This week's bunch at spartanedge.com includes Tia and Carly.
Congrats!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
JRN 200: Your Turn To Grade Me!
Student Instruction Rating System (SIRS Online) collects student feedback on courses and instruction at MSU. Student Instructional Rating System (SIRS Online) forms will soon be available for students in this class (JRN 200, Sec. 003) to submit feedback.
The link is here, and it goes live Nov. 26 through Dec. 26.
Students are required to complete the SIRS Online form OR indicate within that form that they decline to participate. Otherwise, final grades (for courses using SIRS Online) will be sequestered for seven days following the course grade submission deadline for this semester.
Rating information collected by SIRS Online is reported in summary form only and cannot be linked to individual student responses. Student anonymity is carefully protected.
Vid/MM #2: Let's Take A Look-See!
This time, we're going to look at the videos/tweets/blog posts as a unit, to see how each medium cross-told the story. Off we go:
Bella: news stress video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #badnewsstudy
Angelica O: student voting video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #postelection2012
Alex: college hockey video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #msuhockey
Tia: dining halls video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #dininghallsjrn
Carly: housing video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #housingatmsu
Nourhan: movie screening video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #crossingbordersmsu
Okay, now the next four I'd like you to also look at after class, because included are links to the related written out-of-class stories, as published by spartanedge.com. If you want to get an idea of what all parts of your third out-of-class story should look like, this gives you a pretty good and thorough idea:
*****
Danielle: campus safety video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #msucampussafety (spartanedge.com version)
Brytanie: Body image video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #menonbodyimage (spartanedge.com version)
Nick: campus smoking video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #smokingjrn200 (spartanedge.com version)
Shelby: student stress video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #midyrstress (spartanedge.com version)
*****
Now, back to the rest:
Cait: student voting video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #msuvote
Matt: instant replay video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #jrn200 #mlb
Liam: student voting video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #msuvoters
Amber: student voting video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #jrn200tweet
Angelica C: health care costs Video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets
Bella: news stress video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #badnewsstudy
Angelica O: student voting video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #postelection2012
Alex: college hockey video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #msuhockey
Tia: dining halls video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #dininghallsjrn
Carly: housing video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #housingatmsu
Nourhan: movie screening video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #crossingbordersmsu
Okay, now the next four I'd like you to also look at after class, because included are links to the related written out-of-class stories, as published by spartanedge.com. If you want to get an idea of what all parts of your third out-of-class story should look like, this gives you a pretty good and thorough idea:
*****
Danielle: campus safety video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #msucampussafety (spartanedge.com version)
Brytanie: Body image video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #menonbodyimage (spartanedge.com version)
Nick: campus smoking video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #smokingjrn200 (spartanedge.com version)
Shelby: student stress video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #midyrstress (spartanedge.com version)
*****
Now, back to the rest:
Cait: student voting video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #msuvote
Matt: instant replay video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #jrn200 #mlb
Liam: student voting video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #msuvoters
Amber: student voting video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets #jrn200tweet
Angelica C: health care costs Video / blog 1 / blog 2 / tweets
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
JRN 200: Even More Published Reporters!
Residence hall diversity? We've got it.
Food improvements on campus? You know we've got it!
Congrats to our latest published reporters!
Food improvements on campus? You know we've got it!
Congrats to our latest published reporters!
Ethics: the 9/11 Falling Man, Ect.
There's a fine line between showing readers the brutal truth of a
situation so that they understand the powerful truth of any story, and
showing readers a truth so brutal that readers ignore the point you were
trying to make and instead question your judgment.
I can think of no better example of this than the so-called Falling man photo, taken by an Associated Press photographer during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and published by The New York Times the next day.
This remarkable article from Esquire Magazine in 2003 offers a summation of the complex and contradictory forces at play in deciding if running the image was the absolute right thing or the incredibly wrong thing to do.
If you were an editor on Sept. 11, what would you have done? And why?
Likewise, what would you do if you were a photographer covering an African famine and you came across a starving girl being stalked by a vulture? That was a real-world decision for one photog, and it may have led to his own unfortunate end.
Finally, what would you do if you were the photographer who took this award-winning pic?
Let's talk it out.
I can think of no better example of this than the so-called Falling man photo, taken by an Associated Press photographer during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and published by The New York Times the next day.
This remarkable article from Esquire Magazine in 2003 offers a summation of the complex and contradictory forces at play in deciding if running the image was the absolute right thing or the incredibly wrong thing to do.
If you were an editor on Sept. 11, what would you have done? And why?
Likewise, what would you do if you were a photographer covering an African famine and you came across a starving girl being stalked by a vulture? That was a real-world decision for one photog, and it may have led to his own unfortunate end.
Finally, what would you do if you were the photographer who took this award-winning pic?
Let's talk it out.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Obits: Just A Few Things
First off, we have some fatals to go over. Really, a lot of fatals. Nine out of 18, to be exact. That means one of every two people fataled. It's the biggest fatal binge of the semester, on an assignment that in past classes has typically been the easiest assignment of the term.
And it's the usual variety.
In three cases, we misspelled the first name of Terrence as Terrance, with an "a." Three!
In another instance, we spelled Terrence as Terence, with only one "r."
In two other cases, the last name Burnes was misspelled as the more common Burns, without the "e."
Also, we misspelled "fine" as "ine" -- with the "f" missing -- inside of a quote. Any misspelling inside of a quote is a fatal.
In another case, we alternately spelled the restaurant's name as Deacosta's and Deacista's. Obviously, one had to be wrong, right?
Also, in one case we said the dead guy was a resident of Chicago. In fact, he was born in Chicago and moved to East Lansing as an infant. (Remember all pertinent unspecified locales were East Lansing?)
(In regard to all these fatals, I'm wondering if I did you guys a disservice in allowing for so many practice stories to be done as homework, in that you didn't have to balance writing and fact-checking with deadlines in such a rigorous way as when we do practice stories in-class with a stricter and more immediate deadline.)
(I know some of you think I can be tough, but in this case I'm fearing that I wasn't tough enough to a point where we worked out bad habits and instituted good habits by more realistically simulating deadline conditions.)
(Unfortunately, we are just about out of time to keep working on this. I implore you to take the fact-checking strategies we've discussed and that are offered in this blog and make sure you implement them each and every time from here on out, and into your communications careers.)
Next, let's remember this lessons from the first few days of class: journalists do not use euphemisms -- words or terms used in place of more direct terms or words -- we use direct language.
In the case of this assignment, that means we don't say someone passed away,which is a euphemism for dying. So we simply say they died.
Plus, we should have capitalized the names of the medals he earned: the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Why? Because those are the specific names of specific medals. And we capitalize specific names. Which is why a certain person is Terrence Austin and not terrence austin, and why a certain type of car is a Ford Mustang and not a ford mustang.
Also, one last AP style check: when we have multiple people with the same last name in a story, then we throw out the usual AP Style rule where in first identification we use first and last names, and from then on just the last name.
Instead, in these instances we use the first and last names throughout, for every person who shares the same last name. Including the deceased, in this case.
Now, you don't need to start using the full name after the first reference until you actually hit a second Austin in your story. But once you do, its firsts and lasts the rest of the way.
Finally, you would know you should capitalize Marines if you looked in your AP Style Book under the heading of, Marines.
And it's the usual variety.
In three cases, we misspelled the first name of Terrence as Terrance, with an "a." Three!
In another instance, we spelled Terrence as Terence, with only one "r."
In two other cases, the last name Burnes was misspelled as the more common Burns, without the "e."
Also, we misspelled "fine" as "ine" -- with the "f" missing -- inside of a quote. Any misspelling inside of a quote is a fatal.
In another case, we alternately spelled the restaurant's name as Deacosta's and Deacista's. Obviously, one had to be wrong, right?
Also, in one case we said the dead guy was a resident of Chicago. In fact, he was born in Chicago and moved to East Lansing as an infant. (Remember all pertinent unspecified locales were East Lansing?)
(In regard to all these fatals, I'm wondering if I did you guys a disservice in allowing for so many practice stories to be done as homework, in that you didn't have to balance writing and fact-checking with deadlines in such a rigorous way as when we do practice stories in-class with a stricter and more immediate deadline.)
(I know some of you think I can be tough, but in this case I'm fearing that I wasn't tough enough to a point where we worked out bad habits and instituted good habits by more realistically simulating deadline conditions.)
(Unfortunately, we are just about out of time to keep working on this. I implore you to take the fact-checking strategies we've discussed and that are offered in this blog and make sure you implement them each and every time from here on out, and into your communications careers.)
Next, let's remember this lessons from the first few days of class: journalists do not use euphemisms -- words or terms used in place of more direct terms or words -- we use direct language.
In the case of this assignment, that means we don't say someone passed away,which is a euphemism for dying. So we simply say they died.
Plus, we should have capitalized the names of the medals he earned: the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Why? Because those are the specific names of specific medals. And we capitalize specific names. Which is why a certain person is Terrence Austin and not terrence austin, and why a certain type of car is a Ford Mustang and not a ford mustang.
Also, one last AP style check: when we have multiple people with the same last name in a story, then we throw out the usual AP Style rule where in first identification we use first and last names, and from then on just the last name.
Instead, in these instances we use the first and last names throughout, for every person who shares the same last name. Including the deceased, in this case.
Now, you don't need to start using the full name after the first reference until you actually hit a second Austin in your story. But once you do, its firsts and lasts the rest of the way.
Finally, you would know you should capitalize Marines if you looked in your AP Style Book under the heading of, Marines.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Out-of-Class #3: Don't Forget ...
... that you will have related multimedia on the same topic that will be due the last day of class!
That includes a video with at least two interviews and b-roll, two online news posts with at least two hyperlinks each, and a tweet stream with at least 12 tweets and a universal hash tag.
The old-fashioned written version will be due Nov. 20. The usual rules apply.
That includes a video with at least two interviews and b-roll, two online news posts with at least two hyperlinks each, and a tweet stream with at least 12 tweets and a universal hash tag.
The old-fashioned written version will be due Nov. 20. The usual rules apply.
Tweets #1: HowTo Tweet Non-Breaking News
Tweeting a breaking news story is easy, as you've learned. Just type
what you see, as you see it. But how do you tweet something that isn't
breaking? Like a trend story, or something about a topic without a
specific time peg or an actual event associated with it?
Actually, that's easy, too!
That was a situation a student in one of my past JRN 200 classes faced. She was doing a story about a rash of concussions among student-athletes. And here's her tweet stream, which I reversed so that you see her first tweet first and her last tweet last; the opposite of how it would appear on Twitter. Here we go:
#concussedathletes Over 300,000 sports related concussions occur each year, according to the Brain Trauma Research Center.
#concussedathletes The NCAA, the nation's largest college athletic association, has no guidelines for treating athletes with head injuries.
#concussedathletes The Big Ten is trying to implement its own regulations to deal with concussed athletes.
#concussedathletes Michigan State University is not pushing for the Big Ten to have the regulations.
#concussedathletes MSU soccer goalkeeper Liz Watza has had five concussions and said "The NCAA should create guidelines."
#concussedathletes Sports Specialist Dr. Homer Linard said the main concern with letting injured athletes back in the game is brain injury.
#concussedathletes Suffering a second concussion shortly after the first one can be deadly, according to the Brain Trauma Research Center.
#concussedathletes Incoming freshmen athletes at MSU are given a specific concussion test, called ImPACT. impacttest.com
#concussedathletes Athletic Clinical Coordinator Brian Bratta said "ImPACT assesses memory, cognitive ability and function of the brain."
#concussedathletes Once a concussion occurs at MSU, the athlete takes ImPACT again to gauge the severity of the injury.
Now, please notice a few things. Look at the first four tweets. Each could be a lede, right? For many of you, in writing a story -- especially trend stories -- you may find that you have more than one good lede option, but you can only choose one lede. But in tweeting the news, each lede option can become its own tweet.
Second, the tweeter took telling quotes and made each a tweet, like that of the player giving her opinion on the subject. Just like a quote in a story, it's not YOUR opinion; it's what somebody who is a subject of your story thinks.
Third, interesting facts are offered as tweets, like those on what the effects of a concussion can be.
Fourth, a mini-series of tweets are used to explain a nuance of the story, like the half-dozen tweets that in total detail how MSU deals with concussed athletes.
Fifth, hyperlinks are offered via tweet. Notice the tweet that uses a bit.ly link. Bit.ly is a URL shortener that will take a long URL and convert it into a shorter one that better fits on a character-restricted service like Twitter.
Let's take a look at what bit.ly can do for you, via this link.
Actually, that's easy, too!
