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Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Tim Robertson Production Notes for Hempstead Hunger
By Tim Robertson
Scripting and producing this story took a lot of patience, flexibility and perseverance on my part.
Scripting and producing this story took a lot of patience, flexibility and perseverance on my part.
Originally, I planned to interview homeless people, call me ambitious, but it was my goal. I attempted – twice – to go out into Hempstead to find people to talk to. I saw plenty, don't get me wrong, but the interviews never took place. Some ignored me, others didn't have that welcoming eye and most just brushed me off.
I tried to talk to other people in Hempstead who didn't look homeless, but they wouldn't talk either. I went back a final time in the beginning of December in the freezing cold. I stood outside, with few breaks to my car to warm up, for two hours trying to find people. Some came close, but then found out they would make their camera debut.
I finally had to expand my area. I went to other shopping centers. I tried Roosevelt Field Mall, but the wind blew too strongly and no one would stop – and I can't blame them. I went to Carle Place, and found one woman to talk on camera, but knowing I needed at least one more, I hardly felt relieved.
I continued to drive, and decided to try another Stop 'n Shop, so I pulled into one that borders on Hicksville and Westbury on Old Country Road. There I found a younger man, 20, to talk on camera. Both interviewees had insightful quotes that I thought would mesh with my story well. I didn't meet racial diversity standards, but I meet gender and age diversity with my two sources.
With these interviews on camera, I decided to head home and get warm.
After struggling with Kaltura, a video uploading site, I switched to Jumpcut. Unfortunately, I underestimated the amount of time the videos would take to load, so I had to sit, with patience and time waning.
I finally uploaded all of the clips, and started to piece it together and tried to organize it. By the time I finished cutting out the parts of the interviews I didn't want, I had close to a 3:30 story. Like you would want to sit through that. So I had to cut it down.
I took out parts of my interviews, removed portions of my stand-up, and cut the story down to a bearable two minutes and 13 seconds.
In order to achieve this, however, I had to make one jump cut (no pun intended). I apologize for the absence of fluidity because of this edit, but in the interest of time, it had to go.
Sometimes the production doesn't come out smoothly and as dreamed, but with learning anything new, it takes time and practice to get it right. This is the first of what I bet will be many pieces I will make using the Internet as my only tool. I have time to learn.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
To Whom it May Concern Over 21: Please Drink Responsibly
By Anthony Cerase
Nassau News Staff Writer
I’m writing this letter to beg everyone out there that drinks alcohol to be safe. Alcohol is perfectly fine when used in a social manner in a responsible way by people 21 years or older. But, it can also be as potent a drug as any out there if used irresponsibly.
This letter is part of a multimedia report on under-age drinking in the Hempstead (Long Island) area. Not included in the package are the other effects of abusing alcohol. They are: liver disease, brain damage, and fetal alcohol syndrome. These are only a few of the many illnesses you can come upon while abusing alcohol.
Another big issue with alcohol is drinking and driving. I plead with whoever is reading this to never consider this act. Drinking and driving causes the most fatal accidents in any category of accidents. In 2004, there were over 16,694 fatalities due to alcohol related accidents. This is 16,694 more than it should be. There are car services, public transportations and designated driver assignment amongst friends should eliminate drinking and driving. Drinking comes with responsibility, so I ask you, Please drink responsibly.
P.S -- Here is a chart to help you figure out whether or not you are impaired:
| Blood Alcohol Concentration Estimate – for Men |
DrinksA | Body Weight In Pounds | InfluenceB | |||||||
| 100 | 120 | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 | 220 | 240 | | |
1 | .04 | .03 | .02 | .02 | .02 | .02 | .02 | .02 | Possibly |
2 | .08 | .06 | .05 | .05 | .04 | .04 | .03 | .03 | |
3 | .11 | .09 | .08 | .07 | .06 | .06 | .05 | .05 | Impaired |
4 | .15 | .12 | .11 | .09 | .08 | .08 | .07 | .06 | |
5 | .19 | .16 | .13 | .12 | .11 | .09 | .09 | .09 | DUI |
| | | | | | | | | | |
6 | .23 | .19 | .16 | .14 | .13 | .11 | .10 | .09 | |
7 | .26 | .22 | .19 | .16 | .15 | .13 | .12 | .11 | |
8 | .30 | .25 | .21 | .19 | .17 | .15 | .14 | .13 | |
9 | .34 | .28 | .24 | .21 | .19 | .17 | .15 | .14 | |
10 | .38 | .31 | .27 | .23 | .21 | .19 | .17 | .16 | |
A One drink is 1.25 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz. beer, or 5 oz. of wine B Subtract .01 for each hour of drinking | |||||||||
| Blood Alcohol Concentration – for Women |
DrinksA | Body Weight In Pounds | InfluenceB | |||||||
| 90 | 100 | 120 | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 | 220 | | |
1 | .05 | .05 | .04 | .03 | .03 | .03 | .02 | .02 | Possibly |
2 | .10 | .09 | .08 | .07 | .06 | .05 | .05 | .04 | |
3 | .15 | .14 | .11 | .10 | .09 | .08 | .07 | .06 | Impaired |
4 | .20 | .18 | .15 | .13 | .11 | .10 | .09 | .08 | |
5 | .25 | .23 | .19 | .16 | .14 | .13 | .11 | .10 | DUI |
6 | .30 | .27 | .23 | .19 | .17 | .15 | .14 | .12 | |
7 | .35 | .32 | .27 | .23 | .20 | .18 | .16 | .14 | |
8 | .40 | .36 | .30 | .26 | .23 | .20 | .18 | .17 | |
9 | .45 | .41 | .34 | .29 | .26 | .23 | .20 | .19 | |
10 | .51 | .45 | .38 | .32 | .28 | .25 | .23 | .21 | |
A One drink is 1.25 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz. beer, or 5 oz. of wine B Subtract .01 for each hour of drinking | |||||||||
Websites for Final Project on Thrift Shopping
By Stacey Englander
I decided that in order to get an idea of what kind of people and how much income that area has coming in I found on www.muninetguide.com that the median household income for Hempstead is $55,075 and the median household income in Nassau County is 87,701. To find out a little about what the area has and how the living is in that area I went to www.mynassauproperty.com and http://www.city-data.com to find out a little about the community.
