* 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.
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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.
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