JOUR131

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News Writing

Overview Goals, Topics, and Objectives Assessment, Requirements, and Outcomes Register for this Course

Course Goals

Students will gain an understanding of how to critically analyze writing of news, features, sports, opinions, editorials, and reviews using standards for both print and online news production. Students will gain critical insights about journalism standards for news production in the digital age. Students will learn to: 1. Analyze the role of the news media in American society. 1. Analyze news stories, feature stories, opinions and reviews for a balanced perspective of information. 1. Identify and evaluate accuracy and relevance of information in both print and online formats through critically written analyses. 1. Collect facts and quotations necessary for accurate and balanced news writing. 1. Integrate necessary information from a variety of sources into logical, organized, and clearly written news stories, opinions, reviews, and features. 1. Write and edit a news story so that it is concise, neutral, accurate and balanced. 1. Organize facts and properly attribute sources per journalism standards. 1. Edit stories per Associated Press style guidelines. 1. Edit writing to eliminate errors such as comma splices, run-ons, and fragments. 1. Write in both print and online formats.

Core Course Topics

History of Journalism
Journalism standards for gathering and reporting news
Associated Press Stylebook guidelines for news writing
Bias and accuracy in news writing
Journalism and technology
Journalism ethics in the digital age
Analyze the role of news media in American society
Write a feature story using journalism standards
Write in both print and online mediums
Compare and contrast public relations writing and news writing

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Identify the main ideas and the main supporting details of news and feature stories.

Analyze the standard organizational structure of news stories, feature stories, opinions and reviews.

Analyze how professional writers use quotations and information from a variety of sources to write a balanced and accurate news story.

Evaluate bias and accuracy in sources.

Evaluate the effectiveness of various forms of writing news.

Examine ethical practices both current and historical in writing news for target audiences.

Write a feature story for both print and online mediums.

Compare and contrast public relations writing and news writing standards.

Compose written reports.

Integrate research material from different sources into a logically and clearly written document.

Identify and evaluate bias and credibility in print and online news production through written critical analyses.

Analyze current issues in writing for news in print and online.