Electronic Magazine: Writing and Packaging Stories for the Web

Spring 2004 semester, University at Albany

JRL364Z (class number: 2994)

Instructor: David Washburn

Room: Digital Workshop 3, Science Library

Time: Mondays, 7:15-10:05 p.m.

Phone: 469-7157 (cell), 242-8934 (work)

e-mail: canadaeh@nycap.rr.com

Office: Social Sciences 138-A

Communication

Check http://www.albany.edu/~washburn/ at least weekly for announcements and syllabus updates. I’ll also post information about the online magazine tool we’ll be using to publish our stories and about the web logs you’ll be creating.

In addition, we’ll have a listserv, courtesy of Yahoo!, to use as a communications tool.

· Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jrl364z

· Post message to the group: jrl364z@yahoogroups.com

· Subscribe: jrl364z-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Course overview

Electronic Magazine, or Ezine, focuses on writing, editing and packaging magazine-length stories for the web. We’ll study today’s world of online journalism and put theory into practice by publishing three editions of our magazine online (March 8, March 29 and May 3).

Student journalists in this course practice reporting stories of varied length, specifically for presentation on the Web.

The class is taught in a hands-on workshop atmosphere in an electronic classroom. Students will learn to use the following software: web browser interface, Photoshop, notepad and an HTML editor.

Students will also be required to report and write several original works of journalism.

Because of the heavy emphasis on writing, editing and web production, JRL 300Z (Intro to Journalism) and knowledge of HTML are prerequisites.

Goals

To provide students with an overview of online journalism, online storytelling and story packaging. To enhance students’ writing, editing, interviewing, research and computer skills.

During this course, students will:

· Plan web reporting projects: Identify the underlying theme, justify newsworthiness, conduct research and interviews, write and edit stories, rewrite and publish, all while meeting deadlines.

· Organize components of an online story package.

· Build non-linear stories with journalistic integrity for presentation online.

· Publish three editions of an online magazine.

· Use appropriate sources -- human, written and online.

· Maintain personal web logs (or blogs)

Subject to change

Despite all best efforts, not everything is completed as scheduled, and therefore the syllabus is subject to change and updates, especially in regards to scheduled lecture topics.

Grading and attendance

Grades are bases on a 100-scale.

· A: 94-100 (super excellent)

· A-: 90-93 (excellent)

· B+: 87-89 (really good)

· B: 83-86 (good)

· B-: 80-82 (pretty good)

· C+: 77-79 (not bad)

· C: 73-76 (fair)

· C-: 70-72 (fair minus)

· D: 60-69 (not good)

· E: below 60 (really not good)

Projects: 66%

Three projects are worth nearly two-thirds of your final grade. Each is worth 22 percent. You will work with teammates to create story packages that will populate three monthly editions of our online magazine. Monthly editions (March, April and May) will be published March 8, March 29 and May 3. While you are working as a team, students will be graded individually. Grades will depend on the quality of writing, editing, story packaging, source gathering and attribution, headline writing, summary writing and links. And, yes, spelling and grammar count.

Web log: 10%

Your personal web log is worth 10 percent. You will set up and maintain (at minimum) weekly postings to your web log. Your web log is an online location for you to share information and points of view (most often your own). In most cases, you will write about some sort of current event and support your point of view with facts and other opinions. You’ll insert links to supporting information.

Quizzes: 10%

Two quizzes, based on the text and lecture, are worth 10 percent (5 percent for each).

Attendance: 10%

Attendance accounts for 10 percent. Perfect attendance equals 10 points; one absence equals 9 points; two absences equals 6 points; three absences equals 3 points; more than three absences equals 0 of possible 10 points and means you will struggle to achieve a passing grade. You will also hurt your teammates in the workshop atmosphere. Also, leaving early will also adversely affect your grade. Lectures are only a small part of this class; in-class practice is a large part. Please be considerate. If you are tardy, make sure you see me before class is over to make sure I have not marked you as absent; the mark I include when taking attendance is the official record.

Class participation: 4%

You will be asked questions and be asked to demonstrate your progress during he term. Your answers and participation level go toward the final grade.

