublica
c) Investigative Reporters and Editors
d) International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
e) The Texas Tribune
f) Real Clear Investigations
g) Slate
h) Vox
8. Sign up for Merriam-Webster word of the day email. Read it daily.
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9. Course Handouts: I have posted on Canvas handouts for this class. These are documents
identified with my initials (SS) and posted on Canvas in various Modules and in the Course
Handouts Module.
10. Additional readings posted to Canvas or emailed to the class. Throughout the semester, I will
post links to stories on the class Canvas website or email them to you before class. Read these
stories before the assigned class to participate in the discussions; participation in the class is a
component of the final grade in the course.
English proficiency: English proficiency is required for this class. Students enrolled in JOUR E100 must be competent in English grammar, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, and
general usage. Students who cannot use English competently should withdraw from the class
and enroll in appropriate study skills classes to prepare them for the demands of this class. JOUR
E-100 teaches students to write for publication. The course does not teach grammar, sentence
structure, spelling, punctuation, and general English-language usage. For the occasional
grammar question, use this style guide:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Harvard Writing Center: Students may take advantage of the resources available to students
enrolled online and on campus through the Extension School’s Writing Center in the Grossman
Library. Students enrolled in online courses may schedule appointments up to one week in
advance, but are limited to two tutorials per week totaling no more than seven tutorials per
semester. To request a tutorial, send an email including the name of the course, an explanation
of the assignment. As always, when seeking feedback, students should ask specific questions and
explain their concerns about their writing. Students usually receive responses within 72 hours.
The Writing Center asks that local students come in for in-person tutorials. Tutors are skilled in
grammar, spelling, punctuation, and English usage. They are not trained in journalism. Tutors
may not edit your writing. They might help you review grammar, spelling, punctuation, and
English usage.
Accessibility Services. The Extension School is committed to providing an accessible academic
community. The ASO offers a variety of accommodations and services to students with
documented disabilities, permanent and temporary injuries, and chronic conditions. If you are a
student with a disability, we engage you in an interactive process to provide you with an equal
opportunity to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from our academic and residential
programs. The manager of accessibility services works with you, your instructor(s), and staff on
an individualized, case-by-case basis to provide appropriate services to ensure you have a rich
and rewarding academic and campus experience. Please visit Accessibility Services.
Harvard Extension School Policies on Exclusion from a Course You (the student) are
responsible for understanding Harvard Extension School policies on academic integrity (www.
Extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/student- conduct/academic-integrity) and how to use
sources responsibly. Not knowing the rules, misunderstanding the rules, running out of time,
submitting the wrong draft, or being overwhelmed with multiple demands are not acceptable
excuses. There are no excuses for failure to uphold academic integrity. To support your learning
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about academic citation rules, please visit the Harvard Extension School Tips to Avoid
Plagiarism.
Students who repeatedly (more than once) are not prepared for class, fail to attend class, or
to participate in class, or whose neglect of reading or other work is disruptive to the progress of
instruction may, after emailed warning by the instructor, be excluded from the course and failed.
If it is before the withdrawal deadline, the student may voluntarily withdraw from the course for
a WD or WN grade as an alternative to exclusion, but may no longer attend or participate. A
student who is excluded from a course is prohibited from continuing with the course in any way,
including attending classes, participating online, taking exams, and submitting work. A student
may be assigned the permanent notation EXD (excluded from course), which is equivalent to a
failing grade and earns no credit for the course. A student who is excluded from a course is not
eligible for a tuition refund for the course. See the Harvard Extension School website or talk to
the school registrar for further information or if these guidelines are not clear.
Plagiarism is the theft of someone else’s ideas and work. Whether a student copies
verbatim or simply rephrases the ideas of another without properly acknowledging the source,
the theft is the same. All homework assignments, projects, lab reports, papers, written graded
assignments and examinations submitted in a course are required to be the student’s own work.
Students always should take great care to distinguish their own ideas from knowledge derived
from sources. In the preparation of work submitted to meet course, program, or school
requirements – whether a draft or a final version of a paper, project, take-home exam, computer
program, placement exams, application essay, oral presentation, or other work— students must
take great care to distinguish their own ideas and language from information derived from
sources. Sources include but are not limited to published and unpublished primary and secondary
materials, the Internet, and information and opinions of other people. See Harvard Student
Handbook and all materials distributed to extension school students before, during, and after
registration.
Journalists report other people’s words. That’s what they do. The key is knowing how to
avoid plagiarism by properly attributing information.
News and Feature Stories. Journalists usually refer to what they write as stories, not articles,
pieces, or reports. This does not apply only to reporters, but to everybody in the editorial chain -desk editors, copy editors, beat reporters, section editors, and all senior editors.
Words published in newspapers, on air, or online are stories. Journalists write stories for their
readers and listeners to inform them, to engage them, entertain them, to enlighten them, and for
myriad other purposes. The subject matter will vary according to the nature of the news outlet
and the intended audience.
Grading:
See Grades and Grading Module on Canvas for details about grades and grading. Grading of
writing is, necessarily, subjective, but it is not arbitrary. I apply contemporary journalism
standards and base grades on the merit of the work. A grade is not a measure of a person. It is a
professional’s evaluation of a person’s reporting and writing a story.
