Hard News Format

I. The Headline

Line on top of the story that gives central focus of article
Catches reader's attention

II. The Lead

The beginning of the article
The "hook" that tells the reader what the story is all about
Usually written in one sentence; no more than 35 words
Summarizes main points: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

Ex.) A Northwestern University professor of hearing sciences was shot and seriously wounded in a university parking lot Thursday.

III. Body of story

Elaborates on 5 W's & H
Backup/nut graph: Second paragraph in article, right after lead; states central focus of article.

Ex.) A University of Florida law student suffering from amensia after mysteriously disappearing in July has recalled her abduction under hypnosis, authorities said.
Elizabeth "Libby" Morris, 32, slowly has regained memory of her life before her disappearance from the Oaks Mall parking lot but has never consciously remembered what occurred during the five days she was missing, said Lt. Spencer Mann, a spokesman with the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.

Written in small paragraphs (no more than 3 sentences each)
Contains transitions
Uses quotes, background information, and straight facts to elaborate on lead
INVERTED PYRAMID!

IV. End of article

Contains least important information
Could be a quote

Ex.) An article on the dangers of texting and driving might end with someone being quoted as saying, "This behavior has to stop."

Brainstorming Sites

Long Island Press

Newsday (you can't get the full stories here, but you can browse the story previews to generate ideas)

Smithtown East Library Databases (Look under "Magazines/Newspapers/Periodicals")

Hard News

For the rest of the quarter, you will have a weekly assignment to complete on your blog. Once a week, you will be required to find and post the link to an article that catches your attention. It could be any type of news except for entertainment.

After posting this article to your blog, you must do the following:

1.) Summarize the main points of the article.

2.) Why is this article newsworthy?

3.) Do you spot any bias in this article? If so, where?

4.) If you were writing this article, what would you have done differently? Why?

You must write in complete sentences and answer thoughtfully; you have an entire week to do one post. Posts will be due on the Monday of each week. If you are not staying up to par with the requirements, I will comment on your entries to let you know.

Your first post is due this Monday, October 4th.

Classwork for Wednesday, 9/29

University of Texas Shooting

Just for fun...

I love NY :)

Types of News Project

Today, you will be researching one of five types of news that we will be exploring throughout this semester (you will be writing a satire piece as well, but we'll save that for later). With your group, you are going to find information about your assigned type of news and organize that information into a brief powerpoint presentation to share with the class tomorrow.

Your powerpoint should be structured as follows:

Slide #1: What are some characteristics of this news? Where might you find it in the newspaper? What type of people might read this news?

Slide #2: Two specific examples of this type of news (links to articles). Be prepared to share what it is about that article, specifically, that qualifies it as your category of news.

Slide #3: Works Cited slide (list of websites as to where you got all of your information)

The powerpoint itself should be created on one computer, but everyone should be participating in the process. I suggest having one person make the presentation, and the other 2 or 3 doing the research and telling the powerpoint person what to write.


Here are some helpful links for research depending on what type of news you were assigned. However, you are welcome to use other sites as well.

Hard News

Features

Editorials

Reviews

Sports


And something for all groups:

General

You will have the rest of today's class to start working on this, and about 15 minutes of tomorrow's class to finish it up. You will present tomorrow. Your group will be graded as follows:

Requirements met: 25 pts.
Effort: 15 pts.
Your individual class work/presentation: 10 pts.

Weekend Homework

Complete "Newspaper Words"-- due Monday.

Happy Friday!

Homework for Wednesday, 9/22

1. Cut out or print out an article that is newsworthy. On the back or on an attached piece of paper, explain which qualities of newsworthiness it matches and why.

2. Quiz Friday on ethics terms and what we did today (what is news/what makes something newsworthy)

Bias: Never assume.

Now You See Me, Now You Don't

Weekend Homework

*Read 2.2 and 2.3 in textbook

*Interview due by Sunday night on blog (or e-mailed to me)

Happy Weekend!

FYI

Ethical guidelines for online news reporting (from Writing and Reporting News by Carole Rich):

*Don’t copy material from the Internet (including images) without permission. Many images are offered free for personal use, but check the site notices to be sure.

*Don’t write any defamatory messages to a discussion group.

*Avoid writing defamatory or derogatory comments, even in personal e-mail messages.

*Consider the accuracy of material you find on the internet. Check the site owner and organization to make sure you are using a responsible site. You should also verify the accuracy of the information from the internet.

*Check the posting dates of online material to determine whether the information is still accurate. It will often be outdated.

The internet is a great place for research and article ideas, but be careful!

Who doesn't love starting his day with an ethical dilemma?

Should Photos Come With Warning Labels?

Women are Reporters, Too...

...but when you enter a men's locker room to do interviews, controversy stirs.

NFL: Be Respectful to Women Reporters

Classwork for Thursday, 9/16

Video: Robots at Work

After viewing the video, reading the print article and reading the online article (read down to "Expanding the Workplace"),create a three-way venn diagram in your notebook. Evaluate the similarities and differences amongst the 3 forms of media. How does each one present the news? What do they all have in common? What characteristics or qualities are specific to each type of media? And finally, I want you to consider: Which type of media-- the video, print article, or online article-- did the best job of telling the story? Why? Be ready to discuss with the class.

Homework for Wednesday, 9/15

-Answer Chapter 1 review questions #1-15 odd (page 23 in your textbook)

-Quiz Friday on Chapter 1! Look over your notes about the history of journalism, the First Amendment, journalists, and the different types of mass media.

-Interview assignment due by Sunday night on your blog.

Interview Assignment

This assignment is due by 9 p.m. on Sunday, September 19th:

Conduct an interview with an adult about the role of mass media in his/her life. First, you must create 3-5 interview questions. Your questions should focus around how the adult receives the news and his/her opinions about various forms of mass media (i.e., "Do you think the internet is as trustworthy a source of news as a newspaper?")

Post your questions and your subject's responses to your blog no later than 9 p.m. on Sunday. If you don't have a working blog, please e-mail me the interview (ekiernan@smithtown.k12.ny.us) by that same deadline.

Make sure you specify who you interviewed and what that person's relation is to you.

Notes: History of Newspapers and The First Amendment

Here are today's notes if you missed them.

Instructions for creating your blog

-Go to www.blogger.com
-Click "Create a Blog"
-Type in an e-mail address and a password
-Title your blog
-The URL for your blog should be your first initial and last name (ekiernan). If that is already taken, add numbers (ekiernan09)
-When your blog is set up, go to "settings" on the blog and then "permissions"
-Go to "Blog Readers" and choose "Only people I choose"
-Type in: ekiernan@smithtown.k12.ny.us