JOUR501: NEWS REPORTING & WRITING
University of Maryland - College of Journalism - Summer 2005
Instructor: Associate Dean Christopher Callahan
Time: M-F, 9-10:40 a.m.
Office: Room 2102
Phone (office): 301.405.2432
Phone (home): 703.759.7515
e-mail: ccallahan@jmail.umd.edu
Office Hours: Everyday after class, or by appointment
About the Course: JOUR501, News Reporting & Writing I, is a skills-based immersion into the world of
journalism. Students will learn the foundations of journalism and the craft's two main components -
reporting and writing of the news. At the successful conclusion of the course, students will have
demonstrated proficiency – at a professional news level – of the following:
· Fundamentals of Journalism – accuracy, newsworthiness, deadlines, objectivity and fairness.
· Basic News Writing Skills - spelling, grammar, AP style, attribution, the inverted pyramid structure,
single-sentence paragraphs, crisp and compelling news ledes and the use of quotations.
· Basic Reporting Techniques – rudimentary interviewing skills and the use of commercial
databases (Nexis-Lexis) and the Internet to background stories and find news documents.
· Basic Reporting and Writing of Short (300 word) News Stories – obituaries, accidents,
speeches/meetings and crimes.
JOUR501 serves as the main foundation for the entire skills-based curriculum at the Philip Merrill
College of Journalism, which today is ranked as one of the top journalism schools in the
nation. Therefore, it is designed to be an extremely rigorous and challenging course. Be forewarned and prepared.
About the Instructor: Christopher Callahan is associate dean of
the Merrill College of Journalism, senior editor of American Journalism Review
and director of the master's program.
Required Readings and Texts:
The Washington Post. Students must read The Washington Post for an hour everyday before class,
focusing on the front section and the Metro section. News stories should be analyzed for both the quality of
writing and depth of reporting. We will discuss the content and structure of stories regularly in class.
Writing and Reporting News by Carole Rich. Chapters are assigned to supplement class lectures and
writing assignments.
A Journalist’s Guide to the Internet by Christopher Callahan. (note: All author’s royalties are donated to
the University of Maryland chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists).
The Associated Press Stylebook. A reference guide that you must bring to class each day.
A pocket dictionary (bring to class each day).
A detailed map of Maryland (bring to class each day).
Assignments: There will be four types of assignments, plus a final examination. All assignments for
this class must be typed and double-spaced. Submit paper copies of all assignment. Electronic copies
(diskettes or e-mail) will not be accepted in lieu of paper copies.
Daily Assignments. These will include about 20 in-class stories reported and written in-class and
several take-home AP style exercises. These will count as one assignment each. The lowest three grades will
be dropped.
Daily News Quiz. There will be a daily news quiz – ranging from two to 10 questions – at the beginning
of some class sessions. These will count as one-third of a daily assignment.
Outside Writing Assignments. There will be about six outside reporting and writing assignments. They
will count as two assignments each. The lowest single grade will be dropped.
Math Test. A 20-question math test, covering basic arithmetic, rounding and percent change, will be
taken by all students. Students who get all questions correct will receive an A for the assignment and will be
exempt from future math tests. Those who get one or more wrong will get no grade for the first test and be
required to take a second test. The second test will count, either an A for all correct or an F for one or more
wrong. Students who fail the second math test will continue to take a version of the test until they score an A.
All math tests after the first will count.
Final. The final will be a single news story written in class. It will count as two assignments.
Deadlines: Since this course is designed to immerse students in the world of journalism, we will
replicate the tight and unbending deadlines of a real-life newsroom. That means in-class assignments must
be on my desk promptly at the designated time. Overnight assignments must be on my desk promptly at the
beginning of class (9 a.m.). Stories handed in one day, one hour or one minute late will receive an F. There
are no exceptions.
Accuracy: Since accuracy is the most important aspect of journalism, we will adhere to rigid
standards. Any factual error - including the misspelling of a proper name - will result in an F.
Grades: The three lowest grades on in-class stories and exercises will be dropped. The lowest grade on
an outside assignment will be dropped. Attendance will impact your final grade because any missed
assignments - in or out of class - will receive an F. No excuses are accepted. Assignments will be based on the
following criteria in an effort to reflect professional newsroom standards:
Plagiarism & Fabrication. Any story that includes fabricated or plagiarized material will result in an
automatic F for the course and a recommendation of expulsion from the University to the Office of Judicial Affairs.
Libel. Any story that includes libelous material will result in an F.
Accuracy. Any factual errors in a story, including the misspelling of a person's name or an incorrect
age, will result in an F.
Deadlines. Any story that is submitted after the deadline (9 a.m. for outside assignments; announced
deadlines for in-class assignments), will result in an F, even if it is one minute late.
Stories that have no factual errors
and are submitted on time will be evaluated on the following criteria: Spelling,
Grammar, AP style, Structure, Conciseness, Readability and Completeness. An “A”
would be a story that could be published in a major metropolitan newspaper with
little or no editing. A “B” would be a story that could be published in a major
metropolitan newspaper with some editing. A “C” would be a story that could be
published in a major metropolitan newspaper with significant editing. A “D”
would be a story that could be published in a major metropolitan newspaper with
a rewrite. An “F” is a story that could not be rewritten into a useable form or
had one of the journalistic “sins” listed above.