Grades are based on four out-of-class graded written writing assignments (Graded Stories
1, 2, 3, and 4). Submit drafts of each of these graded stories.
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For each graded out-of-class news or feature story, select a topic, conduct background
research, interview live sources, search for data to enhance your source base, and write the
assignment based on the information gathered from sources in the reporting process. A reporter’s
most important sources are people interviewed. Non-live sources (including web sites) are used
primarily for background.
See Canvas for a discussion of how to determine whether an interview over the telephone
or via email will substitute for an in-person interview. Generally, face-to-face interviews are
preferred by news outlets. Your stories must be based on live interviews, whether person-toperson or via the internet or telephone.
COVID-19 Virtual or in-person interviews and/or events? I discourage face-to-face
interviews with live sources, and I discourage going to public events because of the COVID-19
pandemic. Harvard’s Extension School classes all are taught virtually. You are not required to
conduct in-person interviews or to go to public events. However, if you think you can attend a
live event and/or conduct live interviews safely and wish to do so, that is permitted for your
reporting. You might decide that attending the event in person feels safe, but face-to-face
interviews do not. Or you might decide the opposite. I am not requiring anyone to go into public
places or to conduct face-to-face interviews, but you may do either or both it you feel you will be
safe doing so. Students should adhere to Covid-19 safety guidelines as outlined by the CDC and
infectious disease experts.
Non-graded assignments. Although I will assign grades only to final versions of the out-ofclass news stories, everything you do for the class – your completion of in-class writing
assignments and drafts, your participation in class discussions and workshops, and your peer
comments – will count toward your final grade for the course. Deficiencies in class
participation and/or on ungraded writing assignments will drive a grade down at least a
half a letter (for example, from a B to a B-).
Students currently working in media jobs may NOT submit for course credit in this course
work produced for their employment. Students enrolled in other Harvard classes may not
submit work from other classes for course credit in this course.
News Stories. Journalists usually refer to what they write as stories, not articles, pieces, or
reports. This does not apply only to reporters but to everybody in the editorial chain -- desk
editors, copy editors, beat reporters, section editors, and all senior editors.
Words published in newspapers, on air, or online are stories. Journalists write stories for their
readers and listeners to inform them, to engage them, entertain them, to enlighten them, and for
myriad other purposes. The subject matter will vary according to the nature of the news outlet
and the intended audience.
Graded story prompts, word count requirements, source requirements, and visual requirements
are posted on the Assignments page on Canvas. See specific assignments on Canvas for
additional details.
Grade breakdown:
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20 percent – Graded Story 1: a news event story about a public event in your local community
that you attend and cover as a reporter. See Canvas Assignments for details.
20 percent – Graded Story 2: a feature story about something in your local community based on
interviews with live sources. See Canvas Assignments for details.
30 percent – Graded Story 3: a news event story or feature story, about something in your
community based on interviews with live sources. See Canvas Assignments for details.
30 percent – Graded Story 4: a news event story or feature story, about something in your
community based on interviews with live sources. See Canvas Assignments for details.
Note: You are assigned two news event stories and two feature stories. Whichever type of
story you write for graded story 3, write the other type for graded story 4.
At the end of each of your final submissions, include a source list, including source contact
information, links, emails, and other information used in reporting. Submit specific proposed
sources with your story pitch.
Graphic elements:
Think visually when you are conceiving and reporting stories. News organizations expect liberal
use of graphics. Everyone in this class takes photos. The photos for your graded assignments do
not have to be arty or even interesting. If you are at a meeting, you will be unlikely to capture
great photos. Nonetheless, show readers what you saw. Take a short smart phone video or audio
clip if you think it will add depth to your reporting. I am interested in your news judgment, not
your camera skills. If a source offers you visuals (e.g., a chart, a canned photo), you may
substitute it for one of your required visuals, but do not include more than one such graphic that
is not your own creation. What if your source provides many great charts and graphs? Use them,
but still take your own photos or videos. Try to space your graphics within your stories. If this
does not work, try to include them at the bottom of your stories. If this does not work, send or
post them separately.
Data:
Including data in your stories is an important part of providing readers context and background.
Most stories achieve more breadth and impact if a reporter researches and includes appropriate
data. For example, if you are writing about food shortages in your community, don’t rely solely
on experts. Find data about the shortages.
Twitter:
Set up a Twitter account. It is part of today’s journalism. Twitter is where news is broken,
memes are born, and links are shared. Unlike Facebook, Twitter is public by default. If you have
privacy concerns, set the account up under a pseudonym.
From the Wired magazine Story linked to below: Generally speaking, tweets show up in the
order they happen. At the top of a Twitter feed are tweets that are only a second old. New
tweets appear at the top, pushing the older ones down. The further down you scroll, the older
the tweets get. This immediacy has made Twitter the go-to place to watch protests unfold
around the world, follow and comment on sports games or TV shows as they happen, and make
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fun of celebrity missteps right when the news is hot. The best (and sometimes worst) part is that
the people sharing information and tweeting photos aren't necessarily newscasters. Anyone can
be a reporter or a cultural critic on Twitter, and that's led to a universe of diverse viewpoints, all
amplified organically.