Deadlines

This is a journalism class with real deadlines, so a late assignment is the equivalent of missing a deadline at a newspaper, magazine or broadcast station. For each CLASS an assignment is late, one full letter grade will be deducted.

Textbook

"Web Journalism: Practice and Promise of a New Medium" by James Glen Stovall (Allyn and Bacon publisher). ISBN 0-205-35398-3.

CLASS 1 Monday, Jan. 26

Welcome and syllabus overview
Guidelines for computer use and file storage
What is the web? History of the web and online journalism

Creating your own web log. What is a web log?
This week’s reading: Read textbook chapters 1 (Logging on to the Web) and 2 (News Web Sites)
This week’s assignments:

Make your first entry into your web log
Make your second entry into your web log: A list of website categories for your personal use with a list of sites under each category

CLASS 2 Monday, Feb. 2

Chunking the story: Writing styles for online readers. Introduction to story components.

Story packaging: Brainstorming and executing various forms of writing styles to create the complete package and build a full story for the reader

· Main story

· Sidebar

· Info box

· Personality profile

· Q&A

· Man on street

· Timeline

· Maps

· Charts

· Photo gallery

· Expert analysis

· Interactive possibilities

· Polls

· Discussions

· Email

· Forms

Interviews

· Preparing to interview someone

· Searching for background information

· Preparing the questions and being prepared to ask follow-up questions

· Interviewing in person, on the phone, via Internet

· Taking notes

· In-class exercise

This week’s reading: Read textbook chapter 3 (News: Expanding the Definition)

This week’s assignments:

Free-choice entry into your web log
Second web log entry this week: Compare the coverage of an event this week using three websites, one print newspaper and one print magazine. Include story samples (quote the sources) and links.

Tuesday, Feb. 3 – Last day to add/drop semester-length class

CLASS 3 Monday, Feb. 9

Our magazine

Introduction to the online interface we’ll be using to write, edit and publish our magazine.
Naming our magazine.
Deciding upon section names/categories.
Assigning teams and story assignments for the first edition.

Print journalism vs. online journalism: Compare and contrast

Scrolling vs. clicking: How we read on the screen.

This week’s reading: Read textbook chapters 4 (Reporting: Gathering Information for the Web) and 7 (Photojournalism on the Web)
This week’s assignments:

Entry into your web log
Make appointments to interview at least five people for your first set of stories. Interview all of your contacts before Feb. 23 class. Come to class with notes and proposed structure of your story package. The structure should identify the types of story you plan to write, what the main idea for each story is and a breakdown of the elements you will include in each story. This is to be typed and handed in Feb. 23. (Keep a copy for yourself.) We will review in class.
Take photos appropriate to your story topic. Try multiple photos. People, locations. Wide-angle shots, close-ups. Make the photos go with your stories. Bring photos to class Feb. 23 (either prints or electronic images).
Bring a copy of the campus newspaper to class Feb. 23.

Monday, Feb. 16 – No class (classes suspended Feb. 16-17)

CLASS 4 Monday, Feb. 23

Lateral thinking: Select a story from a recent campus newspaper, which you were assigned to bring today. What are the elements that could be developed for more stories? How can you turn one story into an entire package? In-class discussion.
Layering: aka chunking information. Breaking up stories for the web into headlines, summaries, lead paragraphs, story chunks, and links. How will information fit into a story package? In-class discussion.
Review of your interview notes and story package proposals.
Review photos. Are they what you wanted? Expected? Need more? Discuss and figure out what’s missing. Decided upon further photos, if necessary.
How to prepare photos for online presentation. A lesson in Photoshop.
This week’s reading: Read textbook chapter 5 (Writing: Every Word Counts)
This week’s assignments:

Entry into your web log
Write the first drafts of all your stories for your story package and prepare for publication using our online tool. Conduct more interviews, do more research. Gather as many sources as possible. Come to class with more material than you have written.
Take more photos, if necessary.
First edition is published March 8.

CLASS 5 Monday, March 1

In-class: summary writing.
In-class: Editing and rewriting stories that you have written during the week. We’ll work on headlines, summaries and packaging of the raw materials. How can we make the stories appealing? Text, images, graphics, charts?
This week’s reading: Read textbook chapter 6 (Editing)
This week’s assignments:

Entry into your web log
Rewrite, polish and finish your story packages. Check your accuracy, clarity, precision and efficiency. Edit for your partner.

