Author: EJohnson

1. Discussion: Killer Robots

2. Reporting updates/check-ins

Reminder: Rough draft of feature is due next Monday, September 19.

What I will be looking for:

EVIDENCE OF SOLID REPORTING
Multiple sources cited, quotes correctly attributed, statistics or other research that back up your assertions and provide context for story

My first journalism professor had an automatic failure policy for stories where students misreported or misspelled any proper name, whether it was a street or a person. That was a graduate-level course so I won’t be quite that strict with you guys, but I relay that fact simply to impress upon you the seriousness of any mistake that would require a correction to be issued. Corrections are really embarrassing.

FOUNDATIONS OF GOOD WRITING
Proper spelling, grammar, AP style

STORYTELLING
Structure, pacing, ability to sketch out a scene, use of narrative devices

EVIDENCE THAT YOU’RE DEVELOPING A STYLE
Style sometimes varies depending on audience. It can be formal or informal, light and funny or somber, conversational, succinct, or profane.

3. Reading Assignment: Pearls Before Breakfast

Hello, JRN 3060 students! This is the blog where you will be posting your pitches and in-progress stories so we can workshop them as a class. I will also post various resources here so you can refer back to them.

Today’s class:

Discussion: After Newtown shooting, mourning parents enter into the lonely quiet

Narrative decisions: Reporter Eli Saslow clearly spent a lot of time with the family and witnessed their conversations, but decided not to put himself into the story. Reasons for this?

Structure: Six main sections, each marked off with bold text.

Word count: 6,000+ words

1. Lede and intro: Opening scene at home.

(Types of ledes: anecdotal, question lede, straightforward summary, funnel and switchback)

2. Nut graf – the main idea of the story. How they are coping by translating their loss into action. (What is a nut graf?) (Writing effective nut grafs.)

3. Their daily reality: Tension with daughter at home followed by seeing the little boy in the restaurant.

4. The behind-the-scenes of their advocacy efforts, shown through their trip to Delaware with the other families.

5. Meeting with the governor. The necessity of restraint and staying on-message amid frustration and grief.

6. Conclusion: One last scene at home, with the neighbor. For the first time, we get a description of their experience on the day of the attack. “Kicker” quote that touches on the theme of the whole story. (What is a kicker?)

News feature assignment:

Your first story will, like the above Washington Post piece, be a deeper or more personal exploration of something that has recently been (or will soon be) in the news or is an ongoing issue (though significantly shorter, don’t worry).

Examples: activism, gentrification, community board disputes, music festivals, school closings

Length: 800 words

Pitch due next class Wednesday September 7. Post it on the blog.

How to pitch: Structurally, a pitch should look like the top of a finished story, showing you’ve done some initial reporting. Should convince me that it’s newsworthy, that you’re the person to do it, and that you can get the access you’ll need to do it well.

See Dollars and Sense for examples and ideas of local features.

FEATURE WRITING SYLLABUS JOHNSON