Tweets can contain links, photos, GIFs, or videos. But if you're tweeting text, you're limited to
280 characters. It used to be 140, which was even more stifling, but once you get used to it,
you'll learn to love the brevity. It helps make your tweets pithy, and there's much less rambling
you must read when scanning other tweets. Some argue Twitter makes us become better writers.
Stepping into the Twitter stream unprepared can leave you feeling rudderless. Who to follow?
What to tweet? Does this show up on my Twitter page? Am I missing things my friends post?
What's an RT? Follow Wired’s tips (see link below) to get started on Twitter.
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-setup-twitter-search-hashtag-and-login-help/
Hyperlinks:
Include links within your stories to relevant sources upon which you have relied. Also include
links to important background information sources. Be specific in your description of the link to
which you are including a hyperlink. If you do not know how to include hyperlinks, please let
me know and we will discuss it in class.
Grading principles:
See Canvas for detailed Rubrics included on the draft and final assignment pages.
A denotes excellent journalism writing, the kind one would expect from a professional journalist.
The writing is publishable as written. It is sharp, clear, concise, organized, focused, and coherent.
Excellent work contains no factual errors. Paragraphs and transitions are unified. Sources are
relevant and verifiable. Quotes are well chosen. No more one out of four or five sentences may
be direct quotation. There can be no factual errors or errors of grammar, spelling, or general
English usage and word choice in “A” papers. There can be no more than two Associated Press
or two punctuation errors.
B means very good work, but with some errors or problems needing correction. This work is
publishable with editing. Good work contains no factual errors. Quantify this like above
C shows satisfactory grasp of the concepts, but the writer must address many problems to bring
the work up to the level expected for publishable work. Substantial editing is needed to make this
work publishable. C papers have some or all of the following errors requiring significant
revisions before the work can be published: factual errors, source problems, organization
problems, poor quality of writing, paragraph and sentence structure problems, lack of focus, and
significant errors of grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, or general English usage.
D is unsatisfactory grasp of fundamental skills: Marginal quality. Major revisions will not
salvage this work.
E is unacceptable work.
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Final Story grades reflect evaluation of these essential story elements related to reporting,
sourcing, content, writing quality, organization, and style:
 ACCURACY, FAIRNESS, FOCUS: Accuracy; fairness and balance; focus of story,
relevance of material included or excluded; photographs you take for the stories;
selection of audio and visual materials. Although you are not assigned audio or video
materials, you may substitute them for still photos.
 SOURCES, ATTRIBUTION AND QUOTATIONS: Quality and relevance of sources; number
of sources; appropriate attribution; inclusion of relevant hyperlinks; use and selection of
quotations; punctuation of quotations; ratio of quotations to paraphrased materials (1 quote for
every 4-5 paraphrased sentences is a good rule of thumb) Inclusion of hyperlinks where
necessary.
 ORGANIZATION: Story organization; lead paragraph(s) and nut graph, when appropriate;
transitions; paragraph length; sentence length, conclusion.
 LANGUAGE: Clear and concise writing; adherence to word count; tone; readability; avoidance
of first and second person pronouns except in direct quotation. Sentence and paragraph structure.
 WRITING MECHANICS: Adherence to AP style, grammar, punctuation, spelling, English
usage. One point lost per error for style and writing mechanics errors.
Final grades are based on a 100-point scale:
Over 94 = A
90 – 93.9 = A87 – 89.9 = B+
83.6 – 87 = B
80 – 83.5 = B77 – 79.9 = C+
73.6 – 77 = C
70 – 73.5 = CBelow 70 = D
Journalism writing
Sentence length and structure and paragraph length: Journalists write sparse, concise sentences.
 Most of the sentences in news and feature stories are simple sentences, not compound
sentences and not complex sentences. Simple sentences are easier to read and easier to
edit.
 Paragraphs in news stories are short -- no more than two sentences long. This is because
the stories will be published in columnar format.
 Journalism has its own sentence structure and syntax. Most sentences branch rightward,
following a pattern of subject/active verb/object. Each sentence builds on what came
before.
 Journalists choose simple, familiar words. They try to make a single point in each
sentence. While reporters generally avoid formal or fancy word choices and complex
sentence structures, they do not write in generalities. They convey specific information.
Example: A man died Monday in a single-car rollover accident, police said. The same
number of words are required to identify the man as a commuter. With the addition of the
word morning after Monday, the writer gives readers much more information.
A commuter died Monday morning in a single-car rollover accident, police said.
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Attribution and sourcing. Journalism writing is different from the academic, legal, or technical
writing with which you might be familiar.
 It does not include footnotes.
 Journalism writing always includes attribution and usually includes links. Editors require
all information in a news or feature story to be attributed. Rule of thumb: put
attribution in each paragraph and then edit out unnecessary attribution.
 Attribution requires the use of a word of attribution, like said, which is the preferred word
of attribution in journalism. Attribution tells readers where the journalist obtained the
reported information.
