10
SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM
JOUR 203—Newswriting (Broadcast)
Fall 2013
3 units
Class Day/Time: Wednesdays 9-11:40 a.m.
Classroom: GFS 207
Class Number: 21042D
Professor: Barbara Pierce
Phone: 213-999-5217
E-mail:
Office Hours: By appointment
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course will cover the basics of broadcast news writing. The emphasis will be on writing for TV, but the skills apply to radio news as well. By the end of the semester, your writing should approach professional standards--clear, concise, accurate, and conversational. Writing skills are valued in every job in the newsroom -- reporter, producer, editor, assignment editor, anchor, graphics designer, and of course news writer. The better your writing, the better your chances of success.
Here are a few things we will work on this semester:
· How to take information (from wires, news conferences, news releases, video, officials) and determine what is newsworthy.
· How to write a broadcast story that is accurate, fair, clear, and interesting.
· How to decode the acronym-filled language of broadcast news: VO, SOT, VO/SOT, VO/SOT/VO, VSV, OTS, TRT, OMG (just kidding)
· How to write in two-column script format, write to video, and write on deadline.
REQUIRED
1. Title: Broadcast News Handbook, Fifth Edition
Author: C.A. Tuggle, Forrest Carr, Suzanne Huffman
ISBN: 0-07-352609-6
2. Title: Course Reader for JOUR 202/203/501 Fall 2013/Spring 2014. This is the same one required for J202 (Text) Newswriting.
Publisher: USC Bookstore
3. Dictionary: Merriam Webster, www.m-w.com
This is the dictionary that should be used for all assignments, midterms and finals.
Other books we will use but are not required:
4. Title: Broadcast News and Writing Stylebook, 4th edition
Author: Robert Papper
ISBN: 0-205-44974-3
DAILY NEWS READINGS & VIEWINGS
As journalists, it is imperative that you become news consumers. You must follow the news and be familiar with what is going on around the world, the country, California, and Los Angeles. You should read the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times EVERY DAY. Stacks of free NYT are delivered to the ASC lobby daily. Watch at least one national television newscast each day. If you can’t watch in real time, complete broadcasts are available on-line:
CBS Evening News http://www.cbsnews.com/evening-news/
ABC World News Tonight http://abcnews.go.com/WN/
NBC Nightly News http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/
PBS Newshour http://www.pbs.org/newshour/
Watch at least one local newscast every day:
KABC, KCBS/KCAL, KNBC, KTLA, KTTV
Listen to NPR, especially Morning Edition and All Things Considered (listen on KPCC, 89.3 FM so you will also hear the local cut-ins) and KNX-1070 AM news radio (or on the KNX website http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/station/knx-1070/ on the hour at least once each day). You should also develop a list of other news sources that you check daily. These could include LA Observed, http://laobserved.com/ The Daily News http://www.dailynews.com/ , Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/ , Sacramento Bee http://www.sacbee.com/ , Pro Publica http://www.propublica.org/, California Watch—from the Center for Investigative Reporting http://californiawatch.org/, Rough and Tumble http://www.rtumble.com/ for California policy and politics, and CNN
News apps—especially AP and Thomson Reuters-- provide excellent overviews of the important news of the day. If you check these regularly, you’ll be well informed and do well on current events quizzes.
QUIZZES
We will begin each class with a quiz. If you’re not on time for the start of class, you’ll miss the quiz and forfeit those points. There are no make-ups. The quiz will focus on major news stories—nothing obscure-- and the reading assignments.
IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS
Writing on deadline is part of journalism. In-class assignments will be graded on timeliness as well as the quality of the writing. Scripts for in-class assignments, homework, the midterm, and the final should be written in a two-column format that will be explained at the beginning of the semester.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
Homework assignments are DUE on the class day listed. They are NOT for the following week. So it’s very important to LOOK AHEAD to see what you need to get done for the next week. Note: all textbook, handout, and Web readings assigned for that day should be completed before each class. Assignments will not be accepted late except under rare circumstances.
With approval, students may rewrite one assignment that received a low grade. The recorded grade on the rewritten assignment will be the average between the new and old grades. (An “F” on the original and an “A” on the rewrite would be a “C”.)
I will return your graded assignments on a timely basis with comments and suggested corrections. If you don’t understand a comment or correction, or you disagree, please see me.
IMPORTANT: Email ALL assignments AS AN ATTACHMENT to
ATTENDANCE
You are expected to be in class and on time every week. You cannot be late on a story and you should not be late to class. There will be timed assignments that can only be completed in class. Because many videos will be viewed and scripts written in class, make-up assignments for the in-class work will not be possible.
Although the syllabi are similar, every core class is different and students can't make-up a class by going to another section of this class. For example, if you miss your regular Wednesday broadcast class, you can't go to a different broadcast class with another instructor.
This syllabus is subject to change, depending on the availability of guest speakers and the progress of the class during the semester. If you do miss a class, it’s your responsibility to find out if any of the assignments have changed and to get class notes from a fellow student. If you have any questions or problems about anything in class, please email me at
GRADING CRITERIA: ASSIGNMENTS, MIDTERMS, FINALS
Learning to write for TV and radio news takes time. The style and format are different from other forms of journalism. The goal is to improve every week. If you show steady progress you will do well in this class.
Accuracy is the number one priority. Your reputation as a journalist and the reputation of the news organization you work for hangs in the balance. Is the information accurate, is the grammar correct, are the names spelled and pronounced correctly? Have you identified the sources of your report? Is the writing style conversational? Have you written a lead that will grab the viewers’ attention? Is the style and tone appropriate for the report? Is the script the correct length?
If you are concerned about your grade at any point during the semester, please contact me to arrange a time to discuss it.
