Plans for Thursday, Sept. 31

Don't be sad. We won't have a news quiz tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 31).

Instead, we'll informally check out the day's big stories, review your second news briefs, polish and send these to the Insider, AND (if there's time) have a fascinating powerpoint lecture on interviewing skills.

Don't miss it!

Class canceled for tomorrow -- Tuesday, Sept. 28

Our class for tomorrow -- Tuesday, Sept. 28 -- is canceled. Please use this time to work on your second news briefs. We'll stay on schedule, so be sure to e-mail your news briefs to me at lljakiela@gmail.com by midnight on Wednesday, Sept. 29. We'll workshop your stories in class on Thursday. Guidelines for the news briefs are on the blog (see list of assignments from last week).

Pendulum, UPG's Literary Magazine, Accepting Submissions

Pendulum, the literary magazine of Pitt-Greensburg, is now accepting submissions for the Fall 2010 issue. The editors are looking for poetry, prose, artwork and photography. Multiple submissions are fine (no more than three please). All writing submissions should be kept to 1,000 words or fewer.

Submissions can emailed and attached as Microsoft Word documents, then sent
to UPGPendulum@gmail.com.

New Novel from UPG Writing Program Graduate (Our First-Ever!)

Dave Newman, a 1993 graduate of the UPG Writing Program, has a new (and first) novel out now. His novel, "Please Don't Shoot Anyone Tonight," is a crime and coming-of-age story set in nearby Irwin, Pa. It's the first-ever book by a UPG Writing Program grad. Ever. Check it out here. And for more about Dave, visit his website here.

National Undergraduate Lit Mag Seeks Submissions

Here's a great chance for you lit-writer types. The inaugural edition of Catfish Creek, a national undergraduate literary journal based at Loras College, needs submissions.

The details from the magazine's editors:

"Catfish Creek, the national undergraduate literary journal of Loras College, is pleased to announce the release of its inaugural edition, slated for Spring 2011. Catfish Creek is intended as a showcase for undergraduate writers from across the country and around the world. We are welcoming submissions of fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction.

"Any student currently registered in an undergraduate program is eligible to submit. If we accept your work, we will ask for proof of your current enrollment.

"Our reading period is September 1-November 15. Any manuscripts received outside of that time will be deleted unread. Simultaneous submissions are welcome as long as we are informed if the work is accepted elsewhere.

"Submission Guidelines:
All submissions should be sent electronically, as MS-Word (.doc or .docx) or RTF attachments, to Catfish.Creek@loras.edu. Please specify the genre of your submission (poetry, fiction, nonfiction) in the Subject line of your message.
Ex: Fiction submission—“Story Title”

"For more submission guidelines please see our website

"We are excited at Loras College to be starting a new tradition, and equally excited to read the incoming submissions. Welcome to Catfish Creek!"

Job Opp -- Examiner.com

Turn your journalism pieces into a little extra cash by writing for Examiner.com. This hyper-local news and entertainment blog runs on freelance writers who bring expertise in specialized topics and coverage areas. (For instance, sports writers: see here to apply to be a Pitt-Greensburg Bobcats Examiner.)

Atomic Cafe and Dr. Strangelove

THE ATOMIC CAFE is a both terrifying and hilarious film released in 1982 as a reminder of cold-war era paranoia in the U.S. The film, which has since become a classic must-see, includes collages of newsreels, military training films and government archives -- all set to a 1950s soundtrack. The film captures a panicked nation and offers an account of life during the atomic age -- complete with duck-and-cover drills and fall-out shelters and government propaganda campaigns. Critics compare it to both "Reefer Madness" and Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" -- another classic film about bomb-love and fear. Here's an online glimpse at The Atomic Cafe.

Some Background: Hiroshima

This video from the BBC includes commentary from survivors of the bombing of Hiroshima. The approach -- a focus on individual, human stories -- is similar to the one Hersey takes.

This actual footage from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki represents the kind of coverage that was more common before Hersey's reportage. (Note focus on the bombs' power.)

Sept. 21, 23: Focus on John Hersey's Hiroshima

HERSEY
This week, we'll be focusing on John Hersey's "Hiroshima." On Tuesday, we'll have a presentation on the book and Hersey's particular style of reportage. On Thursday, you'll have a quiz on the book. This quiz will replace our usual news quiz.

LAST WEEK'S NEWS BRIEFS
If we didn't review your first news brief in class last week, I'll get to you first thing on Thursday. If your story will be old news before Thursday, please let me know and we'll get to it sooner.