The median age for residents in Hempstead is 37.6. This is a little older than average in the U.S. Families (non single residences) represent 78.4 percent of the population. This gives Hempstead a higher than average concentration of families.
I decided that in order to get an idea of what kind of people and how much income that area has coming in I found on www.muninetguide.com that the median household income for Hempstead is $55,075 and the median household income in Nassau County is 87,701. To find out a little about what the area has and how the living is in that area I went to www.mynassauproperty.com and http://www.city-data.com to find out a little about the community.
The median age for residents in Hempstead is 37.6. This is a little older than average in the U.S. Families (non single residences) represent 78.4 percent of the population. This gives Hempstead a higher than average concentration of families.
Then I went to http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools
It’s hard to stay trendy while trying to keep a reasonable budget. There have been so many different articles, pictures and magazines that are dedicated to showing what they believe are fashionable.
Take the following article, for example: http://jacksonville.bizjournals
Fashion and cost have become such a big issue that even Kohls has now come together with Vera Wang to make a line that’s affordable but priced just right, that even Ophra agrees. http://www.oprah.com/beauty
I have found sites that try and tell you how to shop and what to look for, such as: http://health.learninginfo.org
While using all this information I have looked up ideas and prices that business attire for women would cost. http://www.anntaylorloft.com
And then I got an idea on how much men’s business attire would cost. http://www.josbank.com/IWCatSec
One place I’ve decided that I would try and shop at to see what I can get for the right price is the Salvation Army. http://www.salvationarmyusa
Web Sites for Final Project
By Stacey Englander
I decided that in order to get an idea of what kind of people and how much income that area has coming in I found on www.muninetguide.com that the median household income for Hempstead is $55,075 and the median household income in Nassau County is 87,701. To find out a little about what the area has and how the living is in that area I went to www.mynassauproperty.com and http://www.city-data.com to find out a little about the community.
The median age for residents in Hempstead is 37.6. This is a little older than average in the U.S. Families (non single residences) represent 78.4 percent of the population. This gives Hempstead a higher than average concentration of families.
I decided that in order to get an idea of what kind of people and how much income that area has coming in I found on www.muninetguide.com that the median household income for Hempstead is $55,075 and the median household income in Nassau County is 87,701. To find out a little about what the area has and how the living is in that area I went to www.mynassauproperty.com and http://www.city-data.com to find out a little about the community.
The median age for residents in Hempstead is 37.6. This is a little older than average in the U.S. Families (non single residences) represent 78.4 percent of the population. This gives Hempstead a higher than average concentration of families.
Then I went to http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools
It’s hard to stay trendy while trying to keep a reasonable budget. There have been so many different articles, pictures and magazines that are dedicated to showing what they believe are fashionable.
Take the following article, for example: http://jacksonville.bizjournals
Fashion and cost have become such a big issue that even Kohls has now come together with Vera Wang to make a line that’s affordable but priced just right, that even Ophra agrees. http://www.oprah.com/beauty
I have found sites that try and tell you how to shop and what to look for, such as: http://health.learninginfo.org
While using all this information I have looked up ideas and prices that business attire for women would cost. http://www.anntaylorloft.com
And then I got an idea on how much men’s business attire would cost. http://www.josbank.com/IWCatSec
One place I’ve decided that I would try and shop at to see what I can get for the right price is the Salvation Army. http://www.salvationarmyusa
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
JRNL 80 Fall 2007 Section A Syllabus
Welcome to Online Journalism
Fall 2007
Professor Mo Krochmal
Goals
Students will:
Students will:
Welcome to a world where nothing remains constant, change is rapid, the future is wildly unclear, and your opportunities might only be limited by the breadth of your imagination and by your grasp of the basic building blocks of journalism. Today, we call it online journalism, but it’s journalism, unbound.