 Attribution in a news or feature Story tells readers where you got the information you are
reporting. Who told you these facts? How does the reader know what you say is true?
The “attribution” provides answers.
 You need verifiable sources for all information, including all quotes. A quote is “exact
wording of statements that people made.” A quote is enclosed in quotation marks.
 You must have names of sources you quote.
 Paraphrased information also requires attribution. When you paraphrase material from a
source, attribution is required, even though quotation marks are not. You must attribute
information that you did not witness yourself, unless the information is common
knowledge or indisputable, such as the fact that the United States has 50 states.
 You need to attribute all statements that express opinions.
 If information comes from a source other than an individual (a website, for example),
include a clickable link to that resource. See Hyperlinks for News and Feature Stories in
Canvas Modules. In journalism, the journalist is the writer, but most of the information
used to write the story comes from sources.
 Attribution must be in the lead for controversial or accusatory information. In most other
cases, full attribution can be delayed so it does not clutter the lead. Police stories often
have general attribution in the lead. See Canvas Module Attribution, Quotations and
Paraphrases.
Associated Press: News organizations around the world use Associated Press style. We use it in
this course. AP style rules are specific to journalism and frequently are different from rules for
academic and other types of writing.
For example: A.M., P.M., a.m., p.m., am, pm? What is the correct way to write this to
conform with AP Stylebook rules? a.m. and p.m.
The textbook has an abbreviated AP guide in Appendix B. Also, see Canvas Module Associated
Press.
The Owl at Purdue has a free, searchable AP guide.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/journalism_and_journalistic_writing/ap_styl
e.html
About “first-person” and “second person” writing: Do not do it in this class. Do not use you,
yours, I, me, mine, our, ours, etc., except in direct quotations enclosed in quotation marks.
First-person writing is not permitted in this class unless you can demonstrate that such a
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perspective is necessary or contributes significantly to the story. This means no “I” narration.
You, the reporter, are not the subject or source of the information in the stories. Some students
applying to the Harvard Journalism Graduate Degree Program only want to write only magazine
and feature stories, including news features, personal narratives, memoirs, and other types of soft
news stories, instead of hard news strories. In this class, you write both news and feature stories.
Anyone with journalism training should be able to report and write both types of stories. They
are the heart of the business over time.
Examples: “I am pleased to be your candidate,” the winning nominee said. (correct)
The voters in our town will support this candidate. (incorrect)
“You should tell your neighbors to register to vote,” she said. (correct)
If you visit the polling stations, you will see many political signs. (incorrect)
The sidewalks leading to the polling stations are hedged in by political signs.
(correct)
Fact checking: Reporters check facts. You must check facts in your assignments. Sources are
not always accurate. I check facts and sources for your graded stories. A single factual error
results in a grade no higher than a B. More than one factual error results in a grade no higher
than a C. Grades go down for additional factual errors. Your name is on this writing. This alone
should be a reason for you to aspire to error-free writing.
Examples of easily fact-checked information include full names and titles of sources,
addresses, products, governmental entities, names of organizations, and websites.
An example of an error is for a reporter to say Mayor Susan Johnson took office in May
2018, if she, in fact, took office in May 2017. Reporting that she took office in May 2018 would
be incorrect. It is a factual error that a reporter could have caught with a quick fact check. The
news outlet would need to print a correction because of your reporting error. If a source has an
unusual name, ask the source to spell the name.
Google makes it easy for you to verify information.
Fact checking is different from proofreading for English usage, grammar, concise
writing, spelling, punctuation, and AP style. All are required for publishable work.
Beat Reporting: Most news organizations assign reporters to beats. Beat reporting, also known
as specialized reporting, is a genre of journalism that can be described as the craft of in-depth
reporting on an issue, sector, organization, or institution over time. Reporters usually write about
something they know about because of their beat. I recommend that students select a local beat.
Having a beat will narrow the possibilities for stories. This is a plus. Having a beat helps a
reporter become more familiar with a specific area in the local community. Some suggested
beats include: aging, agriculture, business, crime, economics, education, environment, health,
housing, politics, race, religion, science, transportation, weather, work. Most of the stories
written for this class will be local news stories. Additional reading is in the Canvas Module:
Beat Reporting.
Workflow and Resources: I require revisions of drafts of all graded stories. Your drafts should be
in almost final form. If a draft is too rough to be edited, your peers and I cannot give you
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meaningful feedback. In revising work, you should plan to edit, expand, add sources, and revise
work to make it publishable by contemporary journalism standards. See Canvas Module Editing
Your Own Work. A working journalist must do many things simultaneously, including working
on multiple projects for multiple news platforms at the same time. While a journalist is reporting
and writing a story, the journalist must observe and describe, interview, find important
information in documents and online, impose structure on the story, edit, proofread, fact check –
and do it all on deadline.
Requirements regarding quality and number of sources, accuracy, quality of writing, AP
style, and meeting deadlines are designed to prepare you for work in the news, magazine, and
media business.