CLASS 6 Monday, March 8

First edition of magazine is published.
Assigning teams and story assignments for the second edition.
GUEST SPEAKER: How to prepare photo assignments.
What is convergence?
September 11. How the web reported that day.
This week’s reading: Read textbook chapter 8 (Graphics Journalism)
This week’s assignments:

Entry into your web log
Find examples of photo galleries that you like. Add links to them in your web log. Be prepared to discuss this story telling technique in class.
Make appointments to interview at least five people for your second set of stories. Interview all of your contacts before March 15 class. Come to class with notes and proposed structure of your story package. The structure should identify the types of story you plan to write, what the main idea for each story is and a breakdown of the elements you will include in each story. This is to be typed and handed in March 15. (Keep a copy for yourself.) We will review in class.
Prepare photo assignments for the photo journalism class. Make the photos go with your stories. Do this as soon as possible.
Bring more photos (if you haven’t already) to class to update your first edition story packages next week in class with a photo gallery.

CLASS 7 Monday, March 15

Quiz: Chapters 1-8 and lectures
Review of your interview notes and story package proposals.
Review photos. Are they what you wanted? Expected? Need more? We’ll make updated photo assignments or take our own photos.
How to prepare a photo gallery. Adding photo galleries to your first edition of the magazine.
Maps and info graphics. How to tell and enhance the story with graphics.
This week’s reading: Read textbook chapter 9 (Audio and Video)
This week’s assignments:

Entry into your web log
Write the first drafts of all your stories for your second story package and prepare for publication using our online tool. Conduct more interviews, do more research. Gather as many sources as possible. Come to class with more material than you have written.
Second edition is published March 29.

CLASS 8 Monday, March 22

In-class: Editing and rewriting stories that you have written during the week. We’ll work on headlines, summaries and packaging of the raw materials. How can we make the stories appealing? Text, images, graphics, charts?
In-class: Handling a crisis.
This week’s reading: Read textbook chapter 10 (Design on the Web)
This week’s assignments:

Entry into your web log
Rewrite, polish and finish your story packages. Check your accuracy, clarity, precision and efficiency. Edit for your partner.
Prepare a photo gallery as part of your story package.

CLASS 9 Monday, March 29

Second edition published.
Assigning teams and story assignments for the third edition.
Design concepts. Organization, form and function.
Review of some journalism web sites. Many links vs. few links. Which do you like better? Why?
This week’s reading: Read textbook chapter 11 (Engaging the audience)
This week’s assignments:

Entry into your web log
Make appointments to interview at least five people for your second set of stories. Interview all of your contacts before April 12 class. Come to class with notes and proposed structure of your story package. The structure should identify the types of story you plan to write, what the main idea for each story is and a breakdown of the elements you will include in each story. This is to be typed and handed in April 12. (Keep a copy for yourself.) We will review in class.
Take photos appropriate to your story topic. Try multiple photos. People, locations. Wide-angle shots, close-ups. Make the photos go with your stories. Bring photos to class April 12 (either prints or electronic images).

Monday, April 5 – No class (classes suspended April 3-11)

CLASS 10 Monday, April 12

Personalization: What would appear on your news home page? Navigation and other content.
Review of your interview notes and story package proposals.
Review photos. Are they what you wanted? Expected? Need more? Discuss and figure out what’s missing. Decided upon further photos, if necessary.
This week’s reading: Read textbook chapters 12 (Media Law Online)
This week’s assignments:

Entry into your web log
Write the first drafts of all your stories for your second story package and prepare for publication using our online tool. Conduct more interviews, do more research. Gather as many sources as possible. Come to class with more material than you have written.

CLASS 11 Monday, April 19

Legal issues with the web
In-class: Editing and rewriting stories that you have written during the week. We’ll work on headlines, summaries and packaging of the raw materials. How can we make the stories appealing? Text, images, graphics, charts?
This week’s reading: Read textbook chapters 13 (Journalism Accelerated: Inside MSNBC) and 14 (Practice and Promise)
This week’s assignments: