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Here is the photojournalism assignment due to your blog before class time Oct. 3. Pay careful attention to the tips I gave you for both captions and photo composition.

Also, here is the lecture from Tuesday to refresh your memory.

Here is the pdf I promised of today’s lecture with the photo examples. Please pay close attention to the photo tips.

Also, here are the class announcements:

Thursday – photojournalism activity

• Make sure your phone is charged and has space

Blog post due Thursday

• Print out your article to turn in during class in addition to posting it on your website
• Also turn in the printed rubric

Web hit re-write – due at the start of class Thursday

• Make corrections for up to +10 back
• Hand back in your rubric

Professional Development:

SPJ will host WBOC reporter Brooke Reese Wednesday, 7 p.m., TE 129

• +5 on your blog post assignment

I posted LOTS of comments in MyClasses on your blogging activity from Thursday’s class. I would encourage you to read them thoroughly, as they may help you with some of the grammar/style questions on today’s quiz.

See you later on!

This is a friendly reminder that we will have a quiz tomorrow on chapters 1 & 5 in your book. Also, don’t be surprised to see some AP style/grammar on it!

I finished grading the web hit assignments from the other day (the grades will post Tuesday after I give you the feedback in class), and there were a couple of persistent problems we need to work on.

First, opinionated language. Avoid colorful, pointless adjectives. Focus on active verbs. Don’t tell me “the event was a success” or “everyone had a great time.” That is your interpretation/opinion, and it is not acceptable in a news story.

Second, almost everyone struggled significantly with grammar. The main issues:

• Quote structure & punctuation
• Oxford commas
• Missing commas (particularly with closing non-essential clauses)
• Random capitalization of common nouns

We need to nip these issues in the bud. Therefore, in addition to questions on chapters 1 & 5, you can expect to see a proofreading challenge and some AP style/grammar questions added to your quiz.

Have a great weekend, and see you Tuesday.

Here is the assignment and rubric for your beat blog post assignment, due to your website Sept. 26.

Remember, your story must be relevant to your beat. Steer clear of opinionated/biased language. Be sure your post is thoroughly sourced.

If you would like to run your story idea by me before you report it, you are welcome to do so.

Good luck!

Hi, guys! This is so easy!

Due Thursday:

Set up a site on WordPress & submit the address in MyClasses

• Build two information pages:
  • A professional profile about yourself
  • Purpose of the site – NEWS site
    • **Use AP style & grammar
• Choose an appropriate design
• Choose appropriate widgets
• Title & tagline

Other announcements:

• You will have a blog post due Sept. 26 on your beat – Start thinking of what you might want to report on
• Thursday – In-class blogging assignment
• AP style and grammar sheets available in the handouts tab

Professional Development:

• Study abroad India meeting – today, 3:30, TE 335
• Don’t forget to turn in extra credit sheets

I’ve noticed that several of you still need to turn in tomorrow’s two assignments. To refresh your memory, here is what’s due:

• Web hit assignment
• Beat brainstorming sheet

1. List two possible beat ideas you would like to work on
2. List three viable story ideas for each
3. List a possible blog title for each beat
4. List five people who would be main contacts for your beat
5. Find another blog or news site similar to what you are doing – share the link & give a brief (2-3-sentence description of the site and its similarities to yours)

Turn it in via MyClasses prior to class Tuesday, and be ready to share with the class

See you tomorrow!

Class went by so quickly today! As promised, here is the information we either missed or had to go through quickly:

Types of blog posts: (Also in the handouts tab)

• News event preview – looks forward to an upcoming announcement and explains the possibilities and meanings of what is to come
• Breaking news – instead of focusing solely on the new information (a speaker is chosen), this post explains why this “breaking news” matters in the gran scheme of things
• Solicit reader assistance – this one is a bit unorganized, but you can see how the author has given context and information while asking for opinions
• Human interest/helpful items – this is written in first-person, whereas yours needs to be sourced, but it is a very thorough example of this type of post
• Profile/Ask an Expert– in this case, the writer is the expert, but you could follow a similar approach by taking readers’ questions and asking an expert source, then writing it up as a blog post