J132: No class this week, get your blogs in order by Friday TAGS: class announcements | journalism instruction | writing instruction Friday is the deadline for revising the stories on your blogs. I will evaluate the stories on your blog to determine 60 percent of your final grade. We will not …Continue reading →

J130: Your final assignment TAGS: essay | journalism instruction | journalists | last assignment UPDATED: We will not meet as a class this week. You may use the blog to set up individual conferences with me. Also, you may contact me by phone or …Continue reading →

J132: Quotes are important TAGS: conducting interviews | journalism instruction | overcoming shyness Get lots of quotes for your stories. Good quotes are crucial. They inject emotion into your stories. The inclusion of voices other than your own also make your stories more …Continue reading →

J130: You’re not in English class TAGS: essays | journalism instruction | writing instruction Too many journalism students write stories that read like essays, according to this article on About.com. The author, Tony Rogers, argues – rightly – that there is no room for …Continue reading →

J132: Here are two more ideas for stories TAGS: journalism instruction | story ideas Anyone still looking for story ideas? You could cover a panel discussion Friday at the law school about sports drug testing. There also is a tree-planting event being held on …Continue reading →

J132: Stories are everywhere TAGS: finding stories | journalism instruction Some of you say you’re having trouble finding stories. Stories are everywhere. I asked you to present me with story ideas because I would rather you write about subjects that …Continue reading →

J130: The news and social media TAGS: digital news | journalism instruction | news | search engines | social media Earlier in the semester when we read about Buzzfeed, we learned that the rationale behind the site was the owner’s belief that the way people get news is changing. Buzzfeed …Continue reading →

J132: In your writing and reporting, focus on specifics TAGS: journalism instruction | nut grafs | story leads | writing instruction This Washington Post story is about how Florida’s Stand Your Ground law has spread to 30 other states, coinciding with a sharp rise in justifiable homicide cases across the country. …Continue reading →

J132: Write about people, not impersonal issues TAGS: journalism instruction | nut grafs | story leads | writing instruction Pay attention to the news stories that you read and you will see that the story structure we discussed this week is used all the time. Here is a story …Continue reading →

J132: Here is a story to study TAGS: journalism instruction | story leads | writing instruction Some of you are writing stories that deal with large issues such as race, education and social media. Some others of you are writing stories that “localize” national or international …Continue reading →

J132: Nut graf #2 – Community gun TAGS: journalism instruction | nut grafs | story leads | writing instruction There usually is an element of salesmanship in nut grafs. Often beginning four or five paragraphs into a story that uses a narrative or descriptive lead, the nut graf is …Continue reading →

J132: Delayed leads TAGS: delayed leads | journalism instruction | story leads | writing instruction We focused on hard-news leads for the first half of the semester. Now we will start to explore the different types of delayed leads. Please remember, however, that we will …Continue reading →