[W]hether you’re writing news, opinion or analysis, if it isn’t based on shoe-leather reporting, it isn’t worth a bucket of beans.
—Leon Daniel
former head of U.P.I.’s London office
paraphrased by Thomas Friedman
The New York Times, May 12, 2006
SALEM STATE COLLEGE, Spring 2008
Course: COM 471 – Public Affairs Reporting (Beat Reporting)
Meeting time/place:WF 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m., MH 248
Professor Brett M. Rhyne
telephone: 978-542-7088
e-mail: brett.rhyne@salemstate.edu
Office hours: WF 12:30 p.m.–1:20 p.m., MH 100B and by appointment.
course DESCRIPTION
Catalog Description: This course will focus on major news stories, trends in reporting as well as on cultural changes and media innovations, which have increased the demand for investigative, culturally oriented reporting. Students will analyze issues and events, and develop in-depth pieces.
Global Goals: This course is the most advanced in a series of communications department courses designed to develop and strengthen all facets of students’ journalistic thinking, reporting, writing and editing skills; in it, student journalists will become familiar with: the beat organization of information companies; the theory and practices of working a beat; and the theory and practices of how reporters develop, research and produce stories that come out of a beat.
Instructional Objectives: In this course, students act as reporters; the instructor is their editor; and the classroom is a newsroom. As such, we all fulfill the responsibilities and relationships, as well as follow all the protocols, of a information company. This course emphasizes reporting on events and trends of importance to the public. By its end, reporters will learn the theory behind and develop the skills necessary to follow a beat and produce information company stories coming out of a beat. Reporters will also have a better understanding of the set of events, trends and issues conventionally described as public affairs, and be able to develop, research, pitch, produce and file stories that are in the public interest.
REPORTers’ responsibilities (with grading values in brackets)
If you miss class, you are responsible for the work you miss. This includes the distribution and, especially, filing of assignments on deadline; absence is not an acceptable reason for missing a deadline. If you have a legitimate reason for missing class, please notify me ahead of time. If you do miss class, for any reason, get the work you missed from your colleagues, not from me; remember, they are your best resource.
Required texts:
• A Passion for Journalism: a newspaper editor writes to his readers, James H. Smith, available from the instructor ($15).
• On The Record: An insider’s guide to journalism (2002), Tom Wicker, available at the campus bookstore, online, and from previous students of mine.
• Read The New York Times weekdays.
Beat coverage (15 percent). Each reporter will be assigned a beat to cover, to be determined by agreement between the reporter and editor. Beats are typically organized around a social structure, a trend or a theme, although there may be some overlap between beats. Below is a partial list of potentially available beats available for spring 2008; reporters may also suggest beats. Some of these beats overlap. Not all these beats will be covered this semester. Please look them over and come to the next class with a prioritized list of your preferences. My picks are starred.
STRUCTURES
Administration & Finance
All-College Committee
*Board of Trustees
*campus police
*IT/Web site redesign
Program Council
Purchasing
Student Life/RHA
SOAS
*SGA (two reporters)
SGA budget committee
TRENDS
academics
core curriculum
laptop initiative
*library closing
online courses
Project 120
salaries
*strategic plan
*university status
THEMES
academic groups & clubs
alumni
*arts
*athletics
campus media
cultural groups & clubs
environment
facilities
religious groups & clubs
town-gown
unions/labor
Once beats are assigned, I’d like each reporter to submit a ‘beat nut graf:’ a short—a couple of pages—narrative about your beat, including descriptions of the major players, the significant issues, the news pegs of potential or expected stories, and a list of potential sources (remember, sources don’t have to be human beings). Your grade for this section of the course will be an evaluation of how well you covered your beat, including the beat nut graf.
Eight pitches (15 percent). Reporters will pitch eight stories throughout the semester. Pitches will take the form of a nut graf, filed with the editor via e-mail—in-line text is fine—the night before the pitch is due. In class, we will discuss the pitch and determine what form it might take, whether it needs more work before the reporter can proceed with it, or whether it’s not worth pursuing at all. Obviously, not all pitches will become stories; this is intended to offer cub reporters practice at pitching stories. Nut grafs will be graded on a straight A–F system.
One newspaper brief/TV reader; two TV packages; and one stand-alone newspaper story (40 percent).This is why we’re here: to learn how to cover a beat. Reporters will file three stand-alone beat stories during the semester, two for TV/podcast (a “package”) and one for print. The stories you pitch and cover will be selected among the types of hard and soft news stories described by Tom Wicker in Chapter 2 of On The Record, as well as among the more advanced news genres, including a news analysis and a news column. As with all good journalists, every reporter is expected to file at least one—if not more—story with an angle of follow-the-money, regardless of his or her beat.
Deadlines. Deadlines for beat stories are determined by when a story breaks or is expected to break, or if it will hold. It’s good practice for reporters to file their stories to their editor on—or before—deadlines; please file them as a Word e-mail attachment to me at brett.rhyne@salemstate.edu. All deadlines for beat stories are 11:59 p.m. of the evening the story is due. Assignments filed late will not be accepted, unless the late filing has been previously agreed to by me.
10 textbook quizzes (TQ-A through TQ-J) (15 percent). These quizzes are designed to gauge your understanding of the textbook, Tom Wicker’s On The Record, as well as prepare you for Wednesday’s class discussion. I suggest you look at each quiz first before reading the chapter, as a guide; read the chapter; then take the quiz. Textbook quizzes will only be available for the one week indicated on the syllabus. Please be aware the chapters are not assigned for reading in order.
13 news quizzes (NQ1 through NQ13) (15 percent). These short quizzes are designed to gauge your knowledge of the news of the day as reported in The New York Times. Quizzes are graded on a scale of 10 and may be curved up to the highest score.
Class participation (XC – 5 percent). Being able to express your ideas about stories (yours and others’) is an essential part of our craft. Class participation is expected. Extra credit will be awarded based on a formula of attendance x quality of participation.
Copy presentation. Please make sure your stories for print are double-spaced, with 12 pt. Times or Times New Roman font. TV scripts should follow TV script form (please see attached). BOTH PRINT STORIES AND TV SCRIPTS should include, in the upper left-hand corner, this information:
Your by-line Hunter S. Thompson
Course/Instructor COM 471/Rhyne
Date April 15, 2008
SLUG ROP-Fear&Loathing.041508.doc [section, story, date, file type]
Word count/inches 350 words/12 inches [30 words = approx. 1 col.-in.]
Slugs. Slugs belong in three places: the story header, the file name, and the subject line of the e-mail.
Laptop policy. A laptop computer is becoming an increasingly important resource for reporters. By using well-equipped laptops, mobile journalists — “mojos” — can communicate with their editors, research, write and file their stories without ever having to go to the newsroom. While a laptop is not a requirement for this course, I would strongly encourage you to bring yours to class and use it to report, write and file your stories. Many laptops are able to record conservations; if you want to record any conversation with your laptop, remember that Massachusetts law requires you to ask the permission of the person you are recording.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Salem State College is committed to providing equal access to the educational experience for all students in compliance with Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act and to providing all reasonable academic accommodations, aids, and adjustments. Any student who has a documented disability requiring accommodation, aid, or adjustment should speak with the instructor immediately. Students with disabilities who have not done so should provide documentation to and schedule an appointment with the Officer for Students with Disabilities and obtain appropriate services.
