The Journalism Portfolio
PHILOSOPHY
The Journalism Portfolio should be a public showcase of the journalist’s work. It will demonstrate the journalist’s editorial judgment in arranging, revising, and presenting their own work. Most important, the portfolio will exhibit pieces that exemplify the multifaceted reflection that go into preparing, workshopping, copyediting, and finalizing journalistic writing. The portfolio will ultimately serve multiple purposes: to document progress while actively charting the path of one’s academic, career, and creative development.
CONTENTS & ARRANGEMENT
The English 151 portfolio will include
Ø One piece of On-line Writing, chosen from the Elements summary-and-response assignments or the Media Journals.
Ø Two short pieces of Journalism, chosen from Assignments 1 through 3.
Ø The Final Feature Story.
Ø All prior drafts.
Arrangement is entirely up to the student, but the portfolio should emphasize clean, completed drafts that have built on workshop-critiques and revisions. The format should include a secured binder. Students additionally are encouraged to keep an electronic version in the form of a blog, professional web site, or at least in a portable-drive folder for easy access and sharing.
PROCESS & EVALUATION
The English 151 portfolio counts only for 10% of the final grade and is meant mainly to involve student-journalists in reflection on the semester’s work, while promoting ongoing revision and the development of editorial instincts. The most important evaluation in assembling the Final Portfolio is that of the student judging one’s own work, as a part of the process of becoming an educated and skilled journalist. Thus, students are encouraged to prepare a portfolio with open sections that anticipate future coursework, published clips, and notable achievements. Most students will exhibit themselves in one way or another to future editors, teachers, admissions boards, employers, and colleagues, so this is a chance to formalize the process of lifelong self-evaluation and self-display.
ASSESSMENT & GRADING
The Final Portfolio will be assessed and graded as follows.
EXCELLENT = Entirely clean format, major revision, strong demonstration of course ideas, plus solid foundation for academic, career, and creative advancement = 9 to 10 points (A)
GOOD = Mostly clean format, significant revision, and the obvious display of course ideas and portfolio principles = 8 to 8.9 (B)
ACCEPTABLE = Minimal revision and contents show basic consideration of the course and portfolio principles = 7 to 7.9 (C)
UNACCEPTABLE = One or more minimally required pieces missing, rough formatting, little consideration shown for course and portfolio principles = below 7 points (D or lower)
NR+W Media Journal Part Two
News Reporting & Writing Students: Post your second Media Journal per "On-line Writing" syllabus instructions. See also a description of the Media Journal assignment on the syllabus.
DUE 11/14, 10pm...
NR+W Media Journal Part One
News Reporting & Writing Students: Please post your first Media Journal on 10/22/06 by 10pm, per syllabus instructions (see page 2, "ON-LINE WRITING").
See also a description of the Media Journal assignment on the syllabus (page 6: Week Six, 10/4). And be sure to review the Five Media Concepts & Questions handout for the fundamentals of media analysis.
Finally, here's the 'BLOG handout that we'll go over in class, with my version of a media journal.
News Writing Criteria
News Reporting & Writing works with the following criteria to guide assessment, evaluation, improvement, and grading of the basic journalistic news pieces we write in the class.
o NEWS VALUE
o FORM
o REPORTING
o WRITING QUALITY
o CLEAN COPY
News Leads
Consider the following sample leads for impact, word choice, and structure.