That was a situation a student in one of my past JRN 200 classes faced. She was doing a story about a rash of concussions among student-athletes. And here's her tweet stream, which I reversed so that you see her first tweet first and her last tweet last; the opposite of how it would appear on Twitter. Here we go:
#concussedathletes Over 300,000 sports related concussions occur each year, according to the Brain Trauma Research Center.
#concussedathletes The NCAA, the nation's largest college athletic association, has no guidelines for treating athletes with head injuries.
#concussedathletes The Big Ten is trying to implement its own regulations to deal with concussed athletes.
#concussedathletes Michigan State University is not pushing for the Big Ten to have the regulations.
#concussedathletes MSU soccer goalkeeper Liz Watza has had five concussions and said "The NCAA should create guidelines."
#concussedathletes Sports Specialist Dr. Homer Linard said the main concern with letting injured athletes back in the game is brain injury.
#concussedathletes Suffering a second concussion shortly after the first one can be deadly, according to the Brain Trauma Research Center.
#concussedathletes Incoming freshmen athletes at MSU are given a specific concussion test, called ImPACT. impacttest.com
#concussedathletes Athletic Clinical Coordinator Brian Bratta said "ImPACT assesses memory, cognitive ability and function of the brain."
#concussedathletes Once a concussion occurs at MSU, the athlete takes ImPACT again to gauge the severity of the injury.
#concussedathletes Despite new technology, the biggest indicator is the presence of symptoms, said Bratta. http://tinyurl.com/6cq9dx
#concussedathletes When a head injury occurs, MSU athletes are immediately given SCAT, the Standardized Concussion Assessment Test.
#concussedathletes SCAT is a checklist of common symptoms and tests balance, said MSU Certified Athletic Trainer Yume Nakamura.
#concussedathletes When a head injury occurs, MSU athletes are immediately given SCAT, the Standardized Concussion Assessment Test.
#concussedathletes SCAT is a checklist of common symptoms and tests balance, said MSU Certified Athletic Trainer Yume Nakamura.
Now, please notice a few things. Look at the first four tweets. Each could be a lede, right? For many of you, in writing a story -- especially trend stories -- you may find that you have more than one good lede option, but you can only choose one lede. But in tweeting the news, each lede option can become its own tweet.
Second, the tweeter took telling quotes and made each a tweet, like that of the player giving her opinion on the subject. Just like a quote in a story, it's not YOUR opinion; it's what somebody who is a subject of your story thinks.
Third, interesting facts are offered as tweets, like those on what the effects of a concussion can be.
Fourth, a mini-series of tweets are used to explain a nuance of the story, like the half-dozen tweets that in total detail how MSU deals with concussed athletes.
Fifth, hyperlinks are offered via tweet. Notice the tweet that uses a bit.ly link. Bit.ly is a URL shortener that will take a long URL and convert it into a shorter one that better fits on a character-restricted service like Twitter.
Let's take a look at what bit.ly can do for you, via this link.
JRN 200: More Published Reporters!
Congrats to Nourhan, Shelby, Danielle and Brytanie, whose stories on the Nobel Prize and midterm struggles and campus safety and body image, respectively, have been published by Spartan Edge!
The way its front page is looking, maybe they should call it JRN 200 Edge.
The way its front page is looking, maybe they should call it JRN 200 Edge.
MM #1: In General
Good job by most folks on this first round of multimedia work! If you have not received a grade email for me, you can assume you received 4.0s on each segment, each of which counts as a practice story grade on this assignment (but will weigh much more on future assignments).
Also, in the future it would be very helpful to me if you sent all your links to all different media assignments in ONE email, and if you provided hyperlinks to each in that email. Thanks!
Also, in the future it would be very helpful to me if you sent all your links to all different media assignments in ONE email, and if you provided hyperlinks to each in that email. Thanks!
Blogs/Tweets #1: Your Work!
Let's take a look:
Bella: TV show preview / review / tweets #cm21
Cait: Cleaning up preview / review / tweets #cliquewentsick
Insert your hyperlinks INSIDE the text!
Nick: TV show preview / review / tweets #onehilarioustvshow
Angelica O: Library preview / review / tweets #nightsatthemsulibrary
Don't forget a lede tweet, so people know what will follow
Leah: making a pie preview / review / tweets #joeyjrn200
Make sure your links all work!
Carly: TV show preview / review / tweets #crimminds
Need a lede tweet, and more description of what you're seeing instead of what you think
Alyssa: trash ball game preview / review / tweets #obrienblalock
Shelby: TV show preview / review / tweets #jrn200oth
Needs a lede tweet; no such thing as too many tweets. But this comes close.
Brytanie: Cafe preview / review / tweets #ryanschapelureadventure
Nice use of varied hyperlinks from different sources in the blog, and Twit pics in the tweets
Stephen: TV show preview / review / tweets #scrubs #musical
Let's not forget journalistic writing style: short grafs, use of quotes, ect.
Nourhan: TV show preview / review / tweets #nollyonrevenge
Liam: TV show preview / review / tweets #watchinggameofthrones
Danielle: TV show preview / review / tweets #tladdictedtoheroin
Don't forget your hyperlinks!
Tia: World Series preview / review / tweets #jrn200tigers
Alex: World Series preview / review / tweets #alexonws
Amber: Tablet / fire / tweets #jrn200tweet
Make sure we stay on topic!
Matt: football game preview / review / tweets #jrn200 #gogreen
Bella: TV show preview / review / tweets #cm21
Cait: Cleaning up preview / review / tweets #cliquewentsick
Insert your hyperlinks INSIDE the text!
Nick: TV show preview / review / tweets #onehilarioustvshow
Angelica O: Library preview / review / tweets #nightsatthemsulibrary
Don't forget a lede tweet, so people know what will follow
Leah: making a pie preview / review / tweets #joeyjrn200
Make sure your links all work!
Carly: TV show preview / review / tweets #crimminds
Need a lede tweet, and more description of what you're seeing instead of what you think
Alyssa: trash ball game preview / review / tweets #obrienblalock
Shelby: TV show preview / review / tweets #jrn200oth
Needs a lede tweet; no such thing as too many tweets. But this comes close.
Brytanie: Cafe preview / review / tweets #ryanschapelureadventure
Nice use of varied hyperlinks from different sources in the blog, and Twit pics in the tweets
Stephen: TV show preview / review / tweets #scrubs #musical
Let's not forget journalistic writing style: short grafs, use of quotes, ect.
Nourhan: TV show preview / review / tweets #nollyonrevenge
Liam: TV show preview / review / tweets #watchinggameofthrones
Danielle: TV show preview / review / tweets #tladdictedtoheroin
Don't forget your hyperlinks!
Tia: World Series preview / review / tweets #jrn200tigers
Alex: World Series preview / review / tweets #alexonws
Amber: Tablet / fire / tweets #jrn200tweet
Make sure we stay on topic!
Matt: football game preview / review / tweets #jrn200 #gogreen
Vid #1: Your Work!
Let's take a look!
Leah
Could have used more b-roll and a title slide, and it ran too long
Amber
A tripod would be nice. No matter how steady you think you can hold a camera, it will look shaky without a tripod.
Bella
Good use of captioning. See how much better the shot is with a tripod?
Nourhan
Nice back-and-forth interviews. But, tripod! And b-roll!
Nick
The audio is a bit uneven. Try to get the mics as close as you can to the subject.
Matt
Again, mic + distance = lousy audio
Carly
Better audio. Good thing you asked Brytanie how she spells her first name. Watch your editing at the end; the last sound byte gets cut off.
Stephen
B-roll was wise to use between segments, but would also have been helpful amid segments, too, to break up that constant head shot of your interview subject.
Brytanie
Good tight head shots, but needs more b-roll
Alex
Good audio; good b-roll but needs more b-roll.
Shelby
Under copyright law, you can't use copyrighted music without expressed written permission of the author. It's not enough to credit it. (Same with pictures.) So, no fatal, but you do get a federal lawsuit.
Angelica O.
Ambitious interviewing: you interviewed a FORMER student, too!
Danielle
Captions when we first introduced interview subjects would have been helpful.
Alyssa
Nice interviews, but a lack of b-roll.
Liam
Ditto
Tia
Fun opening b-roll!
Cait
Unfortunately, a fatal: be sure to double-check name-spellings!
Leah
Could have used more b-roll and a title slide, and it ran too long
Amber
A tripod would be nice. No matter how steady you think you can hold a camera, it will look shaky without a tripod.
Bella
Good use of captioning. See how much better the shot is with a tripod?
Nourhan
Nice back-and-forth interviews. But, tripod! And b-roll!
Nick
The audio is a bit uneven. Try to get the mics as close as you can to the subject.
Matt
Again, mic + distance = lousy audio
Carly
Better audio. Good thing you asked Brytanie how she spells her first name. Watch your editing at the end; the last sound byte gets cut off.
Stephen
B-roll was wise to use between segments, but would also have been helpful amid segments, too, to break up that constant head shot of your interview subject.
Brytanie
Good tight head shots, but needs more b-roll
Alex
Good audio; good b-roll but needs more b-roll.
Shelby
Under copyright law, you can't use copyrighted music without expressed written permission of the author. It's not enough to credit it. (Same with pictures.) So, no fatal, but you do get a federal lawsuit.
Angelica O.
Ambitious interviewing: you interviewed a FORMER student, too!
Danielle
Captions when we first introduced interview subjects would have been helpful.
Alyssa
Nice interviews, but a lack of b-roll.
Liam
Ditto
Tia
Fun opening b-roll!
Cait
Unfortunately, a fatal: be sure to double-check name-spellings!
Monday, October 29, 2012
JRN 200: Extra Credit ...
. . . because it never hurts to get extra credit:
FOR GETTING AN OUT-OF-CLASS STORY PUBLISHED, I will replace your out of class story grade (which is the average between your original version and your rewrite grade) with the higher grade. If your grade was the same with both versions, I will add up to o.5 to your grade, up to the grade becoming a 4.0.
For me to count your extra credit, you need to submit to me a published copy of your work or email me a Web link to your work, along with an email request to have it applied to extra credit.
FOR DOING A FOURTH OUT-OF-CLASS STORY, for your final grade the three out-of-class stories that go into that grade will be the three (of four) with the highest grades. So if you did four out-of-class stories and one included a fatal, you are making thatfatal go bye-bye.
Plus, in the event you are on the borderline of receiving a higher grade, I will take into account whether you applied extra effort, including whether you did a fourth out-of-class story.
FOR DOING AN OUT-OF-CLASS MINI-STORY -- which can be between 300 and 500 words, with a minimum of two human sources, in which you can cover ANY sort of event (subject to my approval) like a student group meeting or a speaker on-campus -- I will replace your two lowest practice story grades with 4.0s.
FOR GETTING THE MINI-STORY PUBLISHED, I will replace two more lowest-scoring practice stories with 4.0s.
I will also consider other extra-credit projects on a case-by-case basis. Please see me during my office hours to work out other extra-credit assignments.
THE COMMON DENOMINATOR IN ALL EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS is that you are demonstrating to me that you can now correctly apply skills learned in this class that at one time you did not apply as well; that you went above and beyond what we are learning in this class to further educate yourself in journalism; and/or you are demonstrating ability learned on your own prior to this class but applicable here. You can expect any ad hoc extra credit beyond the assignments listed here to include at least one of those components.
I don't care if you messed up earlier; show me you can get it right now and I'm happy to replace earlier grades with something more accurately reflecting where you are at NOW.
I just want to be clear on this one point regarding extra credit: extra credit will be applied to replace the grades of assignments you have actually done, including fact-fataled assignments.
Extra credit will NOT be applied to assignments that you did not turn in, or in which you had a time fatal.
So if you were thinking of skipping an assignment or two toward the end of the semester by pre-emptively turning in some extra credit, that plan won't work.
FOR GETTING AN OUT-OF-CLASS STORY PUBLISHED, I will replace your out of class story grade (which is the average between your original version and your rewrite grade) with the higher grade. If your grade was the same with both versions, I will add up to o.5 to your grade, up to the grade becoming a 4.0.
For me to count your extra credit, you need to submit to me a published copy of your work or email me a Web link to your work, along with an email request to have it applied to extra credit.
FOR DOING A FOURTH OUT-OF-CLASS STORY, for your final grade the three out-of-class stories that go into that grade will be the three (of four) with the highest grades. So if you did four out-of-class stories and one included a fatal, you are making thatfatal go bye-bye.
Plus, in the event you are on the borderline of receiving a higher grade, I will take into account whether you applied extra effort, including whether you did a fourth out-of-class story.
FOR DOING AN OUT-OF-CLASS MINI-STORY -- which can be between 300 and 500 words, with a minimum of two human sources, in which you can cover ANY sort of event (subject to my approval) like a student group meeting or a speaker on-campus -- I will replace your two lowest practice story grades with 4.0s.
FOR GETTING THE MINI-STORY PUBLISHED, I will replace two more lowest-scoring practice stories with 4.0s.
