News Writing and Reporting

Fall 2008
MCPM 2003 - 3 credit hours
9-9:50 a.m. MWF
Walker Center, Room 122

Instructor:
Kenna Griffin E-mail: [email protected]
Office: WC, Room 117 Office hours: Posted
Office phone: 208-5043 Alternate phone: 408-8035

Required Texts:
The Missouri Group. News Reporting and Writing 9th Ed. St.
Martins Press: Massachusetts, 2008.
Goldstein, Norm. Ed. The Associated Press Stylebook.
Perseus Publishing: Massachusetts, 2007.

Recommended Texts:
You should read The Oklahoman every day and The Campus at
least weekly. Good journalists are well-informed news
consumers. I recommend that you get into the habit of
reading at least one daily metropolitan newspaper and a
weekly news magazine. I also recommend that you watch at
least one televised newscast each day. In addition, I would
recommend that you subscribe to and participate in
discussions on my journalism blog, thekrg.wordpress.com.
The site acts as a resource for student journalists and an
open forum for discussion of trends in our profession.
Subscribing to the site will allow you to receive e-mail
alerts when it is updated, instead of having to check it
periodically to see if Ive updated. You will periodically
be quizzed on current events. Good reporters and
responsible citizens are avid news consumers. Information
is the key to a democratic society. Develop the habit of
daily news consumption now if you havent already.

Course Description:
In this course you will learn the elements of information
gathering, reporting and writing, including proper grammar
and correct Associated Press style the writing style used
by professional news publications. You will learn these
aspects of journalism through participating in classroom
lectures, practical writing assignments, regular readings,
weekly quizzes, and comprehensive examinations. You will
write, revise and rewrite, and can expect some of your
class writing to be published in the student newspaper, The
Campus; on the newspapers Web site, The Campus online,
and/or in the student yearbook, The Constellation. You must
be able to accept and learn from criticism of your writing.
Upon completion of the course you will know the basics of
news writing and reporting necessary for a journalism
career.

Attendance/Participation:
Journalists must be reliable. Missing assignments can cost
you your job. If you miss a class you are likely to miss a
graded assignment, which will affect your final grade.
Course attendance and participation are required and will
be reflected in 10 percent of your final grade. Students
are expected to arrive to class on time and leave when
class is complete. You are required to participate in
class. Participation could include commenting on articles
and interactive lecture. Turn off cell phones while in
class. Writing assignments must be completed outside of
class. All assignments must be typed. You will not be
excused from class to print assignments or to attend
interviews for writing assignments unless the instructor
cancels class. Do not come to class to discuss printing
with the professor. You are an adult. It is up to you to
determine if you should be late to class to print. You are
allowed to use a laptop to take notes during class. You are
not allowed to be online during class. Students found using
their laptop inappropriately during class will be asked to
leave and will not receive credit for attendance to that
class session. If you cannot avoid missing class, you must
notify the instructor as soon as possible. The instructor
will give excused absences on a case-by-case basis.

Missed assignments/exams:
Missed assignments, quizzes and examinations cannot be made
up unless otherwise approved by the instructor. Again, if
you have to miss class you must notify the instructor prior
to the class session. Do not assume that the professor
knows you will not be present. Communicate with her
regarding every necessary absence. Also do not send word of
your absence via another classmate. Assignments sent to
class with peers will not be accepted. Notification of an
absence from anyone but yourself will not be considered
acceptable. If you miss an assignment, quiz or exam and are
allowed to make it up you must do so at the scheduled time
or you will not receive credit.
Grading:
Your grade for this course will consist of grades in five
categories:
Final exam 25 %
Midterm exam - 25 %
Writing assignments 25 %
Weekly quizzes 15 %
Class attendance/participation 10 %

Griffins grades:
I award writing grades based on the following standards:
A Copy is publishable with little editing.
B Copy is publishable with minor editing and
revisions.
C Portions of the copy would need to be
rewritten and closely edited before the story
could publish.
D Copy contains major factual, structural,
writing, and usage flaws. It is doubtful whether
it could be published. It definitely could not be
published without major work.
F Copy does not meet even minimal standards for
the assignment. This grade also is received if a
name is misspelled in the writing. Remember that
if you dont correctly name sources its
pointless to have written the story at all.
NOTE: The AP Stylebook should be used for all writing
assignments. You are responsible for using correct
spelling, grammar and usage from the start of the semester.