Submitting work, late submissions, and completion of work: Assignments usually are due by
11:59 p.m. EST on the due date in the syllabus and on Canvas. The exception to this deadline
schedule is for in-class writing assignments which have varied deadlines, depending on the
assignment. Students must write all assignments to pass the course, and students must write them
in the order and according to the deadlines listed in the syllabus and on Canvas. In a news outlet,
journalists do not submit late work. If a reporter fails to submit an assigned Story, someone else
must report and write the story.
Submit all written work by uploading work into the Canvas Assignments page. Note the
following requirements. Use 12-point Times New Roman font in Microsoft Word as a doc or
docx. Word defaults to Calibri 11-point. You should change your document to 12-point Times
New Roman. Set these preferences with each Story in this class. Canvas uploads works better
with Word documents. If you can submit as a Word document, the site is more likely to permit
an upload. Do not submit your work in PDF format.
All written work must include a slug (see SS Course Handout on Slug) at the top left of the
first page of each assignment.
Journalism is a deadline-driven field. Assignments for this course may be submitted early,
but not late. Journalists write on deadline. The dates and times in the calendar of assignments are
the final dates and times for submitting work. Save all work to a personal computer or to a USB
or to the cloud. Please note: occasionally submissions posted on Canvas do not go through.
Email me if this happens, please. Usually. I can correct a setting on Canvas and submissions will
go through after the correction is made.
Late assignments:
1. Late pitches, drafts, or homework: I do not give comments on late pitches, drafts, or
homework.
2.Final Story submissions: Ten points is lost per late day on final stories.
3.I start marking submissions early in the morning following the 11:59 p.m. deadline the prior
night. I believe that giving you quick feedback helps you improve your writing. Adhere to the
course deadlines.
That said, please read the explanation in the paragraphs below.
If you submit a paper after the deadline, and it is posted on the Canvas Assignments page
when I begin marking papers, I will give comments on your pitches, drafts, and homework. If
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your Stories 1, 2, 3, and 4 final versions are on Canvas when I begin marking papers, I won’t
deduct points for lateness.
In other words, if you submit a paper after the 11:59 p.m. deadline, and it is on Canvas
when I mark papers the next morning, you won’t be penalized. If it is not on Canvas when I
mark papers, you will be penalized. Thus, you do not need to be concerned if your paper is an
hour or so later than the deadline. Canvas will flag it as late, but when I begin marking papers, if
it is on Canvas, I will mark it as though it came in before the deadline. Canvas records the
submission time.
Your best work probably is not at 4 a.m., so I recommend completing and uploading your
assignments to Canvas before or close to the deadline.
Harvard Extension School’s rules about missed work: If you miss the deadline for any of the
final Story 1, 2, and 3 assignments, I will email you a notification about the missed assignment.
In that email, I will apply the late penalty and give you a new deadline for the submission. A
student who fails to submit a missed assignment by the new deadline may be excluded from the
course and failed pursuant to Harvard Extension School policies. Harvard has strict attendance
policies.
Real family or personal emergencies: In case of medical necessity (health care professional
verification required), death in the family, or important prior commitment (your sister’s
wedding), verification is required for students to be able to submit missed work or late work
without a penalty. If you have a health, family, or personal emergency, please contact me.
Attendance: Class attendance is required for all Harvard Extension School classes, including
online classes. Because Writing Program courses proceed by sequential writing activities, your
consistent attendance is essential. If you are absent without medical excuse more than once, you
are eligible to be officially excluded or failed. On your first unexcused absence, you will receive a
letter from me warning you of your situation. Zoom records attendance.
JOUR E-100 meets once weekly. Some of that time will be conventional lecture and
discussion, some will be designated as workshop time, and some will be for in-class writing. We
will try to keep the course informal. You will be engaged in substantial reading and writing in this
course. The bulk of your time on this course will be spent in work outside of class, as you report
and research topics, interview sources, write, revise, and read.
Students should arrange their schedules so they can arrive in class about 5-10 minutes
before class begins to check microphones and connections. Class begins at 7:20 p.m. EST. Any
student who is more than 10 minutes late in joining class may be counted absent. This is a
seminar class in which everyone’s active participation is required. Sharing ideas – especially
those ideas about which students might feel unsure or tentative – is a mark of intellectual
curiosity. Students should come to the first class familiar with our online classroom. Students
should have a web camera and a microphone for their computers so they can participate in class.
Harvard’s Extension School IT department recommends that you use a separate microphone
from your computer’s built-in microphone. IT recommends that you use a microphone that
connects to a computer via USB.
Peer Review Writing Groups: I assign each student to a peer review group of three to four
classmates. You are responsible for closely reading each of your group member’s pitches and
drafts, and for giving each other written notes and comments. Peer groups will meet during class
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SYLLABUS
Jour E-100, Section 2: CRN 12584 Fall 2020
for workshops and discussions of each other’s drafts. On the Canvas Module for Peer Writing
Groups, I have posted a suggested, not required, format for giving your peer group members
your feedback. You might find that a different format for written comments is more useful for
your peer writers and you.
