Faculty of Social Sciences
News Writing and Journalism Workshop
63-006-18
Ms. Sivan Raviv
Spring Semester
Course Type: Workshop, B.A.
Year: First
Day/Hour: Wednesday , 16-18
Credit hours: 1 annual credit (one semester, 2 hours) - Spring 2015.
Office Hours (first semester only): 16-17
Office: #1, Communications building
Office phone: TBA
Email: ravsiv@gmail.com
About the class:
In this class, students will be taught about the unique trade of Journalism. We will address the
question of what is a news story? How do we write for news?
We will learn about the different mediums used to deliver a news story, along with the various
styles.
This workshop aims to provide students with a basic knowledge of news writing. The workshop
will provide the students with practical experience: by the end of the class, students will have
written two of their own stories compiled from their original reporting and will be taught how to
pitch these stories to an editor as well as post them online in their own blog.
Class Guidelines:
Every class will begin with a discussion of the news of the week. Each student will be required to
follow the headlines both in Israel and around the world and participate in a class discussion about
current events. Participation will be graded.
In addition to the material taught during lectures, in-class practical exercises will take place as
well as take-home exercises. Additionally, there will be two final assignments.
Assignment 1 will be handed on week 9; Assignment 2 will be handed on week 13.
Class attendance is mandatory (no more than two unexcused absences permitted, absence from
more than two sessions will result in a failing grade for the workshop)
Grades will be composed as following:
20% Participation (including 3 drills- weeks 2-3-4)
10% Pitch Assignment (2 story pitches) - to be handed it on week 6
20% Story 1 Assignment – to be handed in on week 8
10% TV Script Assignment - to be handed in on week 11
10% Pitch Assignment (2 story pitches) - to be handed it on week 12
30% Story 2 Final Assignment - to be handed in on last class of semester
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Assignment 1: Writing a story
Once students' story ideas are approved, they will be reporting the story as student 'reporters',
making calls, conducting phone/in person interviews (as taught in class), going out to cover a place
and event, and then writing a journalistic story using the different types of leads they were taught,
along with authentic quotes and research about their story idea.
[Students will provide a source list- including names and contact information of the
sources/interviewees included in their stories.]
Final Assignment: Writing a story
Similarly to Assignment 1, Students will be writing a story based on their own authentic reporting,
this time longer and more in depth, having learnt from previous mistakes. Students will provide a
source list.
Tentative Class field trips / Guest Lecturers
(pending an approval of the relevant factors):
There will be one or two field trips and one or two guest lecturers from the following list
(depending on availability and logistics):
Potential Field Trips
- A tour of Ynet News, Israel's largest news website
Potential Guest lecturers:
- Guest lecturer: Reporter for 'Times of Israel'
Syllabus:
1. Writing, News and Media
- Explaining the class, guidelines, and course assignments.
- Introduction about mission of Journalism
- Discussing the news of the week
- Where do we acquire our news? Sources of information.
- Read pages 1-10:
Readings:
Freedman, S. G. (2006). Letters to a young journalist. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books. pp. 1-10
Reserved under FRE (2375071)
2. Different types of stories
We will discuss the various styles of writing in journalism: Hard news versus news magazine,
profile stories, features, bios, analysis, op-eds, etc. Examples will be provided for the numerous
forms of writing.
-The Inverted Pyramid, Five W's and H
-The Lead
Readings:
- Digging JFK grave was his honor. (1963, November). The New York Herald Tribune.
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/digging-grave-an-honor.htm
- Kennedy is killed by sniper as he rides in car in Dallas; Johnson sworn in on plane. (1963,
November 22). The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1122.html
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3. The lead / Structure to a story
Writing a story, where do we begin? All about structure.
Gathering of information, assembling sources and quotes
The different types of leads.
In class exercise: Given information and quotes, each student writes a hard news story. Hand in.
Guest lecturer: Reporter for 'Times of Israel'
Readings:
Proustian.(2011, August 15). The New Yorker. http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=2011-0815#folio=032
4. Descriptive Writing
When to use the Adjective, when are we overdoing it, in which format is it appropriate? The
concept of 'Show, don’t tell'
-Descriptive writing exercise: describing a person/location. [coffee shop/campus/people] using
'show don’t tell' method.
