Instructor: TOM
DAVIS (http://www.tom-davis.net)
Period
1, Mondays and Thursdays, 8:10 to 9:30 a.m.
O:
201-646-4524/H: 732-548-3656
Coping with Life (http://www.coping-with-life.com)
Rutgers
Reporter (http://www.rutgersreporter.com)
Announcements:
|
Mobile journalism in a digital age: Carrying a newsroom in your bag Curious about the
basics of the so-called "new media" – but feel intimidated by
the idea of cutting video or designing a website? Stop by Room 119 at 12:50 p.m. on Friday, Feb.
5 at the I’m Tom Davis, and I've set up
a workshop for learning the basics of mobile journalism that will be
particularly useful for new students who need to know more about what's
expected of reporters these days (especially when they're being recruited to
work for hyperlocal sites such as patch.com). I'm a mobile journalist, and I
literally carry around a newsroom in two bags. I have a still camera, a small
video camera and a laptop computer with photo, slideshow, graphics and video
processing equipment. I also can connect to the newsroom desktop on the same
machine. My goal is to get students to look at
these pieces of equipment and get some feel for how they're used, and how the
mobile journalist's story-gathering process isn't very different from that of
the traditional journalist. Students will also learn how to get
their work published on Rutgers Reporter (http://www.rutgersreporter.com).
Instructors should encourage students to attend. If you'd like to get a better idea of
how this workshop will work, check out the below link to a video my class did
last semester: http://rutgersreporter.blip.tv/file/2892517/ |
Objectives:
ACCURACY,
CLARITY, FOCUS
Teaching how to gather and write news for print
media.
Mastering
the principles of organizing and writing a story.
Identifying
story ideas and useful information.
Understanding
the principles of digital media
Rules:
DEADLINES,
DEADLINES, DEADLINES
Homework
that’s late – but not more than 24 hours late – gets a
half-grade deduction.
Homework
that’s more than 24 hours late is not accepted, and receives an F.
Thorough
stories must be submitted with source attribution, objectivity and style.
A
complete understanding of English grammar and spelling is expected.
Homework must be submitted either in-person or via email, as a typed, double-spaced document.
Attendance is required – failure to attend without a legitimate excuse could affect your class participation grade.
Your work will appear on the Rutgers Reporter web site. We will learn the basics of digital media composition.
Grades:
Homework: 70 percent
Class Participation: 25 percent
Quizzes: 5 percent
Deadlines for News Reporting and Writing and Associated Press stylebook readings:
Due date/assignment
Jan. 28/chapters 1, 2 and 7; stylebook A-E
Feb. 4/chapters 4, 5 and 8; stylebook F-N
Feb. 11/stylebook O-Z
Feb. 18/chapters 3 and 12
Feb. 25/chapters 22 and 23
March 11/chapters 15, 19 and 20
April 1/chapter 13
April 8/chapter 9
April 15/chapters 6 and 14 and municipal meeting reading
Assignments (500 to
800 words):
(First half –
count once)
Due date/assignment
Feb. 1/Interview your neighbor story
Feb. 15/Workbook pages 52 to 55, handout (no rewrite)
Feb. 18/Interview your neighbor story – rewrite
Feb. 22/Class-created story
March 8 /News briefs
March 11/Class-created story – rewrite
April 1/News briefs - rewrites
(Second-half
– count twice)
March 29/Bill Borden-assigned story
April 5/Guest speaker story
April 8/Bill Borden-assigned story – rewrite
April 19/”Live” story
April 22/Guest speaker story – rewrite
April 29/Meeting story
May 3/“Live” story – rewrite
(Final –
counts four times)
May 2 (at noon)/Rough draft for final assignment
May 3/Final assignment
Conferences:
March 4, Room 336
Extra credit:
1. Write up to two OBJECTIVE news stories on ANY topic (no reviews or opinion pieces).
Students will receive a half-grade higher on a regular homework assignment for each story that is considered B-level quality.
2. Get at least one byline in ANY section of The Daily Targum (can include reviews or opinion pieces). Students receive a half-grade higher on a homework assignment if they can present a story with a byline.