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COMM 3311, Public Affairs Reporting
Spring Semester 2005
Lecture: TR (9- 10: 20)
(3) credit undergraduate course
Faculty: Dr. Tom Ruggiero
Office: 102-B Quinn
Phone: 747-5762
E-Mail: truggier@utep.edu
OfficeHours: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30, MW & by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Public affairs reporting is the staple of journalism. Reporters on the beats traditionally associated
with public affairs will cover crime and courts, individuals and institutions, government and the governed.
This field requires intellect, integrity, insight and a relentless interest in reporting information that is vital to
an informed society. You will pursue stories of tremendous importance by telling people what is going on
in their neighborhoods, courthouses, state houses, police stations, hospitals, churches, school boards
and other entities that help shape the way we live our lives.
COURSE PREREQUISITES
At this level, I expect that you have mastered basic news writing. Now is the time to kick your
writing up a notch or two - or three. We will work on gathering information and presenting it in a way that
is useful, informative and readable. Good reporting and good writing are not mutually exclusive, and
reporters who know this frequently find their stories on the front page.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
This is not a field for the timid. And this is not a class if for you you're afraid to ask questions or to
tackle assignments that will challenge your patience and interest in journalism. You should know right
away that you will be expected to do several assignments outside of class. These will include covering a
local government or school board meeting, a trial, a possible ride-along with local police and trip to the
courthouse for a records search. We'll discuss details and ways to make this work, but you will be
expected to show initiative and independence in tackling your outside assignments. You will also be given
a beat to follow, from which you will write four stories.
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Deadlines
A brief word about deadlines: make them. Reporters who can't make deadlines often are
encouraged to find another line of work. Let me know in advance if there is some urgent reason that you
can't turn in an assignment by the assigned deadline, but be warned that exceptions to missing deadline
are rare.
I will grade your work closely, and I urge you to pay close attention to comments I make on your
stories. Please let me know if you are not clear about something I've said. Communication is vital to
success in this course.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
 Getting the Story: An Advanced Reporting Guide to Beats, Records and Sources
, Henry H. Schulte
& Marcel P. Dufresne, Macmillan College Publishing Co., N.Y., 1994.
 The Elements of Style ,William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White (third or latest edition).
 The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual (latest version), Perseus Books, Reading, MA.,
1998.

Some reporter's notebooks and legal pads

Several blank high density computer disks
ATTENDANCE POLICY: You have to come to class. Period. This means you must also be on time for
class. Three late starts (15 minutes) to class counts as a missed class. If you must miss a class, I expect
that you will leave a message on my voice mail (747-5762) and/or on my e-mail, truggier@utep.edu,
telling me why you will not be in class. Unexplained and/or unexcused absences will lead to an
incomplete or failure. Missing class doesn't mean you can miss a deadline, unless you're dealing with an
emergency such as a serious illness or family crisis. Please keep me informed of such events, if at all
possible. If you miss 8 classes for any reason, you fail the class.
LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY: Any assignment submitted after the assignment's deadline will be
awarded an "F" and may not be made up. I may make exceptions to the policy for students who fall
seriously ill or who experience the death of an immediate family member.
REQUIRED READING


The El Paso Times , hard copy or on-line every day
The USA Today & The New York Times , on-line, every day;
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
Articles from major news magazines or other sources, as assigned.
You must be well-versed enough to discuss intelligently any major article that appears in any of the above
publications. We will have current events quizzes and we will discuss differences in stories, story play,
etc.
One way to improve your writing and reporting is to read good writing and reporting. We'll spend
time in class discussing and critiquing a wide range of stories.
WRITING
This will be a new form of writing and reporting for most of you, so don't be discouraged by your
early efforts. Good writing doesn't come without practice, so expect to do some rewriting...and more
rewriting.
You will improve, if you apply yourself. I am available to coach you during class and office hours,
and by e-mail before all of your assignments, unless I tell you otherwise.
BEAT STORIES
You will be assigned to a beat or area of coverage to keep an eye on. You will be responsible for
writing three stories from your beat, which may be on- or off-campus. We'll discuss specifics and options
in class.
