2011-2012 Writing contests/Extra Credit

WRITING CONTESTS

Bennington Contest:

www.bennington.edu/NewsEvents/YoungWritersCompetition/YW_Submission.aspx

Nancy Thorpe contest:

www.hollins.edu/academics/english/thorp.shtml

Young Arts:

www.youngarts.org/apply

www.pomegranatewords.com/magazine/teen_writing_contests.html

Edit articles/Journalism Ethics

from Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_ethics_and_standards

Journalism ethics and standards comprise principles of ethics and of good practice as applicable to the specific challenges faced by journalists. Historically and currently, this subset of media ethics is widely known to journalists as their professional "code of ethics" or the "canons of journalism".^[1] The basic codes and canons commonly appear in statements drafted by both professional journalism associations and individual print, broadcast, and online news organizations.

“	Every news organization has only its credibility and reputation to rely on.	”
—Tony Burman, ex-editor-in-chief of CBC News, The Globe and Mail, October 2001[2]

While various existing codes have some differences, most share common elements including the principles of — truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability — as these apply to the acquisition of newsworthy information and its subsequent dissemination to the public.^[3][4][5][6]
Like many broader ethical systems, journalism ethics include the principle of "limitation of harm." This often involves the withholding of certain details from reports such as the names of minor children, crime victims' names or information not materially related to particular news reports release of which might, for example, harm someone's reputation.^[7][8]
Some journalistic Codes of Ethics, notably the European ones,^[9] also include a concern with discriminatory references in news based on race, religion, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities.^{[10][11][12][13]} The European Council approved in 1993 Resolution 1003 on the Ethics of Journalism which recommends journalists to respect yet the presumption of innocence, in particular in cases that are still sub judice.^[14]

[edit] Examples of ethical dilemmas

One of the primary functions of journalism ethics is to aid journalists in dealing with many ethical dilemmas they may encounter. From highly sensitive issues of national security to everyday questions such as accepting a dinner from a source, putting a bumper sticker on one's car, publishing a personal opinion blog, a journalist must make decisions taking into account things such as the public's right to know, potential threats, reprisals and intimidations of all kinds, personal integrity, conflicts between editors, reporters and publishers or management, and many other such conundra. The following are illustrations of some of those.

• The Pentagon Papers dealt with extremely difficult ethical dilemmas faced by journalists. Despite government intervention, The Washington Post, joined by The New York Times, felt the public interest was more compelling and both published reports. (The cases went to the Supreme Court where they were merged and are known as New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713.^[19]
• The Washington Post also once published a story about a listening device that the United States had installed over an undersea Soviet cable during the height of the cold war. The device allowed the United States to learn where Soviet submarines were positioned. In that case, Post Executive Editor Ben Bradlee chose not to run the story on national security grounds. However, the Soviets subsequently discovered the device and, according to Bradlee, "It was no longer a matter of national security. It was a matter of national embarrassment." However, the U.S. government still wanted The Washington Post not to run the story on the basis of national security, yet, according to Bradlee, "We ran the story. And you know what, the sun rose the next day."^[20]
• The Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists, a joint venture, public service project of Chicago Headline Club Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and Loyola University Chicago Center for Ethics and Social Justice, provides some examples of typical ethical dilemmas reported to their ethical dilemma hotline and are typical of the kinds of questions faced by many professional journalists.

A partial listing of questions received by The Ethics AdviceLine:^[21]

• Is it ethical to make an appointment to interview an arsonist sought by police, without informing police in advance of the interview?
• Is lack of proper attribution plagiarism?
• Should a reporter write a story about a local priest who confessed to a sex crime if it will cost the newspaper readers and advertisers who are sympathetic to the priest?
• Is it ethical for a reporter to write a news piece on the same topic on which he or she has written an opinion piece in the same paper?
• Under what circumstances do you identify a person who was arrested as a relative of a public figure, such as a local sports star?
• Freelance journalists and photographers accept cash to write about, or take photos of, events with the promise of attempting to get their work on the AP or other news outlets, from which they also will be paid. Is that ethical?
• Can a journalist reveal a source of information after guaranteeing confidentiality if the source proves to be unreliable?

from Wikipedia

Week of 9/19

Work on setting up the new volume of the Sotacrat & Chronicle.  Set up staff and begin to write first articles.

Week of 9/12

Finish typing wacky interviews and share with fellow student.  Turn in for credit.

Finish homework assignment of 50 story ideas plus 10 that you write.

Test on Friday--news judgment terms and staff roles (Ch. 4  handout).


Begin working on your first article...

