Extra Credit Assignment 5

There are a few parts to this. I will make it worth 9 points, 3 for each section. To get any credit, you at least have to complete Part 1. Due: Friday, March 19, 2010.

Part 1: Journalist Interview Prep

**For the journalist interview you don't have to write it like a regular news story. You can just do a Q&A. (It's probably easier.) If you don't know how to format it, let me know.

1. Look up an interesting journalist or two. (Could be an editor, blogger, columnist, etc.) Try to pick people you think you could interview. (Preferably in-person, if not, then by phone.)

2. What is the journalist's name? Indicate where this person works and what type of journalist he or she is. (E.g. Television reporter for WGN in Chicago, Illinois) (Try not to pick journalists in the Champaign area!)

3. Give me three interesting pieces of background information on this person.

4. If you were to do a story (Q&A or regular) what would the focus be? Try to think of an original idea. For example, don't make your focus: how this person became a journalist, etc. Make it relevant and interesting to your reader.

Part 2: Speech story 2

(If you don't feel comfortable putting this online that's fine. If not, give me a hard copy or e-mail me.)

1. Read over your story and read my comments. What do you need to work on most?

2. Look at the questions you answered about improving your last paper. (I handed this back with your papers and grades.) Did you apply the improvements you wanted to make, on your second paper?

3. Are any of the criticisms unclear? If so, which?

4. Do you have any questions about how to fix any of your mistakes?

Part 3: Style

1. How are you supposed to attribute a student? For example, "Do you attribute like this?" Brittney Henton, said. (What two things do you include in a student's title?)

2. If someone doesn't use grammar (tense, subject-verb agreement, etc.) correctly or leaves out a word, how do you fix it in the quote? (Fix this quote. Hint: you have to use parentheses.)

"When people talk, sometimes they jibber on about things, you know, don't think about whether she's saying the sentence correctly," Henton said.

3. How would you use an ellipsis in the previous sentence to leave out the "you know"?

Extra Credit Assignment 4

Ethics Wrap up. (Worth 6 points) Due Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Last week we talked about diversity in journalism and SPJ's Code of Ethics. For the first part of this exercise, I want you to think critically about and discuss your own biases. For the second part, I want you to read and discuss a story about former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Part 1

1. What personal biases do you have that might make you reluctant to approach certain story topics? (Could be religious, political, etc.) What specific topics might be hard for you to cover objectively?
   
2. If you had to do a story involving an issue you didn't agree with or have a strong bias against (e.g. a story on abortion and you're pro-life) what would you do? (Would you cover it? Why or not? How would you cover it, if you chose to do it? If you had a choice and you chose not to, why wouldn't you cover it?) (Use your own specific biases to answer this one.)
3. Do you think the media are biased? Why or why not? What can be done by journalists or by you to remedy any bias you detect?
   

Part 2

Read this story about the speech former Gov. Rod Blagojevich gave Tuesday. Kind of ironic, no?

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/03/blagojevics-ethics-lecture-full-of-laughs----for-audience.html

1. Do you think the Tribune covered this story fairly? Why or why not?
   
2. If you were doing the same story, what ethical considerations might you to take into account (according to the SPJ Code of Ethics in your book)? Which ethical tenets might conflict and how? Is there a potential for libel?
   
3. How would you have done this story? Would you have done it the same way that it ran or would you have written it differently and how? Why do you think the Tribune ran the story this way?