I will also consider other extra-credit projects on a case-by-case basis. Please see me during my office hours to work out other extra-credit assignments.
THE COMMON DENOMINATOR IN ALL EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS is that you are demonstrating to me that you can now correctly apply skills learned in this class that at one time you did not apply as well; that you went above and beyond what we are learning in this class to further educate yourself in journalism; and/or you are demonstrating ability learned on your own prior to this class but applicable here. You can expect any ad hoc extra credit beyond the assignments listed here to include at least one of those components.
I don't care if you messed up earlier; show me you can get it right now and I'm happy to replace earlier grades with something more accurately reflecting where you are at NOW.
I just want to be clear on this one point regarding extra credit: extra credit will be applied to replace the grades of assignments you have actually done, including fact-fataled assignments.
Extra credit will NOT be applied to assignments that you did not turn in, or in which you had a time fatal.
So if you were thinking of skipping an assignment or two toward the end of the semester by pre-emptively turning in some extra credit, that plan won't work.
Out-of-Class #2: A Strong Example ...
... of the strong points cited in the overall round-up blog. Please note those attributes and try to get some ideas for how you can best do your rewrite and third out-of-class story. The author's name has been removed to protect the innocent:
JRN 200
10.24.12
Slug: China
JRN 200
10.24.12
Slug: China
An
impending shift in political power halfway across the world could have a
significant impact on MSU students, according to Yasumasa Komori, an expert in
East Asian politics at MSU.
In
early 2013, the Chinese Communist Party will introduce a new president — Xi
Jinping — whose policies will likely add to the already significant influx of
Chinese international students to MSU, Komori said.
Since
2007, the population of Chinese international students has grown by more than
400 percent to almost 3,500 in 2011, according to the MSU Office of
International Students and Scholars.
These
increases of Chinese students are common across major universities in the
western world, Komori said, and are due to an increase in the population of China’s
upper class amidst the nation’s swift economic growth.
“China’s
economy has grown by very large percentages each year over the past few
decades,” Komori said.
Most
Chinese students who are undergraduates at MSU come from wealthy families,
according to Li Kang, Director of the MSU Neighborhood Cultural Assistance
Program.
“The
average income of a Chinese family is about $5,000 or $6,000 per year, and
tuition and living expenses at MSU can cost 10 times that,” Li said. “Usually
only the wealthy families can afford to send their children here.”
Li
works within the integration process of Chinese students to the MSU community.
He said that employers in China see huge value in students who have been
educated in the western world and can speak English well.
“The
American university system is very highly regarded in China,” Li said.
But
even as an increasing number of Chinese students come to MSU, many have trouble
adjusting to American culture, Li said.
“Often
times Chinese parents don’t realize the difficulties that come with sending
their children to the United States,” Li said.
These
difficulties can lead to resentment between American students and Chinese
students, Li said, which will only increase as MSU’s Chinese student population
grows.
“People
don’t like what they don’t understand,” Li said. “It is so important that we
find ways to bridge the gap between American and Chinese students.”
Komori
said that American students sometimes feel threatened by Chinese students.
“Americans
always hear about China as a growing economic superpower, so they view China as
a threat,” Komori said.
However,
China’s economic growth itself could be under threat, Komori said.
After
nine years of stable growth under current president Hu Jintao, Xi is set to
take over as Chinese citizens demand more transparency of their government all
the time, Komori said.
“Xi
knows that he is taking over a fragile superpower,” Komori said. “The rise of
China’s middle class is dangerous to him because Chinese people are finding
more and more about the how political processes work outside of China.”
Most
of China’s federal decisions are made by a Communist Party panel behind closed
doors, Komori said, and local elections are corrupt and often rigged.
As
the middle class demands more input in China’s governance, it could negatively
impact the nation’s economic growth through unrest, Komori said.
Higher,
Adult and Lifelong Education graduate student Mei Jianyang said that life in
China has been improving for most over the past decade, but few Chinese are
interested in voting.
“Most
people in China are so poor, they only care about having enough to eat,” Mei
said. “China is not ready for free elections.”
However,
she said that as Chinese people grow more educated, she thinks free elections
are possible in a few decades.
“They
will have to get rid of corruption among public officials,” Mei said. “Nobody
trusts the few elections we do have. We know they’re rigged.”
Mei
— who studied history at Nankai University in Tianjin, China — said that when
she participated in elections for university officials, there were communist
party members at the polls who effectively ordered voters who to vote for.
“Everyone
knew how the election would turn out,” Mei said.
Mei
said she came to MSU because of “new opportunities” that would not be available
to her in China.
While
she doesn’t expect Xi to be much different than Hu, Mei said she thinks that
Chinese citizens will demand more transparency from him.
“Access
to the internet has changed the way many Chinese people think about politics,”
Mei said.
Word Count: 721
Sources:
Yasumasa Komori,
James Madison College professor
Expert in East Asian Politics
Expert in East Asian Politics
komoriy@msu.edu
Li Kang, Director of
the MSU Neighborhood Cultural Assistance Program
likang968@gmail.com
Mei Jianyang, Higher,
Adult and Lifelong Education graduate student
meijiany@msu.edu
MSU Office of
International Students and Scholars, 2011 Annual Report
http://oiss.isp.msu.edu/documents/statsreport/11pdfs/Asia.pdf
http://oiss.isp.msu.edu/documents/statsreport/11pdfs/Asia.pdf
Out-of-Class #2: Overall
Each class I have I remember for having done something well, and something not-so-well.
Oddly, what is shaping up as my memory for this class is contradictory.
The good thing so far is the lack of fatals on practice stories. But the bad thing is the unprecedented volume of fatals on out-of-class stories.
We had three more with the second out-of-class stories, bringing the semester total to seven. Which is more than all other semesters I've taught, combined.
And it's the usual array of small stuff. Like saying BBBC News (three B's) when you meant BBC News (with two B's).
Or spelling President Barack Obama's first name as Barrack, with one too many r's. (Ironically, misspelling Obama's name was an example of a fatal in the syllabus!).
Or spelling desert (a dry place) when you meant to spell dessert (a sweet post-dinner snack).
The only lesson we learn is the one we seem to be overlooking at our peril: double-checking each and every name, title, figure and fact after we finish writing to ensure what we wrote is correct and is what we intended to write has nothing to do with talent, just vigilance.
It's too bad, because many people did quite well in this exercise, doing things like ...
... talking to a wide range of sources (instead of just one narrow category of sources).
For example, one of you did a story on how Chinese students at MSU may be affected by changes in Chinese leadership, in which you talked to Chinese students (the obvious central point of the story) AND MSU officials (another important groups, since they oversee the students) AND an expert in Asian politics (a neutral expert!).
It broadly reached across several parties that either have a stake in the issue AND experts who can help readers put those viewpoints into a better context.
... and interviewing sources first-hand (as opposed to simply citing other news organizations and Web sites).
One story on student health was flawed by its over-reliance on second-hand sources, which could easily have been supplanted by first-hand local sources we could have interviewed ourselves. Why cite livestrong.com when we could talk to a health expert at Olin Health Center? Why cite realsimple.com when we could go to a clinic and talk to a local doctor or nurse? Why go to WebMD when we could talk to a professor in the School of Medicine here?
... and structuring stories well with ledes than went to ultimate outcome and end result and nut grafs that filled in details from the lede and telling quotes that hammered home main points ...
... and using frequent attribution, so that readers knew where we were getting our information ...
... and not making assumptions, and finding sourcing for background information. Some people had statements that simply lacked attribution. For example, a statement saying people are wondering whether the electoral college should be scrapped didn't come from out of nowhere. How do you know that? You need to tell your readers that. If you're not sure how, exactly, you know that, then find a knowledgeable source to cite, like a neutral expert.
... and finding and using neutral experts to help readers navigate stories.
For example, one of you who did a story in student diversity spoke with a psychoanalyst about the psychology behind accepting or fighting diversity. Another person doing a story about the Nobel Peace Prize interviewed a history professor here at MSU. A story about college eating habits included comments from a nutritionist. A report on the dude who jumped from the edge of outer space had interviews with the head of MSU's physics department about the science behind the jump.
... and offering data to support your generalizations. One person didn't just write that the population of Chinese international students at MSU has increased, they cited data: it's grown by more than 400 percent to almost 3,500 students in 2011, according to the MSU Office of International Students and Scholars, That's showing me, and not just telling me.
... and offering quotes to support your data and generalizations. For example, the aforementioned story on student diversity had this generalization-and-quote pairing:
Peter Wood, a psychoanalyst in East Lansing, said that how the student was raised at home is a great indicator as to how the student wull accept diversity upon going to such a large school like MSU
"Having trouble accepting differences in people always has the possibility to create stereotypes. With that, stereotypes are something you cannot escape in life; they are everywhere," Wood said.
The generalization/quote package creates a more powerful subsection than if each lacked the other; the generalization provides a basic understanding but the quote adds a human voice and proof for the generalization.
Like I said, lots of good stuff. And lots to emulate and learn from.
Oddly, what is shaping up as my memory for this class is contradictory.
The good thing so far is the lack of fatals on practice stories. But the bad thing is the unprecedented volume of fatals on out-of-class stories.
We had three more with the second out-of-class stories, bringing the semester total to seven. Which is more than all other semesters I've taught, combined.
And it's the usual array of small stuff. Like saying BBBC News (three B's) when you meant BBC News (with two B's).
Or spelling President Barack Obama's first name as Barrack, with one too many r's. (Ironically, misspelling Obama's name was an example of a fatal in the syllabus!).
Or spelling desert (a dry place) when you meant to spell dessert (a sweet post-dinner snack).
The only lesson we learn is the one we seem to be overlooking at our peril: double-checking each and every name, title, figure and fact after we finish writing to ensure what we wrote is correct and is what we intended to write has nothing to do with talent, just vigilance.
It's too bad, because many people did quite well in this exercise, doing things like ...
... talking to a wide range of sources (instead of just one narrow category of sources).
For example, one of you did a story on how Chinese students at MSU may be affected by changes in Chinese leadership, in which you talked to Chinese students (the obvious central point of the story) AND MSU officials (another important groups, since they oversee the students) AND an expert in Asian politics (a neutral expert!).
It broadly reached across several parties that either have a stake in the issue AND experts who can help readers put those viewpoints into a better context.
... and interviewing sources first-hand (as opposed to simply citing other news organizations and Web sites).
One story on student health was flawed by its over-reliance on second-hand sources, which could easily have been supplanted by first-hand local sources we could have interviewed ourselves. Why cite livestrong.com when we could talk to a health expert at Olin Health Center? Why cite realsimple.com when we could go to a clinic and talk to a local doctor or nurse? Why go to WebMD when we could talk to a professor in the School of Medicine here?
... and structuring stories well with ledes than went to ultimate outcome and end result and nut grafs that filled in details from the lede and telling quotes that hammered home main points ...
... and using frequent attribution, so that readers knew where we were getting our information ...
... and not making assumptions, and finding sourcing for background information. Some people had statements that simply lacked attribution. For example, a statement saying people are wondering whether the electoral college should be scrapped didn't come from out of nowhere. How do you know that? You need to tell your readers that. If you're not sure how, exactly, you know that, then find a knowledgeable source to cite, like a neutral expert.
... and finding and using neutral experts to help readers navigate stories.
For example, one of you who did a story in student diversity spoke with a psychoanalyst about the psychology behind accepting or fighting diversity. Another person doing a story about the Nobel Peace Prize interviewed a history professor here at MSU. A story about college eating habits included comments from a nutritionist. A report on the dude who jumped from the edge of outer space had interviews with the head of MSU's physics department about the science behind the jump.
... and offering data to support your generalizations. One person didn't just write that the population of Chinese international students at MSU has increased, they cited data: it's grown by more than 400 percent to almost 3,500 students in 2011, according to the MSU Office of International Students and Scholars, That's showing me, and not just telling me.
... and offering quotes to support your data and generalizations. For example, the aforementioned story on student diversity had this generalization-and-quote pairing:
Peter Wood, a psychoanalyst in East Lansing, said that how the student was raised at home is a great indicator as to how the student wull accept diversity upon going to such a large school like MSU
"Having trouble accepting differences in people always has the possibility to create stereotypes. With that, stereotypes are something you cannot escape in life; they are everywhere," Wood said.
The generalization/quote package creates a more powerful subsection than if each lacked the other; the generalization provides a basic understanding but the quote adds a human voice and proof for the generalization.
Like I said, lots of good stuff. And lots to emulate and learn from.
Friday, October 26, 2012
JRN 200: Video/Blog/Online News #1
Per your request, here are the details of the first round of video/social media/online news assignment. Everything is due via email by 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 to omars@msu.edu.