Note: The FINAL for this class is scheduled for Monday Dec 16, 11 a.m.-1 p.m
Traditional grades and grade point averages are assigned as follows:
“A” stories are accurate, clear, comprehensive stories that are well-written and require only minor editing (i.e., “ready for air.”)
“B” stories require more than minor editing, and have a few style or minor spelling errors or an error of omission.
“C” stories are stories that need considerable editing or rewriting and/or have many minor spelling and style errors.
“D” stories require excessive rewriting; have numerous minor spelling and style errors, and should not have been submitted.
“F” stories have failed to meet the major criteria of the assignment, have numerous errors or both. A story that has a factual error that is material to the story merits an automatic F.
FYI: The following are some circumstances that would warrant an F:
– Plagiarizing a script, portions of a script or information from any source
(i.e., wire copy, feed packages, another student’s story script).
– Making one or more serious factual errors in the script, including
(but not limited to) inaccurate names of significant people or locations,
faulty descriptions of events that occurred, or misquoting people.
ACADEMIC ACCOMODATION/ DISABILITY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS
Any students requesting academic accommodations based on a disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP when adequate documentation is filed. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me when classes begin. DSP is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. The office is located in the Student Union room 301 and their phone number is (213) 740-0776.
HONESTY/PLAGIARISM/ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
1. USC Statement on Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located at http://scampus.usc.edu/university-governance. Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The review process can be found at http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS
2. School of Journalism Plagiarism/Academic Integrity Policy
Plagiarism is defined as taking ideas or content from another and presenting them as one’s own. The following is the School of Journalism's policy on academic integrity as published in the University catalogue:
“Since its founding, the USC School of Journalism has maintained a commitment to the highest standards of ethical conduct and academic excellence. Any student found plagiarizing, fabricating, cheating on examinations, and/or purchasing papers or other assignments faces sanctions ranging from an ‘F’ on the assignment to dismissal from the School of Journalism.”Allacademic integrity violations will be reported to the office of Student Judicial Affairs & Community Standards (SJACS), as per university policy, as well as journalism school administrators and the school’s academic integrity committee.
In addition, it is assumed that the work you submit for this course is work you have produced entirely by yourself, and has not been previously produced by you for submission in another course or Learning Lab, without approval of the instructor.
DIVERSITY
In addition to being ethical in developing and writing your stories, it is important that you consider diversity. When looking at your work, you should consider who is involved and how it will impact others. Is your work fair and does it represent all stakeholders in a balanced manner? This class will help you include diverse viewpoints. The class will discuss socioeconomic, racial, religious, gender, geographical and sexual orientation issues in the context of current events.
CLASS PROTOCOL AND PROFESSIONAL DRESS CODE
This is a professional degree program. As such, students are expected to deal with each other and with their instructors in a collegial manner. That means you should immediately talk to your instructor if you have any concerns about the course, grading, fellow students, the length of time it takes to get back graded assignments, etc. If an issue has not been resolved, please contact Journalism School Associate Director Laura Castaneda at .
For purposes of this class, you are a member of the working press. You should expect to be treated with all of the normal courtesies and privileges afforded to the news media. In return, you are expected to represent the profession in a dignified and appropriate manner.
If you want to be taken seriously in the field then you need to dress like a professional, not a college student. Business casual is best: women should wear skirts or dresses of an appropriate length and pants that are not jeans; men should wear a dress shirt and slacks (not jeans). No skimpy or tight clothing, shorts, wrinkled t-shirts or flip flops. Avoid clothing with any sort of logo, including USC logos.
LAPTOP, PHONE, AND TABLET POLICY.
Students are welcome to use laptops and tablets in the classroom for purposes relevant to the class lesson. PERIOD.
LEARNING LAB REQUIREMENT
All core newswriting students must become a staff member of a campus media organization by the end of the third week of class.
--Broadcast majors must fulfill their requirement at ATVN.
--Print and public relations majors can work at Annenberg Radio News, Neon Tommy, Intersections: The South Los Angeles Project and on-campus media organizations, or an off-campus internship. Any internship must have the approval of your broadcast instructor by Week 3
Print and public relations majors MUST email me by Friday Sept 13 with the following information: 1) where you are doing your learning lab, 2) what your responsibilities will be, and 3) an email and phone number for your direct supervisor who I can contact about your attendance and performance.
More details on the Learning Lab requirement and guidelines on internships will be presented during the first class.
Here is a breakdown of your final grade:
Assignments 25 percent
Quizzes 10 percent
Learning Lab requirement 10 percent
Midterm - Week 8 25 percent
Final 30 percent
Total 100 percent
WRITING COACHES
Students are encouraged to review at least one story with a writing coach after the instructor has graded the assignment. Writing coaches are available during posted drop-in times and by appointment in ASC 333. The print writing coach is: Bryce Nelson (). The broadcast writing coach is Vince Gonzales at .
INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY
BARBARA HYDE PIERCE
213-999-5217
USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
2011-2013
Adjunct Faculty/ Broadcast News Writing and Reporting
CBS NEWS
1982-2010
Producer for CBS Evening News/New York & Los Angeles Bureaus
Also produced pieces for Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes II, 48 Hours
DOCUMENTARY: LAVENDER SCARE
CO-PRODUCER 2010-2012
AWARDS
DuPont for Investigation of Used Police Weapons Sold to Criminals (Correspondent Vince Gonzales)
National Emmy for Investigative Reporting of Energy Crisis (Correspondent
Vince Gonzales)
National Emmy for Investigative Reporting of Secret Enron Tapes (Correspondent Vince Gonzales)
EDUCATION
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Masters Degree