MM250: Major Writing Assignment #2
Chapter 5 – Covering the News
35 points
For this second major writing assignment, you are asked to write a news story. Options for this assignment include writing an obituary, covering a meeting, or covering a sports/music/theater event. You will pick your story topic at random.
“Living” Obituary (pages 96-97)
Because obituaries are the lasting record of a person’s life, it’s vital that you get the story right. You want to dig for the details that give your audience a richer portrait of a person’s life, to verify facts and to go beyond the "obitspeak" and formula writing that fills so many obituaries. Along the way, you’ll gain a fresh appreciation for the craft of writing obits and the value they hold as historical documents for families, genealogists and others.
You need to identify someone that you do not know personally. This person cannot be a student at Baker! However, you can identify faculty or staff members for this assignment. Second, you must create your questions before your interview. The goal here is determining the questions needed to fully outline someone’s life. Remember, obituaries must be very respectful and meaningful. The questions should follow this guide. You want your interviewee to feel comfortable enough with you to tell you his/her life story, as they would like it to be covered after they are gone.
Meeting (pages 108-109)
Attending meetings helps journalists know and explain what the issues are, how decisions are made, and what it all means to readers. Your task for this option is to attend a meeting on campus and cover the meeting in a story. At least THREE interviews are required to be included in your story. If the meeting is after the due date, please let me know and we can make special arrangements. You need to find and choose which meeting to cover. You must stay for the entire meeting (and may need to ask special permission to attend)!
Event: Sports/Music/Theater (pages 112-113)
Covering sports requires accuracy, insight, and statistical savvy ideas. Your task for this option is to attend a Baker sports/music/theater event and cover it in a story. At least THREE interviews are required to be included in your story. If the event is after the due date, please let me know and we can make special arrangements. You need to find and choose which event to cover. You must stay for the entire event!
Regardless the option, all stories must include:
· Meaningful lead
· Logical story format
· Required information outlined in Chapter 5
· At least THREE interviews accurately quoted and attributed (obits are the exception)
· Approximately 400-500 words
· All writing requirements on the yellow handout J
You also must turn in your notes. Notes (can be hand written) should include:
· Names and titles of interviewees
· Interview Questions
· Interview Notes
Notes and stories are due in HARD COPY AND MOODLE on Friday, October 27th at the beginning of class.
For Moodle, just uploading the story will suffice. Hard copy needs to include the notes and the story.