GRADES
I don't give grades -- you earn them. Your work will be graded according to professional
standards, but you'll get a little more slack at the start of the course and a lot less as we go along. In other
words, if you're doing C or D work early in the semester, I'm looking for A or B work at the end. The
grades you get toward the last month or so of the semester are a good indicator of your final mark. For
example, if you start out getting Ds and Cs and head into the homestretch with consistent Bs, you're likely
to get a B.
Here are some keys to getting a good grade:
pay attention to AP style
write clearly and accurately
use more than one source in stories
spell correctly
participate in discussions
come to class
score well on quizzes and tests
show effort and interest
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Here are some ways to get a poor grade:
missing deadline
misspelling a name
writing stories with major factual errors
using only one source in your stories
not participating in class
earning poor quiz and test grades
showing little effort or interest
misspelling the following: accommodate,
occurred, a lot, receive and its (as a
possessive)
Also, you will lose five to 10 points if you use the following words in your stories: really, great,
very and awesome. Do not use those words unless they are part of a direct quotation. Ask me why.
Second chances: You get one shot at rewriting an F grade. That effort is due by the next class
period. You must submit the original along with the rewrite. The rewrite counts one grade lower than it
might otherwise have earned. In other words, if you turn in an A rewrite, it goes in the book as a B.
STUDENT EVALUATION
15 (A) Ready for publication. Error free. Mastery of facts, research techniques,
news, database use, news judgment, writing, organization, format.
14 (A-) Almost perfect. Few style errors. Generally well-written,
accurate, but requires minor editing as well attention to research techniques, database
use, news judgment.
13 (B+) Better than average. No major errors but needs some rewriting
and polishing before publication, as well more attention to research techniques, database
use, and news judgment.
12 (B) Average. Few writing errors, including some grammatical or
style problems, as well more attention to research techniques, database use, and news
judgment. Length inadequate.
11-10
(B-/C +) Almost average. Serious problems with writing,
organization, accuracy, context. Some spelling errors. Lack of attention to research
techniques, database use, and news judgment. Needs substantial rewriting and editing.
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(C) Very weak story. Basic problems. Can't be published without major
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revisions. May have buried lead, omission of important facts, inaccuracies, several style
or other errors.
8 (C-) A poor story. Lacks fundamental reporting and writing skills. Poor use of
research techniques, database use, and news judgment. May have factual errors. Three
or more misspellings. Some mechanical errors.
7 –6--5 (D+/D/D-) Two or more factual errors. Two or more proper
names misspelled. More than three misspellings. Poor use of research techniques,
database use, and news judgment. Grade merely reflects effort.
0 (F) Failure to do assignment or turn work in by deadline.
GRADES
Quizzes, news tips, participation, effort
15 percent:
Writing and reporting assignments
60 percent:
Midterm
10 percent:
Final exam
15 percent
NEWS TIPS
You will turn in one public affairs story idea as directed by your instructor. Write these like an
editor giving a news tip to a reporter. Include what you think the story is, why it's important, what the angle
is and how the information can be obtained. We will discuss these tips and you may pursue them as
stories.
FORMATS
Double space all of your stories. On each page, write your name in the upper left corner, the slug
(a one-word description of the story) and the page number, like so:
Hernandez
School Board Meeting
Page 1 of 1 (or Page 1 of 2, Page 2 of 3, and so on)
If you have more to write at the end of a page, write MORE at the bottom. Use either the symbol
# or -30- at the end.
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FINAL
Your final exam is to write a substantial news story related to any issue within the wide
boundaries of public affairs. This can include stories related to government, schools, crime and courts,
religion, medicine, business and social issues. Please remember to remind people you interview that the
story may be published. In professional terms, your final exam would be described as project story or
investigative piece.
The story must have at least eight sources. You must demonstrate primary source research and
background research from some combination of libraries, newspapers, magazines and computer
databases.
You'll need to turn in a one-page description of your story by Oct. 7. I want you to tell me why you
think your story is worth pursuing and how you plan to do it. I'll get that back to you with my comments
within a week.
