How other papers treated shooting story

In Section 3 today, we had a chance to discuss the play of one aspect of the Virginia Tech shooting story. We'll get to that in Section 1 on Tuesday. Here is the Newseum web site showing the front pages of other newspapers on that day. Take a look.

About the editing assignment due Tuesday

You should all have a paper copy of the introduction your reporter wrote about another student in the class. Please use that copy to write down your suggestions and corrections. Cross out misspelled words and write in the correct ones. Words misused? Mark them out and replace them with the right ones. Don't like the lead or the story organization? Write down why and any suggestions you have for changes.

In other words, leave a written trail of you the editor.

And what if your reporter's copy is absolutely perfect? A good editor knows when to leave well enough alone and would probably mark up the copy with high praise.

That's what I get for not checking first

Happy with my last post, I decided to share it with Greg Rasa, Motoring section editor and features slot at The Seattle Times. I never met anyone who knew more than he did about the Three Stooges. So what does he do? Corrects me, of course, as any good editor would do, and he is one. Here's what he said:

"There were actually a total of six Stooges, though. (And to prove you're wrong about my Stooge acumen, I remembered only five before I Googled.)

"They were: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard, Joe Besser (on photo at left) and Joe DeRita. The last two were in darned few of the shorts, from the look of things."

Lesson learned: Check all facts before publishing. . . and we all need good editors.

Here's the last word from Greg:

"It's a relief that more of your students knew the branches of government than the Stooges. There may yet be hope for the republic -- though I'm not sure how the public in general would do on that test."

You aced U.S. vs. Stooges test - on all fronts

You may have wondered why, in a class on news editing, I asked you to name the three branches of the United States government and the Three Stooges. Here's the answer:

I had just read an essay that appeared in the Columbia Journalism Review in 2005. In it, the author, Evan Cornog, makes this statement: "The greatest danger to American journalism in the coming decades is not commercial pressures or government regulation but the decline of public interest in public life, a serious disengagement of citizens from one of the primary duties of citizenship — to know what is happening in their government and society. Americans know a lot about a lot of things, but when only 41 percent of teenagers polled can name the three branches of government while 59 percent can name the Three Stooges, something is seriously amiss."

I realize many of you are no longer teenagers, but I wanted to test Cornog's data on you. Here are the results:

Section 1: 81 percent knew the three branches of government; 67 percent knew the Three Stooges.
Section 3: 84 percent knew the three branches of government; 58 percent knew the Three Stooges.
Both sections: 83 percent knew the three branches of government; 63 percent knew the Three Stooges.

So I guess that makes you smarter than the average teen in 2005 on all fronts: More of you knew the branches of government and more of you knew the names of the Three Stooges. And more of you knew the three branches of government than knew the names of the Three Stooges.

For the record, the three branches of government are executive, legislative and judicial.

I did not give extra credit for those of you who knew that over the years there were actually four Stooges: Moe, Larry, Curly and Shemp.

Maybe next time . . .nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

Check out Mr. Rewrite

Some of you saw the Grizzly vs. Grisly YouTube video. Here is a link to Mr. Rewrite's blog. I have also added to the list of web sites I will refer to class (right side panel). Definitely a site worth visiting.

From "rushed prose" to a great newspaper

That's the transformation made possible by copy editors, says one of them at the Washington Post. Please read this article by class on Thursday. It's a very good description of what copy editors do and why it's important.

Here's when things will happen in this class

This is a general overview of what we will be discussing in class and when assignments are due. It is not complete, and it will change. You are responsible for knowing the current assignments and when they are due.

Weeks 1 and 2: Editing etiquette
Weeks 3 and 4: Headlines, cutlines and graphics
Week 5: Grammar and usage
Weeks 6 and 7: Tightening – not butchering – stories
Week 8: Leads and story organization
Week 9: Reference material
Week 10 and 11: News math
Week 12: Libel, ethics, fairness and taste
Week 13 and 14: Putting it all together

Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008 – Introduction to course, to me and to each other. AP quizzes distributed. They are due on Oct. 16, 2008. (Writing assignment to be e-mailed to Mr. Saul by 5 p.m. Tuesday)

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 – Editing words, editing people. (First editing assignment. Bring to class on Sept. 2)

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008 – Facing the reporter. (First rewrite assignment due to me by class Thursday, Sept. 4)

Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 – Headlines: Not to be ignored. (Headline assignment due before class Tuesday)

Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2008 – Captions

Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 – And don’t forget the graphics. (In-class editing assignment)

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008 – Why we gotta study grammar, anyways? (Reading assignment: Chapters 2 and 4 in “Working with Words” and handout on language.)

Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 – Verbs: Making language move. (Grammar exercise, due before Tuesday class)

Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008 – Don’t be afraid of the phrase. (Reading assignment: Chapter 3 in Working with Words. Grammar exercise, due before class Thursday)

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 – Pronouns: Language’s substitute workers. (Grammar quiz, reading assignment: Chapters 5 and 6 in “Working with Words.”)

Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008 – Can’t we all agree? Pronouns, subjects, verbs and other creatures that often go bump in the write.

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 -- The challenges of rewrite: Making someone’s work make sense without making them homicidal. (Rewrite assignment due by class Tuesday)

Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008 – Problems with ledes: Buried, dense pack and “The council met.” (Reading assignment: Chapter 14 in “Working with Words.”)

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008 – More on ledes. (Take-home part of midterm will be distributed, due before class on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008)

Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008 – Review for in-class midterm.

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008 -- In-class midterm (Take-home midterm and all AP quizzes due before class)

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008 – Getting organized: the beginning, the end and the muddle. (Editing assignment due before class Thursday)

Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008 – Still getting organized. (Reading assignment: Chapter 1 in “Working with Words.”)

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 –Counting the days: News math (Math assignment due before class on Thursday)

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 – Still counting: More news math.

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 – Election Day. No class.

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008 – Is it true? Accuracy and reference materials. (Reference assignment due before class Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008.)

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008 – Veteran’s Day. No class.

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008 -- Libel, ethics, fairness, taste. (Reading assignment: Libel section in AP Stylebook, pages 352-370.)

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008 – Ethics online (Reading assignment in “Working with Words:” Chapter 16.

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 – Editing online

Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008 – In-class quiz

Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008 – Thanksgiving. No class.

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 -- Putting it all together (headlines, stories, photos, online and in print) on national, international and regional desks.

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008 – Last class, review for in-class final (Take-home part of final will be handed out, due on day of final.)

In-class finals:

Section 1: Friday, Dec. 12, 2008, from 10:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.

Section 3: Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008 from 3:20 to 5:20 p.m.

Here is the syllabus for News Editing 380, Sections 1 and 3

What you can learn in this class: The fundamentals of editing. We’ll talk about organizing stories and working with writers in ways that don’t end in threatened or real violence. We'll talk about getting copy ready for publication online and in print. That means knowing how to write headlines that tell and sell stories, being able to find inaccuracies in stories, having the knowledge to correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.

How the class will be conducted: After we’ve gone through some of the basics of copy editing, we’ll operate as a copy desk at a newspaper or online operation: You’ll be the copy editors and I’ll be the slot person giving you assignments and checking your work.

How you can succeed in this class:
Be there. Think of this as a job where missing work means not getting paid. Miss class and you won’t get graded. Unless you make prior arrangements with me, you’ll get no credit if you miss an in-class assignment. I’ll subtract one grade point from your final grade for every unexcused absence.
Meet deadlines. There can be no timely news published with editors who never make deadlines. No assignments in this class will be accepted after deadline unless prior arrangements have been made.
Participate in the discussions. We’ll talk about the news, the English language, readers, writers and how copy editors make all of those things come together happily – or unhappily. Make a contribution.
Do well on the quizzes, exercises and exams. There will be weekly quizzes on style, spelling grammar or current events. The midterm and the final exams will be modeled on hiring tests given to applicants for copy editing jobs and internships.

Here’s how the grading breaks down:
Final – 20 percent
Midterm – 20 percent
Rewrites – 20 percent
Grammar exercises and quizzes – 15 percent
Style quizzes – 10 percent
Writing assignment – 10 percent
General participation – 5 percent

How you will be graded: Your performance on quizzes, exercises and homework will account for 55 percent of your grade. The midterm and final will cover another 40 percent. The final five percent is on general participation.
Once we begin editing stories, I’ll do what a slot person does on a copy desk: Decide whether your work is ready to be published or needs to go back to you for more work. A story that is perfectly publishable gets an “A.” From there, your grade depends on how much effort has to go into getting the work ready for publication. A “D” or “F” story is one with gross factual errors, libelous statements or many grammatical, style or spelling errors.

What texts and supplies you need for this class:
“Working with Words: A Handbook for Media Writers and Editors” by Brian S. Brooks, James L. Pinson and Jean Gaddy Wilson
Associated Press Stylebook (latest edition)
Webster’s New World Dictionary, Fourth College edition
Pencils
Notebook
Calculator
Read the Missoulian, the Kaimin and national and regional publications daily.

Plagiarism warning! Work that contains plagiarized material will receive no credit. Plagiarism is representing another’s work as your own. Plagiarism can mean failing this class and possible suspension from the university. This is easily avoided: Do your own work. Attribute your sources.
Here’s what the University has to say about that:
Academic Honesty: All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online.

Same Work for Multiple Classes in J-School
For this course you may not submit any assignment that has previously or will be concurrently submitted for another class unless you receive prior approval from the professor for this course. To do so without permission will result in an “F” for the assignment and could result in an “F” for the course.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
This course is accessible to and usable by otherwise qualified students with disabilities. To request reasonable program modifications, please consult with the instructor. Disability Services for Students will assist the instructor and student in the accommodation process. For more information, visit the Disability Services website.

What happens to J-school grads? Take a look

Here's the latest survey on where journalism school grads are being employed -- or not. Take a look.