Advanced Newswriting & Reporting
主题目录
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Advanced
English Newswriting & Reporting: Hone your ability to report and write
breaking news and other important stories in clear, concise, compelling English.
Professor Jim Wolf, wolfj@msn.com
Class meets twice a week, October, November, 2016
Mondays: 1 pm - 2:30 pm, Building 4, Room #427
Tuesdays: 8:15 am – 9:45 am, Building 4, Room #340
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, Building 1, Room #260
Online classroom: elearning.shisu.edu.cn, “Advanced Newswriting”
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The AP Stylebook is widely used as a writing and editing reference in English-language newsrooms, classrooms and corporate offices worldwide. Updated regularly since its initial publication in 1953, the AP Stylebook provides fundamental guidelines for spelling, language, punctuation, usage and journalistic style. It is widely considered a vital resource for journalists working in English. A tip-sheet drawn from the AP Stylebook follows below. -
10 Resources for Writers -- a collection from the Poynter Institute's News University. As the e-learning project of The Poynter Institute, "NewsU" functions as a school for journalists, future journalists, teachers of journalism and anyone interested in the craft and values of journalism.
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Here's a note to subscribers on this week's U.S. presidential election from The New York Times. Note that the Times, long regarded within the industry as a national "newspaper of record," is rededicating itself to its core mission amid recriminations over how the press and the opinion polls mis-projected the race's outcome. -
Here's a solid news analysis of what Donald Trump's election as president of the United States may change for the United States and other countries. The analysis is by David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent of the New York Times. Note Sanger's impartial tone, in line with the best practices of neutral, objective newswriting and reporting (even though analytical pieces give journalists more leeway to frame big issues). Note, too, the heavy use of Trump's own words throughout to illustrate key points. Accurately quoting what someone has said in the past is a core journalistic requirement. (NB: I'm not endorsing any political positions discussed in this piece, merely pointing it out for its journalistic value). -
Here's a critique of each group's coverage of the final hours of the U.S. presidential campaign. No grades were assigned for this exercise. -
In-class exercise: Cover the final hours of the U.S. presidential campaign. We've received (mock) statements from Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. On the eve of Election Day, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump scrambled around the country, urging voters to consider the election critical for the future of the United States and the world. They appeared within hours of each other in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Raleigh, North Carolina.
SAMPLE REPORT:
Trump Vows to Challenge any Clinton Victory Claim in Court
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 - Donald Trump said Monday he would challenge any victory claim by Hillary Clinton before all votes are counted in the U.S. presidential race. Clinton, meanwhile, swung away from an email controversy on Election Day eve, suggesting that early voter turnout could help her become the first female U.S president.
Trump, the Republican nominee, said that Clinton, his Democratic Party rival, was concluding what he called a “broad effort to steal this election.”
“I will challenge any victory that she may claim before all votes are counted,” Trump told a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. “And I will legally contest the outcome if the result is questionable.”
A Trump challenge to any claimed Clinton victory raised the prospect of another chapter of political maneuvering that could drag past Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, when a newly elected president is due to take office under the U.S. Constitution. After a contested election in 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled that George W. Bush had defeated Al Gore.
Trump lashed out at James Comey, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, accusing him of bowing to “tremendous pressure” from Democrats after having announced a second examination of Clinton’s controversial email arrangements while she was President Barack Obama’s secretary of state.
On Sunday, Comey, in a vaguely worded letter to congressional leaders, said that the FBI, the nation’s top law-enforcement agency, had found nothing to change his months-old decision not to seek charges against Clinton for her use of a private email server rather than an official one.
“It's up to the American people to deliver the justice that we deserve at the ballot box in coming hours,” Trump told supporters. “We're going to win."
Clinton, at a rally on Monday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said early voting was breaking her way. "I really do want to be the president for everybody," she said.
She accused the Trump campaign of widening splits in the United States. The wife of former president Bill Clinton, she would become the first woman elected president since the United States was founded in 1776 .
“We’re just going to work until the last vote is counted. We are on a good track,” she said.
Both candidates portrayed the election as critical for the future of the United States and the world. They appeared within hours of each other in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Raleigh.
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Here are Trump's remarks at a a mid-afternoon rally in Raleigh, N.C
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Hillary Clinton appears to be concluding a broad effort to steal this election. I will challenge any victory that she may claim before all votes are counted. And I will legally contest the outcome if the result is questionable.
So-called opinion polls that show me tailing in key states such as Pennsylvania are dead wrong. They are part of a broader media conspiracy to undermine my campaign.
The fact that James Comey, head of the FBI, says that he already has completed his examination of newly discovered emails tied to Clinton prove that the system is rigged to help elect Crooked Hillary.
The FBI director obviously was under tremendous pressure from Democrats to clear Hillary again. But voters know that she should face criminal charges for her use of a private internet server instead of an official e-mail account as U.S. secretary of state.
It's up to the American people to deliver the justice that we deserve at the ballot box in coming hours. We're going to win."
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Hillary Clinton, at a rally on Monday night, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:
"Early voting is breaking our way.
“We are on the path to see more Americans vote than we have ever seen in our history. If the lines are long tomorrow, please wait.
"I really do want to be the president for everybody. The splits in the country have been widened by the Trump campaign. We’re just going to work until the last vote is counted. We are on a good track."
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Submit another group report, of up to 400 words, for Week 5. The deadline is 12:00 (noon) on Sunday, Nov. 13. The group's rotating editor alone should file this report, drawing on suggestions from all group members. Pay particular attention to crafting a strong lead and making sure that there are no holes in the story. Write a headline for your piece, which should weave together more than one development in the area that you are monitoring. Make sure to include the necessary background information, such as a nut graph, so that readers have a complete picture of the latest events, in context. The rotating editor should list her name on the report on behalf of her group. All group members should review the report before it is formally submitted and make suggestions to the editor for improving it. The editor has the final say. Each member of the group will receive the same grade for the group's finished product. -
Fox News apologizes for falsely reporting that Clinton faces indictment. Fox News anchor Bret Baier, right, with Donald Trump. -
The SPJ Code of Ethics is a statement of principles supported by explanations and position papers that address changing journalistic practices. It is not a set of rules, rather a guide that encourages all who engage in journalism to take responsibility for the information they provide, regardless of medium. The code should be read as a whole; individual principles should not be taken out of context. The Society of Professional Journalists calls itself the United States' most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. -
News can be defined as "Newsworthy information about
recent events or happenings, especially as reported by news media". But
what makes news newsworthy?There is a list of five factors, detailed below, which help determine if a story is newsworthy. When an editor needs to decide whether to run with a particular story, s/he will ask how well the story meets each of these criteria. Normally, a story should perform well in at least two areas.
Naturally, competition plays a part. If there are a lot of newsworthy stories on a particular day then some stories will be dropped. Although some stories can be delayed until a new slot becomes available, time-sensitive news will often be dropped permanently.
Source: MediaCollege.com, a free educational website for all forms of electronic media. Features hundreds of exclusive tutorials covering video & television production, audio work, photography, graphics, web design and more. You'll also find utilities, reference material (e.g. user manuals), industry news and a helpful forum. (MediaCollege.com is authored and maintained by Wavelength Media, a multi-media production company in New Zealand).
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Read this outstanding piece on the state of U.S. media on the eve of the hard-fought 2016 presidential election. It's a very perceptive take on the need for good journalism to drive out the bad -- that is, to counter unverifiable rumor, speculation and lies that may otherwise pass for news in the digital age.
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