New 205
Section 4
Prof. James T. Mulder
Spring 2012
Cell phone: (315) 882-8977
E-mail: jtmulder@syr.edu
Class hours: 11 a.m.- 1 p.m., Tuesday & Thursday, Room 206D, Newhouse 1
Office hours: 10 a.m.-11 a.m., Tuesday, Room 221, Newhouse 1 or by appointment.
About your professor
He got his start in the newspaper business at age 10, delivering Newsday – a Long
Island daily – after school in the 1960s. Mulder has written more than 7,000 news stories
in a newspaper reporting career spanning 35 years. He works at The Post-Standard where
he writes about health care and nonprofit organizations.
In addition to the newspaper, he writes for Syracuse.com, a Web site published by
The Post-Standard, Central New York magazine, Healthy Central New York magazine
and other publications. He has covered banking, economics, energy, real estate and other
beats on the business news desk. He’s also worked at The Post-Standard as a general
assignment reporter, feature writer and copy editor. Before moving to Syracuse, he was
the founding editor of The Glen Cove Guardian, a weekly newspaper on Long Island. He
also worked as a copy editor for two small magazines in Westchester County.
His work has won numerous awards from the New York Newspaper Publishers
Association, the New York State Associated Press, the New York Bar Association, the
Syracuse Press Club and the Onondaga County Medical Society.
He has been an adjunct professor in the Newhouse School since 2002.
Mulder, a native of Glen Cove, N.Y., is a 1975 graduate of Marquette
University’s College of Journalism. He is a member of the Association of Health Care
Journalists. He was one of 10 U.S. journalists awarded a fellowship in 2009 to study
public health for one week at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
Atlanta, Ga.
He and his wife, Mary Beth, have two children, ages 26 and 21. They live in
Syracuse.
Mulder is an avid bicyclist. He’s also a big SU and Marquette basketball fan, and
roots for both teams simultaneously when they play each other.
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Introduction
This course is the foundation on which students can build a successful career in the S.I.
Newhouse School of Public Communications and in their chosen professions. Print and
broadcast journalism students learn the basic skills - reporting and writing - of their craft,
as well as the traditions and responsibilities of a free press. Public relations and
advertising students learn the skills they share with journalists, as well as the needs and
expectations of the news media. It is challenging, demanding and vital to the rest of the
students’ Newhouse education. It is also fun.
Overview
The course teaches news writing as a thought process, a set of skills and a vital function
in a democracy. You will learn to think like a journalist, weighing news values, making
decisions on the importance of facts and asking the right questions to get the right
information. You will learn to write crisp, clear, accurate stories on extremely tight
deadlines. You will learn the responsibilities and challenges of the only profession - the
press - named in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
In this class you will acquire core competencies so that you will:
*Understand and appreciate the First Amendment’s protections of free speech and a free
press.
*Understand why journalism matters and appreciate the role of the press in a democracy.
*Know what makes news and exercise strong news judgment.
*Be able to write engaging, accurate leads for a variety of stories.
*Be able to judge the comparative importance of facts and order them in terms of
descending importance, with the most important appearing first.
*Have a grasp of basic interviewing skills.
*Be able to report and write news about and for diverse communities.
*Know how to research using online databases such as Nexis and ProQuest.
*Be able to judge the reliability of sources.
*Be able to choose good quotations.
*Know how to properly attribute quotes and information.
*Be accurate, thorough and impartial in your reporting and writing.
*Understand and abide by journalistic ethics.
*Understand basic legal issues such as libel.
*Be able to write clearly and succinctly, using correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and
Associated Press style.
*Be able to meet tight deadlines.
*Become acquainted with new technology and platforms for delivering news.
Required course material:
“Writing and Reporting the News as a Story,” by Robert Lloyd and Glenn Guzzo
The AP Stylebook and Libel Manual
A reporter’s notebook or steno pad.
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Required daily reading:
*Daily reading of The Post-Standard
*Daily Orange (Monday-Friday)
Strongly recommended:
*The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Wall Street Journal or other
major daily
Assignments
This is a hands-on course. You will write during almost every class. Writing assignments
will count for more than half your grade. Out-of-class stories, usually in the 500- to 750word range, will count twice as much as in-class writing exercises.
Extra credit: You can earn extra credit toward your quiz grades by finding mistakes in
The Post-Standard (grammatical, factual or AP style). Clip or photocopy the article,
highlight the error, legibly correct it, write your name at the top and turn it in.
You can also earn extra credit by getting a story published in The Daily Orange or
another publication.
No rewrites: I do not allow rewrites. If you get a grade below C on an out-of-class story
and you want to improve your grade, you can do an extra story and substitute the grade.
If you want to do an extra story to improve your grade, you need to speak with me in
advance and get my approval.
