JOUR 4410: Reporting of Public Affairs
Semester: Fall 2008
Class sessions: Monday, Wednesday 11 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. GAB 337
Lab sessions: See below
Professor Neil Foote
Phone: Office: (940) 940-8088 ; Cell: (214) 448-3765
E-mail: foote@unt.edu or neil@neilfoote.com
Office hours: By appointment
Course objectives: Read the newspaper, look at television … go online. Public affairs reporting is all around you. As a reporter, one of your early assignments will be covering cops, courts, governments, civil servants and politicians. It’s what makes villages, towns, cities, states and federal governments tick. Public affairs stories address the most mundane issues, but in the long run the subjects of these stories are directly impacting the lives of every reader and viewer. Many of the most coveted awards in journalism are won by journalists who have gone beyond the ordinary and dug deep to reveal tremendous inconsistencies, illegal behavior and wrongdoings by those in the centerpiece of public affairs.
This course will help you gain a further appreciation of the importance of public affairs reporting. You will be learning more about how some of these ‘institutions’ work, then developing story ideas, researching, reporting and writing stories. There’s a huge opportunity for you to get stories published in campus and/or local newspapers or websites. You will be challenged to become a more thorough, careful and alert reporter – and editor. You become a more analytical reader of public affairs stories understanding the source and sources behind stories. Classes will integrate and reinforce the basic fundamentals, but also be conducted as a functioning newsroom.
Reading and Textbook Requirements: Daily print or online editions of The Dallas Morning News, The Washington Post or The New York Times. You will receive additional handouts of articles from textbooks and other publications. You are encouraged to bring examples of articles to class on relevant subjects to discuss. You must bring and use your AP Stylebook. The Freedom of Information Act Handbook is optional. You can order it from the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.
Attendance: You are required – and expected to attend every class. Your participation is absolutely essential to your personal success, and to completely engage the class in the learning experience. You can not make up missed assignments if you have an unexcused absence. The goal is to treat this class as if it were a newsroom. If you’re going to be absent, call me/email me and bring to class the next class meeting immediately following your absence a signed note or letter that supports your absence.
Lab: Use lab time at your own discretion to complete class assignments as well as report and write, which may often take you off campus. If you need access to a computer or have other concerns, please see me.
Class assignments:You will be doing extensive reporting and writing in this class. All of your assignments must have your byline, your email, the date, and must be typewritten, double-spaced and must include a source list. Some assignments may require you to post them online. The following assignments should be written as if they were being published in print or online.
* Political Event story
o You will be asked to write a story during the first week of class related to an issue related to the Democratic or Republican national conventions.* Public Records – Small Group Project.
o Here’s your chance to demonstrate your ability to find information that may not
be so easily found. The assignment will require in class and out of class work.
* Emerging trend/Investigative
o Your job will be to find a trend or dig up a valid issue that will push you to research, pull documents and report a well-written and thorough story. For example, has the county government just released a land use study? Have you discovered that the county’s crime stats show a significant increase in crime in a certain city or section of town? Has the school district just released its latest test score showing an upward/downward trend?
* Profile
o Here’s your chance to write a lively, colorful feature story about a ‘personality’ involved in public affairs, potentially someone who you’ve encountered in the reporting of your stories. E.g. an elected official, a staffer in the court house, a police officer, a fireman, a teacher.
* Elections Story
o 2008 is rich with national, state and local elections.
o You will be covering a political campaign and write a story on the specific election and have the potential to be published in print and online.
o Additional details will be shared with you during the class.
Peer Critiques: For the enterprise/trend story and the profile, you will have peer critiques of your first draft and then have the opportunity to improve on your story before your final draft. You will be placed in small groups and will exchange stories. A written critique will be due during the next class.
Deadlines: You miss them, you take the consequences. You receive a zero for that assignment – unless you have contacted me in advance.
Source sheets: Attach a page listing each source, the date you interviewed each person and his or her contact information (preferably both phone numbers and e-mail addresses). Stories without source sheets will be penalized at least one letter grade. The instructor may contact sources to verify information in your stories.
Guest speakers: To help make the class more relevant and interesting, we will have guest speakers – journalists, county officials, attorneys – and others to help you get an up close, in person opportunity to talk to people. You will be required to write a one-page summary of each speaker that must be posted on the class blog by the beginning of the next class.
Blog: Throughout the semester, you must keep a story idea blog. You will be asked throughout
the class to post items to the blog. More details will be given in class.
Grading:
Political Event story 10%
Trend/enterprise story 20%
Profile story 20%
Public Records Project 10%
Elections’ Story Part II 20%
Blog Posts 10%
In-class exercises, participation, attendance 20%
Grades: You will be graded on your ability to turn in your assignments on deadline. They’ve got
to be accurate, clear, use AP style correctly and must be fairly reported. All of the above components will be part of determining your grade.
Semester grades:
A = 90 to 100 average
B = 80 to 89.9
C = 70 to 79.9
D = 60 to 69.9
F = 59 and below
Academic dishonesty: Plagiarism, fabrication and resubmission or double submission of work
performed for another class all are considered to be acts of academic dishonesty under the UNT Code of Student Conduct. You should never quote friends or family members in news stories unless you have advance permission from the instructor.