By Oct. 28, turn in at least a three page rough draft of the story. I'll get that back with my
comments within a week. The final version of the story is due on 12/4, but you may turn it in earlier.
Remember, I will work with you on our stories at every step. On most assignments, I will coach
you by e-mail before your work is due. Ask for assistance and you will receive it. Don't wait until the last
minute.
HONOR PLEDGE
You are expected to do your own work for this class. Failure to do so is a serious offense with
serious consequences.
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE:
This may change as the semester progresses. You'll have a number of out-of-class
assignments and we'll also have several guest speakers throughout the semester.
Chapters refer to the Schulte & Dufresne text; please read the chapters assigned before
class.
Week 1 [1/10] Chapters 1, 2 (beats and beat reporting)
[1/12]
ASSIGNMENT OF BEATS
[1/14]
EXPLANATION OF TIP SHEETS
Week 2 [1/17] MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
[1/19]
Chapter 3 (Computer-Assisted Reporting); * reminder: 1st tip sheet
due 2/2
[1/21] Inclass Writing Assignment
Week 3 [1/24] Chapter 19 (The Press As Watchdog)
[1/26]
Inclass Writing Assignment Prep
[1/28] Inclass Writing Assignment
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Week 4 [1/31] Chapter 4 & 5 (meetings); * reminder: 1st beat story due 2/18
[2/2]
FIRST TIP SHEET DUE TODAY; Inclass Writing Assignment Prep
[2/4] Inclass Writing Assignment
Week 5 [2/7] Chapter 6, 7, 8 (county, state, fed. government, records)
[2/9]
Inclass Writing Assignment Prep
[2/11] Inclass Writing Assignment
Week 6 [2/14] Chapters 9, 10, 12 (courts) *reminder: second tip sheet due 2/23)
[2/16] Inclass Writing Assignment Prep
[2/18] FIRST BEAT STORY DUE TODAY Inclass Writing Assignment
Week 7 [2/21] Chapter 13 (education) *reminder: 2nd beat story due 3/11
[2/23] SECOND TIP SHEET DUE TODAY; Inclass Writing Assignment Prep
[2/25] Inclass Writing Assignment
Week 8 [2/28] Chapter 14, (politics)
[3/2]
Inclass Writing Assignment Prep
[3/4] Inclass Writing Assignment
Week 9 [3/7] Gary Yourofsky – Animal Rights National Lecturer Chapter 15 (business
& consurmers); review beat stories; *reminder: 3rd tip sheet due 3/18)
[3/9]
Gary Yourofsky – Animal Rights National Lecturer --Questions
[3/11] SECOND BEAT STORY DUE TODAY Inclass Writing Assignment
Week 10 [3/14] Chapter 16 ( the work force)
[3/16] Inclass Writing Assignment Prep
[3/18] THIRD TIP SHEET DUE TODAY; Inclass Writing Assignment ; *reminder: 3rd
beat story due 4/8
Week 11 [3/21-3/25] SPRING BREAK
Week 12 [3/28]; Chapter 17 (environment)
[3/30] Inclass Writing Assignment Prep
[4/1] Inclass Writing Assignment
Week 13 [4/4] Chapter 18 (science, medicine & health)
[4/6] Inclass Writing Assignment Prep
[4/8] THIRD BEAT STORY DUE TODAY; Inclass Writing Assignment
Week 14 [4/11] Chapter 20 (laws, libel and ethics); review beat stories
[4/13] Inclass Writing Assignment Prep
[4/15] Inclass Writing Assignment
Week 15 [4/18] Examination of Public Affairs Reporting (videos)
[4/20] Examination of Public Affairs Reporting (videos)
[4/22] Examination of Public Affairs Reporting (videos)
Week 16 [4/25] WORK ON FINAL STORY
4/27
FINAL STORY DUE TODAY 5:00 P.M.
[4/29] DEAD DAY
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5/6 No Final Exam
SPRING SEMESTER HOLIDAYS/NO CLASS:
Jan. 17
Martin Luther King Day
March21-25
March 25
SPRING BREAK
Good Friday