This is an exciting time to enter journalism. There are many opportunities opening up as traditional or mainstream media wrestles with how to use the new tools and capabilities of the Internet and still fulfill its critical role in a free society while, at the same time, sustaining a viable business.
Journalism needs people who are undaunted by technology, comfortable with the traditional core values, mores and ethics of the field, and willing to work around any obstacles to get the story and get it right. You aren’t guaranteed riches, or even job security, but you can make the world a better through your public service.
By your very presence here, you are playing a part in building this medium. That is an amazing opportunity, and a serious one that requires determination and a disciplined work ethic.
Welcome pioneers.
What We Will Do
If you add up the times we spend together over the period of a semester, you will see that it hardly adds up to one working week, and a light one at that. The time we spend in class together is really important and special. Let’s use it to the best possible advantage by convening on time, being prepared, participating, questioning and working efficiently.
We have a lot of ground to cover.
The goal of this class is not to make you an HTML wizard, or a Photoshop guru, or even to make you a "plug-and-play" intern in some newspaper's web shop. You are paying much too much money for us to just teach you HTML. That’s knowledge you can learn easily enough on your own, or even from an 11-year-old. In fact, much of today’s HTML coding is automated. As a journalist, you should know how to write a link, and how to provide appropriate and useful links.
The goal of this course is to nurture in you the intellectual tools you will need to make a meaningful contribution to an evolving field where the only constant is change. You are entering a dynamic and relentless environment that builds on a foundation of solid writing, ruthless editing, having "a nose for news," diligently reporting, holding a strong ethical compass and a having a willingness to use technology to innovate and create.
The objective of the course is to exercise your writing and reporting skills, to hone your understanding of the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press, and to know how this medium is different.
You will need to recognize that you are operating in a diverse multicultural and multilingual global environment. Additionally, you will get practical experience in the ethical use and presentation of images and information and be able to explain the ethical principles that guide the decisions you make. You must demonstrate the ability to think critically, creatively and independently, and to work within a group.
You will also be able to critically evaluate your work, and that of others. You must do the math, and crunch the numbers, and ask questions. You will be able to critically examine new technologies and apply them where appropriate.
We will work at an extremely high level, classes will be interactive, and we will be proceeding on various tracks concurrently. You are expected to be well read in current events (read the daily editions of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsday, at the minimum) be aware of current events, and be prepared to always ask questions and contribute to the discussion.
For every hour spent in class, I will expect you to spend two hours outside. Part of the skills you need in life are the ability to manage your time and juggle many projects.
I'll be here and I expect you to be here on time, and to stay for the full class. Being late is being absent, and you will be marked that way. We have a lot to do and you will have daily, weekly and long-term assignments that require your presence. Pop quizzes, news quizzes and style quizzes can not be made up and an absence is not an excuse for not handing in work on time.
If you miss too many classes, it is my responsibility to let the university know out of concern for your wellness. Miss three classes, and you fall one letter grade, and an A becomes out of the question. Doctor’s appointments and job interviews are not excused absences.
You will soon be entering the newsroom of the future. Along the way, you will be forging lifetime bonds of friendship and trust. You are expected to conduct yourself professionally, and respectfully, towards your colleagues. This is a demanding class, but you aren’t alone. Your colleagues can be a big help, so treat them with respect.
You are expected to bring to the table a grasp of grammar, style and punctuation and to turn in clean copy and to communicate professionally in whatever medium you are using (and that includes e-mail).
Here are our rules:
Accuracy
All articles must strive for accuracy: Quotes must be exact, names must be spelled correctly, addresses should be accurate. Errors of this type in a piece will result in an F.
Integrity
"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." I like the simplicity of the honor code of the U.S. Military Academy. Do not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do. As journalists, we hold a trust in this society. We are looked upon to seek truth and serve the public. Let us work to uphold that trust. We do not take shortcuts. If you didn’t write it, it’s not yours and you must credit where you got it.
Writing and reporting. This is the foundation of any type of journalistic endeavor. You must be able to come up with story ideas. You then must do the reporting, the writing, the editing, the re-writing, and then, and only then, the posting, or publishing.
You will learn how to write and report for online presentation and how to collect and produce multimedia and critically evaluate it and then use it in publication online. You will also evaluate the writing and reporting of your peers.
Teamwork and Deadlines: No matter what the medium, today's professional journalism requires the ability to work well with others – editors, artists, producers, photographers, videographers, audio engineers – and most importantly, with readers, who are empowered with the ability to fact-check your work and to respond well beyond the letters-to-the-editor page of the newspaper. Ask Dan Rather.