If you have any questions on details of these assignments, or if you want to see examples of what these assignments in finished form looked like in my summer 2012 JRN 200 class, please see the appropriate previous recent blog posts.
The assignments are as follows:
Video: Create a news video no shorter than one minute and no longer than two minutes, reporting on the topic of what we've learned sofar in JRN 200 this semester. Your video must include at least two interview subjects from your video group, and no fatals.
When finished with your video, please upload it to your YouTube.com account, and make sure that account is set to public viewing. Then email me a link to your video by the deadline.
Tweets: Live-tweet an event you are following. It can be as simple as a TV show you're watching, or your roommate making breakfast, or some other routine activity. You need to do a minimum of 12 tweets, each with a unique universal hash tag unifying the tweet stream.
When finished with your tweet stream, please email me a link to your Twitter account (and make sure it's open to the public), along with what your unique hash tag is for this assignment.
Online news: You need to write a minimum of two posts -- one preview and one review -- of the same even you're live-tweeting. Each post must be at least 100 words and no longer than 200 words, and each must include at least two relevant hyperlinks.
When finished with your news posts, make sure they are open to the public and please email me links to each post.
Questions? See me ASAP, please. And good luck!
If you have any questions on details of these assignments, or if you want to see examples of what these assignments in finished form looked like in my summer 2012 JRN 200 class, please see the appropriate previous recent blog posts.
The assignments are as follows:
Video: Create a news video no shorter than one minute and no longer than two minutes, reporting on the topic of what we've learned sofar in JRN 200 this semester. Your video must include at least two interview subjects from your video group, and no fatals.
When finished with your video, please upload it to your YouTube.com account, and make sure that account is set to public viewing. Then email me a link to your video by the deadline.
Tweets: Live-tweet an event you are following. It can be as simple as a TV show you're watching, or your roommate making breakfast, or some other routine activity. You need to do a minimum of 12 tweets, each with a unique universal hash tag unifying the tweet stream.
When finished with your tweet stream, please email me a link to your Twitter account (and make sure it's open to the public), along with what your unique hash tag is for this assignment.
Online news: You need to write a minimum of two posts -- one preview and one review -- of the same even you're live-tweeting. Each post must be at least 100 words and no longer than 200 words, and each must include at least two relevant hyperlinks.
When finished with your news posts, make sure they are open to the public and please email me links to each post.
Questions? See me ASAP, please. And good luck!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
JRN 200: We Have A Published Writer In Here!
I'm happy to report that one of youze is an officially-published author. Spartan Edge has posted one of your stories. Here it is.
Now this person can do several things. First, they can start filling out their portfolio with published work, something that employers definitely want to see. Second, they can put on their resume that in the fall of 2012, they were a freelance contributor to a news Web site, adding demonstrated ability to their background.
And like we talked about recently, demonstrated ability is critical to your ability to get an internship[ and a job and, you know, do something with your degree.
A number of other people have indicated they expect to be published soon. We'll share all the examples as they become official and public.
Now this person can do several things. First, they can start filling out their portfolio with published work, something that employers definitely want to see. Second, they can put on their resume that in the fall of 2012, they were a freelance contributor to a news Web site, adding demonstrated ability to their background.
And like we talked about recently, demonstrated ability is critical to your ability to get an internship[ and a job and, you know, do something with your degree.
A number of other people have indicated they expect to be published soon. We'll share all the examples as they become official and public.
Lawsuit/Stats: Fatals
The information we were given for the lawsuit exercise was that it was the East Lansing School District being sued in Ingham County court.
So it would be incorrect to say it was the Ingham County School District, as two of us did.
In another instance in lawsuit, one of us reported the lawsuit sought $50,000 in damages. In fact, it was $500,000. We dropped a zero.
Moving on to stats, one of us said the survey encompasses 11.1 million households. In fact, it was 113.1 million. We dropped a "3."
With the conclusion of these exercises, we have filled up all the spots in the JRN 200 Fatals Club. You are all members. Welcome! The blood oath is pending.
So it would be incorrect to say it was the Ingham County School District, as two of us did.
In another instance in lawsuit, one of us reported the lawsuit sought $50,000 in damages. In fact, it was $500,000. We dropped a zero.
Moving on to stats, one of us said the survey encompasses 11.1 million households. In fact, it was 113.1 million. We dropped a "3."
With the conclusion of these exercises, we have filled up all the spots in the JRN 200 Fatals Club. You are all members. Welcome! The blood oath is pending.
Lawsuit: Legal B.S.
Did you need to say the Dowdells demand a jury trial of all issues triable as of a right by jury?
What the hell does that mean, anyway?
It just means they are asking for a jury trial. So it would have been enough to say the Dowdells demanded a jury trial.
Likewise, did you need to say the lawsuit targeted both the defendants jointly and severally, for the compensatory damages in the amount of $500,000?
No. More legal B.S. You could just say the lawsuit targeted the defendants for $500,000.
Now, I didn't knock your grade for your inability to navigate legal mumbo-jumbo, unless it changed the meaning of things. This is the sort of stuff you'll get the hang of when you actually start covering court cases.
Still, if you're not sure of the meaning of what you're writing, you should ask a source for a layman's translation.
What the hell does that mean, anyway?
It just means they are asking for a jury trial. So it would have been enough to say the Dowdells demanded a jury trial.
Likewise, did you need to say the lawsuit targeted both the defendants jointly and severally, for the compensatory damages in the amount of $500,000?
No. More legal B.S. You could just say the lawsuit targeted the defendants for $500,000.
Now, I didn't knock your grade for your inability to navigate legal mumbo-jumbo, unless it changed the meaning of things. This is the sort of stuff you'll get the hang of when you actually start covering court cases.
Still, if you're not sure of the meaning of what you're writing, you should ask a source for a layman's translation.
Lawsuit: Allegedly
Like we've discussed before, in a lawsuit anyone can allege anything. So it's extra-important to note things are alleged.
The district didn't fail to adequately educate James Dowdell. They allegedly failed to adequately educate Dowdell. We won't know whether that's true or not until the trial takes place and evidence is presented.
The district didn't fail to adequately educate James Dowdell. They allegedly failed to adequately educate Dowdell. We won't know whether that's true or not until the trial takes place and evidence is presented.
Lawsuit: Plurals vs. Possessives
When you are talking about the Dowdells as a family unit, it's plural, as in Dowdells; e.g., the Dowdells demand a jury trial.
When you are talking about a single Dowdell in the possessive form, then it's Dowdell's; e.g., Dowdell's IQ score was 94.
When you are talking about a group of Dowdells in the possessive, then it's Dowdells'; e.g., the Dowdells' lawsuit.
Losta problems with apostrophes and s's in this one.
When you are talking about a single Dowdell in the possessive form, then it's Dowdell's; e.g., Dowdell's IQ score was 94.
When you are talking about a group of Dowdells in the possessive, then it's Dowdells'; e.g., the Dowdells' lawsuit.
Losta problems with apostrophes and s's in this one.
Stats: Flip The Lede
Some of you had good ledes that would have been great ledes if you
flipped the lede; that is, switch positioning of attribution and
substance to highlight the latter.
Here's one lede that could have used a flip:
According to the Current Population Survey conducted each month by the United States Census Bureau, Internet use among households is common in over half of all American homes.
Nice lede, but see how it starts with the attribution before getting to the gist of the story? You can reverse that order like this ...
Internet use among households is common in over half of all American homes, according to the Current Population Survey conducted each month by the United States Census Bureau.
... and you emphasize what is being said over who is saying it. Please note in this case I did not change, add or eliminate any word you used in your lede.
I simply flipped the order.
Here's one lede that could have used a flip:
According to the Current Population Survey conducted each month by the United States Census Bureau, Internet use among households is common in over half of all American homes.
Nice lede, but see how it starts with the attribution before getting to the gist of the story? You can reverse that order like this ...
Internet use among households is common in over half of all American homes, according to the Current Population Survey conducted each month by the United States Census Bureau.
... and you emphasize what is being said over who is saying it. Please note in this case I did not change, add or eliminate any word you used in your lede.
I simply flipped the order.
Stats: A Lot of Youze Guys ...
... were thrown off by the press release starting so heavily with
background about the survey before moving on to what the survey found.
That led many of you to offer generic background on the survey -- it's been conducted since 1942, it polls 50,000 households, ect. -- ahead of what the survey found regarding Internet use -- most households now use computers, and the number has drastically grown over the past few decades.
And it led some of you to lede with the fact a survey was taken, rather than what the survey discovered!
All because something is first in a press release -- or a city council meeting, or a football game -- doesn't mean it's worth prominent mention or a lede. Your lede is based on the Peanut Barrel values we've discussed all semester (and in that case, it's not, Hey! A survey was taken! right?) and where you rank information is based on most relevant to least relevant, and not necesarily the order in which things were presented.
Don't fall for the sequence trap. Rank information on value to the reader and support for your story's central premise.
That led many of you to offer generic background on the survey -- it's been conducted since 1942, it polls 50,000 households, ect. -- ahead of what the survey found regarding Internet use -- most households now use computers, and the number has drastically grown over the past few decades.
And it led some of you to lede with the fact a survey was taken, rather than what the survey discovered!
All because something is first in a press release -- or a city council meeting, or a football game -- doesn't mean it's worth prominent mention or a lede. Your lede is based on the Peanut Barrel values we've discussed all semester (and in that case, it's not, Hey! A survey was taken! right?) and where you rank information is based on most relevant to least relevant, and not necesarily the order in which things were presented.
Don't fall for the sequence trap. Rank information on value to the reader and support for your story's central premise.
Stats: Writing With (AP) Style
Is it internet with a little i, or Internet with a capital I?
It's Internet, with a capital I.
Some of you may have missed that because the listing in AP Style for Internet doesn't say in the text to capitalize it. But in the heading and throughout the definition Internet is indeed capitalized.
The headings for each listing is more than a heading; it also shows the form in which the term is supposed to be used. Things that are lower-cased like international date line are listed as such, in lower case. Things that are usually capitalized are also listed as such, like Internet.
Also, one of the oldest AP Style rules we have around here is that you spell out percent instead of using the percent symbol. No excuse for not knowing that by now. Yet, some of you are still repeating that mistake.
Plus, remember that in first references you should use a full title in caps, like the U.S. Census Bureau. But subsequent references should use the generic title in lower-case, like the census bureau.
Let's get these loose ends tied up, okay?
It's Internet, with a capital I.
Some of you may have missed that because the listing in AP Style for Internet doesn't say in the text to capitalize it. But in the heading and throughout the definition Internet is indeed capitalized.
The headings for each listing is more than a heading; it also shows the form in which the term is supposed to be used. Things that are lower-cased like international date line are listed as such, in lower case. Things that are usually capitalized are also listed as such, like Internet.
Also, one of the oldest AP Style rules we have around here is that you spell out percent instead of using the percent symbol. No excuse for not knowing that by now. Yet, some of you are still repeating that mistake.
Plus, remember that in first references you should use a full title in caps, like the U.S. Census Bureau. But subsequent references should use the generic title in lower-case, like the census bureau.
Let's get these loose ends tied up, okay?
Blog #1: Hyperlinks Are Easy
In traditional print journalism, we work in one dimension. That is, in the text story we put everything a person needs: a lede, quotes, data, background, ect.
But when we are writing online news, we can write in two dimensions: the literal text, and via hyperlink.
Hyperlinks are highlighted pieces of text that, when clicked on, takes the viewer to a new Web page. For example, this is a hyperlink. And it takes us to a Wikipedia entry about hyperlinks.
What hyperlinks do in an online story is allow you to offer background or quotes or video or other related content in a secondary dimension, so that your primary story can concentrate on conclusions and such.
If in print we try to show and tell readers, in online news hyperlinks allow us to tell in the main story, and then show through a hyperlink. Like in this ESPN.com story, where the hyperlinks let us know who is who, without that background overwhelming the text of the story.
In this blog post, hyperlinks include ones to earlier stories from the same Web site, and news stories from other Web sites (including one of my local favorites). See how it offers background in two dimensions?
And that gives the reader options. If they choose to trust your summary, they can leave it at that. If they want more info, all they have to do is click on a hyperlink and -- voila! -- they can get into as much detail as their little hearts desire.
Hyperlinks are real easy to make.
First, you want to highlight a section of text that is directly relevant to what you're hyperlinking to. For example, if you're writing an article about yourself and you want to hyperlink to your Facebook page so people can get background about you, a relevant place to hyperlink from would be a mention of your name.
After highlighting the next, look at your tools bar for wither a symbol that looks like linked chains, or the word "link." Click on that.
When you do, a box should pop up that asks for a URL, which is a fancy way of saying, Web address. Copy the URL and paste it into the box, and then hit "OK."
Then, save, close and publish your item. You should now have a working hyperlink.