Peer groups should meet as frequently as they wish outside of class. I recommend that you
have a short meeting to discuss your pitches. Zoom is an open platform on which you can
schedule and host meetings. You will have time in class to workshop your drafts.
Peer writing groups help each other in the selection of topics, thinking through the
reporting process, and revising drafts. Peer group partners may not edit, write, or rewrite each
other’s assignments. Partners are in place to comment on work, make source and content
suggestions, and give general feedback. The point of peer review is to work together to
understand what writers are trying to say and achieve with their stories, and to give informed,
respectful suggestions to help the writer say it more clearly. Responding to other student’s work
helps you become a better critic of your own work.
Students in the class will have varied writing backgrounds. This is not a problem. It is
reality. Writers with wide ranges of experience, from veterans to beginners, work together in
media organizations. Students can learn from their classmates, no matter their experience levels.
Each person is coming to this class with different work experiences and educational
backgrounds. Ask questions. The most successful reporters often are not those who know the
most, but the ones who are not afraid to ask questions.
Peer Writing Groups will be posted in the Canvas Module Peer Writing Groups.
Abbreviated Written Assignment Schedule
Assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. on dates indicated below. See assignment prompts on Canvas.
Use this schedule in conjunction with the class-by-class reading and in-class writing schedule as
noted on the following syllabus pages. All in-class writing assignments are not included in this
schedule.
Summary of Writing Assignment Schedule:
Tuesday, September 1
Sunday, September 6
Tuesday, September 8
Sunday, September 13
Sunday, September 13
Tuesday, September 15
Sunday September 20
Tuesday, September 22
Saturday, September 26
Monday, September 28
In-class writing assignment
HW from textbook Chapter 7 Review, leads,
Twitter, personal media use. Fire guts
apartment inverted pyramid story.
In-class writing (radar story)
Homework: Inverted Pyramid (tear gas)
Graded Story 1 (a news story) pitch,
proposed visuals, and specific proposed
sources due. Homework as assigned.
In-class writing: Hourglass assignment.
Homework: hourglass
In-class writing: WSJ assignment
Graded story 1 draft due to instructor and
peer writing group
Graded Story 1 Peer comments due
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SYLLABUS
Jour E-100, Section 2: CRN 12584 Fall 2020
Tuesday, September 29
Monday, October 5
Tuesday, October 6
Tuesday, October 6
Tuesday, October 13
Saturday, October 17
Monday, October 19
Tuesday, October 20
Monday, October 26
Tuesday, October 27
Saturday, November 7
Monday, November 9
Tuesday, November 10
Monday, November 16
Tuesday, November 17
Saturday, December 5
Monday, December 7
Tuesday, December 8
Tuesday, December 15
Workshop drafts
Graded Story 1 Final due
Graded Story 2 (a feature) Pitch, proposed
visuals, and specific proposed sources due.
In-class writing: Meeting story
In-class writing
Graded Story 2 Draft due.
Graded Story 2 Peer comments due
Workshop drafts
Graded Story 2 Final due
Graded Story 3 Pitch, proposed visuals, and
proposed sources due. In-class writing (obit).
Graded Story 3 draft due
Graded Story 3 Peer comments due
Workshop drafts
Graded Story 3 Final due
Graded Story 4 Pitch, proposed visuals, and
proposed sources due. In-class writing:
ethics.
Graded Story 4 draft due
Graded Story 4 peer review note due
Workshop Graded Story 4
Graded Story 4 final due
All drafts are due by midnight on Saturdays.
All peer notes are due by midnight on Mondays.
All final stories are due by midnight on Mondays, except News Story 4.
Due dates vary for homework and times for submission of in-class writing, as indicated in the
class-by-class assignments listed in the syllabus and on Canvas.
I have listed many of the assignments in this summary as short summaries. See the full class-byclass assignment schedule and the Canvas Assignments pages for more complete information.
Class-by-class Assignments
This assignment calendar is subject to slight modifications to accommodate guest speakers.
One-week before class: Read the Syllabus carefully. Browse the course website on Canvas.
Submit pre-class questionnaire to me via email. Set up a Twitter account so you can live post
during events. As journalists-in-training, you need to get on Twitter and to master live tweeting of
an event. It’s the name of the game these days.
Class 1, September 1
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SYLLABUS
Jour E-100, Section 2: CRN 12584 Fall 2020
Reading before class: Read the course syllabus again, carefully. During the first class, I answer
questions about the syllabus, but do not read it to the class. You are responsible for knowing the
syllabus content and the assignment schedule.
1. Writing and Reporting for the Media.
a. Chapter 1: Journalism Today
b. Writing and Reporting for the Media. Appendix B.
c. Chapter 7: Basic News Leads (This is the first chapter in the Basic Skills of
Journalism section in the textbook.) Read these sections carefully:
d. Prewriting (pages 131-32)
e. Photographs and Photo Slideshows (page 134)
f. The Summary News Lead (pages 135-150) The Summary News Lead section
of the chapter is one of the most important in the book.
