Maria Burns Ortiz

Jan. 22: What’s important? Developing news judgment, objectivity. Basic copy editing

Reading: Writing and Reporting the News: Chapter 1-2, Appendix A

Assignment: Look at each of the New York Times’ 1A stories for Jan. 23. Write a 1-2 sentence assessment as to why each piece was selected for the front page. Which element(s) of news judgment does the story reflect? Identify the nut graf for each story.

Powerpoint: News Judgment

Jan. 24: Types of news stories, 5 Ws (and H)

Readings: Start reading Elements of Style (Needs to be completed by Jan. 31)

Assignment: Look through the Sunday NY Times. Find examples of a hard news story, second-day story, a trend story, a profile, a service piece and a column. List the title and page number of the piece. Briefly summarize (one paragraph/piece) how you can determine the category that best describes the story. For the hard news stories (straight news and second-day), also point out the 5 Ws (and H). Identify the nut graf for each story.

Powerpoint:
5Ws-Types of stories
Assignment 1