And after posting your story, be sure to go to your item just as a reader would, and double-check your hyperlinks to make sure they work.
But when we are writing online news, we can write in two dimensions: the literal text, and via hyperlink.
Hyperlinks are highlighted pieces of text that, when clicked on, takes the viewer to a new Web page. For example, this is a hyperlink. And it takes us to a Wikipedia entry about hyperlinks.
What hyperlinks do in an online story is allow you to offer background or quotes or video or other related content in a secondary dimension, so that your primary story can concentrate on conclusions and such.
If in print we try to show and tell readers, in online news hyperlinks allow us to tell in the main story, and then show through a hyperlink. Like in this ESPN.com story, where the hyperlinks let us know who is who, without that background overwhelming the text of the story.
In this blog post, hyperlinks include ones to earlier stories from the same Web site, and news stories from other Web sites (including one of my local favorites). See how it offers background in two dimensions?
And that gives the reader options. If they choose to trust your summary, they can leave it at that. If they want more info, all they have to do is click on a hyperlink and -- voila! -- they can get into as much detail as their little hearts desire.
Hyperlinks are real easy to make.
First, you want to highlight a section of text that is directly relevant to what you're hyperlinking to. For example, if you're writing an article about yourself and you want to hyperlink to your Facebook page so people can get background about you, a relevant place to hyperlink from would be a mention of your name.
After highlighting the next, look at your tools bar for wither a symbol that looks like linked chains, or the word "link." Click on that.
When you do, a box should pop up that asks for a URL, which is a fancy way of saying, Web address. Copy the URL and paste it into the box, and then hit "OK."
Then, save, close and publish your item. You should now have a working hyperlink.
And after posting your story, be sure to go to your item just as a reader would, and double-check your hyperlinks to make sure they work.
Tweet #1: Tweets Are Easy
Many of you already use Twitter, but you may wonder how to use it for news.
That's easy, actually.
As you probably know, in Twitter you communicate in bursts of text no longer than 140 characters. So you're trying to say a little in a lot of space.
But that's less of a challenge than you may think.
That's because you're not limited to just one tweet. You can do as many tweets as you'd like!
So a single tweet is not a single story. Rather, a collection of tweets are. One tweet may be like sort of a lede, where it sums up the main point. following tweets are like the body of a story, with one tweet offering an update and another some relevant stats, and yet another a quote.
And that's the most basic value of Twitter -- it's another way to relay events live and as they happen to an audience who may not be near a TV or radio or whatever. You can essentially "broadcast" live, just using text sent to mobile devices of readers.
A collection of related tweets are unified by a hashtag; that is, the hashtag symbol on your keyboard (the thing that looks like a criss-cross fry; it's the number 3 key when under shift lock) followed by a unique phrase. For example, tweets at the convention I am going to are joined by the hashtag #ncmc12 (short for National College Media Convention 2012).
You can supplement your tweets with links to a photo uploading site, like yFrog, which can help tell the story beyond the 140 characters allowed in a tweet, and beyond simple words.
You can also link to anything on the Web with the aid of a URL shortener, like bit.ly. What the service does is take a URL and replace it with a much shorter one. Using a bit.ly link here gives you more room to write text without the URL taking up so much space.
Ideally,
the best tweet streams can be put in reverse order and read just like
an inverted-pyramid news story, with (timewise) your first tweet
summing up what happened, and the following tweets filling in details
and offering a chronology as something unfolds.
Now, it's your turn. Your assignment is to live-tweet anything -- the latest episode of your favorite TV or radio show; a sporting event you're attending; your roommate eating dinner; whatever -- and send me a link to your Twitter account (which must be open to the public), with a deadline of the start of class Wednesday.
You will need to send a minimum of 12 tweets, with a unique hashtag applied to each. For this first assignment, I don't care what the news value is of your topic. I simply want to see your technical proficiency in live-tweeting something happening, as it happens.
That's easy, actually.
As you probably know, in Twitter you communicate in bursts of text no longer than 140 characters. So you're trying to say a little in a lot of space.
But that's less of a challenge than you may think.
That's because you're not limited to just one tweet. You can do as many tweets as you'd like!
So a single tweet is not a single story. Rather, a collection of tweets are. One tweet may be like sort of a lede, where it sums up the main point. following tweets are like the body of a story, with one tweet offering an update and another some relevant stats, and yet another a quote.
And that's the most basic value of Twitter -- it's another way to relay events live and as they happen to an audience who may not be near a TV or radio or whatever. You can essentially "broadcast" live, just using text sent to mobile devices of readers.
A collection of related tweets are unified by a hashtag; that is, the hashtag symbol on your keyboard (the thing that looks like a criss-cross fry; it's the number 3 key when under shift lock) followed by a unique phrase. For example, tweets at the convention I am going to are joined by the hashtag #ncmc12 (short for National College Media Convention 2012).
You can supplement your tweets with links to a photo uploading site, like yFrog, which can help tell the story beyond the 140 characters allowed in a tweet, and beyond simple words.
You can also link to anything on the Web with the aid of a URL shortener, like bit.ly. What the service does is take a URL and replace it with a much shorter one. Using a bit.ly link here gives you more room to write text without the URL taking up so much space.
Here
-- again, in reverse order, with the tweets in order of when they
were posted -- is the State News' sports Tweet stream just before and
from the press conference announcing Coach Dantonio's heart attack a
while back:
Report: Football head coach Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack but is OK.
There is a "important football-related press conference" scheduled for 1 p.m. It is unclear if it is related to reports of Dantonio's health
MSU: Dantonio will remain at the hospital for a few days for monitoring. Return to sidelines at a later date.
MSU: Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell will manage day-to-day responsibilities of head coach.
MSU: Dantonio had "symptoms consistent with a heart attack."
MSU: Dantonio had a cardiac catheterization procedure early Sunday morning.
AD Mark Hollis said Dantonio will not be on the sidelines for the Northern Colorado game Saturday.
Hollis: "This is a time for the Spartan nation to come together, to rally."
Dr. D'Haem of Sparrow Hospital said a full recover is expected.
Dr. D'Haem said procedure is very routine and happens often. Also said he expects no long-term negative impact. Return yet to be determined.
Dr. D'Haem said Dantonio began feeling symptoms around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
Dr. D'Haem: Heart attacks are never good...but I would classify this as a rather small heart attack.
Hollis said he spent the night at the hospital until about 5:30, the returned to hospital this morning at 8.
Dr. D'Haem: "Stress doesn't cause coronary heart disease, but very stressful events can be a trigger."
Coach Treadwell on players' reaction: "They're handling it as well as they can. They love their head coach."
Hollis: "(Dantonio's) thoughts went immediately to his family and then to the football program."
Treadwell said the fact staff has been together for a number of years will make this process easier from a football point of view.
Dr. D'Haem said timetable for Dantonio's return will be taken week-by-week.
There's a lede. There's a nut graf. There's supporting details. There are quotes. There is background. It collectively qualifies as a journalistic story. And you did it within the confines of social media.
This is exactly how The Associated Press wire service has always filed breaking news stories as a story is breaking: line-by-line, with the idea the lines can be pasted together into a story. It allows the writer to push out a story (and an editor to edit copy) much faster than if he or she waited to have a mass of information combined into a story, and yet a reader still ends up with all the information they need to consider the package in its totality.
There is a "important football-related press conference" scheduled for 1 p.m. It is unclear if it is related to reports of Dantonio's health
MSU: Dantonio will remain at the hospital for a few days for monitoring. Return to sidelines at a later date.
MSU: Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell will manage day-to-day responsibilities of head coach.
MSU: Dantonio had "symptoms consistent with a heart attack."
MSU: Dantonio had a cardiac catheterization procedure early Sunday morning.
AD Mark Hollis said Dantonio will not be on the sidelines for the Northern Colorado game Saturday.
Hollis: "This is a time for the Spartan nation to come together, to rally."
Dr. D'Haem of Sparrow Hospital said a full recover is expected.
Dr. D'Haem said procedure is very routine and happens often. Also said he expects no long-term negative impact. Return yet to be determined.
Dr. D'Haem said Dantonio began feeling symptoms around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
Dr. D'Haem: Heart attacks are never good...but I would classify this as a rather small heart attack.
Hollis said he spent the night at the hospital until about 5:30, the returned to hospital this morning at 8.
Dr. D'Haem: "Stress doesn't cause coronary heart disease, but very stressful events can be a trigger."
Coach Treadwell on players' reaction: "They're handling it as well as they can. They love their head coach."
Hollis: "(Dantonio's) thoughts went immediately to his family and then to the football program."
Treadwell said the fact staff has been together for a number of years will make this process easier from a football point of view.
Dr. D'Haem said timetable for Dantonio's return will be taken week-by-week.
There's a lede. There's a nut graf. There's supporting details. There are quotes. There is background. It collectively qualifies as a journalistic story. And you did it within the confines of social media.
This is exactly how The Associated Press wire service has always filed breaking news stories as a story is breaking: line-by-line, with the idea the lines can be pasted together into a story. It allows the writer to push out a story (and an editor to edit copy) much faster than if he or she waited to have a mass of information combined into a story, and yet a reader still ends up with all the information they need to consider the package in its totality.
So really, tweets are just a way of applying old journalistic skills in a new way.
Now, it's your turn. Your assignment is to live-tweet anything -- the latest episode of your favorite TV or radio show; a sporting event you're attending; your roommate eating dinner; whatever -- and send me a link to your Twitter account (which must be open to the public), with a deadline of the start of class Wednesday.
You will need to send a minimum of 12 tweets, with a unique hashtag applied to each. For this first assignment, I don't care what the news value is of your topic. I simply want to see your technical proficiency in live-tweeting something happening, as it happens.
Blog/Tweet #1: Some Examples
For our opening assignment in using social media and writing about breaking news, what I will ask you to do is to pick out anything in your daily routine for which to write an online breaking news preview story, an online breaking news follow-up story, and a live tweet stream as the event is unfolding.
When I say I want you to do anything in your daily routine, I do mean anything. Cover your watching your favorite TV show. Or your roommate making breakfast. Or a game on TV you're watching. Really, anything.
The reason for that is that I simply want you to get used to the technical process, without having to do any real and time-consuming reporting. We will incorporate reporting in latter versions of this assignment.
Now, on these assignments, everyone will get a 4.0 as long as long as we meet the basic parameters of the assignment.
Those include:
-- Each breaking news entry being about the SAME topic, being covered as a preview and then a recap of what happened
-- Each breaking news story staying over the 100-word minimum
-- The breaking news stories being written in a journalistic style, as opposed to a first-person blog-like style
-- Each breaking news item containing two working hyperlinks, inserted onto text
-- A minimum of 12 tweets on the same subject as the breaking news topic
-- Each tweet having a consistent unique hash tag, to allow the tweets to be chained together
The penalty for failing to meet these parameters is 0.5 of your grade, per error. So, if your tweets lacked a consistent unique hashtag, you got a 3.5. If your breaking news stories lacked topic consistency AND the minimum hyperlinks, you got a 3.0.
In addition, a fatal resulted in a 1.0 grade. And failure to turn it in, of course, is a 0.0.
These same deductions will apply on all future multimedia assignments. But future assignments WILL include consideration of content and journalistic value.
Now, to give you an idea of what the final product might look like, let's look at breaking news/tweet combos from the first such assignment my summer 2012 JRN 200 class, and let's talk about what worked and what can be done better.
And we're off:
Max: Stanley Cup preview / review /tweets #maxonstanleycup
Julia: making pasta preview / review / tweets
Lindsay: rainy day preview / review / tweets #whenitsraining
Molly: making a sandwich preview / review / tweets #bestroomie
Nubia: movies review / another review / tweets #vh1babyboy
Lilly: Bachelorette/baseball game preview / review / tweets #bachelorettelivetweets
Tiarra: TV show preview / review / tweets #funnyshow
Justin: NBA Finals preview / review / tweets #NBAFJRN200MSU
Emily: TV show preview / review / tweets #finallysomedecenttv
Kyle: NBA Finals preview and review / tweets
Katelyn: TV show and scary stuff: preview and review / tweets
When I say I want you to do anything in your daily routine, I do mean anything. Cover your watching your favorite TV show. Or your roommate making breakfast. Or a game on TV you're watching. Really, anything.
The reason for that is that I simply want you to get used to the technical process, without having to do any real and time-consuming reporting. We will incorporate reporting in latter versions of this assignment.
Now, on these assignments, everyone will get a 4.0 as long as long as we meet the basic parameters of the assignment.