Those of you who have already had your news brief workshopped, please be sure to send it to The Insider. You should slug your stories as follows:
Subject line: News Brief -- Your Name -- Subject

Send to the editors:

Rachel Kuskie, editor in chief, at rak57@pitt.edu
CJ Simpson, assistant editor, at cjs112@pitt.edu

NEXT ASSIGNMENT:
E-mail to lljakiela@gmail.com by midnight Wednesday, Sept. 29

A second news brief -- very similar to the first news brief, with one exception. This time, you'll have two relevant sources quoted and present in the piece.

Structure your story like this:

Paragraph 1: Lede
Paragraph 2: Extension of Lede (extra Ws/Hs)
Paragraph 3: Quote from first source (most relevant source; best quote)
Paragraph 4: Additional Ws/Hs, transition
Paragraph 5: Introduction of secondary source
Paragraph 6: Quote from secondary source (strong, good quote)
Paragraph 7: For more information, contact

Choose from the list of upcoming events on the campus calendar OR cover an upcoming event that falls within your coverage area (a.k.a. Greensburg and nearby sites). Be sure to contact your sources now so you don't get stuck later. Go for strong, burst-of-life quotes. Use basic AP Style. Good grammar counts. Accuracy -- both factual and technical -- is essential.

We'll workshop these pieces on Thursday.

FINAL PORTFOLIO REMINDER
Remember to print and save a copy of all your stories and revisions. Use a folder or a binder and keep your stories in chronological order, newest pieces on top. If your story runs in the Insider, print a copy of that version, too, and keep it in your portfolio. You'll turn in your portfolio at the end of the term.

Internship Opportunity: Social Media Writer

Technology Publishing/Paintsquare is seeking a motivated student intern to assist with social media initiatives. Obtain hands-on experience while earning college credit in a fun and casual environment at our office in the heart of Pittsburgh’s exciting South Side neighborhood. Interested candidates should send cover letter, resume and 1-3 social networking profiles to Pam Simmons at psimmons@paintsquare.com.

Duties:

• Monitor postings and interactions on social media platforms
• Comment and contribute to the growth of our current social media tools used (Twitter and Facebook)
• Measure and enhance the impact of our online social media strategy
• Develop creative ways to promote the company utilizing social media

Qualifications:

• Completion of at least one year of undergraduate studies desired
• Must be self-starting and able to work independently
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Creative thinker
• Experience with Facebook and Twitter is required
• Experience with MySpace, Orkut, LinkedIn, blogs or mobile apps is a plus
• Experience in communications, marketing or journalism is helpful.

Benefits:
* Build your resume
* Letters of recommendation upon successful completion of the internship

Compensation:
Unpaid and for academic credit(s) only
Hours per Week:
Flexible

Reminders for Thursday, Sept. 16

Please check your e-mail. If you turned in your story on deadline, great job! And you'll have track-changes versions back from me. Please be sure you have access to these in class. We'll go over your stories one-on-one and you'll have a chance to polish them before you send them to the Insider (and before I give you a letter grade). Don't be overwhelmed by the track-changes comments. You're not supposed to be perfect at this point. You're not even supposed to be very good. We're working on that. :)

Remember the Insider editors will be visiting class. I'll bring doughnuts.

We'll have a very short news quiz after the editors' visit. Be sure to check the headlines.

Readings for Tuesday, Sept. 14 Class

Picnic Revives Memories of Life on the North Side -- Example of post-event coverage

Zoo Announces Birth of Tiger Cubs -- example of simple event announcement

Gist Street Series Ending -- example of complex event announcement

Attack Theatre Season Opening -- example of multi-sourced complex event announcement

Think News Quizzes are Hard?

You're not the only ones. Check out this week's On-the-Street News Quiz.

AP Style

This Saturday, Sept. 11 beginning at 11 a.m., the Southwest Pennsylvania Tea Party will rally supporters at Bushy Run Battlefield in Harrison City, Pa.

Insider Editors' Visit

Insider editors will visit class next Thursday, Sept. 16. They'll fill you in on what they do and how you can help.

Also, we'll have snacks.

News Notes, Updates, and Assignment for Sept. 14, Sept. 16

* Please rely on the blog for updates and assignments. Since we're short a textbook, please disregard the assignment schedule from our syllabus. I'll be lecturing on what we would have covered in the textbook, so be sure to come to class. I'll also post some (but not all) lecture notes on Blackboard.

* We'll have a quick news quiz tomorrow -- Thursday, Sept. 9. Don't forget to check out this week's big stories.

* Please begin reading John Hersey's Hiroshima. We won't get to it until Thursday, Sept. 23, but it's good to begin now.

* Your first news story is due next Wednesday, Sept. 15 by 2 p.m. The assignment is below. I'll go over details in class.