You will be working in teams and your success in this class will depend on your ability to integrate with each other, support each other, and meet deadlines.
Deadlines count. In the newsroom, if you don't make your deadline, you don't keep your job. It's just that simple. So, know that deadlines count in this class too.
A skilled online journalist should: have innate multitasking ability, extreme attention to detail, fluent skills in multimedia and personal communication, comfort in working under the duress of extreme deadline pressure, be fearless and eager to deploy new technology, be able to work collaboratively in a team environment and successfully manage projects.
Additionally, an online journalist should understand the business/revenue issues of this medium and realize the value of understanding and cultivating diverse communities and encouraging user-generated content.
You will get experience in all of this as well as in evaluating news and online presentation, generating news story ideas, and, of course, in lots of writing and reporting. You will go off the campus for your reporting.
New media
You will learn how to write and report for Web, including the emerging channels of blogs, vlogs, and mobile. You will learn and practice the skills of writing headlines, captions, blurbs, voice-overs, and audio reports to create compelling matrix that meets the highest standards of ethical journalism and keeps the user engaged and interacting with the articles that will be assigned throughout the class. You will take photographs, collect audio and video, and generate graphics and perhaps even some animation.
The Business of Online Journalism
In this field, while respecting the traditional and inviolable ethical "wall" between editorial and business, you will still need to know about the financial fuel that powers your ability to conduct your journalism. We will look at the search for successful business models for online journalism, within traditional and start-up companies, and well in as solo efforts.
Each week, students will have required readings from the textbook, web research, editing and writing. The class meetings will include instructor lectures, deadline writing exercises, multimedia production, guest lectures and tests. But, this is not a class about somebody at the front reading, and you typing. The professor serves as a guide and a facilitator.
Assignments will be turned in electronically, via e-mail or posted in a website.
Students will earn points for attendance, and for contribution in class.
Required Texts:
Rich, Carole. Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method. Fifth Edition. Belmont, Calif., Wadsworth Publishing. 2006.
Norm Goldstein. The Associated Press Stylebook. New York, Associated Press. 2006.
Note: With the exception of the first class meeting, all assigned readings should be completed prior to each class meeting.
Note 2: There will be a number of unannounced quizzes on the reading, asking you to work with ideas from that day's assignment, or to put ideas from that reading into a context developed earlier in the term. Missed quizzes can not be made up.
The overall course score will be assigned based on the following criteria:
Class participation and attendance -- 25 percent
Assignments -- 20 percent
Quizzes, grammar, punctuation, style – 10 percent
Final Project -- 45 percent
Your work will be edited and you will have the chance to rewrite the assignments but you will not receive letter grades on your reporting/writing assignments. This is a non-graded, coaching approach that is designed to let you concentrate on your skills, not your grades. At midterm and at the end of the semester, we will meet and look at your work, which will be graded at those times. You will receive grades on style quizzes, pop quizzes and class work. At mid-semester, you will turn in a self-evaluation, detailing your progress, what you have learned and your goals for the remainder of the semester.
Grade criteria
A = Outstanding work with excellent content, ideas, writing, reporting and style. Shows leadership, innovation, participation, support.
B = Very good work. Minor changes required.
C = Average. Requires substantial changes such as additional reporting, major rewriting and correction of numerous style errors
D = Poor. Fundamental problems in the assignment.
F = Unacceptable – late, inaccurate, incomprehensible, factual errors or misspelled names. Plagiarism is an automatic F.
Standards
Every article you do for this class must be original for this class. No repurposing of other work. You are encouraged to submit work done for this class for publication elsewhere, but not to take a piece written for another publication and turn it in for credit here. So, if you work for the student newspaper, or the radio station, or elsewhere, your work for this class must go through the editorial process, and then you can publish it elsewhere. All work assigned may be posted online.
No use of art that you have not produced. If you don't own it, or haven't received specific permission to use it, it's not acceptable for use.
Every piece you turn in must follow these standard forms:
Date: [This is the turn-in date]
Class: JRNL 80 A or B, or JRNL 215
Professor: Mo Krochmal
Headline: [No more than 40 characters]
Byline: By Joseph Pulitzer (joe@pulitzer.com)
In an e-mail, subject lines will be simple: Class Name and Section, and Assignment. All pieces may be posted. In a notebook, you will keep a hard copy of the assignment, the edits, and rewrites. Newer work will go after previous work. Get an e-mail and a phone number for all sources. This information must be included in your notebook and e-mailed to me with every assignment. You will also post your final rewrites to a portfolio site that you will set up on Googlepages.
On your assignments, basic grammatical spelling and style errors will be indicated. You will be expected to discover what you did incorrectly using the style guide and/or other resources.
Headlines are required and will follow New York Times style (mixing uppercase and lowercase) and will be judged as strictly as the writing that follows. All work will have a headline that is compelling, and grammatically correct.
