NORMANDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

COMMON COURSE OUTLINE for COMM 1112: MEDIA WRITING

Spring, 2002

Recommendations: COMP 0900 or placement in COMP 1101, and READ 0960 or placement in READ 1106

MNTC:

Upon request, this syllabus is available in other forms.

COURSE AND CATALOG DESCRIPTION:

The primary purpose of this course is to engage in journalistic writing, reporting and editing. This is done through skill building exercises and writing various news stories, in varying formats, for different audiences. There is also an examination of interviewing techniques, media laws, ethics, and careers in journalism.

CONTENT AREAS:

AP style, story formats, copy editing symbols, newswriting style, word choice, principles of news selection and reporting, creating good leads, inverted pyramid style, narrative style, alternative styles, quotations, attributions, interviews, polls, types of stories, news releases, writing for broadcast, ethics, basic communication laws, and careers in journalism.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students should be able to demonstrate

I. COGNITIVELY, an understanding of

A. the importance of ethics in journalism

B. the importance of accuracy in journalism

C. how structure, style, and word choice impact the readability of journalistic work

D. elements that create a good news story

E. elements that create strong leads

F. how quotations and attributions should be used in news stories

G. the steps in conducting an effective interview

H. elements that can improve newsgathering and writing skills

I. important elements when writing different types of stories

J. importance of understanding and analyzing the audience for the journalistic work

K. key differences between writing for print, and broadcast

L. fundamental communication laws

M. career options for journalists

( Goal 2 , Competencies a,b,c,d )

II. BEHAVIORALLY, an ability to perform the following newswriting, reporting and editing:

A. use standard copy-editing symbols

B. use the AP stylebook and libel manual

C. use a variety of methods to check accuracy

D. edit their own work and the work of others to maximize effective word choice

E. edit their own work and work of others to ensure proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure

F. apply the principles of news selection to their own work and the work of others

G. write an effective lead

H. use different formats to write a variety of pieces for various media that are effective, accurate, and do not violate any U.S. laws

I. conduct an accurate interview

(Goal 2 Competencies a,b,c,d)

III. ATTITUDINALLY, a willingness to monitor their journalistic efforts and evaluate the ethics and legality of journalistic decisions.

( Goal 2 Competencies a,b,c,d)

IV. CONTEXTUALLY, an ability to be adaptive and flexible in their approach to news stories and interviews applying the appropriate principles for effective journalism in various media.

( Goal 2 Competencies a,b,c,d)

EVALUATION SYSTEM:

The specific evaluation system will be determined by each instructor but will be based on the following percentage ranges:

written and oral tests: 30-60%

written projects: 30-60%

participation/attendance: 5-15%