Publication Requirements: Each student will be required
to submit a minimum of three news stories (sporting events, movie reviews,
commentary and the like do not count) published by the last day of class (July
8). The Diamondback campus newspaper publishes on a weekly basis during the
summer. There also are opportunities at a wide range of weekly newspapers. Your
final grade will be lowered by a full letter for each story short of the
required three missed by the final day of class. Any news story beyond the
required three published by the last day of class will bring your final grade up
by 1 percentage point. Up to three published stories may be submitted for extra
credit. Please note: you cannot count on a newspaper to publish your story on a
particular day or week. Therefore, it is critical that you develop a
relationship with a newspaper immediately - by the end of Wednesday - and plan
on writing at least one story a week for outside of class.
Academic Integrity. Along with
certain rights, students also have the responsibility to behave honorably in an
academic environment. Academic dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication,
facilitating academic dishonesty and plagiarism, will not be tolerated. Adhering
to a high ethical standard is of special importance in the world of journalism,
where reliability and credibility are the cornerstones of the field. Therefore,
the college has adopted a “zero tolerance” policy on academic dishonesty. Any
abridgment of the university’s academic integrity standards in a College of
Journalism course will be referred directly to the dean. The dean will send all
confirmed cases to the university's Office of Judicial Affairs with a
recommendation of expulsion from the university for any violation of the code.
To insure this is understood, all students will be required to sign an academic
integrity pledge at the beginning of the semester that will cover all
assignments in the course.
Students With Disabilities. Students with a specific disability (permanent or temporary, physical or
learning) needing special accommodation during the semester should make an appointment to meet with the
instructor.
(Readings and assignments listed are due for the following class session unless otherwise noted).
May 31/Session 1: Course & Program Orientation
Introduction to the Master's program, course overview and the Foundations of Journalism
Assignment: 400-word profile of yourself (not graded)
Read: Rich, Chapter 2-Changing Concepts of News and Chapter 4-Grammar and
Usage
June 1/Session 2: What is News? Elements of News, Newspapers & News Decision-Making
Read: Rich, Chapter 3-The Basic News Story and review AP
Stylebook
Assignment: Contact with newspaper
June 2/Session 3: AP Style, Basic News Stories & Obituaries
Rich, Chapter
6-Sources Assignment: AP style quiz No. 1
June 3/Session 4: Basic Reference Tools with Bob Garber at McKeldin Library
Assignment: Outside assignment No. 1 – Nexis-Lexis Research
(due Wednesday) & Chapter 9 - Obituaries
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June 6/Session 5: Obituary No. 1
June 7/Session: 6: Obituary No. 2
Assignment: Outside assignment No. 2 - 500-word obituary on assigned person (due
Monday)
June 8/Session 7: Obituary No. 3
Assignment: AP style quiz No. 2
June 9/Session 8: Obituary No. 4
Assignment: AP style quiz No. 3
Read: Callahan, Chapters 1-5.
June 10/Session 9: Reporting with the Internet I: Net Basics & Top News Sites (reporter.umd.edu).
Read: Callahan, Chapters 6-8.
Assignment: Outside assignment No.
3 – Internet reporting (due one week from Monday)
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June 13/Session 10: Reporting with the Internet II: Strategic Searching on Deadline
Read: Rich, Chapter 23-Disasters, Weather and Tragedy
Assignment: Math quiz No. 1
June 14/Session 11: Attribution & The Accident Story
June 15/Session 12: Accident No. 1
Assignment: Math quiz No. 2 (if necessary)
June 16/Session 13: Accident No. 2
June 17/Session 14: Accident No. 3
Assignment: Math quiz No. 3 (if necessary)
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June 20/Session 15: Accident No. 4
Read: Rich, Chapter 7-Interviewing Techniques and
20-Speeches, News Conferences & Meetings.
June 21/Session 16: Speeches, Quotes & Interviews
Assignment: Math quiz No. 4 (if necessary)
June 22/Session 17: Speech/Press Conference/Meeting No. 1
Read: Rich, Chapter 16-Ethics
Assignment: Outside Assignment No. 4 (due Monday)
June 23/Session 18: Journalism Ethics
June 24/No Class Session
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June 27/No Class Session
June 28/Session 19: Speech/Press Conference/Meeting No. 2
Read: Rich, Chapter 17-Multicultural Sensitivity
June 29/Session 20: Diversity in the News
Read: Rich, Chapter 15-Accuracy and Libel.
June 30/Session 21: Legal Issues & Crime Stories
Read: Rich, Chapter 22-Crime and Punishment.
July 1/ Session 22: Crime No. 1
Assignment: Outside assignment No. 5 (due Monday)
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July 4 - Independence Day Holiday
July 5/Session 23: Crime No. 2
July 6/Session 24: Crime No. 3
Assignment: Outside assignment No. 6 (due Monday)
July 7/Session 25: Crime No. 4
July 8/Session 26: Final exam