Articles will have a lede, a nut and a kicker. All will include appropriate and specific links. Multimedia will be captioned, people will be identified, photogs/videographers/creators will be credited.
No unidentified or anonymous sources unless approved by the professor. You can not interview your family or friends for an article for this class. Wikipedia links are not acceptable.
The Schedule:
Your semester is designed to build your skills and knowledge and culminate in a final project, a multimedia article for publication in NassauNews.org, the school’s hyperlocal journalism online publication.
The following schedule is subject to change – we are in journalism and news events sometimes dictate a change in the path we walk – that is part and parcel of the business. Get used to it. Additionally, I reserve the right to change the schedule to reflect your abilities and needs. You must be comfortable in this atmosphere, it’s like the real world.
Following is an outline of the topics we will cover by week. You will have readings, you will write, you will edit your colleague’s work, and you will collect lots of URLs for your portfolio.
Week No. 1 Background, Ethics, law, copyright
Class 1. Introduction, Background.
You will take a short test to gauge your facility with AP style and grammar. We will also learn about each other and review the syllabus. In-class writing: You will have 10 minutes to write a short essay that describes the state of journalism today, as you see it.
Assignment: You will prepare a short professional of yourself. This describes your skills and aspirations and highlights of your career. Also, it will include links to previously published materials and other references that you choose, such as social networks.
Reading Assignment: Rich, Ch. 1, “Changing Concepts of the News.”
Class No. 2 Nuts and Bolts
In this class, we will go over HTML and links. Students will create a personal online site to host their class work. We will also cover the elements of writing short, including captions, blurbs, headlines, and leads. You will turn in your profile. We will also cover copyright, law, the First Amendment.
We will have a short quiz on the readings.
Assignment: Prepare a memo that describes the final project you would like to undertake.
Rich, Ch. 12, "Web Journalism"
-- Week No. 2 Writing
This is the keystone for this class. We will talk about, look at and write headlines, captions and scripts. You will select a topic to research for your final project and create a list of reference sites and potential interview sources. No matter the medium, it’s about the writing. Word.
-- Week No. 3 Research
We will cover the skill of online research, how to evaluate news sources, and how to collect and archive materials. We will talk about your potential project topics and evaluate newsworthiness.
-- Week No. 4 Multimedia
We will talk about graphics, maps, mashups and coming trends. You will find examples and write an analysis of what you see.
-- Week No. 5 Pictures
We will look at the state of photojournalism, examine some photographer and journalism websites. You will do a photo essay, mug shots, and postcards.
-- Week No. 6 Video
We will train in video shooting and editing techniques.
-- Week No. 7 Community
We will examine the concept of community journalism and apply it to our neighboring communities.
-- Week No. 8 Project Pitches, Mid-term conferences and personal evaluations.
You will write an evaluation of what you have learned at the midpoint of your semester, assess goals and leave the week with your final project approved.
-- Week No. 9 Social
Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, your AIM list. We will look at the social aspects of Web 2.0 and you will create a plan to incorporate that into your final project.
-- Week No. 10 Business
We will examine the business plans of multimedia journalism and you will prepare a plan to exploit your journalism for possible revenues.
-- Week No. 11 Global
After getting very local with your journalism, this class allows you to step back and examine from a global perspective, considering multiculturalism, multilingualism, and poverty.
-- Week No. 12 Rough drafts of projects
You will present a rough draft of your final project for peer review.
-- Week No. 13 The culture of the Internet
Are you a geek or a dweeb? A social networking king or an e-mail forwarder. We will look at these issues, as well as examine bloggers and vloggers to create a cultural framework that is Internet savvy.
-- Week No. 14 Review
As you are polishing your rewrites and finally catching up with that source, we will review the semester.
-- Week No. 15 Presentation of Final Projects
So, that's the plan. Please know that this is a road map. In our journey, we may veer off the road in response to your needs.
We are going to do a lot, and you will be able to do it. Just hang in, come to class, and do the work. I am available to you, after class and online. Ask for help, and do it before your deadline.
Also, remember that in this medium, you have a community. Ask for advice.
Disabilities
If you have any documented disability-related concerns that may have an impact upon your performance in this course, please meet with me within the first two weeks of the current semester, so that we can work out the appropriate accommodations. Accommodations are provided on an individualized, as-needed basis after the needs, circumstances and documentation have been evaluated by the appropriate office on campus.
For more information on services provided by Hofstra, and for submission of documentation of your disability, please contact:
Office Hours
Tuesday – 10:00 a.m.-11:30
Wednesday – 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Thursday – 10:00 a.m. – 11:30
And, by appointment.
Fall 2007
Professor Mo Krochmal
Goals
Students will:
- Examine the theoretical, legal and ethical underpinnings of this new but fast-growing element of journalism.
- Understand the connection among platforms in community journalism.
Students will:
- Develop and use the practical skills of Web-based reporting and writing.
- Implement design and construction of Web sites.