Reading assignments: Come to class the first day of the week that we meet with reading
for that week completed.
Copy Preparation and Documentation
For every out-of-class story you must provide:
*A copy of the story, double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman, with your name at
the top. E-mail stories to me at jtmulder@syr.edu. Send the story as an attachment using
Microsoft Word. Also, paste a copy of the story in the body of the e-mail in case the
attachment fails. Make backup copies of all your stories on a thumb drive. If for some
reason your e-mail is not working, print out your story and submit a hard copy to me in
class. If there is more than one page make sure you staple them. Deadlines are critical in
the news business. Stories must be submitted on time. Unless I tell you otherwise,
stories need to be e-mailed to me by 11 a.m. on the day they are due. I will not accept
stories late unless you contact me before class and have a legitimate excuse. A missed
deadline means an F on the assignment. If the assignment is late, you get no credit, no
matter how good it is.
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*At the top of every story, include these two sentences:
This story is about ... (finish the sentence)
The reader should care because ... (finish sentence)
.
*At the end of your story include a source list of everyone interviewed, including phone
numbers and e-mail addresses. I won’t accept assignments that do not include the source
list. The source list also should include references to any documents that contributed to
your assignment. This would include information from the Internet or Nexis, newspaper
archives, magazine articles, etc.
Standards
*Accuracy: This is the fundamental requirement of news writing. Credibility, defense
against libel and professionalism hinge on accuracy. The penalty for inaccuracy is severe.
Until Feb. 17, any story with a misspelled proper name or single fact error will get
an automatic F. After Feb. 17, a misspelled proper name or single fact error will
result in your mark on that story being lowered a full grade (A becomes B, B
becomes C, etc.).
*Libel: Stories with libelous content will get an F.
*Absences: Attendance is mandatory. Classes operate much like newsrooms, with
much of the
work done in class and on deadline. Missed work cannot be made up except for absences
excused in advance. Call or e-mail me whenever you must miss a class. If you don’t get a
confirmation in a few hours, try me again. “You must not have received my e-mail,” will
not be an acceptable defense. Failure to make connections will result in an F on missed
assignments. If you miss more than two classes without an excuse, expect your final
grade to drop by one mark (for example, from C+ to a C). The penalty is greater if you
miss again. I expect everyone to come to class wide awake and prepared to engage in
class discussion. Failure to participate will hurt your grade.
*House rules: Silence your cell phones. No text messaging or Web surfing unrelated to
assignments during class.
*Grammar, style, spelling and punctuation (GSSP): These are the basic tools of writing.
You must master them thoroughly and quickly. GSSP will count up to one-third of your
grade on each story.
Quizzes and Exams
*Every class begins with a quiz so get to class on time. News quizzes are Tuesdays.
Quizzes on Thursdays will be on AP Style and GSSP. If you are late for class and
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miss the quiz, you cannot make it up unless you have a legitimate reason for being
late. Quizzes count for 10 percent of your final grade.
It is essential that you quickly master AP Style and GSSP. For the first five weeks of
classes, you will have weekly reading assignments from AP Stylebook and the Tips
Sheet. All quizzes are open book.
*A midterm, two-day exam will include questions on GSSP, a short answer component
and a writing assignment on deadline. It will count for 15 percent of your grade.
*Final stories. There is no final exam. There will be three major semester-ending stories
that will count for 20 percent of your grade.
Conferences
If you have questions about material covered in class, my edits of your work or anything
else, please ask me during class, meet with me after class or make an appointment to
meet at another time convenient for you. If you are having any kind of a problem, see
me as soon as
possible. Don’t wait until the last week of the semester. You must have at least one
one-on-one meeting with me during the semester. Meetings are indicated on the syllabus.
These meetings are your responsibility to schedule. Failing to schedule a meeting or show
up for a meeting will hurt your grade.
Grades
I will grade you on almost everything you write. I grade you on your reporting and
understanding of the news, your use of grammar, style, spelling and punctuation, and the
quality of your
writing. Here’s how your final semester grade will be determined:
*Stories and writing assignments - 50 percent.
*Quizzes - 10 percent
*Midterm exam - 15 percent
*Final stories - 20 percent
*Class participation - 5 percent
Explanation of grades:
A: A solidly sourced and thoroughly reported story that is well written and well
organized with few GSSP errors. No major content questions that require additional
reporting. Publishable quality.
B: Generally well-reported, but may require help with organization, fine-tuning of the
lead or non-major content issues. Minor editing and/or rewriting.
C: Includes multiple problems. Inadequate reporting or poor interviewing; improper
sourcing and/or research; multiple GSSP errors; failure to focus story. Needs heavy
editing or rewriting.
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Shows a grasp of news-writing principles but not ready for publication. Needs heavy
editing or rewriting.
D: There will be few of these because failure to do C work is not acceptable. Work that
does not muster a C most likely is an F. Characterized by poor grasp of the news
principles and/or serious problems with the reporting and writing.
F: Reporting is in severe question, either because of inadequate or questionable
interviewing, thin sourcing or sloppy research; may include fact errors and misspelled
names; gross disorganization; unacceptable GSSP errors.
Zero: If you don’t do an assignment at all, you are penalized extra. A zero is the
equivalent of two F’s.
The bar is raised as the course progresses. Improvement over time counts. Tolerance for
GSSP errors will diminish rapidly.
A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Plagiarism
Plagiarism and fabrication are not tolerated. Any story bearing your name is assumed to
be your own work. Any instance of plagiarism or fabrication most likely will result in
failure for the assignment – if not the course – and even in a recommendation for
suspension or expulsion from Newhouse. There is no greater sin in journalism. When in
doubt, attribute your information.
Syracuse University Academic Integrity Expectations
Academic integrity is violated by any dishonest act which is committed in an academic
context. This includes, but is not restricted to, the following:
A. Use of Sources
1. Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s language, ideas, information, or original
material without acknowledging the source.
a. Examples of plagiarism:
i. Paper is downloaded from an Internet source and/or obtained from a paper mill.
ii. Paper contains part or all of the writings of another person (including another
student), without citation.
iii. Paper contains passages that were cut and pasted from an Internet source,
without citation.
2. While students are responsible for knowing how to quote from, paraphrase, and
cite sources correctly, the ability to apply that information in all writing
situations is an advanced literacy skill acquired over time through repeated
practice.
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When a student has attempted to acknowledge sources but has not done so fully or
completely, the instructor may determine that the issue is misuse of
sources or bad writing, rather than plagiarism. Factors that may be
relevant to the determination between misuse of sources and plagiarism
include prior academic integrity education at Syracuse University and the
program level of the student. Instructors are responsible for
communicating their expectations regarding the use and citation of
sources.
B. Course Work and Research
1. The use or attempted use of unauthorized aids in examinations or other
academic exercises submitted for evaluation;
2. Fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data, results, sources for
papers or reports; in clinical practice, as in reporting experiments,
measurements, statistical analyses, tests, or other studies never performed;
manipulating or altering data or other manifestations of research to
achieve a desired result; selective reporting, including the deliberate
suppression of conflicting or unwanted data;
3. Copying from another student’s work;
4. Actions that destroy or alter the work of another student;
5. Unauthorized cooperation in completing assignments or examinations;
6. Submission of the same written work in more than one course without prior
written approval from both instructors.
C. Communications
1. Violating the confidentiality of an academic integrity investigation, resolution,
or documentation;
2. Making a false report of academic dishonesty;
3. Dishonesty in requests for make-up exams, for extensions of deadlines for
submitting papers, or in any other matter relating to a course.
D. Representations and Materials Misuse
1. Falsification of records, reports, or documents associated with the educational
process;
2. Misrepresentation of one’s own or another’s identity in an academic context;
3. Misrepresentation of material facts or circumstances in relation to
examinations, papers, or other academic activities;
4. Sale of papers, essays, or research for fraudulent use;
5. Alteration or falsification of university records;
6. Unauthorized use of university academic facilities or equipment, including
computer accounts and files;
7. Unauthorized recording, sale, purchase, or use of academic lectures, academic
computer software, or other instructional materials;
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8. Expropriation or abuse of ideas and preliminary data obtained during the
process of editorial or peer review of work submitted to journals, or in
proposals for funding by agency panels or by internal university committees;
9. Expropriation and/or inappropriate dissemination of personally-identifying
human subject data;
10. Unauthorized removal, mutilation, or deliberate concealment of materials in
university libraries, media, laboratories, or academic resource centers.
It is highly recommended that you view the university’s complete set of policies and
procedures, at https://psdocs.syr.edu/sudocs/vpcai/finalizeddocs3.pdf
Statement Regarding Disability-Related Accommodations
Students who are in need of disability-related academic accommodations must register
with the Office of Disability Services (ODS), 804 University Avenue, Room 309, 315443-4498. Students with authorized disability-related accommodations should provide a
current Accommodation Authorization Letter from ODS to the instructor and review
those accommodations with the instructor. Accommodations, such as exam
administration, are not provided retroactively; therefore, planning for accommodations as
early as possible is necessary. For further information, see the ODS website, Office of
Disability Services at: http://disabilityservices.syr.edu or contact the office directly at:
Phone: (315) 443-4498.
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf: (315) 4431371.
e-Mail: odssched@syr.edu
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Tentative course outline
(Reading assignments for the week should be
done BEFORE the first class of each week)
Week 1: Getting started
Tuesday, Jan. 17
*Introduction, explanation of expectations. Review of grammar, spelling, style and
punctuation basics (including tip sheets on grammar and AP style).