Go to website for newspaper editing and grammar review:


http://www.newsroom101.com/newsroom101/NR_exercises/practiceall.html

Wacky interview, More story ideas

Within the last ten to fifteen years, some strange and different interview questons have come into use among job interviewers around the United States. Some of these questions sound like "pop psychology" quizzes from magazines, some sound like a psychiatric examination, some appear to be like logic puzzles, and some don't make much sense at all.

These off-the-wall questions are designed to make you think, think creatively and quickly, and tap into your inner resources and personality components.

Unusual questions are often asked by an interviewer in order to find out more about your inner self and how your mind works. It is a way to get to know you better without asking questions that are overly personal. Your answer to such questions will tell the interviewer whether you will be a good fit for the company, as well as how creative you are and how well you can think in spur-of-the-moment scenarios. Before answering a question you feel is odd, take a deep breath and think for a moment or two, and then answer candidly. Don't try to think of an answer that the company wants to hear. Just be yourself.

Source: public domain

Wild Card Interview Questions

The following questions have been used recently in job interviews around the country. Some of the questions have tips given to help you understand what the job interviewer is looking for with the question.

If you were a tree (or animal) what kind of tree (animal) would you be?

If you were a Star Trek® [or Star Wars® ] character, which one would it be?

What is your favorite color?

Why are manhole covers round?

What is your favorite drink?

What would I find in your refrigerator right now?

What is the last book you read?

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?

What was the last movie you went to see?

What is your favorite movie (song)?

How would you explain a database in three sentences to your eight-year-old nephew?

How many gas stations would you say there are in the United States?

If aliens landed in front of you and, in exchange for anything you desire, offered you any position on their planet, what would you want?

If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

If you had only six months left to live, what would you do with the time?

If you were a type of food, what type of food would you be?

If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?

If you were a salad, what kind of dressing would you have?

If you were a car, what kind would you be?

If you were written about in the newspaper, on the front page, what would the headline say?

Who do you like best, you mom or dad?

What kind of people do you dislike?

What makes you angry?

How many close friends do you have?

In a small room you have a refridgerator, if you left the door of the 'fridge open would the temp in the room fall or would the temp in the 'fridge rise? Why?

At a Subway Restaurant Interview:

What's the most important part of the sandwich?

Correct Answer - The SMILE.

PICK YOUR OWN STORY

There are hundreds of stories all around you. Every person, every school, every community has a story to tell. Just keep Who, What, Where, When and Why in mind as you start off with a great lead, tell the story — maybe throwing in a quote or two — and finish off with an eye-catching headline. To make a REALLY great story, use a photo or a graphic.

Ideas?

Be Smart! Don't Start Smoking
Is Pluto Really a Planet?
Construction in Our Community
Help Save Asthma Sufferers
The Best Grandmother
People Like Ice-skating
Horseback Riding Dangers
The Funniest Teacher in School
What is a Twin?
The Secrets of Soccer
What It's Like to Be in Middle School
Don't Do Drugs
Sounds of Wind Instruments
A New Teacher
Dangerous Reptiles
Kids' Right to Vote
Harry Potter
Do Students Have Too Much Homework?
A Hero in Our Midst
Nintendo's Next Game
The Best Book Fair
Halloween Safety Rules
The Vice Principal Talks about School
My New Baby Sister
Online Safety
Homemade Costumes
Kids for President
Taking a Look at Space
Homeless (A True Story)
What It's Like to Be a High Schooler
Being the Oldest
What's Your Favorite Sport?
Why is P.E. a Popular Subject?
Abby Wambach: A Great Soccer Player
Where is Celion Dion Now?
What Boys and Girls Like to Wear
Chorus Concert
Going for the Gold
School Clubs
Department News

Give you an idea? Cool. Let's write a newspaper story!

more about news

Newspaper Vocabulary

• Motivational Activity: Students will read Handout 4: Newspaper Vocabulary . Teacher will have overheads of newspaper pages and will ask which words are confusing? Further clarification and examples will be given. Question to consider: As beginning journalists, why is it important to know and use proper terminology?
• Group Activity (3-4 students per group):
  • Using Vocabulary and main section of the daily paper, each group will use post-it notes to identify and label terms in the news.
  • Groups will exchange papers to review vocabulary identification labels. The "editing" group should check work, note any problems/corrections, and label any additional terms.
  • Groups will conference to discuss problems and additions.
  • All work will be displayed for a Gallery Walk by the larger class.
• Extended Assessment: For homework, students will complete an individual identification of terms with a new paper. Multiple copies of papers will be assigned in order to form groups for Front Page Analysis.