- Learn the practical skills of multi-media/cross-platform content gathering.
- Examine connections between online journalism and print and broadcast media.
Welcome to a world where nothing remains constant, change is rapid, the future is wildly unclear, and your opportunities might only be limited by the breadth of your imagination and by your grasp of the basic building blocks of journalism. Today, we call it online journalism, but it’s journalism, unbound.
This is an exciting time to enter journalism. There are many opportunities opening up as traditional or mainstream media wrestles with how to use the new tools and capabilities of the Internet and still fulfill its critical role in a free society while, at the same time, sustaining a viable business.
Journalism needs people who are undaunted by technology, comfortable with the traditional core values, mores and ethics of the field, and willing to work around any obstacles to get the story and get it right. You aren’t guaranteed riches, or even job security, but you can make the world a better through your public service.
By your very presence here, you are playing a part in building this medium. That is an amazing opportunity, and a serious one that requires determination and a disciplined work ethic.
Welcome pioneers.
What We Will Do
If you add up the times we spend together over the period of a semester, you will see that it hardly adds up to one working week, and a light one at that. The time we spend in class together is really important and special. Let’s use it to the best possible advantage by convening on time, being prepared, participating, questioning and working efficiently.
We have a lot of ground to cover.
The goal of this class is not to make you an HTML wizard, or a Photoshop guru, or even to make you a "plug-and-play" intern in some newspaper's web shop. You are paying much too much money for us to just teach you HTML. That’s knowledge you can learn easily enough on your own, or even from an 11-year-old. In fact, much of today’s HTML coding is automated. As a journalist, you should know how to write a link, and how to provide appropriate and useful links.
The goal of this course is to nurture in you the intellectual tools you will need to make a meaningful contribution to an evolving field where the only constant is change. You are entering a dynamic and relentless environment that builds on a foundation of solid writing, ruthless editing, having "a nose for news," diligently reporting, holding a strong ethical compass and a having a willingness to use technology to innovate and create.
The objective of the course is to exercise your writing and reporting skills, to hone your understanding of the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press, and to know how this medium is different.
You will need to recognize that you are operating in a diverse multicultural and multilingual global environment. Additionally, you will get practical experience in the ethical use and presentation of images and information and be able to explain the ethical principles that guide the decisions you make. You must demonstrate the ability to think critically, creatively and independently, and to work within a group.
You will also be able to critically evaluate your work, and that of others. You must do the math, and crunch the numbers, and ask questions. You will be able to critically examine new technologies and apply them where appropriate.
We will work at an extremely high level, classes will be interactive, and we will be proceeding on various tracks concurrently. You are expected to be well read in current events (read the daily editions of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsday, at the minimum) be aware of current events, and be prepared to always ask questions and contribute to the discussion.
For every hour spent in class, I will expect you to spend two hours outside. Part of the skills you need in life are the ability to manage your time and juggle many projects.
I'll be here and I expect you to be here on time, and to stay for the full class. Being late is being absent, and you will be marked that way. We have a lot to do and you will have daily, weekly and long-term assignments that require your presence. Pop quizzes, news quizzes and style quizzes can not be made up and an absence is not an excuse for not handing in work on time.
If you miss too many classes, it is my responsibility to let the university know out of concern for your wellness. Miss three classes, and you fall one letter grade, and an A becomes out of the question. Doctor’s appointments and job interviews are not excused absences.
You will soon be entering the newsroom of the future. Along the way, you will be forging lifetime bonds of friendship and trust. You are expected to conduct yourself professionally, and respectfully, towards your colleagues. This is a demanding class, but you aren’t alone. Your colleagues can be a big help, so treat them with respect.
You are expected to bring to the table a grasp of grammar, style and punctuation and to turn in clean copy and to communicate professionally in whatever medium you are using (and that includes e-mail).
Here are our rules:
Accuracy
All articles must strive for accuracy: Quotes must be exact, names must be spelled correctly, addresses should be accurate. Errors of this type in a piece will result in an F.
Integrity
"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." I like the simplicity of the honor code of the U.S. Military Academy. Do not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do. As journalists, we hold a trust in this society. We are looked upon to seek truth and serve the public. Let us work to uphold that trust. We do not take shortcuts. If you didn’t write it, it’s not yours and you must credit where you got it.
Writing and reporting. This is the foundation of any type of journalistic endeavor. You must be able to come up with story ideas. You then must do the reporting, the writing, the editing, the re-writing, and then, and only then, the posting, or publishing.
You will learn how to write and report for online presentation and how to collect and produce multimedia and critically evaluate it and then use it in publication online. You will also evaluate the writing and reporting of your peers.
Teamwork and Deadlines: No matter what the medium, today's professional journalism requires the ability to work well with others – editors, artists, producers, photographers, videographers, audio engineers – and most importantly, with readers, who are empowered with the ability to fact-check your work and to respond well beyond the letters-to-the-editor page of the newspaper. Ask Dan Rather.