Those include:
-- Each breaking news entry being about the SAME topic, being covered as a preview and then a recap of what happened
-- Each breaking news story staying over the 100-word minimum
-- The breaking news stories being written in a journalistic style, as opposed to a first-person blog-like style
-- Each breaking news item containing two working hyperlinks, inserted onto text
-- A minimum of 12 tweets on the same subject as the breaking news topic
-- Each tweet having a consistent unique hash tag, to allow the tweets to be chained together
The penalty for failing to meet these parameters is 0.5 of your grade, per error. So, if your tweets lacked a consistent unique hashtag, you got a 3.5. If your breaking news stories lacked topic consistency AND the minimum hyperlinks, you got a 3.0.
In addition, a fatal resulted in a 1.0 grade. And failure to turn it in, of course, is a 0.0.
These same deductions will apply on all future multimedia assignments. But future assignments WILL include consideration of content and journalistic value.
Now, to give you an idea of what the final product might look like, let's look at breaking news/tweet combos from the first such assignment my summer 2012 JRN 200 class, and let's talk about what worked and what can be done better.
And we're off:
Max: Stanley Cup preview / review /tweets #maxonstanleycup
Julia: making pasta preview / review / tweets
Lindsay: rainy day preview / review / tweets #whenitsraining
Molly: making a sandwich preview / review / tweets #bestroomie
Nubia: movies review / another review / tweets #vh1babyboy
Lilly: Bachelorette/baseball game preview / review / tweets #bachelorettelivetweets
Tiarra: TV show preview / review / tweets #funnyshow
Justin: NBA Finals preview / review / tweets #NBAFJRN200MSU
Emily: TV show preview / review / tweets #finallysomedecenttv
Kyle: NBA Finals preview and review / tweets
Katelyn: TV show and scary stuff: preview and review / tweets
Vid #1: Your Video Group!
For the video exercise, each person will be assigned to a three-person group with which you will work on the vid assignment and interview each other. Each group has at least one person who told me they have a Flip camera or comparable video recording device; please share whatever video resources you have within your group.
For those of you who don't have a camera, please be sure to get a memory stick or comparable memory device in which to store your raw video.
You may edit your video on whatever editing program you have on your own personal computers (iMovie, ect.). If you lack such an editing program, the open lab on the second floor of the CAS building has such programs already loaded.
You MUST work with your group members and include their interviews in your story. However, additionally you MAY collaborate with other groups in working on this story and ALSO include their members among your interviews. You may NOT trade group members.
Green group: Shelby, Amber, Matt
White group: Tia, Cait, Leah
Sparty group: Nourhan, Danielle, Stephen
Izzo group: Angelica O., Alex, Nick
Breslin group: Carly, Angelica C., Brytanie
Munn group: Alyssa, Liam, Bella
(NOTE: The Munn group of State Newsers is being grouped together only because two of these three people will be at the same convention as I am, and won't be available at most times to work with non-State Newsers in a group. I would rather have mixed them up with the rest of the class, but this is a nod to practicality. Plus, this is my full disclosure of a conflict of interest, so nyah.)
For those of you who don't have a camera, please be sure to get a memory stick or comparable memory device in which to store your raw video.
You may edit your video on whatever editing program you have on your own personal computers (iMovie, ect.). If you lack such an editing program, the open lab on the second floor of the CAS building has such programs already loaded.
You MUST work with your group members and include their interviews in your story. However, additionally you MAY collaborate with other groups in working on this story and ALSO include their members among your interviews. You may NOT trade group members.
Green group: Shelby, Amber, Matt
White group: Tia, Cait, Leah
Sparty group: Nourhan, Danielle, Stephen
Izzo group: Angelica O., Alex, Nick
Breslin group: Carly, Angelica C., Brytanie
Munn group: Alyssa, Liam, Bella
(NOTE: The Munn group of State Newsers is being grouped together only because two of these three people will be at the same convention as I am, and won't be available at most times to work with non-State Newsers in a group. I would rather have mixed them up with the rest of the class, but this is a nod to practicality. Plus, this is my full disclosure of a conflict of interest, so nyah.)
Monday, October 22, 2012
Vid #1: Your First Assignment, Some Examples
For the first video assignment, I am asking you to do a news video on the topic of, what have you learned sofar in JRN 200?
In this assignment, I will split you up into groups, and you will interview your group members for this story.
As long as you meet the basic parameters of this assignment, I will give you a 4.0 equal to that of a practice story. Those parameters include:
-- Videos staying within the 1-2 minute range and on-topic
-- Videos containing at least two human interviews on tape
-- Videos containing NO fatals
The penalty for failing to meet these parameters is 0.5 of your grade, per error. In addition, a fatal resulted in a 1.0 grade. And failure to turn it in, of course, is a 0.0.
These same deductions will apply on all future multimedia assignments. But future assignments WILL include consideration of content and journalistic value.
Now, in doing a first video people demonstrate a wide range of starting points. Let's get a sense of what those starting points may look like, based on the first videos from my summer 2012 JRN 200 class. Let's point out and discuss good habits and ones that can be a bit better.
Off we go:
Justin
Lindsay
Molly
Emily
Tiarra
Lilly
Nubia
Kyle
Max
Julia
Katelyn
In this assignment, I will split you up into groups, and you will interview your group members for this story.
As long as you meet the basic parameters of this assignment, I will give you a 4.0 equal to that of a practice story. Those parameters include:
-- Videos staying within the 1-2 minute range and on-topic
-- Videos containing at least two human interviews on tape
-- Videos containing NO fatals
The penalty for failing to meet these parameters is 0.5 of your grade, per error. In addition, a fatal resulted in a 1.0 grade. And failure to turn it in, of course, is a 0.0.
These same deductions will apply on all future multimedia assignments. But future assignments WILL include consideration of content and journalistic value.
Now, in doing a first video people demonstrate a wide range of starting points. Let's get a sense of what those starting points may look like, based on the first videos from my summer 2012 JRN 200 class. Let's point out and discuss good habits and ones that can be a bit better.
Off we go:
Justin
Lindsay
Molly
Emily
Tiarra
Lilly
Nubia
Kyle
Max
Julia
Katelyn
Out-of-Class #1: An Overview
Generally nice job from many people, but there was one area I think many people can improve on, and that's regarding your range of first-hand sources.
Many of you only sought direct interviews for one aspect of your story, entirely ceding other angles to reports you found online or the work of other media.
For instance, let's say you did a story on student voting, as many of you did. Perhaps you interviewed students about it, and certainly they are one important group.
But when it came to neutral experts, you cited other media instead of finding and talking to neutral experts yourselves.
When it came to background data defining the problem, you cited reports you found online instead of seeking neutral experts to give you data directly.
When it came to political campaigns seeking the youth vote, you cited other media and the work they did, instead of contacting campaigns and campaign consultants or even student partisan political groups (like the College Democrats and College Republicans) yourself to get that information first-hand.
And in journalism, we should be contacting all of those groups -- and representatives of the various angles -- ourselves.
That's how we explore subjects; not based on second-hand information, but on first-hand witnesses.
Second-hand info is for term papers. First-hand info is the raw material of journalism. That's what separates the two. And it's going to be challenging for you to get a good grade in this class if you insist on doing the former instead of aspiring to do the latter.
Many of you only sought direct interviews for one aspect of your story, entirely ceding other angles to reports you found online or the work of other media.
For instance, let's say you did a story on student voting, as many of you did. Perhaps you interviewed students about it, and certainly they are one important group.
But when it came to neutral experts, you cited other media instead of finding and talking to neutral experts yourselves.
When it came to background data defining the problem, you cited reports you found online instead of seeking neutral experts to give you data directly.
When it came to political campaigns seeking the youth vote, you cited other media and the work they did, instead of contacting campaigns and campaign consultants or even student partisan political groups (like the College Democrats and College Republicans) yourself to get that information first-hand.
And in journalism, we should be contacting all of those groups -- and representatives of the various angles -- ourselves.
That's how we explore subjects; not based on second-hand information, but on first-hand witnesses.
Second-hand info is for term papers. First-hand info is the raw material of journalism. That's what separates the two. And it's going to be challenging for you to get a good grade in this class if you insist on doing the former instead of aspiring to do the latter.
Rescue: Overall
Many people did very well with story structure, with ledes that got to end result and good nut grafs and decent narratives.
But one recurring problem was within the narratives, where some of us failed to answer a basic question: how do we know all this?
How do we know the boy died? How do we know a tunnel collapsed on him? How do we know he was taken to the Regional Medical Center? How do we know neighbors were angry?
It's because we learned all that from the East Lansing Fire Department report we read.
So, a proper first reference would have been to just that: an East Lansing Fire Department report said.
Subsequent references would simply have been, the fire department report said or the report said.
At a minimum, attribution should have been in EVERY paragraph after the lede. And because this story came entirely from a single source, we wouldn't have been wrong to include attribution in the lede, since the lede is entirely based on information from one source, as opposed to a more typical amalgamation of information from various sources.
Make sure your audience knows where you got your information!
But one recurring problem was within the narratives, where some of us failed to answer a basic question: how do we know all this?
How do we know the boy died? How do we know a tunnel collapsed on him? How do we know he was taken to the Regional Medical Center? How do we know neighbors were angry?
It's because we learned all that from the East Lansing Fire Department report we read.
So, a proper first reference would have been to just that: an East Lansing Fire Department report said.
Subsequent references would simply have been, the fire department report said or the report said.
At a minimum, attribution should have been in EVERY paragraph after the lede. And because this story came entirely from a single source, we wouldn't have been wrong to include attribution in the lede, since the lede is entirely based on information from one source, as opposed to a more typical amalgamation of information from various sources.
Make sure your audience knows where you got your information!
Police/Rescue: Fatals
Our fingers aren't perfect.
When we type, sometimes we type the wrong thing. We transpose letters. We misspell words. It happens.
That's why it's so important we thoroughly double-check our work after we finish writing.
That way we can catch instances where we meant to spell someone's last name as Adler, but accidentally spell it as Alder, with the "d" and "l" reversed.
Which we did not do in one instance in the police exercise, which resulted in a fatal.
In another instance in the police story, we said the crime happened around 1:15 p.m. In fact, it was around 1:15 a.m.
That, too, would have been caught under an adequate level of post-writing fact-checking.
Also, one of us in the police exercise alternately spelled the clerk's last name as DaRoza -- with a "z," correctly -- and DaRosa -- with an "s," and in error.
Meanwhile, two of us spelled it DaRoza and DeRoza, the latter with an "e" instead of the correct "a."
If we did a thorough fact check after we finished writing, we would have discovered we were spelling the same name two different ways, and obviously at least one had to be wrong, and had to be rechecked and fixed.
In the rescue exercise, one of us said the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. In fact, he was taken to Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead there. Same solution to avoiding this outcome.
Also in rescue, one of us said the boy was freed at 5:57. In fact, the boy was freed at 5:24 p.m., and firefighters returned to their station at 5:57 p.m. You know what the solution was.
In another instance in rescue, one of us spelled the name of Wagnor Development Corporation as Wagner, which is a more common spelling but not the correct one in this case. Spell check would have been of no help to us here.
Folks, I know these examples are getting redundant. But it's because we are still failing to do our due diligence and thoroughly double-check the basics like names and spellings before we turn in our stories.
And we need to do that every time and all the time, starting now and ending never. Because journalism isn't about writing; it's about getting it right.
And it has nothing to do with talent; just simple vigilance. If we're not vigilant for mistakes, then it doesn't matter how good we are.
For those of you keeping track, 15 of 18 JRN 200ers have fact-fataled sofar this semester. Three of you to go.
When we type, sometimes we type the wrong thing. We transpose letters. We misspell words. It happens.
That's why it's so important we thoroughly double-check our work after we finish writing.
That way we can catch instances where we meant to spell someone's last name as Adler, but accidentally spell it as Alder, with the "d" and "l" reversed.
Which we did not do in one instance in the police exercise, which resulted in a fatal.
In another instance in the police story, we said the crime happened around 1:15 p.m. In fact, it was around 1:15 a.m.
That, too, would have been caught under an adequate level of post-writing fact-checking.
Also, one of us in the police exercise alternately spelled the clerk's last name as DaRoza -- with a "z," correctly -- and DaRosa -- with an "s," and in error.
Meanwhile, two of us spelled it DaRoza and DeRoza, the latter with an "e" instead of the correct "a."
If we did a thorough fact check after we finished writing, we would have discovered we were spelling the same name two different ways, and obviously at least one had to be wrong, and had to be rechecked and fixed.
In the rescue exercise, one of us said the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. In fact, he was taken to Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead there. Same solution to avoiding this outcome.
Also in rescue, one of us said the boy was freed at 5:57. In fact, the boy was freed at 5:24 p.m., and firefighters returned to their station at 5:57 p.m. You know what the solution was.
In another instance in rescue, one of us spelled the name of Wagnor Development Corporation as Wagner, which is a more common spelling but not the correct one in this case. Spell check would have been of no help to us here.
Folks, I know these examples are getting redundant. But it's because we are still failing to do our due diligence and thoroughly double-check the basics like names and spellings before we turn in our stories.
And we need to do that every time and all the time, starting now and ending never. Because journalism isn't about writing; it's about getting it right.
And it has nothing to do with talent; just simple vigilance. If we're not vigilant for mistakes, then it doesn't matter how good we are.
For those of you keeping track, 15 of 18 JRN 200ers have fact-fataled sofar this semester. Three of you to go.
Rescue: Who, What, WHEN, Where, Why
Quite a few of you never said what time the collapse took place. Even
more of you never said when the boy was pulled out of the tunnel, and
at what time the boy died.
Time often matters as one of the five W's. But in this case, it's especially important to the telling of the story.
Time tells you how difficult it would have been for the boy to be okay after being buried for so long. Time tells you how difficult it was to dig out the boy, in that it took so long.
In this case, specific times are important bits of data that help show teh reader what happened, and not just leave them being told by you.
You say it was a difficult rescue. The times help readers see that.
In every story you write, try to determine which data sets help explain the story and show readers what they need to see in terms of evidence supporting your overall angle.
Time often matters as one of the five W's. But in this case, it's especially important to the telling of the story.
Time tells you how difficult it would have been for the boy to be okay after being buried for so long. Time tells you how difficult it was to dig out the boy, in that it took so long.
In this case, specific times are important bits of data that help show teh reader what happened, and not just leave them being told by you.
You say it was a difficult rescue. The times help readers see that.
In every story you write, try to determine which data sets help explain the story and show readers what they need to see in terms of evidence supporting your overall angle.
Rescue: Why Did So Few Of Us ...
. . . make any mention that the city's zoning board was to be
notified about the site's hazard to children, as indicated at the end
of the report?
Isn't that an important detail relating to where the story may go from here, and detailing consequence for what happened?
Also, some of you referred to the site owner generically, but you never named the company directly. Why is that? Isn't that specific and useful information? Wouldn't readers want to know who owns the land, in the same way they want to know who died? Isn't who one of the five W's every story should have?
Finally, if this was a real story you were doing for a real news organization, what would have been some additional steps in reporting this story? Let's get some good answers.
Isn't that an important detail relating to where the story may go from here, and detailing consequence for what happened?
Also, some of you referred to the site owner generically, but you never named the company directly. Why is that? Isn't that specific and useful information? Wouldn't readers want to know who owns the land, in the same way they want to know who died? Isn't who one of the five W's every story should have?
Finally, if this was a real story you were doing for a real news organization, what would have been some additional steps in reporting this story? Let's get some good answers.
Rescue: Was It ...
. . . a fort the kids were building? You know, with gates and turrets and moats and solid stone walls and stuff?
Or a tunnel that was a kind of play-fort?
It's the former, right?
So, why just call it a fort when it was really a tunnel?
It's not wrong that you refer to the fort in some way; just make sure the context is correct. One of you found a great way to say it: the boys were digging a tunnel to create a play fort.
Or a tunnel that was a kind of play-fort?
It's the former, right?
So, why just call it a fort when it was really a tunnel?
It's not wrong that you refer to the fort in some way; just make sure the context is correct. One of you found a great way to say it: the boys were digging a tunnel to create a play fort.
Police: Peanut Barrel Rule
I'm kind of surprised that few of you cited something that to me
stood out like a sore thumb: the fact that the cane-wielding victim was
almost 6 1/2 feet tall, while the would-be alleged robber he beat was
fit but not much over five feet tall and weighed less than half as much as the
victim.
Isn't that a Peanut Barrel-type of item? Isn't that sharp contrast in size what takes an out-of-the-ordinary robbery story (unusual in that the victim beat off the attacker) and make it even more unique?
I'm not shocked that many of you didn't weave it into your ledes, because to do that is doable but a bit complex. I'm just surprised few few of you noted that bit of interest.
Any explanations?
As journalists, it's important that even when we are looking at what we think is a routine event, that we are always on the lookout for something that makes it a bit different and a bit more interesting. Even if that bit of interest is buried in the nuances of a police report.
Isn't that a Peanut Barrel-type of item? Isn't that sharp contrast in size what takes an out-of-the-ordinary robbery story (unusual in that the victim beat off the attacker) and make it even more unique?
I'm not shocked that many of you didn't weave it into your ledes, because to do that is doable but a bit complex. I'm just surprised few few of you noted that bit of interest.
Any explanations?
As journalists, it's important that even when we are looking at what we think is a routine event, that we are always on the lookout for something that makes it a bit different and a bit more interesting. Even if that bit of interest is buried in the nuances of a police report.
Police: Ledes
Let's look at some ledes; first, this one:
The Ingham County Sheriff's Office responded to an armed robbery around 1:30 a.m. today in Okemos.
It's factually correct, but does it go to end resul and ultimate outcome? No. It's like those hypothetical sports ledes we looked at last class: MSU football played a game Saturday night. It doesn't say how things finished, or at least set context. And in journalism, we start with ending and/or context.
The end result was what transpired. This lede got there:
An attempted armed robbery occurred today in Okemos, resulting in one arrest.
That's better, but there's still something missing. It wasn't a routine armed robbery; I mean, the clerk captured one of the robbers. That's different, right? So, why not highlight what makes this different, like this:
A store clerk captured one of two men who attempted an armed robbery at a convenience store this morning, according to an Ingham County sheriff's report.
Now, the reader knows not just that something happened, but what happened and how it ended.
It's fair to say what made this story stand out from other armed robbery stories is that the victim caught the suspect. What made it stand out among stories where the victim caught the suspect is that the victim was lame. This lede captured that extra element:
An armed robbery attempt at Jiffy Foods, 4010 Holbrook Drive in Okemos, was foiled by a clerk who had recently been injured in a construction job.
Yet another lede developed that context -- a lame victim beating a robber -- a bit more. This more anecdotal lede is followed by a nut graf that helped zero in on the basic details of end result:
While many view being cane-dependent as a handicap, Jiffy Foods clerk Terry DaRoza saw it as an advantage that helped save his life in an armed robbery late last night.
DaRoza, recently injured in a construction job, had to resort to violence when two customers threatened him with a knife at the convenience store on Holbrook Drive at 1:15 a.m., according to an Ingham County Sheriff's report.
This lede/nut graf combo did an outstanding job of setting context and offering basic details. Look carefully at how the nut graf answers specific questions created by the lede; e.g., who was the clerk, who was the robber, how did he defend himself, where and when did this happen, ect.
An injured convenience store clerk used his cane in self-defense this morning when two armed men tried to rob Jiffy Foods, according to an Ingham County Sheriff's Department report.
At about 1:15 a.m., Terry DaRoza, 34, beat Timothy Keel with his cane after Keel allegedly pulled a knife on DaRoza at the store located at 4010 Holbrook Drive, the report said.
Then the story starts a chronological narrative. But the reader already known end result and context.
The Ingham County Sheriff's Office responded to an armed robbery around 1:30 a.m. today in Okemos.
It's factually correct, but does it go to end resul and ultimate outcome? No. It's like those hypothetical sports ledes we looked at last class: MSU football played a game Saturday night. It doesn't say how things finished, or at least set context. And in journalism, we start with ending and/or context.
The end result was what transpired. This lede got there:
An attempted armed robbery occurred today in Okemos, resulting in one arrest.
That's better, but there's still something missing. It wasn't a routine armed robbery; I mean, the clerk captured one of the robbers. That's different, right? So, why not highlight what makes this different, like this:
A store clerk captured one of two men who attempted an armed robbery at a convenience store this morning, according to an Ingham County sheriff's report.
Now, the reader knows not just that something happened, but what happened and how it ended.
It's fair to say what made this story stand out from other armed robbery stories is that the victim caught the suspect. What made it stand out among stories where the victim caught the suspect is that the victim was lame. This lede captured that extra element:
An armed robbery attempt at Jiffy Foods, 4010 Holbrook Drive in Okemos, was foiled by a clerk who had recently been injured in a construction job.
Yet another lede developed that context -- a lame victim beating a robber -- a bit more. This more anecdotal lede is followed by a nut graf that helped zero in on the basic details of end result:
While many view being cane-dependent as a handicap, Jiffy Foods clerk Terry DaRoza saw it as an advantage that helped save his life in an armed robbery late last night.
DaRoza, recently injured in a construction job, had to resort to violence when two customers threatened him with a knife at the convenience store on Holbrook Drive at 1:15 a.m., according to an Ingham County Sheriff's report.
This lede/nut graf combo did an outstanding job of setting context and offering basic details. Look carefully at how the nut graf answers specific questions created by the lede; e.g., who was the clerk, who was the robber, how did he defend himself, where and when did this happen, ect.
An injured convenience store clerk used his cane in self-defense this morning when two armed men tried to rob Jiffy Foods, according to an Ingham County Sheriff's Department report.
At about 1:15 a.m., Terry DaRoza, 34, beat Timothy Keel with his cane after Keel allegedly pulled a knife on DaRoza at the store located at 4010 Holbrook Drive, the report said.
Then the story starts a chronological narrative. But the reader already known end result and context.
Police: Nut Grafs
One of youze did a nice alternate lede, but the nut graf fell a bit short. Here was the sequence:
One left in a jiffy. And the other? Not so much.
Jiffy Foods, located in Okemos, was the target of an attempted robbery by two men early this morning.
Then, you start with the chronological narrative of how things unfolded.
First off, the lede was cute and a great teasing set-up for the nut graf.
Now, the nut graf does half of what a good nut graf does, in expanding upon the lede. It says where they left, and what they were doing there.
But the nut graf falls short in another area, and that's answering critical questions created by the lede. Like, why didn't the other guy leave, too? That question was central to your lede, and you leave the reader still guessing after the nut graf.
A better nut graf would say something like this:
Two men walked into Jiffy Foods in Okemos as part of an alleged armed robbery attempt, but only one of the suspects was able to flee after the other was beaten by a clerk wielding a cane.
Now, we can go on to the narrative. The reader knows what the lede meant.
One left in a jiffy. And the other? Not so much.
Jiffy Foods, located in Okemos, was the target of an attempted robbery by two men early this morning.
Then, you start with the chronological narrative of how things unfolded.
First off, the lede was cute and a great teasing set-up for the nut graf.
Now, the nut graf does half of what a good nut graf does, in expanding upon the lede. It says where they left, and what they were doing there.
But the nut graf falls short in another area, and that's answering critical questions created by the lede. Like, why didn't the other guy leave, too? That question was central to your lede, and you leave the reader still guessing after the nut graf.
A better nut graf would say something like this:
Two men walked into Jiffy Foods in Okemos as part of an alleged armed robbery attempt, but only one of the suspects was able to flee after the other was beaten by a clerk wielding a cane.
Now, we can go on to the narrative. The reader knows what the lede meant.
Police: Allegedly
Some more problems with when to use allegedly.
It's not alleged that Keel entered the store. He has a face full of broken bones proving he was there. And it's not a crime to get your ass kicked (though it may be a crime to do the ass-kicking).
What is alleged is whether he pulled a knife, and tried to commit a crime.
So, where does allegedly fit in here?
DaRoza walked behind the counter for the key to the restroom when Keel followed him and exposed a knife.
Before "exposed a knife," right?
It's not alleged that Keel entered the store. He has a face full of broken bones proving he was there. And it's not a crime to get your ass kicked (though it may be a crime to do the ass-kicking).
What is alleged is whether he pulled a knife, and tried to commit a crime.
So, where does allegedly fit in here?
DaRoza walked behind the counter for the key to the restroom when Keel followed him and exposed a knife.
Before "exposed a knife," right?
Police: Attribution
How do you know this?
DaRoza said that he swung the cane as hard as he could into Keel's face.
Is it because DaRoza said it to you?
No, it's not. It's because DaRoza told the cops, and the cops put it in their report. So, proper attribution would be something like this:
DaRoza said that he swung the cane as hard as he could into Keel's face, according to a sheriff's report.
DaRoza said that he swung the cane as hard as he could into Keel's face.
Is it because DaRoza said it to you?
No, it's not. It's because DaRoza told the cops, and the cops put it in their report. So, proper attribution would be something like this:
DaRoza said that he swung the cane as hard as he could into Keel's face, according to a sheriff's report.
Police: Writing With (AP) Style
Was the address of the store 4010 Holbrook Dr., or 4010 Holbrook Drive?
It's Drive, spelled out.
AP Style under addresses says to abbreviate avenue, boulevard and street when it's part of a specific address. But similar words like alley, drive, road and terrace are always spelled out, no matter what.
I know the report had drive abbreviated, but our job as journalists is to translate anything except direct citations and quotes into AP style.
It's Drive, spelled out.