HW: Hand in Descriptive writing exercise
Readings:
- Clark R. P. (2008). Writing tools: 50 essential strategies for every writer. New York, NY.: Little,
Brown and Company. [Read pages 72-75; 133-136]
Reserved under CLA w (2375073)
- Misery and hope by snowflake. (2010, December 28). The New York Times.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/misery-and-hope-by-the-snowflake/?_r=0
5. The Pitch
Teaching students about how to pitch their written story idea to an editor, how to come up with the
story idea, what makes a good pitch for a story? And then, how do you write the pitch?
In class Exercise: In groups, thinking of story ideas and writing pitches in class.
Assignment: Hand in 2 story pitches for your first story assignment
[10% of grade]
Reading:
"Get me a Great quote", Sharon Wheeler, pp. 56-61
N/A
6. Ideas and Angles in a story
-What to do once your story pitch has been approved. What is my next step as a journalist? What is
my angle?
-Split into groups, consultation and approval of the story ideas/pitches for first assignment (to be
handed in 2 weeks after pitch is approved).
7. The Interview
How do we interview? Who do we approach? Who do we call?
Sources / Source lists.
In Class exercise: Interviewing each other in pairs & bio for person
Readings:
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/writing/voices.html
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8. TV Journalism
- The difference between writing for TV, Print, and Radio.
- Discuss final assignment, work on story pitches.
*Hand in Assignment 1
Readings
Rick Thompson, Writing for Broadcast News, NY, Routledge, 2005, pp. 1-11
N/A
9. TV Interview / Writing a standup
The technical elements of the TV interview
Standup- What do we write in it? Where do we place it in the story.
TV Terms
Exercise: Write a standup for a relevant topic
Readings
Rick Thompson, Writing for Broadcast News, NY, Routledge, 2005, pp. 73-88
N/A
10. Writing for TV Journalism
Watch TV stories in class, learn how to write a TV news script.
Hard news versus features in TV news.
Take Home Exercise: Write a TV script for a relevant topic using your own original material. [10%]
*Final pitch due next class.
Readings
Rick Thompson, Writing for Broadcast News, NY, Routledge, 2005, pp. 98-101.
N/A
11. Journalistic Ethics
What is okay to publish? What is unethical? Where do you draw the line?
-Approving story pitches, outlining course materials- summary, going over. questions for final story
assignment.
Readings:
Freedman, S. G. (2006). Letters to a young journalist. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books. [Read pages
28-46; 78-85]
Reserved under FRE (2375071)
Kovach B., Rosenstiel T. (2001). The elements of journalism. New York, NY.: Three Rivers Press.
[Read pages 35-49; 78-110]
Reserved under FRE (2375071)
12. The online News Sphere
Writing for the web – with constant changes and developments to the story, accuracy versus speed,
quality versus breaking a story.
13. Journalism- what's next?
Where do we go from here? Conclusion of the course.
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Readings:
Freedman, S. G. (2006). Letters to a young journalist. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books [Read pages
15-20; 142-166]
Reserved under FRE (2375071)
Class Field Trip
 Tentative Field trip to Ynet News
* Dates may change in accordance with the news outlet, we will shift our classes accordingly.
READING LIST
Selections from the following list of books will be assigned for class:
Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know
and the Public Should Expect, NY, Three Rivers, 2007.
Reserved under KOV (2375330)
Brad Kalbfeld, Associated Press Broadcast News Handbook, NY, McGraw-Hill, 2000.
N/A
Carol Rich, Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method, Boston, MA, Wadsworth, 2010.
N/A
Forest Carr and Suzanne Huffman, Broadcast News Handbook , New York, McGraw-Hill, 2004.
N/A
Melvin Mencher's News Reporting and Writing, NY, McGraw-Hill, 2010.
070.431 MEN n7 (324592) – 7th edition, 1997
Rick Thompson, Writing for Broadcast News, NY, Routledge, 2005.
N/A
News stories and links to be read:
- Digging JFK grave was his honor. (1963, November). The New York Herald Tribune.
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/digging-grave-an-honor.htm
- Kennedy is killed by sniper as he rides in car in Dallas; Johnson sworn in on plane. (1963,
November 22). The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1122.html
- Proustian. (2011, August 15). The New Yorker. http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=2011-0815#folio=032
- Misery and hope by snowflake. (2010, December 28). The New York Times.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/misery-and-hope-by-the-snowflake/?_r=0
- How to write a profile story:
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/writing/voices.html
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Suggested reading:
Strunck William JR, White E.B., The Elements of Style, Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Allyn
&Bacon, 2000.
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