NAME _____________________ DATE _______________

Handout 4: Newspaper Vocabulary
(Adapted from TAJE Journalism Curriculum Guide & Newspaper Curriculum Guide )

• 5W'S & H The essentials of any story: who, what, when, where, why, and how
• ADVERTSING Space in a publication sold to other businesses; display ads usually contain headlines, illustrations, copy, a call for action and information to identify the business
• ALIGNMENT Refers to the justification of text at its margins; left, right, centered, justified
• BEAT A specific area assigned to a reporter for regular coverage
• BOLD Type which appears darker than surrounding type of the same family; used for emphasis
• BY-LINE Indicates who wrote the story; often includes the writer's title
• CAPTION The portion of the layout which explains what is happening in a photograph. Also called cutlines. Often includes a photo credit.
• COLUMN A vertical division of layout which aids in giving structure to a page
• DOMINANT The largest photograph on a layout
• EDITOR Has overall responsibility for the publication
• EDITORIAL A type of story which serves to express an opinion and encourage the reader to take some action
• ETHICS A standard of conduct based on moral beliefs
• FACT A statement that can be proven. Not an opinion
• FEATURE A story written with some interpretation that goes beyond just reporting the facts
• FLAG The name of the paper that usually appears at the top of page one
• GRAPHICS The use of lines, screens, boxes, large initial letters etc. to enhance a design by breaking up areas
• GRID SYSTEM A system of layout in which the page is divided into small units which are filled in
• HAMMER A form of headline consisting of a few very large words over a smaller subheadline
• HEADLINE Large type designed to summarize a story and grab the reader's attention
• HUMAN INTEREST An element of news that includes people or events with which the audience can identify; stories that are just interesting
• INTERVIEW A question and answer session between a reporter and source to get information for a story
• INVERTED PYRAMID A style of writing most commonly applied to news stories in which the most important facts appear early in the story and less important facts later in the story
• KICKER A short (one or two word) statement at the beginning of a caption that serves to grab the reader's attention
• LEAD The beginning of the story which serves to summarize the story and/or grab the reader's attention
• LIBEL Written defamation; damaging false statements against another person or institution that are in writing or are spoken from a written script
• NEWS Information delivered about an event shortly after it has occurred
• OP-ED Opinion/Editorial; refers to the pages in a publication that express the opinion of the writer
• OPINION A statement which cannot be proven.
• QUOTATION A statement make by another person included in a published story. A direct quotation is exactly what the person said and appears inside quotation marks. An indirect quote is a paraphrase of what a person said and does not appear in quotes.
• REPORTER Person who researches and generally writes stories assigned by editors
• REVIEW A form of editorial written to comment on a play, movie, piece of music or some other creative work
• SANS SERIF Type with no extension at the letters which is easier to read at large sizes
• SERIF An extension at the end of certain letters which make the type easier to read at text sizes
• SLANDER Spoken defamation; damaging false statements against another person or institution that are spoken
• SPREAD Two facing pages that are designed as one unit
• STAFF BOX A box containing the names of the staff members
• STORY A block of text on a single topic beginning with some form of a lead followed by the body that contains quotations and transitions
• TEXT WRAP Adjusting the appearance of text to follow the shape of a graphic
• TRANSITION The portion of the story which helps the reader move from one point to the next: helps a story flow, adds information, and explains other items in the story
• UNDERLINE A smaller headline set under the main headline that is approximately the same length as the main headline
• WHITE SPACE The portion of a page with nothing on it used to draw a viewer into the other elements on the page

What is News?

Welcome back, Creative Writing sophomores!

Goals for Understanding:

• What are sources of news?
• What is news?
• What are the elements of news?
• What is the language of the journalism profession?
• Why is it important to use newspaper terminology?
• What factors determine how articles are placed on the front page?
• Does the placement of a story affect the reader's response to it?
• In addition to news stories, what other information is included on the front page?
• What is the significance of placement?

Activites

Day 1: Definitions and Sources of News

• Motivational Activity: Each day people throughout the world depend on newspapers, television, radio news, and personal interactions to keep up with global, national, regional, and local events. Consider your own news sources. How do you learn about what is happening? Complete Handout 1: My Personal News Sources.

• Partner share of results followed by class discussion about various sources of news used by students. Additional questions to consider:
  • Which of the sources is most accurate/reliable?
  • Which is most entertaining?
  • Why are people interested in getting news?
• Pose question: What is news? Create a definition. Brainstorm and chart ideas on board.
• Read and discuss
  
  • Handout 2: What is News? Reinforce/expandstudent suggested definitions. Continue discussion with News Elements: Concepts that Make News News (adapted from ForJournalism Teachers Only)
  •  
  •  
• For homework, complete Handout 3: What is News?Assignment adapted from Making News: An Introduction to Journalism by John R. Harrold and Lois A. Stanciak