You will be working in teams and your success in this class will depend on your ability to integrate with each other, support each other, and meet deadlines.
Deadlines count. In the newsroom, if you don't make your deadline, you don't keep your job. It's just that simple. So, know that deadlines count in this class too.
A skilled online journalist should: have innate multitasking ability, extreme attention to detail, fluent skills in multimedia and personal communication, comfort in working under the duress of extreme deadline pressure, be fearless and eager to deploy new technology, be able to work collaboratively in a team environment and successfully manage projects.
Additionally, an online journalist should understand the business/revenue issues of this medium and realize the value of understanding and cultivating diverse communities and encouraging user-generated content.
You will get experience in all of this as well as in evaluating news and online presentation, generating news story ideas, and, of course, in lots of writing and reporting. You will go off the campus for your reporting.
New media
You will learn how to write and report for Web, including the emerging channels of blogs, vlogs, and mobile. You will learn and practice the skills of writing headlines, captions, blurbs, voice-overs, and audio reports to create compelling matrix that meets the highest standards of ethical journalism and keeps the user engaged and interacting with the articles that will be assigned throughout the class. You will take photographs, collect audio and video, and generate graphics and perhaps even some animation.
The Business of Online Journalism
In this field, while respecting the traditional and inviolable ethical "wall" between editorial and business, you will still need to know about the financial fuel that powers your ability to conduct your journalism. We will look at the search for successful business models for online journalism, within traditional and start-up companies, and well in as solo efforts.
Each week, students will have required readings from the textbook, web research, editing and writing. The class meetings will include instructor lectures, deadline writing exercises, multimedia production, guest lectures and tests. But, this is not a class about somebody at the front reading, and you typing. The professor serves as a guide and a facilitator.
Assignments will be turned in electronically, via e-mail or posted in a website.
Students will earn points for attendance, and for contribution in class.
Required Texts:
Rich, Carole. Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method. Fifth Edition. Belmont, Calif., Wadsworth Publishing. 2006.
Norm Goldstein. The Associated Press Stylebook. New York, Associated Press. 2006.
Note: With the exception of the first class meeting, all assigned readings should be completed prior to each class meeting.
Note 2: There will be a number of unannounced quizzes on the reading, asking you to work with ideas from that day's assignment, or to put ideas from that reading into a context developed earlier in the term. Missed quizzes can not be made up.
The overall course score will be assigned based on the following criteria:
Class participation and attendance -- 25 percent
Assignments -- 20 percent
Quizzes, grammar, punctuation, style – 10 percent
Final Project -- 45 percent
Your work will be edited and you will have the chance to rewrite the assignments but you will not receive letter grades on your reporting/writing assignments. This is a non-graded, coaching approach that is designed to let you concentrate on your skills, not your grades. At midterm and at the end of the semester, we will meet and look at your work, which will be graded at those times. You will receive grades on style quizzes, pop quizzes and class work. At mid-semester, you will turn in a self-evaluation, detailing your progress, what you have learned and your goals for the remainder of the semester.
Grade criteria
A = Outstanding work with excellent content, ideas, writing, reporting and style. Shows leadership, innovation, participation, support.
B = Very good work. Minor changes required.
C = Average. Requires substantial changes such as additional reporting, major rewriting and correction of numerous style errors
D = Poor. Fundamental problems in the assignment.
F = Unacceptable – late, inaccurate, incomprehensible, factual errors or misspelled names. Plagiarism is an automatic F.
Standards
Every article you do for this class must be original for this class. No repurposing of other work. You are encouraged to submit work done for this class for publication elsewhere, but not to take a piece written for another publication and turn it in for credit here. So, if you work for the student newspaper, or the radio station, or elsewhere, your work for this class must go through the editorial process, and then you can publish it elsewhere. All work assigned may be posted online.
No use of art that you have not produced. If you don't own it, or haven't received specific permission to use it, it's not acceptable for use.
Every piece you turn in must follow these standard forms:
Date: [This is the turn-in date]
Class: JRNL 80 A or B, or JRNL 215
Professor: Mo Krochmal
Headline: [No more than 40 characters]
Byline: By Joseph Pulitzer (joe@pulitzer.com)
In an e-mail, subject lines will be simple: Class Name and Section, and Assignment. All pieces may be posted. In a notebook, you will keep a hard copy of the assignment, the edits, and rewrites. Newer work will go after previous work. Get an e-mail and a phone number for all sources. This information must be included in your notebook and e-mailed to me with every assignment. You will also post your final rewrites to a portfolio site that you will set up on Googlepages.
On your assignments, basic grammatical spelling and style errors will be indicated. You will be expected to discover what you did incorrectly using the style guide and/or other resources.
Headlines are required and will follow New York Times style (mixing uppercase and lowercase) and will be judged as strictly as the writing that follows. All work will have a headline that is compelling, and grammatically correct.
Articles will have a lede, a nut and a kicker. All will include appropriate and specific links. Multimedia will be captioned, people will be identified, photogs/videographers/creators will be credited.
No unidentified or anonymous sources unless approved by the professor. You can not interview your family or friends for an article for this class. Wikipedia links are not acceptable.
The Schedule:
Your semester is designed to build your skills and knowledge and culminate in a final project, a multimedia article for publication in NassauNews.org, the school’s hyperlocal journalism online publication.
The following schedule is subject to change – we are in journalism and news events sometimes dictate a change in the path we walk – that is part and parcel of the business. Get used to it. Additionally, I reserve the right to change the schedule to reflect your abilities and needs. You must be comfortable in this atmosphere, it’s like the real world.
Following is an outline of the topics we will cover by week. You will have readings, you will write, you will edit your colleague’s work, and you will collect lots of URLs for your portfolio.
Week No. 1 Background, Ethics, law, copyright
Class 1. Introduction, Background.
You will take a short test to gauge your facility with AP style and grammar. We will also learn about each other and review the syllabus. In-class writing: You will have 10 minutes to write a short essay that describes the state of journalism today, as you see it.
Assignment: You will prepare a short professional of yourself. This describes your skills and aspirations and highlights of your career. Also, it will include links to previously published materials and other references that you choose, such as social networks.
Reading Assignment: Rich, Ch. 1, “Changing Concepts of the News.”
Class No. 2 Nuts and Bolts
In this class, we will go over HTML and links. Students will create a personal online site to host their class work. We will also cover the elements of writing short, including captions, blurbs, headlines, and leads. You will turn in your profile. We will also cover copyright, law, the First Amendment.
We will have a short quiz on the readings.
Assignment: Prepare a memo that describes the final project you would like to undertake.
Rich, Ch. 12, "Web Journalism"
-- Week No. 2 Writing
This is the keystone for this class. We will talk about, look at and write headlines, captions and scripts. You will select a topic to research for your final project and create a list of reference sites and potential interview sources. No matter the medium, it’s about the writing. Word.
-- Week No. 3 Research
We will cover the skill of online research, how to evaluate news sources, and how to collect and archive materials. We will talk about your potential project topics and evaluate newsworthiness.
-- Week No. 4 Multimedia
We will talk about graphics, maps, mashups and coming trends. You will find examples and write an analysis of what you see.
-- Week No. 5 Pictures
We will look at the state of photojournalism, examine some photographer and journalism websites. You will do a photo essay, mug shots, and postcards.
-- Week No. 6 Video
We will train in video shooting and editing techniques.
-- Week No. 7 Community
We will examine the concept of community journalism and apply it to our neighboring communities.
-- Week No. 8 Project Pitches, Mid-term conferences and personal evaluations.
You will write an evaluation of what you have learned at the midpoint of your semester, assess goals and leave the week with your final project approved.
-- Week No. 9 Social
Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, your AIM list. We will look at the social aspects of Web 2.0 and you will create a plan to incorporate that into your final project.
-- Week No. 10 Business
We will examine the business plans of multimedia journalism and you will prepare a plan to exploit your journalism for possible revenues.
-- Week No. 11 Global
After getting very local with your journalism, this class allows you to step back and examine from a global perspective, considering multiculturalism, multilingualism, and poverty.
-- Week No. 12 Rough drafts of projects
You will present a rough draft of your final project for peer review.
-- Week No. 13 The culture of the Internet
Are you a geek or a dweeb? A social networking king or an e-mail forwarder. We will look at these issues, as well as examine bloggers and vloggers to create a cultural framework that is Internet savvy.
-- Week No. 14 Review
As you are polishing your rewrites and finally catching up with that source, we will review the semester.
-- Week No. 15 Presentation of Final Projects
So, that's the plan. Please know that this is a road map. In our journey, we may veer off the road in response to your needs.
We are going to do a lot, and you will be able to do it. Just hang in, come to class, and do the work. I am available to you, after class and online. Ask for help, and do it before your deadline.
Also, remember that in this medium, you have a community. Ask for advice.
Disabilities
If you have any documented disability-related concerns that may have an impact upon your performance in this course, please meet with me within the first two weeks of the current semester, so that we can work out the appropriate accommodations. Accommodations are provided on an individualized, as-needed basis after the needs, circumstances and documentation have been evaluated by the appropriate office on campus.
For more information on services provided by Hofstra, and for submission of documentation of your disability, please contact:
- Ann Marie Ferro in 101 Memorial Hall at 516-463-5341 (for physical and/or psychological disabilities) or
- Dr. Diane Herbert in 202 Roosevelt Hall at 516-463-5761 (for learning disabilities and/or ADHD)
Office Hours
Tuesday – 10:00 a.m.-11:30
Wednesday – 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Thursday – 10:00 a.m. – 11:30
And, by appointment.
Friday, August 31, 2007
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