2. Canvas:
a. SS Course Handout: Hard news versus features
b. Canvas (news story links module): New York Times New York Times
Charleston, S.C., church shooting June 2015 and follow up two weeks and five
years after church killings. If the N.Y. Times has dropped these links, please
let me know when we meet for the first class, and I will show them in class.
c. Canvas Module Leads and Nut Graphs for more information after reading
Chapter 7 on Basic News Leads.
In-class discussion: Introductions, discussion of reading, Canvas overview, and course overview.
In-class writing: Required writing sample. Email to me in class when requested.
-- September 6: Homework: Write this homework as a single Word document. Submit on Canvas
Assignments page.
Remember to use Times New Roman, 12-point font.
(1) Describe the way you interact with news daily. Write 75-100 words.
(2) Review Exercises, Bender textbook pages 151-152: 2. Writing Leads Sections I – IV.
(3) Post on Twitter, this week or weekend. How many posts? 8-10 or more. You could post
during a televised sporting event, during your child’s piano recital, at a restaurant. Try posting a
photograph. Copy and paste your Twitter posts into the homework document. This should be
fun. If you are new to Twitter, this is a chance to try it out.
(4) Write short news story: Fire guts apartment. Prompt is on Canvas Assignments page.
Class 2, September 8
Reading before class:
1. Writing and Reporting for the Media. Chapter 9. The Body of a News Story. Pages 180 –
189. (Inverted Pyramid)
a. Writing and Reporting for the Media. Chapter 7: Basic News Leads. If you aren’t
completely confident that you understand this, read these pages again. Prewriting
(pages 131-32)
b. Photographs and Photo Slideshows (page 134)
c. The Summary News Lead (pages 135-150) The Summary News Lead section of
the chapter is one of the most important in the book.
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SYLLABUS
Jour E-100, Section 2: CRN 12584 Fall 2020
2. Writing and Reporting for the Media. Chapter 4: The Language of News. This chapter
focused on grammar, usage, and punctuation. If you have mastery in these skills, skip this
chapter. If you don’t, read the chapter and set up tutoring sessions with the Harvard
Extension School Writing Center. Mastery of the mechanics of writing is fundamental to
publishable journalism.
3. See Canvas Modules Story Forms and The Inverted Pyramid for more information on the
structure of an inverted pyramid news story.
4. Canvas Module Ideas for Stories
5. Canvas: Why Twitter Will Endure.
Discuss Twitter posts in class.
--Tuesday, September 8 In-class writing: Inverted pyramid. Submit on Canvas by 10 p.m. class
night: Fire story. (Radar story).
Graded Story 1 Start thinking about choosing a topic for Graded Story 1. For this assignment,
you write a news story about a public event in your local community. To find an event, look on
local news and community sites. Consider choosing a local beat for all of your graded stories. All
communities of any size distribute information about local events. The event might be a city
council meeting or other municipal event. It might be a political speech. Do not write about a
movie, a book reading, or art opening. Experienced critics write these types of stories. Keep your
topic narrow. Why do you think it’s newsworthy? If you don’t think it’s newsworthy, neither
will an editor or readers. Select an event that is open to the public or, if in doubt, confirm with
event organizers (email or call) that you may attend. Contact the event organizer to determine if
press passes are needed and to get background information. Talk to a person for this information.
Do not merely lift it from a website.
You must attend (virtually, if necessary) and cover the event as a reporter. Do background
research on the event and institution or agency or organization that is sponsoring it before the
event. Events may include meetings, speeches, demonstrations, press conference, and other
public news occurrences. For this assignment, you are required to submit your contemporaneous
Twitter posts with your story. These are Twitter posts that you write and post during the event.
Copy and paste these to submit your final story. Remember to take photos at the event. Smart
phone photos are fine. You do not need special camera equipment. Word count and visual
components requirements are on the Canvas Assignments page.
Sunday, September 13:
--Homework: Write Inverted Pyramid story on Tear Gas in Middle School. Prompt on Canvas
Assignments page.
----Graded Story 1 (a news event story): Pitch, proposed visuals, and specific source list due on
Canvas. See Canvas pitch entry for details, including word count, source requirements, and
visual component requirements.
Class 3: September 15
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SYLLABUS
Jour E-100, Section 2: CRN 12584 Fall 2020
Reading before class:
1. Writing and Reporting for the Media.
a. Chapter 9: The Body of a News Story, pages 189-191 (Hourglass).
b. Chapter 10: Quotations and Attribution.
c. Appendix B: Summary of AP Style.
2. Canvas
a. Course Handout: Quotes and Attribution
b. Canvas: Hourglass.
3. Discuss pitches in class. Meet with peer writing group to discuss pitches.
Be prepared to discuss your pitch for Graded Story 1 in class.
In-class writing assignment: hourglass.
--Sunday, September 20: Homework: hourglass. See prompt on Canvas.
Class 4: September 22
Reading before class:
1. Writing and Reporting for the Media.
Chapter 2: Selecting and Reporting the News.
Chapter 11: Interviewing.
Chapter 9: The Body of a News Story, pages 191-192 (Wall Street Journal format)
2. Canvas
Canvas Module Interviewing if you need additional readings. Canvas: SS
Story forms: Wall Street Journal/focus format
--Tuesday, September 22 in-class writing: WSJ format story.