****************


Assignment #1: Basic News/Event Piece

Write your first news story. This story will be about an upcoming event on campus. Choose an event that interests you. You can find events and details on the campus calendar (www.pitt.edu/~upg).

Before you try to write the story, be sure you have all the necessary information (5Ws/1H). Be sure to contact and interview one relevant source. Be sure your source is the most relevant contact. Be sure to identify the source, quote him/her directly in your story, and provide contact information (phone number and e-mail address) for fact-checking purposes.

Structure your story like this:

Paragraph 1: Lede (most essential Ws/H or feature/attention getting move)
Paragraph 2: Add lede (other essential Ws/H)
Paragraph 3: Quote from the most relevant source for the story.
Paragraph 4: Any lingering Ws/H
Paragraph 5: Quote from source
Paragraph 6: For more information...

Again, you can bobble around a bit and make mistakes, but I do expect you to write clearly and well. Grammar and common-sense elements count. Basic AP Style (titles, dates, numbers) counts. 300- 500 words.

E-mail your story to me by 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15. Email to: lljakiela@gmail.com

I’ll bring in copies of select stories for workshop on Thursday.

Assignment for Thursday, Sept. 9 -- Two Rewrites

Rewrite your lede from Tuesday's class. Follow the AP Style basics we covered in class.

Also, try reworking the lede from this recent P-G story. Use your understanding of news values and reader interest. See what you can do.

Post your revised P-G lede here. Keep a copy of your rewrite of Tuesday's lede in your class portfolio.

***********


Benedum will host Bob Marley benefit concert
Monday, September 06, 2010
By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Benedum Center will be the site for "A Bob Marley Celebration" on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., featuring members of the reggae legend's family.

The Benedum (formerly the Stanley Theater) is the last venue where Bob Marley and The Wailers performed publicly on Sept. 23, 1980 before his death.

Confirmed performers include Stephen Marley, Damian Marley, Julian Marley, Cedella Marley and The Marley girls. In addition to the Marley children his wife Rita Marley will be traveling from her home in Ghana to be part of this event. Appearing with Rita will be former I-3 member, Marcia Griffiths.

Proceeds from the event will be go to support the One Love "Not-For-Profit" Foundation.

Reserved seats are on sale now at The Benedum Center Box Office, Theatre Square Box Office, Downtown; by phone, at 412-456-6666; and on line at www.pgharts.org.

Tickets are $49.50, $40.50 and $35.50. Limited gold circle seats also available for $79.50.

Stylebook Check

For class on Tuesday, please check your AP Stylebook for rules on:

* Dates
* Time
* Numbers
* Titles (capitalization rules)

We'll review these and apply them to your ledes.

Post Your Ledes Here

Please post your ledes in the comments section below. The deadline is 2 p.m. Sunday.

Stylin'

Introduce yourself to the wonders of the AP Stylebook through these fun (yep, I said fun) quizzes. AP Style

News Quiz

Visit The New York Times Daily News Quiz to keep up-to-date.

Orwell's Rules for Good Writing

In his essay "Politics and the English Language," George Orwell offers six simple rules for good writing. The full essay is posted on our class Blackboard site. If you haven't read it before, please do.

And here are the rules. These rules are as essential as looking both ways before you cross the street. Memorize them. Live them. Love them. Post them on your fridge. On your mirror. On your forehead. Everywhere.

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never us a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Excerpt from Kurt Vonnegut's "How to Write With Style"

Here's the brilliant Kurt Vonnegut's take on what makes writing good. The quick version: he has some rules.


1. Find a subject you care about
2. Do not ramble, though
3. Keep it simple
4. Have guts to cut
5. Sound like yourself
6. Say what you mean
7. Pity the readers

Below, is the explanation for these rules.

And so it goes...

****

from "How to Write With Style"
by
Kurt Vonnegut

Newspaper reporters and technical writers are trained to reveal almost nothing about themselves in their writings. This makes them freaks in the world of writers, since almost all of the other ink-stained wretches in that world reveal a lot about themselves to readers. We call these revelations, accidental and intentional, elements of style.

These revelations tell us as readers what sort of person it is with whom we are spending time. Does the writer sound ignorant or informed, stupid or bright, crooked or honest, humorless or playful --- ? And on and on.

Why should you examine your writing style with the idea of improving it? Do so as a mark of respect for your readers, whatever you're writing. If you scribble your thoughts any which way, your readers will surely feel that you care nothing about them. They will mark you down as an egomaniac or a chowderhead --- or, worse, they will stop reading you.