MEDFORD, OH – Scissors defeated rock Monday, marking the cutting instrument’s first-ever victory over its longtime nemesis. [14 words] (“Scissors”)
A student was arrested on July 29 for “stimulating himself” while leering at another student who was in the shower. [20 words] (Robb)
ATLANTA—After a two-year hiatus from basketball, Jesus Christ returned to the NBA Sunday night, rejoining His former team, the Atlanta Hawks. [21 words] (“Christ Returns”)
WASHINGTON – President Bush urged Americans on Monday to cut back on unnecessary travel to make up for fuel shortages caused by Hurricane Rita. [22 words] (Pickler)
A Hanover Park man is facing felony aggravated battery charges following the death of an 11-month-old infant left in his care, authorities said Wednesday. [24 words] (“Man charged”)
The feds for the first time interviewed Mayor Daley on Friday about a burgeoning Hired Truck investigation that has reached into the mayor’s patronage system. [25 words] (Korecki and Patterson)
A profanity-laced shouting match turned into a bloody confrontation last year when one man drove over the other repeatedly with a cab, five witnesses said Tuesday. [26 words] (Herman)
LOS ANGELES – The woman whose son accused Michael Jackson of child molestation was charged with welfare fraud Tuesday for allegedly collecting nearly $19,000 in payments while making false claims. [27 words] (AP “Mother”)
BALTIMORE – A man was sentenced Tuesday to three years in jail for shooting a civilian police employee in a dispute over a stolen can of Spam more than 30 years ago. [30 words] (AP)
RICHMOND, Va. – In a victory for the Bush administration, a federal appeals court ruled Friday the government can continue to hold indefinitely an American accused of plotting to detonate a radioactive “dirty bomb.” [31 words] (Gelineau)
A federal grand jury indicted ousted Chicago Sun-Times Publisher F. David Radler on fraud charges, saying he illegally helped funnel about $32 million in corporate funds to a private company he co-owns. [32 words] (Miller and O’Connor)
FORT HOOD, Texas – Army Pfc. Lynndie England, whose smiling poses in photos of detainee abuse at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison made her the face of the scandal, was convicted Monday by a military jury on six of seven counts. [36 words] (Badger)
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Insurgents dragged five Shiite Muslim schoolteachers and their driver into a classroom, lined them against a wall and gunned them down Monday – slayings in Iraq’s notorious Triangle of Death that reflect the enflamed sectarian divisions ahead of a crucial constitutional referendum. [41 words] (Keath)
Homeless, mentally shaken and emotionally disturbed are the last words Uptown native Cody Camacho ever thought he would use to describe himself. But it’s exactly the image that the 23-year-old has faced in the mirror everyday since he finished a tour of duty in Iraq and returned home last year. [50 words] (Caputo)
WORKS CITED
AP. “58-year-old gets 3 years for killing man over can of Spam.” Chicago Sun-Times 38 Sept. 2005: 52.
-----. “Mother of Jacko’s accuser charged with welfare fraud.” Chicago Sun-Times 24 Aug. 2005: 32.
Badger, T.A. “England guilty in prisoner abuse.” Chicago Sun-Times 27 Sept. 2005: 26.
Caputo, Angela. “‘I’ve been living on a thread.’” Pioneer Press News-Star 14 Sept. 2005: 1+.
“Christ Returns to NBA.” 3 Apr. 1996. The Onion’s Finest News Reporting Vol. 1. NY: Three Rivers Press, 2000: 68.
Gelineau, Kristen. “‘Dirty bomb’ suspect staying put.” Chicago Sun-Times 10 Sept. 2005: 7.
Herman, Eric. “Witnesses say fight led to death.” Chicago Sun-Times 17 Aug. 2006: 20.
Keath, Lee. “Iraqi rebels line 5 teachers against wall and kill them.” Chicago Sun-Times 27 Sept. 2005: 38.
Korecki, Natasha, and Steve Patterson. “Feds grill Daley about hired Truck.” Chicago Sun-Times 27 Aug. 2005: 3.
“Man charged in baby’s death.” Chicago Sun-Times 15 Sept. 2005: 24.
Miller, James P., and Matt O’Connor. “Former Sun-Times publisher indicted.” Chicago Tribune 19 Aug. 2005: 1+.
Pickler, Nedra. “Curb excess travel, Bush urges.” Chicago Sun-Times 27 Sept. 2005: 6.
Robb, Tom “Student arrested for sexual misconduct.” NEIU Independent 29 Aug. 2005: 1+.
“Scissors defeats rock.” The Onion’s Finest News Reporting. NY: Three Rivers Press, 2000: 4.
ELEMENTS of JOURNALISM Part 2
How does a journalist go about preparing coverage that is engaged but independent, while dealing with real-world challenges to the integrity, conscience, and profitability of news organizations? Use quotes, details, examples, or case studies from the text or class discussions and articles.
POST DUE NO LATER THAN 10pm, Sept. 24, 2006...
International News Sites
Feel free to post your favorite links to international English-language news sites, in addition to the ones listed here.
Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Jazeera
All Africa
Asia Times
British Broadcasting Service
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
China Daily
EFE News Service
Gulf Daily News
Ha'Aretz
The Jerusalem Post
The Jordan Times
Kyodo News Service, Japan
Nigerian News
OpenDemocracy
Persian Journal
ELEMENTS of JOURNALISM Part 1
Study Questions
Be ready to discuss the following questions on Monday, Sept. 11.
1. What is journalism for?
2. Why is truth the first principle?
3. Who does a journalist work for?
4. How is verification the essence of journalism?
5. Why should journalists maintain independence from those they cover?
6. What is the journalist's relationship to power?...to the people (citizens)?
SYLLABUS: ENGLISH 151-C (News)
Welcome to News Reporting & Writing, Fall 2006!
Download the English 151-C syllabus.