Course schedule:
This schedule is tentative and subject to change.
Monday, Aug. 25
Course introduction
Stylebook lecture
Wednesday, Aug. 27
Lecture: The History of Journalism
Friday, Aug. 29
Lecture: The History of Journalism
Stylebook quiz 1
Stylebook lecture
Monday, Sept. 1 Labor Day. No Class.
Wednesday, Sept. 3
Read Chapter 10: Obituaries and Life Stories
Lecture: Writing obits
Friday, Sept. 5
Lecture: Writing obits
Stylebook quiz 2
Monday, Sept. 8
Read Chapter 1: The Nature of News and Chapter 2:
Redefining News
Lecture: News as a business
Stylebook lecture
Wednesday, Sept. 10
Lecture: News as a business
Friday, Sept. 12
Lecture: News as a business
Stylebook quiz 3
Monday, Sept. 15
Lecture: Finding story ideas
Stylebook lecture
Wednesday, Sept. 17
Lecture: Finding story ideas
Friday, Sept. 19
Lecture: Finding story ideas
Stylebook quiz 4
Monday, Sept. 22
Read Chapter 14: Covering a Beat, Chapter 13:
Other Types of Basic Stories, Chapter 15:
Business and Consumer News, Chapter 16: Sports,
Chapter 17: Social Science Reporting, and Chapter
18: Investigative Reporting
Lecture: Working Beats
Stylebook lecture
Wednesday, Sept. 24
Lecture: Working Beats
Friday, Sept. 26
Lecture: Working Beats
Stylebook quiz 5
Monday, Sept. 29
Read Chapter 3, Interviewing; and Chapter 5,
Gathering and Verifying Information
Lecture: Getting the info
 Stylebook lecture
News tip due
Wednesday, Oct. 1
Lecture: Getting the info
Friday, Oct. 3
Lecture: Getting the info
Stylebook quiz 6
Monday, Oct. 6
Read Chapter 7: The Inverted Pyramid and Chapter
8: Writing to be Read
Lecture: Writing with Style
Stylebook lecture
News tip due
Wednesday, Oct. 8
Lecture: Writing with Style
Friday, Oct. 10
Lecture: Writing with Style
Stylebook quiz 7
Monday, Oct. 13
Midterm Review
Wednesday, Oct. 15
Midterm Review
Friday, Oct. 17 Midterm Exam
Monday, Oct. 20 Fall Break. No Class
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Read Chapter 4: In Their Own Words
Lecture: Quoting Sources
Friday, Oct. 24
Lecture: Quoting Sources
Monday, Oct. 27
Read Chapter 22, Media Law; and Chapter 23,
Ethics
Lecture: The Rights of the Press
Stylebook lecture
News tip due
Wednesday, Oct. 29
Lecture: The Rights of the Press
Friday, Oct. 31
Lecture: The Rights of the Press
Stylebook quiz 8
Monday, Nov. 3
 Read Chapter 17: Social Science Reporting and
Chapter 18: Investigative Reporting
Lecture: Digging Deeper
Stylebook lecture
News tip due
Wednesday, Nov. 5
Lecture: Digging Deeper
Friday, Nov. 7
Lecture: Digging Deeper
Stylebook quiz 9
Monday, Nov. 10
Read Chapter 6, Reporting with Numbers
Lecture: Doing digits
Stylebook lecture
News tip due
Wednesday, Nov. 12
Lecture: Doing digits
Friday, Nov. 14
Lecture: Doing digits
Stylebook quiz 10
Monday, Nov. 17
Read Chapter 12 Speeches, News Conferences and
Meetings
Lecture: Covering Events
Stylebook lecture
News tip 8 due
Wednesday, Nov. 19
Lecture: Covering Events
Friday, Nov. 21
Lecture: Covering Events
Stylebook quiz 11
Monday, Nov. 24
In-class critique session
Nov. 26 and Nov. 28 Thanksgiving Break. No Class.
Monday, Dec. 1
Final Review
News tip due
Wednesday, Dec. 3
Final Review
Wednesday, Dec. 19 Final exam from 8 to 10 a.m.
Mass Communications Departmental Policies
LATE WORK:
No late work will be accepted for full credit
without prior arrangement with the instructor.
Work is due at the beginning of the class
session.
EXAMINATIONS:
No makeup examinations will be given unless prior
arrangements are made with the instructor.
NO FINAL EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN EARLIER THAN
ANNOUNCED BY THE INSTRUCTOR. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Students who make travel plans without confirming