*Writing assignment: A 500-word profile of a classmate. Due 11 a.m., Thursday, Jan.
19.
Thursday, Jan. 19
*First style quiz on AP tip sheet.
*Concepts of news values and discussion of why journalism matters.
*Readings: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 1 (Why Journalism Matters), 2 (What is News?),
AP tip sheet
*Multimedia skills and equipment survey. What equipment do you own? What editing
software have you used?
Week 2: Building a solid foundation with notes, well-written leads
Tuesday, Jan. 24
*News Quiz
*Note-taking. Also, inverted pyramid and the basic news story.
*Readings: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 3 (Writing Leads) and 4 (Writing Simply)
*Note-taking exercise
Thursday, Jan. 26
*Style quiz, AP Style book, letters A-E
* The decisions that determine the leads in all types of stories -- disasters, crimes,
speeches, meetings. Understanding the lead's importance: Grabs reader, gives focus, sets
tone and lays out the angle of the story. Answering the question: What’s the story?
Exercises: Lead-writing.
Readings: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 5 (How to Structure a News Story)
Week 3: Perfecting the lead
Tuesday, Jan. 31
*News quiz
* Lead writing clinic
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Thursday, Feb. 2
*Style quiz: Stylebook, Punctuation Section, letters F-J
* More on leads, basic story and nut graphs.
Exercises: Nut graph exercises
Readings: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 13 (Writing Nontraditional Leads) and 17 (Ending
Stories Well)
Week 4: Developing the rest of the story
Tuesday, Feb. 7
News Quiz
* Supporting the lead. Using quotes and attribution. Giving background and context.
Using nut graphs. Organizing the body of the story.
*Exercises: Organizing story information.
Thursday, Feb. 9
*Style quiz: Stylebook, letters K-O
* Short story exercises
Week 5: Details, interviewing and making the best use of information gathered.
Tuesday, Feb. 14
*News quiz
*Observation
Thursday, Feb. 16
*Style quiz: Stylebook P-T
*Skills in interviewing. Choose subjects to do 500-word, person-on-the-street story due
11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 23. Start on story in class.
*Readings: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapters 6 (Interviewing) and 7 (Using Quotations Well)
Week 6: Covering disasters, accidents and crime
Tuesday, Feb. 21
*News quiz
*Discuss crime and disaster coverage.
*Readings: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapters 8 (Writing News About Crime) and 9 (Writing
About Victims of Crime)
*Writing exercise
Thursday, Feb. 23
*Style quiz, Stylebook P-T
*Sign up for conferences next week
*Person-on-street story due.
*In-class exercise. Write disaster story on deadline.
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Week 7: Conferences and libel
Tuesday, Feb. 28
*No class. Conferences with Mulder
Thursday, March 1
*Libel. Readings: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 21 (What Journalists Need to Know About
the Law). Also, libel portion of AP Stylebook.
*Style quiz, AP Style book, letters U-Z.
Week 8: Midterm
Tuesday, March 6
*Part 1 of midterm: AP style and short answer.
Thursday, March 8
*Part 2 of midterm: deadline writing.
Week 9: Spring Break
Week 10: Producing a photo and sound story
Tuesday, March 20
*Using the audio recorder and Final Cut
Thursday, March 22
*Taking photos
*Assignment: Find an individual on campus and capture him/her at his job and talking
about it. Pair photos with your audio track. Due 11 a.m. April 5.
Week 11: Speeches, press releases and press conferences
Tuesday, March 27
*News quiz
Readings: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 11 (How to Write News from Speeches, Press
Conferences and Press Releases)
Thursday, March 29
*Cover speech in class
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Week 12: Crafting a feature. Leaving gold coins for readers
Tuesday, April 3
*News quiz.
*Begin discussion and planning of final, out-of-class feature story due April 19.
Thursday, April 5
*Analysis and discussion of feature stories.
Reading: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 16 (features)
*Cover a speech or event of your choice and turn it in within 24 hours.
Week 13: Ethics & diversity
Tuesday, April 10
*News quiz
*Ethics discussion. Reading: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 19 (An Ethical Approach to
Journalism)
Thursday, April 12
*Diversity discussion. Reading: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 20 (Diversity as Ethics)
Week 14: Tabloid Wars and multi-media
Tuesday, April 17
*News quiz
*Tabloid Wars
Thursday, April 19
*Multi-media
Reading: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 18 (Writing and Reporting Online)
*Feature story due
Week 15: Writing a profile
Tuesday, April 24
Readings: Lloyd & Guzzo: Chapter 15 (Profiles)
*Discuss profile writing and write another classmate profile. Due 5 p.m. May 4
Thursday, April 26
*Final deadline writing exercise
*Evaluate class
Week 16: Finish line
Tuesday, May 1
*Last class