--Saturday, September 26: Graded Story 1 draft due to instructor and peer group. Email editable
copy to peer group. Submit to instructor on Canvas.
--Monday, September 28: Graded Story 1 Peer comments due. Send peers your comments on
their drafts. Post peer view comments on Story 1 on Canvas. Any format works for this
assignment.
Class 5: September 29
Workshop Graded Story 1 drafts.
Reading before class:
1. Writing and Reporting for the Media.
o Chapter 4: The Language of News
o Chapter 8: Alternative Leads.
o Chapter 3: Writing and Reporting for the Media. Chapter 9: The Body of
a News Story, pages 191-192 (Wall Street Journal format)
2. Canvas
o SS: Handout Editing your own writing
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SYLLABUS
Jour E-100, Section 2: CRN 12584 Fall 2020
--Monday, October 5: Graded Story 1 Final due
--Tuesday, October 6: Graded Story 2 (a feature story) Pitch, proposed visuals, and specific
source list due on Canvas. See Canvas pitch entry for details, including word count, source
requirements, and visual component requirements.
Class 6: October 6
Reading before class:
1. Canvas: SS Course Handout Speeches and Meetings
2. Writing and Reporting for the Media. Chapter 15: Speeches and Meetings.
--October 6: In-class writing assignment: Meeting story. Submit on Canvas.
Class 7: October 13
Reading before class:
 Writing and Reporting for the Media.
o Chapter 12: Feature Stories.
o Chapter 14: Visual Journalism
o Chapter 16. Pages 343-347.
 Canvas: Wall Street Journal format, revisited.
Homework: Find an example of a feature story in current media that utilizes the Wall Street
Journal format. Bring link to class.
--Tuesday, October 13: In-class writing: Submit on Canvas by end of class.
--Saturday, October 17: Graded Story 2: Draft due to instructor and peer group. Email editable
copy to peer group. Submit to instructor on Canvas.
--Monday, October 19: Graded Story 2: Peer comments due. Send peers your comments on
their drafts. Post peer view comments on Story 1 on Canvas. Any format works for this
assignment.
Class 8: October 20
Workshop Graded Story 2 drafts.
--Monday, October 26 Graded Story 2: Final
--Tuesday, October 27: Graded Story 3 (a news event or feature story) Pitch, proposed visuals,
and specific source list due on Canvas. See Canvas pitch entry for details, including word count,
source requirements, and visual component requirements.
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SYLLABUS
Jour E-100, Section 2: CRN 12584 Fall 2020
Class 9: October 27
Reading before class:
1. Canvas Module Profiles and Obituaries
2. Writing and Reporting News: Profiles and Obituaries (only the profile part), and How to
Write a Profile.
3. Discuss pitches in class.
Find a news and an advertisement obituary online. Be prepared to discuss in class.
In-class writing assignment: obituary
--Tuesday, October 27 Graded Story 3 pitch due
Class 10: November 3
V O T E!
Reading before class:
1. Writing and Reporting for the Media, Chapter 16: Brights, Follow-Ups, Roundups,
Sidebars and Obituaries.
2. Canvas Modules Student Writing: Profiles
--Tuesday, November 3: In-class writing assignment.
--Saturday, November 7: Graded Story 3: Draft due to instructor and peer group. Email
editable copy to peer group. Submit to instructor on Canvas.
--Monday, November 9: Graded Story 3 Peer comments due. Send peers your comments on
their drafts. Post peer view comments on Story 1 on Canvas. Any format works for this
assignment.
Class 11: November 10
Workshop Graded Story 3 drafts.
--Monday, November 16: Graded Story 3: Final due
--Tuesday, November 17: Graded Story 4 (a news event or feature story – if you wrote a news
event story for Graded Story 3, this must be a feature story and vice versa): Pitch, proposed
visuals, and specific source list due on Canvas. See Canvas pitch entry for details, including
word count, source requirements, and visual component requirements.
Class 12 — November 17
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SYLLABUS
Jour E-100, Section 2: CRN 12584 Fall 2020
Reading before class:
1. Writing and Reporting for the Media, Chapter 6: Media Ethics
2. Canvas: Social Media Best Practices
In-class writing: Case study on Ethics.
Discuss Graded Story 4 pitches.
Journalists should meet these ethical obligations:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Report the truth
Be loyal to the citizens who are their audience
Verify information
Act independently
Provide a forum for public discourse and
Seek competing viewpoints
Carefully vet facts that help establish which viewpoints are grounded in evidence.
Harvard closed for Thanksgiving Holidays: November 25 to November 29, 2020
Class 13: December 1
Media law
--Saturday, December 5: Graded Story 4 Draft due to instructor and peer group. Email editable
copy to peer group. Submit to instructor on Canvas.
--Monday, December 7: Graded Story 4 Peer comments due. Send peers your comments on
their drafts. Post peer view comments on Story 1 on Canvas. Any format works for this
assignment.
Class 14: December 8
Workshop Graded Story 4 drafts.
--Tuesday, December 15: Graded Story 4 final due
8/17/20
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