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Journalism 101 - Collecting and Writing News
Tuesday & Thursday, 11:10 a.m.-12:35 p.m.
3 UNITS – Lecture -
3 hours and 20 minutes per week
Instructor: Paul McLeod, former Los Angeles Times reporter
Office: 1-310-233-4252
By appointment;
email: mcleodpl@lahc.edu
http://www.lahc.edu/communications/journal.htm
This introductory course stresses instruction
and practice in news gathering and news writing. Extensive practical writing experience is geared to news publications and
the news media. It also includes a study of newspaper, radio and television news. Adherence to professional writing style,
and legal and ethical aspects of the profession, are included.
Course Description:
Three hours, 20 minutes of seminar and
lecture per week, plus homework. An introduction to skills and practices of news reporting as applied to the various communications
media, including the internet, with emphasis on writing for print media. Stress is placed on demands of varying story types
– news, editorial, feature, column, sports, broadcast, blogging and deadline reporting.
Student
Learning Outcomes:
1)
The student will develop competency in news writing and gathering.
2)
The student will develop reporting skills sufficient for a starting position in mass media news departments, LAHC publications
and broadcast positions, or generating publicity releases for campus and off-campus organizations and for upper division course
work in four-year journalism programs.
3)
The student will gain competency in writing and editing copy for web sites.
To read the LAHC Student Learning Objectives click here
Course requirements and grading:
Your grade will consist of three parts:
1) Writing/Interviewing/Reporting - A host
of writing assignments will take place during and outside of class time. You will be assigned to cover an open meeting
on campus As news often breaks, some assignments may develop or be substituted for others listed on the course schedule as
the semester progresses.
2) Knowledge of subject matter –
Includes, but not limited to, daily style quizzes, ethical practices in journalism, study of libel and slander, First Amendment
press rights, midterm and final (final is comprehensive). Also included is a
homework assignment: A personal interview with a person in the media.
3) Attendance - Our classroom is our newsroom.
A reporter who misses deadline won’t work in this business long. Roll will be taken. Attendance indicates enthusiasm
for the subject matter. Missing three or more class periods means you are eligible to be dropped from the course.
Additional Notes:
All General College Policies apply to this course.
All provisions of the LAHC General College Policies apply to this course.
Each student is responsible for all paperwork if choosing to drop this class.
This syllabus
is also available on the class website, but in slightly different form due to web restrictions
All class
assignments are posted on the class web site. Students should download them there. Do not expect the instructor to provide
hard copies of each assignment. You are responsible for going to the web site and getting each assignment, as needed.
Hard copies
of style tests will be provided on the day of each class. If you miss a style test, it is your responsibility to go to the
class web site, download the assignment, and turn it in to get credit.
Plagiarism – Downright
thievery. Using the work of another person as that of another with or without intent to deceive, be it written, spoken, visual
or taped (film or video), without permission or attribution. Loosely defined as borrowing quotations, publishing material
that does not belong to you, lifting quotes, using someone else’s work under your byline, tagline or credit line. Plagiarism
will not be tolerated in Harbor College journalism classes. Acts of
plagiarism will result in an “F” for each assignment where it is determined that plagiarism took place and is
cause for possible immediate dismissal from the course with a final grade of “F” for the semester.
Students are reminded of Board Rule 9803.12 “Standards of Student Conduct” contained
in the General College Policies.
Code
of Conduct: Taking information learned
in a news setting while compiling stories, showing stories or notes to others such as sources prior to publication, or sharing
information with others not associated with the publication while working for The Harbor Tides (print or web site) as
part of class projects – these are also acts that will result in an “F” for each incident and are also possible
cause for immediate dismissal from the course with a final grade of “F” for the semester.
Items that are helpful, but not necessary to students of this course:
Flash
drive (plug and play, USB 2.0) Suggested storage space: 1 GB, minimum. (Very helpful for transferring story material from
one computer to another).
Cell
phone (with camera preferred)
Laptop or notebook computer with wireless connection (Optional, but very helpful.
The school does not provide them.
Home
computer access with broadband connection (the library is often busy and not a good place for a journalist to work.)
Pad
and paper, pencils or pens.
Email (other than MySpace, Friendster,
etc).
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