AP Style under addresses says to abbreviate avenue, boulevard and street when it's part of a specific address. But similar words like alley, drive, road and terrace are always spelled out, no matter what.
I know the report had drive abbreviated, but our job as journalists is to translate anything except direct citations and quotes into AP style.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
JRN 200: Multimedia Dowloads Are Here!
From these hyperlinks, you can download both Journalism 2.0 (in either the English, Spanish or Portuguese versions; whatever ya want. Knock yerself out) and the Reporters Guide to Multimedia Proficiency.
Please download BOTH free texts and read each in its entirety (close to 200 pages total) before class on Thursday, Oct. 25.
Also, please read Reporting For The Media Ch. 14 (p. 353-373) by that same date.
Plus, please set up FREE accounts at YouTube.com, blogger.com and twitter.com for use in class, no later than Oct. 25. You may use personal social media accounts, but please be aware that if you do, I will see your personal content and your friends will see your class content. If this is a problem, please set up class-only accounts as needed.
Finally, if you have a Flip camera or some sort of video-recording equipment, please start bringing it to class on Oct. 25.
Thanks!
Please download BOTH free texts and read each in its entirety (close to 200 pages total) before class on Thursday, Oct. 25.
Also, please read Reporting For The Media Ch. 14 (p. 353-373) by that same date.
Plus, please set up FREE accounts at YouTube.com, blogger.com and twitter.com for use in class, no later than Oct. 25. You may use personal social media accounts, but please be aware that if you do, I will see your personal content and your friends will see your class content. If this is a problem, please set up class-only accounts as needed.
Finally, if you have a Flip camera or some sort of video-recording equipment, please start bringing it to class on Oct. 25.
Thanks!
911: Those F@#*ingt Fatals
We had four people fatal at least once on this exercise.
In one instance, we wrote, The brave actions of a 6-year-old girl led to the arrest and conviction of her mother's alleged rapist.
Problem is, a conviction comes only after a trial. We had no information that there had been a trial; only that the individual had just been arrested and charged with the crime.
In a second instance, we alternately spelled the suspect's last name as Caspinwall (which is the correct spelling) and Caspinwell. And in a third instance, we alternately spelled the suspect's last name as Caspinwill and Capinwall, both of which are incorrect.
We know the deal here; we need to double-check names and facts and numbers after we finish writing to make sure what we wrote was what we intended to write; and we need to make sure we used names and terms and numbers consistently, and fix any inconsistencies.
In a fourth instance, we wrote bail was $25,000. In fact, it was $250,000. Same advice as the spelling fatal. And in the same story, we reported the alleged rape as having happened on Madison Avenue. In fact, it was Wilson Avenue. Again, same advice as the spelling fatal.
For the semester, we now have 15 out of 18 people with at least one fact fatal. Only three of you to go.
In one instance, we wrote, The brave actions of a 6-year-old girl led to the arrest and conviction of her mother's alleged rapist.
Problem is, a conviction comes only after a trial. We had no information that there had been a trial; only that the individual had just been arrested and charged with the crime.
In a second instance, we alternately spelled the suspect's last name as Caspinwall (which is the correct spelling) and Caspinwell. And in a third instance, we alternately spelled the suspect's last name as Caspinwill and Capinwall, both of which are incorrect.
We know the deal here; we need to double-check names and facts and numbers after we finish writing to make sure what we wrote was what we intended to write; and we need to make sure we used names and terms and numbers consistently, and fix any inconsistencies.
In a fourth instance, we wrote bail was $25,000. In fact, it was $250,000. Same advice as the spelling fatal. And in the same story, we reported the alleged rape as having happened on Madison Avenue. In fact, it was Wilson Avenue. Again, same advice as the spelling fatal.
For the semester, we now have 15 out of 18 people with at least one fact fatal. Only three of you to go.
911: Identification
Probably the hardest thing about this exercise for you was identification. You had competing interests at work here.
First, you should have been operating under the general journalistic premise that we do NOT name rape victims in almost all cases.
And on this point, this is where we did a bit worse than previous semesters when virtually no one did that. Here, three of you DID name the victim by name.
Earlier in this semester, we discussed when and when not to name victims in stories. In most cases we DO name victims, but a notable exception in American journalism regarded the names of rape victims.
In general, the current rule of thumb is that in weighing the benefit to society in knowing who exactly was victimized versus the harm that would come in terms of stigma to the victim, we do not name rape victims expect in rare circumstances, like a victim wanting to intentionally put a name and face to a victim to promote greater societal understanding, or a rape victim whose alleged attacker wasn't convicted in criminal court but who is facing a lawsuit for money in civil court.
This wasn't one of those times.
Then, there is the concern of making a virtual identification; that is, giving so much other information that it is easy for anybody to identify the victim.
Three of you named the victim's daughter. A daughter only has one mother, right? So that would be real easy to narrow down who the victim was if you gave the girl's name.
Also, one of you listed the exact home address where the crime took place. Only one family lives in a home, right? Again, you took a huge step in virtually identifying the victim.
Even though an exact address would expose the victim, don't readers still deserve to know where a crime took place? I mean, a story is much more relevant if it happened on your street or in your neighborhood than if it didn't. Some location is necessary to establish relevance.
A couple of you handled it in a smart way: you simply said the incident happened on Wilson Avenue. No street address included. That gave readers enough information to better set proximity, without giving away the victim's home and creating a virtual identification.
Now, what about the suspect's name? I think only under the rarest of cases would you not name the suspect. He's central to the story. As a society we need to know who among us is considered dangerous, and who among us is being locked up like a zoo animal by our authorities.
The only time in my whole journalism career when I didn't name a suspect was in a case around 1992 -- really early in my professional career -- where I was covering the trial of a teen accused of raping his own mother.
My editors went back-and-forth on how to handle it before deciding they wouldn't name the victim or the suspect, because naming the latter would identify the former. And there was a big ol' editor's note added ahead of my lede to explain their reasoning.
So exceptions are rare. Either the circumstances are amazingly twisted and unique or the suspects are juveniles and a particular media organization has rules about naming kids.
Again, this ain't one of 'em.
I also thought important to the story was noting that Caspinwall was a neighbor of the victim. Readers need to know if this crime was totally random or if there was some sort of link between the victim and attacker. Readers have more reason to worry if someone is willy-nilly breaking into random homes, as opposed to attacking a neighbor, right?
But only about half of you noted the link.
Note I say Caspinwall was a neighbor, not her direct neighbor. A neighbor -- or even better, a nearby neighbor -- could be somebody next door or down the street, right? So using neighbor in the generic doesn't necessarily narrow the possible victim pool to a single house or two.
Next, is the suspect's home address needed? I think some identification of where he lives is noteworthy. Wouldn't readers really want to know if an alleged rapist and home invader lived by them? Wouldn't you?
Also, there was something else that I think you owed the reader: an explanation of why you weren't naming the girl or listing her exact address.
Even though you're following journalistic rules, your readers probably don't know those rules and may simply be wondering, why the hell aren't there any names or exact addresses in this story? It wouldn't have hurt to have a simple background sentence somewhere in the story, like this:
The names of the girl and victim and the exact address where the crime occurred is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim.
That way, you are being transparent with readers about why they're not getting the level of information that other non-rape stories would include. A couple of you did do something along those lines.
Admittedly, this was a confusing exercise. You had many different factors tugging at you. It's really a tough situation for a young reporter to find himself or herself in. In a real-world setting, you'd definitely want to bring an editor in the loop to help make the best judgments that give the readers the most information while at the same time minimizing harm to the victim.
But here, I wanted to test your judgment and see how you responded. And I figured you'd appreciate the lesson much more if we did it this way, as opposed to just lecturing about it.
And in all fairness to you, how you handled these circumstances were a smaller-than-usual part of your assignment grade here. I gave you a break because I didn't want you to suffer a penalty on this one, but I did want you to have to think about it before we discussed it now.
Finally, this is how I would have handled it: I WOULD NOT name the victim or the girl. I WOULD name the suspect and even use HIS home address. I'd say the victim lived nearby, but I wouldn't specifically say they were direct neighbors.
That way, readers know who did this (and know exactly where the sicko lived) and the general area where the crime occurred and that it wasn't a random crime, while at the same time limiting the ability to identify who the victim was.
This is the sort of stuff you'll have to think about all the time in deciding what is the best way to tell your story.
First, you should have been operating under the general journalistic premise that we do NOT name rape victims in almost all cases.
And on this point, this is where we did a bit worse than previous semesters when virtually no one did that. Here, three of you DID name the victim by name.
Earlier in this semester, we discussed when and when not to name victims in stories. In most cases we DO name victims, but a notable exception in American journalism regarded the names of rape victims.
In general, the current rule of thumb is that in weighing the benefit to society in knowing who exactly was victimized versus the harm that would come in terms of stigma to the victim, we do not name rape victims expect in rare circumstances, like a victim wanting to intentionally put a name and face to a victim to promote greater societal understanding, or a rape victim whose alleged attacker wasn't convicted in criminal court but who is facing a lawsuit for money in civil court.
This wasn't one of those times.
Then, there is the concern of making a virtual identification; that is, giving so much other information that it is easy for anybody to identify the victim.
Three of you named the victim's daughter. A daughter only has one mother, right? So that would be real easy to narrow down who the victim was if you gave the girl's name.
Also, one of you listed the exact home address where the crime took place. Only one family lives in a home, right? Again, you took a huge step in virtually identifying the victim.
Even though an exact address would expose the victim, don't readers still deserve to know where a crime took place? I mean, a story is much more relevant if it happened on your street or in your neighborhood than if it didn't. Some location is necessary to establish relevance.
A couple of you handled it in a smart way: you simply said the incident happened on Wilson Avenue. No street address included. That gave readers enough information to better set proximity, without giving away the victim's home and creating a virtual identification.
Now, what about the suspect's name? I think only under the rarest of cases would you not name the suspect. He's central to the story. As a society we need to know who among us is considered dangerous, and who among us is being locked up like a zoo animal by our authorities.
The only time in my whole journalism career when I didn't name a suspect was in a case around 1992 -- really early in my professional career -- where I was covering the trial of a teen accused of raping his own mother.
My editors went back-and-forth on how to handle it before deciding they wouldn't name the victim or the suspect, because naming the latter would identify the former. And there was a big ol' editor's note added ahead of my lede to explain their reasoning.
So exceptions are rare. Either the circumstances are amazingly twisted and unique or the suspects are juveniles and a particular media organization has rules about naming kids.
Again, this ain't one of 'em.
I also thought important to the story was noting that Caspinwall was a neighbor of the victim. Readers need to know if this crime was totally random or if there was some sort of link between the victim and attacker. Readers have more reason to worry if someone is willy-nilly breaking into random homes, as opposed to attacking a neighbor, right?
But only about half of you noted the link.
Note I say Caspinwall was a neighbor, not her direct neighbor. A neighbor -- or even better, a nearby neighbor -- could be somebody next door or down the street, right? So using neighbor in the generic doesn't necessarily narrow the possible victim pool to a single house or two.
Next, is the suspect's home address needed? I think some identification of where he lives is noteworthy. Wouldn't readers really want to know if an alleged rapist and home invader lived by them? Wouldn't you?
Also, there was something else that I think you owed the reader: an explanation of why you weren't naming the girl or listing her exact address.
Even though you're following journalistic rules, your readers probably don't know those rules and may simply be wondering, why the hell aren't there any names or exact addresses in this story? It wouldn't have hurt to have a simple background sentence somewhere in the story, like this:
The names of the girl and victim and the exact address where the crime occurred is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim.
That way, you are being transparent with readers about why they're not getting the level of information that other non-rape stories would include. A couple of you did do something along those lines.
Admittedly, this was a confusing exercise. You had many different factors tugging at you. It's really a tough situation for a young reporter to find himself or herself in. In a real-world setting, you'd definitely want to bring an editor in the loop to help make the best judgments that give the readers the most information while at the same time minimizing harm to the victim.
But here, I wanted to test your judgment and see how you responded. And I figured you'd appreciate the lesson much more if we did it this way, as opposed to just lecturing about it.
And in all fairness to you, how you handled these circumstances were a smaller-than-usual part of your assignment grade here. I gave you a break because I didn't want you to suffer a penalty on this one, but I did want you to have to think about it before we discussed it now.
Finally, this is how I would have handled it: I WOULD NOT name the victim or the girl. I WOULD name the suspect and even use HIS home address. I'd say the victim lived nearby, but I wouldn't specifically say they were direct neighbors.
That way, readers know who did this (and know exactly where the sicko lived) and the general area where the crime occurred and that it wasn't a random crime, while at the same time limiting the ability to identify who the victim was.
This is the sort of stuff you'll have to think about all the time in deciding what is the best way to tell your story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)