Journalism 231 Reporting for Mass Media I
WIU Department of English and Journalism • Spring 2015 • MWF 10-10:50 a.m. • Simpkins 309
Lisa Kernek
L-Kernek@wiu.edu
Office: Simpkins 226-i
Phone: (309) 569-1270
Office hours
Tuesday and Thursday:
10-10:50 a.m., 12:20-1 p.m.
Friday: 8:50-9:50 a.m.
and by appointment
Required books

Inside Reporting,
2nd edition (Tim Harrower)

Associated Press Stylebook
Course grading scale
A
93 to 100 percent
A90 to 92.9
B+
87 to 89.9
B
83 to 86.9
B–
80 to 82.9
C+
77 to 79.9
C
73 to 76.9
C–
70 to 72.9
D+
67 to 69.9
D
63 to 66.9
D–
60 to 62.9
F
0 to 59.9
This course introduces you to basic newsgathering and writing
skills. The goals are that you will learn to:






Report with accuracy, curiosity and integrity.
Cultivate a news sense or “nose for news.”
Generate story ideas.
Conduct interviews.
Write in clear, simple language.
Meet deadlines.
Course requirements
 Attending one Macomb City Council meeting is required
on Monday, March 23, at 5 p.m.
 Three story assignments: a meeting story, a profile and an
issue story.
 Lab work: writing, grammar and AP Style exercises.
 Readings from the “Inside Reporting” textbook.
 Midterm and final exams.
 Attendance/participation: Based on attendance and overall
engagement in the class, including contributing to
discussions; completing in-class exercises; and ignoring
mobile devices when class is in session.
Grades (please also see scale at left)
Your course grade will consist of:
Lab work
100 points
Meeting story
100 points
Profile story
100 points
Issue story
150 points
Attendance and participation
100 points
Midterm
100 points
Final exam
100 points
Total
750 points
Introduction
Expectations for story assignments
I will evaluate stories for accuracy, fairness, completeness, use of AP Style and grammar. Stories
will be graded according to how ready they are for publishing: A = publishable; B = good but
needs editing; C = needs major rewriting; D = inaccurate and/or incomplete; F = failure to meet
basic journalistic standards, or to turn in a story.
You are expected to submit original work produced only for this class. You’ll be held to the
standards of a working newsroom, which means:
 No interviews with your mother, other family members, boyfriends or girlfriends. Journalists
are generally in the business of writing about other people, not themselves.
 Only named sources; no anonymous sources. You’ll be asked to provide the first and last
names of each person quoted in your stories and their phone numbers.
 Stories are to be written with a WIU or Macomb focus for a Macomb audience.
POLICIES
Plagiarism/fabrication
You are expected to do your own, original works of nonfiction. WIU’s academic integrity policy
defines plagiarism as “intentionally or knowingly presenting the work of another as one's own”
(http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php). In other words, if you quote from someone else’s
work, give credit where it’s due. Plagiarizing another’s work without giving credit, and/or
fabricating quotes, names, events or other material, will result in an F for the course.
Deadlines
Stories are due at the start of class on deadline days. A story handed in late or e-mailed after class
on the day it is due will lose a half-letter grade. A story will lose one letter grade for every
weekday it is late.
Participation/Attendance
Regular, prompt attendance is important. I grant three automatically excused absences—no
questions asked, no documentation needed. Beginning with the fourth absence, points will be
deducted from the participation grade, and any missed work may not be made up. I make
exceptions for circumstances beyond students’ control, so please contact me in the event of an
emergency. PLEASE NOTE: Eighteen or more absences will result in automatic failure of the
course.
Homework missed because of the first three excused absences should be turned in within a week
of the absences. Make-up work turned in more than a week after the missed class will not be
accepted. Exams and the meeting story assignment cannot be rescheduled or made up without
special permission in advance from me.
Classroom Conduct
 Computer monitors must be turned off during class lectures and discussions. Students may
not use the computers during lectures and discussions.
 Students may not work on homework for this class or other classes during class lectures.
 Mobile devices, including phones, tablets and laptops, should be set to silent and stored out of
sight during class so they won’t disturb other students.
Accommodations for disabilities
Please notify me if you have any special needs.
READING AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE*
Date
Reading
Pages
Ch. 1 Harrower
6-16
Ch. 2 Harrower
18-34
Ch. 3
Harrower
36-47
Ch. 3 Harrower
48-61
Ch. 4 Harrower
68-89
Activities, deadlines
January
W 21
F 23
M 26
W 28
F 30
February
M2
W4
F6
M9
W 11
F 13
M 16
W 18
F 20
M 23
Profile story due
W 25
F 27
March
M2
W4
Midterm exam
F6
M9
Ch. 5 Harrower
94-103
W 11
Ch. 5 Harrower
104-113
F 13
March 16-20
M 23
W 25
Spring break
Attend 5 p.m. Macomb City
Council Committee meeting, City
Hall, 232 E. Jackson St. (NO
CLASS 10 a.m.)
F 27
Meeting story due
No class; one-on-one issue story
conferences
No class; one-on-one issue story
conferences
M 30
April
W1
F3
M6
Ch. 6 Harrower
116-125
Ch. 6 Harrower
126-136
Ch. 7 Harrower
140-156
Ch. 8 Harrower
158-176
W8
F 10
M 13
W 15
F 17
M 20
W 22
F 24
M 27
W 29
May
F1
Due: Issue story
M4
W6
F8
Finals week
M 11
*Subject to change, with notice
Review
Final Exam 10 a.m.