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Special Opportunity: January Classes at CUNY J School!
Attention Feature Writing Class:
Here is a wonderful opportunity for January classes at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. The price for you is $15. But spaces are limited.
The CUNY J School would like to offer your students — CUNY undergraduate newspaper editors, broadcasters, and journalism majors (juniors and seniors only) — an opportunity to take classes in the January Academy.
Interested students need to email or call Steve Dougherty ASAP to get registered. His contact info is [email protected] or 646-758-7826.
The undergrad fee is only $15 per course, a highly discounted rate, and must be paid in advance by check.
Here’s the complete course list, though undergrads are not eligible to take the advanced skills classes. For example, they can’t take either of the News Photography sections with Jim Estrin or John Smock, but they could sit in on News Photography for Applicants.
Steve Dougherty will let them know if we can honor their requests.
Reporter’s Notes- Englishtown Firehouse
So, this weekend I went to the Englishtown FIrehouse in New Jersey and it was a great success. I learned so much about how this fire department works. I spoke tot he president of the fire department which shocked me that he was so willing to talk. It is a small fire station surrounded by three other stations in different towns, they have the same number of men but because its a small town there budget is a lot less. I also learned about ways they fundraise for the holiday. I dont want to give too much information but I got A LOT of budget numbers and great information to use for my conflict story.
Response: The Deadly Choices At Memorial
Sheri Fink’s “The Deadly Choices At Memorial” was definitely a good read. Fink immediately grabs the attention of readers with her lead, which states, “The smell of death was overpowering the moment a relief worker cracked open one of the hospital chapel’s wooden doors. Inside, more than a dozen bodies lay motionless on low cots and on the ground, shrouded in white sheets. Here, a wisp of gray hair peeked out. There, a knee was flung akimbo. A pallid hand reached across a blue gown.” In just a few sentences, Fink is able to paint a picture about her surroundings and the severity of the environment she is in.
But not only is Fink descriptive in her words, she has also done an extensive amount of research, which makes her article even more captivating. Fink includes specific times and numbers in her article, which adds to her credibility and intensifies the story. For example, “By the time Katrina began lashing New Orleans in the early hours of Monday, Aug. 29, some 2,000 people were bunking in the hospital, including more than 200 patients and 600 workers. When the storm hit, patients screamed as windows shattered under a hail of rocks from nearby rooftops. The hospital groaned and shook violently.”
Another intriguing factor of Fink’s article is her ability to tie in several interviews without sounding confusing. She includes interviews with nurses and investigators, to name a few.
The combination of descriptive language, precise reporting, and interviews with people from several different perspectives makes “The Deadly Choices At Memorial” a must read for anybody, especially those interested in writing.