Any of the above violations will result in an automatic failing grade on the assignment and a
referral to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities. The stories you pursue
independently outside of class should rely entirely on YOUR OWN reporting. If you must include
information reported by another journalistic outlet (and I suggest you do this rarely, because there is almost always a way to find the information yourself), cite the publication. The instructor reserves the right to contact sources listed on your source sheet and will perform spot checks throughout the semester.
Department of Journalism statement on plagiarism
Plagiarism, in a nutshell, is using other people’s written words as your own. Some people consider the use of 7-10 words in a row, copied from another source, as plagiarism. Be sure to
include citations when using other people’s writing, because plagiarism is a serious offense in any discipline, especially in journalism. It’s a firing offense in the professional world. In the
Department of Journalism and Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism at UNT, students face a range of penalties for plagiarism (depending on the importance of the assignment):
* a grade of “F” on a minor assignment;
* a request that the student drop the class;
* withdrawal of the student from the class, initiated by the professor;
* an “F” in the course
* a referral to the UNT Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities;
* a notation on the student’s transcript;
* and expulsion from the university.
A combination of these penalties may also be used. If you need more information or have
questions about plagiarism, ask your nearest journalism professor or visit the Center for Student
Rights and Responsibilities.
Saving your work: You are responsible for making copies of all of your work on CD-RW or
thumb drives or by e-mailing finished assignments to yourself. You cannot save material on the
computers in the lab. Save all graded copies of your work that have been returned to you, since this is the only way to resolve any potential discrepancy between the grade you are assigned and your own calculation of your grade.
Disabilities: The Journalism Department, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act,
makes reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. If you require any such accommodation, please contact the instructor within the first three weeks of class.
Credit: Some information in this syllabus was compiled with help from former UNT
instructors Karen Thomas, Jake Batsell and Laura Griffin.
Tentative Class Schedule (subject to change)
Week One: Aug. 26 & Aug. 28
Introduction to class. What is public affairs? How much do you know about your government?
Politics ’08 – The Political Conventions.
Homework Assignment Due Sept. 3rd: Political Event story. We will take advantage of the
timing of this class and the timing of the Democratic and Republican national conventions. We
will brainstorm ideas during the first class, and you will be given a specific assignment. Max. 500 words. Typed. Double-spaced.
Week Two: Sept. 1 – NO CLASS (Labor Day) & Sept. 3
Covering meetings / Covering local government — Click HERE for class notes.
Assignment: Research Texas’ open meetings laws.
ASSIGNMENT: Due Sept. 8th.
Find a public affairs story in a local or national publication in print or online. Do a detailed
analysis. What makes this a story? What’s the source(s) of story? Who are the sources? How
much of story is derived from interviews? Documents – e.g. press releases, court documents,
report/study? Max. 500 words. Typed. Double-spaced.
Week Three: Sept. 8 & 10
Covering Local Government continued / Covering courts
ASSIGNMENT Due Sept. 10: Bring in a story on trial/court case and be prepared to discuss.
Week Four: Sept. 15 & Sept. 17
Covering law enforcement / Covering a beat
ASSIGNMENT – DUE Sept. 17th – Bring in a story on cops/law enforcement or ‘beat’ story
and be prepared to discuss.
Week Five: Sept. 22 & Sept. 24
Following the paper trail – using documents (print & online) to uncover stories.
Public records group project discussed/assigned
Week Six: Sept. 29 & Oct. 2
Covering politics and elections – Part II
Week Seven: Oct. 6 & 8
Public records project due – group presentations
Week Eight: Oct. 13 & 15
Finding and writing enterprise or trend stories
ASSIGNMENT – DUE OCT. 15th: Bring in an example of enterprise/trend story and be prepared to discuss.
Trend/Enterprise story discussed assigned
Week Nine: Oct. 20 & 22
Covering education
ASSIGNMENT- DUE OCT. 22nd : Bring in an example of enterprise/trend story and be prepared to discuss.
Week Ten: Oct. 27 & Oct. 29
Campaigns & the Press /Elections’ stories lab
ASSIGNMENT- DUE OCT 29th : Bring in an example of campaign/election article that focuses on a specific issue and be prepared to discuss.
Week Eleven: Nov. 3 & Nov. 5
Election coverage analysis/Pre- & Post
ASSIGNMENT: Draft of trend/enterprise story due, Nov. 5th.
ASSIGNMENT – DUE NOV. 10th : Peer critique of trend/enterprise story due.
Week Twelve: Nov. 10 & Nov. 13
Final draft of trend/enterprise story due, Nov. 13
Storytelling techniques in public affairs writing – giving life to the facts. Writing profiles
Profile assignment given.
Week Thirteen: Nov. 17 & Nov. 20
Role of ethnic media
ASSIGNMENT- DUE Nov. 20th : Bring in an example of a story (in print or online) from an
African-American, Latino, Asian, Native American publication and be prepared to discuss.
Week Fourteen: Nov. 24 & Nov. 26
Ethics & Legal Issues
Week Fifteen: Dec. 2 & Dec. 4
Profile draft due. Bring copies. Dec. 2nd
Peer critique of profile, Dec. 4th.
Profile stories due in class at 11 a.m. Dec. 4th. No exceptions.
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