621.02, Wednesday section -- what to do for next week

1. Buy your textbook and the Associated Press Stylebook at the Durham Book Exchange. Look through and begin familiarize yourself with the AP Stylebook. You must adhere to this stylebook in all the writing you do for this class. Really become comfortable with it. Always bring it to class. I'll quiz you soon.

2. In the textbook ("Inside Reporting," third edition), read Michael Gartner's "12-step writing program" on Pages 300 through 303.

3. Again in the textbook, read the glossary on Pages 325-329 to familiarize yourself with journalism lingo. We'll play a little game with these in the next class.

4. And still in the textbook, read Chapter One, "The story of Journalism," and Chapter Two, "How Newsrooms Work." 

5. And yet again in the textbook, read Chapter 3, "Newswriting Basics." Read very carefully. This will tell you what you need to know to do #6.

6. Grab a notebook and a pencil and head out onto campus or downtown and find what you think, based on your textbook reading, might be a legitimate news story. Interview in person three people for this story. As soon as you get your story idea, Tweet it being sure to use the hashtag #e62102. This will be the official hashtag for this class throughout the semester. Then write a 300-word news story based on what you have learned. Quote each of your sources in the story at least once. Identify them by their full names. Print the story out, double-spaced, 12-point type and if more than one page, staple them together. Make sure your name and the date the story is due and the exact word count  are on the page. You may write a headline for it or not, as you like. Bring your story to the next class.

Format the top of the story like this:

Your name
English 621.02
Story #2, due Feb. 6
290/300 words

7. Create your second blog entry (your first was defining news) by writing about your news habits. What are your most popular sources of news? What do you need to know every day? What surprised you as you listened to your classmates discuss their news habits? What did you learn? What common threads did you see? Since this is a blog, your writing can be personal. Though we almost never use the first person "I" or "we," and seldom the second person "you," those rules don't apply in blogs. The idea is to reveal your personality, your attitude, your style, your thoughts, reflections and even opinions. Of course your spelling, grammar and AP style should be spot on. Always. Perfection is critical to your success in this course and in this profession. Your blog post should be 150 to 200 words, so write tightly. Please post by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, so that your thoughts are fresh. Get in the habit of meeting deadlines. Put them in your smartphone and set three reminders.