The Contemporary World of Print
Journalism 138b
Fall 2014
Professor: Eileen McNamara
Time: Tuesday and Friday 9:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Place: TBA
Office Hours: Tuesday and Friday 8 a.m.– 9 a.m. and by appointment
Office: 321 Brown
Telephone: 781-736-3049 (office), 781-929-1934 (cell)
E-mail: eileenma@brandeis.edu
"Journalism provides something unique to a culture — independent, reliable, accurate
and comprehensive information that citizens require to be free." — The Elements of
Journalism, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of news reporting and writing.
Students will learn by doing, developing the skills to generate story ideas, gather
information, conduct interviews and write news articles. Through lectures, reading, inclass writing exercises and out-of-class reporting assignments, students will learn the
basic principles and practices of journalism with an emphasis on accuracy, fairness and
clarity. Because print journalism is practiced across many platforms, students will learn
how the foundational tools and values being examined in this course apply to all
journalism in the digital age.
REQUIREMENTS:
This is a Writing Intensive class. We will adhere to the standards of a professional
newsroom. Deadlines are fixed; late assignments and absences will not be accepted
unless students inform me by e-mail in advance of absences for health reasons or family
emergencies. Correct grammar, punctuation and spelling are required. Faithfulness to the
AP stylebook is mandatory. Plagiarism will result in an “F” (as it would in termination at
any reputable news organization.) Because there is no good writing without re-writing,
you will critique one another’s work and revise your own. In class exercises will be filed
electronically so bring your laptop to class every Friday. Outside assignments must be
typed, double-spaced, and submitted on paper. E-mailed submissions are not acceptable.
Students are expected to read assigned material prior to class, including The New York
Times and The Boston Globe daily and The Justice and The Hoot weekly. Students are
responsible for material on Latte; check it often. Because we learn by example, students
will be asked to share examples of what they consider to be the best and worst journalism
produced each week.
COURSE GOALS:
Students will master basic journalistic concepts, including the importance of
accuracy, the meaning of deadlines, and the legal and ethical standards that apply to the
craft. Students will develop reporting and writing skills, including background research,
interviewing techniques, the inverted pyramid style, the use of attribution and quotes and
mastery of Associated Press style.
GRADING:
Grading will be based on outside reporting assignments (40%), in-class writing
exercises (20%), a midterm (20%) and class participation, including a weekly quiz that
will test your knowledge of current events and/or news style (20%). Students are required
to revise outside reporting pieces to improve their writing. Revisions are due the class
after the original is returned. No exceptions. Students will retain a portfolio of their work,
including originals and revisions. Invest in a stapler to keep originals and revisions
together. During the semester that work will be reviewed in conference with the
instructor to focus on individual writing/reporting challenges.
ACCOMODATIONS: If you are a student who needs academic accommodations
because of a documented disability, please contact me and present your letter of
accommodation as soon as possible. If you have questions about documenting a
disability or requesting academic accommodations, you should contact Beth
Rodgers-Kay in Academic Services (x6-3470 or brodgers@brandeis.edu.) Letters of
accommodation should be presented at the start of the semester to ensure provision
of accommodations. Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.
REQUIRED READING:
The Associated Press Guide to News Writing
The Universal Journalist, by David Randall
The AP Stylebook
The Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E.B. White
The New York Times and The Boston Globe, daily
The Hoot and The Justice, weekly
Additional reading material will be posted on LATTE.
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES:
August 29
Introduction
An overview of course content and expectations. This is your first and best chance to run
if you are not committed to the rigors of a newsroom. (Reading for next time: Chapter 1,
Guide to News Writing; Chapter 1-3, The Universal Journalist; Numbers, Stylebook)
September 2-5
The Fundamentals of Journalism
For democracy to work citizens need timely and reliable information accurately reported.
Critics of journalism say “truth” is not so easily discerned. We will examine the key
principles of journalism. (Reading for next time: Chapter 4, The Universal Journalist;
Numbers, Stylebook)
September 9-12
News Judgment
We explore what does (and does not) constitute news in an era when information is
plentiful but news judgment rare. Cable TV traffics in assertion; journalism is rooted in
fact-finding and verification, in fairness and accuracy. (Reading for next time: Chapter 2
Guide to News Writing; Chapters 13, 15, The Universal Journalist; Titles, Stylebook)
September 16-19
The Basic News Story
The structure of a breaking news story is the inverted pyramid, a formula that presents the
most important information first and answers six key questions: who, what, when, where,
why and how. (Reading for next time: Chapters 5, 8 The Universal Journalist; Titles,
Stylebook)
September 23-26: NO CLASS (Brandeis Thursday and Rosh Hashanah)
September 30-October 3
News Gathering: Research
Reporters need to go beyond Google. They must master such basic reference tools as
almanacs, directories, etc., and databases like Nexis/Lexis. (Reading for next time:
Chapter 8 Guide to News Writing; Chapters 6, 7, 16 The Universal Journalist;
Abbreviations, Stylebook)
October 7-10
News Gathering: Interviews
We explore how to interact with sources and how to conduct an interview in a way that
elicits fresh information. We discuss how to listen and learn the rules governing
attribution, use of quotations and “off the record” communications. (Reading for next
time: Chapters 14, The Universal Journalist; Chapter 3 Guide to News Writing; A Guide
to Punctuation, pages 370-381, Stylebook)
October 14-17
News Writing: Leads
How do you find your focus? In a straight news story, the opening paragraph – or lead –
is a concise summary of the story to follow. Feature stories call for a different approach.
October 21
Midterm
October 24
Individual Conferences
(Reading for next time: Chapters 10 and 12, The Universal Journalist; on Latte)
October 28-31
News Writing: Breaking News
All manner of human drama unfolds on deadline. Think of the Boston Marathon
bombings, school shootings, natural disasters. How to keep your head and report
accurately in stressful situations. (Reading for next time: Chapters 9, The Universal
Journalist)
November 4
Covering Conferences/Speeches
November 7
Roundtable on Gender in the Media
Routine news coverage often involves reporters listening to speeches, attending public
hearings, meetings and press conferences. How do you decide what to highlight? Will
you make the same choice as the reporter sitting next to you? (Reading for next time:
Chapter 17, The Universal Journalist; Chapter 11-13, Guide to News Writing)
November 11-14
Feature Stories
Features, also known as human interest stories, offer an opportunity to write more
creatively. Feature stories cover topics in greater depth, going further than hard news
coverage. (Reading for next time: On Latte)
November 18-2
Profiles
People like to read about people. We will explore how to write profiles of people in the
news that break us away from the constraints of straight news writing. (Reading for next
time: on Latte)
November 25
Page One
(Reading for next time: Briefing on Media Law, page 382-425, AP Stylebook; on Latte)
December 2-5
Media Law,
Media Ethics
The Constitution prohibits Congress from making laws to restrict a free press. That does
not mean journalists operate without rules. We survey the legal and ethical challenges
confronting reporters.