COMM 135 - Media Writing I

3 Credits: (3 lecture)

Course Description
The course is an introduction to the various methods used by print and broadcast journalists to gather and report news and information. The focus will be on the theoretical and practical application of the skills used in all aspects of writing for media. Students will gain hands-on experience by participating in the various phases of the publication of the student newspaper.

Note Fall semester only.

Prerequisite Eligibility for enrollment in ENGL 101.

A. Identify the key historical aspects of journalism’s development and their relationship to modern media. 

B. Apply journalistic grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style to writing. 

C. Research, compose, and edit stories for the various media. 

D. Conduct interviews, both as an interviewer and as one being interviewed. 

E. Identify the differences between ethical and unethical journalism. 

F. Demonstrate journalism-related word processing and computer-aided design skills. 

G. Differentiate among the goals of newspaper, magazine, broadcast, and public relations journalism. 

H. Participate in the production of a student newspaper. 

Content
A. Historical perspective 

B. Laws which govern journalism 

C. Journalistic genres 

D. News coverage and reporting 

E. Composition/editing and basic lay-out/production, supporting the student newspaper 

F. News elements 

G. Evaluation and use of sources 

H. Interviews, press conferences and meetings 

I. Newspaper, broadcast and public relations writing 

J. Ethics in journalism

Student Evaluation
Quizzes and exams may be given, but the main emphasis will come from evaluation of writing assignments and various projects and exercises. Bibliography
Attkisson, Sharyl and Don R. Vaughan. Writing Right for Broadcast and Internet News. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2002. Print. 

Butcher, Judith, Caroline Drake, and Maureen Leach. Butcher’s Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders, 4th ed. New York: Cambridge U P, 2006. Print. 

Campbell, Cole, and Roy Peter Clark, eds. The Values and Craft of American Journalism: Essays from the Poynter Institute. Gainesville: U P of Florida, 2005. Print. 

Caudill, Ed, Jean Folkerts, and Dwight Teeter. Voices of a Nation: A History of Mass Media in the United States, 5th ed. Allyn & Bacon, 2008. Print. 

Dee, Juliet Lushbough, T. Barton Carter, and Harvey L. Zuckman. Mass Communication Law in a Nutshell, 6th ed.  St. Paul: Thomson/West, 2006. Print. 

Edwards, Bob. Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism. Hoboken: Wiley, 2004. Print. 

Ellis, Barbara. The Copy Editing and Headline Handbook. New York: Basic Books, 2001. Print. 

Graber, Doris. Mass Media and American Politics, 8th ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2009. Print. 

Harrower, Tim. The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook, 6th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2007. Print. 

Kanigel, Rachele. The Student Newspaper Survival Guide. Ames: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print. 

Kolodzy, Janet. Practicing Convergence Journalism: An Introduction to Cross-media Storytelling. Lanham: Routledge, 2012. Print. 

Osborn, Patricia. School Newspaper Adviser’s Survival Guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998. Print. 

Wilcox, Dennis L.  Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques, 7th ed.  New York: Allyn & Bacon, 2012. Print. 

Woodward, Bob and Carl Bernstein. All the President’s Men. Great Britain: Pocket Books, 2006. Print.