The most damning revelation you can make about yourself is that you do not know what is interesting and what is not. Don't you yourself like or dislike writers mainly for what they choose to show you or make you think about? Did you ever admire an emptyheaded writer for his or her mastery of the language? No.

So your own winning style must begin with ideas in your head.

1. Find a subject you care about
Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.

I am not urging you to write a novel, by the way --- although I would not be sorry if you wrote one, provided you genuinely cared about something. A petition to the mayor about a pothole in front of your house or a love letter to the girl next door will do.

2. Do not ramble, though
I won't ramble on about that.

3. Keep it simple
As for your use of language: Remember that two great masters of language, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound. "To be or not to be?" asks Shakespeare's Hamlet. The longest word is three letters long.

Joyce, when he was frisky, could put together a sentence as intricate and as glittering as a necklace for Cleopatra, but my favorite sentence in his short story "Eveline" is this one: "She was tired." At that point in the story, no other words could break the heart of a reader as those three words do.

Simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps even sacred. The Bible opens with a sentence well within the writing skills of a lively fourteen-year-old: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

4. Have guts to cut
It may be that you, too, are capable of making necklaces for Cleopatra, so to speak. But your eloquence should be the servant of the ideas in your head. Your rule might be this: If a sentence, no matter how excellent, does not illuminate your subject in some new and useful way, scratch it out.

5. Sound like yourself
The writing style which is most natural for you is bound to echo the speech you heard when a child. English was Conrad's third language, and much that seems piquant in his use of English was no doubt colored by his first language, which was Polish.

And lucky indeed is the writer who has grown up in Ireland, for the English spoken there is so amusing and musical. I myself grew up in Indianapolis, where common speech sounds like a band saw cutting galvanized tin, and employs a vocabulary as unornamental as a monkey wrench.

In some of the more remote hollows of Appalachia, children still grow up hearing songs and locutions of Elizabethan times. Yes, and many Americans grow up hearing a language other than English, or an English dialect a majority of Americans cannot understand.

All these varieties of speech are beautiful, just as the varieties of butterflies are beautiful. No matter what your first language, you should treasure it all your life. If it happens to not be standard English, and if it shows itself when your write standard English, the result is usually delightful, like a very pretty girl with one eye that is green and one that is blue.

I myself find that I trust my own writing most, and others seem to trust it most, too, when I sound most like a person from Indianapolis, which is what I am. What alternatives do I have? The one most vehemently recommended by teachers has no doubt been pressed on you, as well: to write like cultivated Englishmen of a century or more ago.

6. Say what you mean
I used to be exasperated by such teachers, but am no more. I understand now that all those antique essays and stories with which I was to compare my own work were not magnificent for their datedness or foreignness, but for saying precisely what their authors meant them to say.

My teachers wished me to write accurately, always selecting the most effective words, and relating the words to one another unambiguously, rigidly, like parts of a machine. The teachers did not want to turn me into an Englishman after all. They hoped that I would become understandable --- and therefore understood.

And there went my dream of doing with words what Pablo Picasso did with paint or what any number of jazz idols did with music. If I broke all the rules of punctuation, had words mean whatever I wanted them to mean, and strung them together higgledy-piggledy, I would simply not be understood.

So you, too, had better avoid Picasso-style or jazz-style writing, if you have something worth saying and wish to be understood.

Readers want our pages to look very much like pages they have seen before. Why? This is because they themselves have a tough job to do, and they need all the help they can get from us.

7. Pity the readers
They have to identify thousands of little marks on paper, and make sense of them immediately. They have to read, an art so difficult that most people don't really master it even after having studied it all through grade school and high school --- twelve long years.

So this discussion must finally acknowledge that our stylistic options as writers are neither numerous nor glamorous, since our readers are bound to be such imperfect artists. Our audience requires us to be sympathetic and patient readers, ever willing to simplify and clarify --- whereas we would rather soar high above the crowd, singing like nightingales.

That is the bad news. The good news is that we Americans are governed under a unique Constitution, which allows us to write whatever we please without fear of punishment. So the most meaningful aspect of our styles, which is what we choose to write about, is utterly unlimited.

8. For really detailed advice
For a discussion of literary style in a narrower sense, in a more technical sense, I recommend to your attention The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White. E.B. White is, of course, one of the most admirable literary stylists this country has so far produced.
You should realize, too, that no one would care how well or badly Mr. White expressed himself, if he did not have perfectly enchanting things to say.

In Sum:

1. Find a subject you care about
2. Do not ramble, though
3. Keep it simple
4. Have guts to cut
5. Sound like yourself
6. Say what you mean
7. Pity the readers

from: How to Use the Power of the Printed Word, Doubleday