the scheduled finals date for this class do so at
their own risk. Students who travel prior to the
scheduled final exam will be unable to take the
examination and must accept a zero test score.
INCOMPLETE:
Incomplete grades are not a student option except
under extreme circumstances. Students seeking an incomplete
must submit a written request supported by documentation
verifying the need for this extension. Incompletes are
given for a limited period of time.
TARDINESS/ATTENDANCE:
Students are expected to be in class on time. Entering
the classroom late is unprofessional and disruptive.
Repeated tardiness is unacceptable. Students should be
punctual and prepared, since these are the qualities
expected by the business community. Attendance will be
taken at each class session. Students are expected to
attend all class sessions.
GRADING SCALE:
93.0 - 100 = A
90.0 - 92.99 = A-
87.5 - 89.99 = B+
82.5 - 87.49 = B
80.0 - 82.49 = B-
77.5 - 79.99 = C+
72.5 - 77.49 = C
70.0 - 72.49 = C-
67.5 - 69.99 = D+
62.5 - 67.49 = D
60.0 - 62.49 = D-
Below 60.0 = F Not I or W
CHEATING/PLAGIARISM:
STANDARD OF RESPONSIBILITY
Oklahoma City University was founded upon strong
values and high standards. Honesty in academics is a
priority. Students should be advised that cheating and
plagiarism are not tolerated. The Academic Honesty Policy
can be found online at http://starport.okcu.edu/ad/aa
Cheating is defined as using, or supplying information
that is not authorized by the instructor in taking an
examination or completing any other assignment. Cheating
also includes turning in another's work and representing it
as being your own.
Plagiarism is defined as a unique form of cheating
where persons turn in another's work and represent it as
being their own. This would include: 1) purchasing term
papers and turning them in as if they are original work; 2)
using a paper that has previously been turned in; 3)
copying passages verbatim from books, articles, etc.; 4)
submitting material for grades in which the student has not
done the work required; 5) collusion the unauthorized
collaboration with another person; 6) misrepresentation of
actions and 7) falsifying information.
Every student is expected to observe the highest
standards of conduct, both on and off the campus. The
University cannot accept the responsibility for the
education of any student who is not in sympathy with the
purposes and the regulations of the University.
Mass Communications students should be aware that this
department considers the above described conduct to be
dishonorable and dishonest. Students found cheating or
plagiarizing will receive a grade of 0, which is an F,
on the involved examination, project or paper and, at the
professor's discretion, may receive a failing grade for the
entire course.
EXAMINATION EQUIPMENT:
Students are not permitted to use or access the
following items during an examination:
Dictionaries
Electronic spellers, translators, dictionaries or
calculators
Computers
Class notes, books
Once any examination has begun, if a student wishes to
leave the room they must be prepared to turn in their
examination paper and/or blue book. And, it will not be
returned to them for additional work.
DISABILITY STATEMENT:
 If you need an accommodation due to a disability under
the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact Student
Health and Disability Service Office immediately at 208-
5991 or 208-5090. Advance notice is required for many
accommodations.
POLICY STATEMENT
I have read the policies for the academic year 2008-2009
for the Mass Communications Department.
I understand the policies and agree to abide by them.

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