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Rev. Spring 2008

One goal of this course is to teach you to recognize when you need to look up the rules of grammar and style that make journalism different from other kinds of writing . These assignments require you to look for examples of journalistic style in newspapers, news magazines and online newspapers.

Follow these directions closely, because you will not have an opportunity to make up these assignments if you miss them or do them poorly.

HOMEWORK IS NOT ACCEPTED UNLESS YOU ARE IN CLASS.

Rules for homework:

• Each assignment requires you to find sentences with certain elements in newspapers.
• Sentences must be from news stories in newspapers. Sports stories are not acceptable. Online newspapers are acceptable. If you aren't sure what a news story is (as opposed to a feature story or opinion column, for instance), then stick to stories in the front section of the newspaper or those stories under the "news" link online.
• DO NOT USE magazines, online pages other than newspapers, broadcast news pages (such as CNN or Fox News), brochures, picture captions or advertisements.

• You must have your sentences in one of these forms:
  • Photocopy the necessary page of the newspaper with the name of the source and date shown.
  • Cut out the story (with source and date) and paste/tape it to a regular piece of typing paper. NO staples, no paper clips, no gum.
  • If online, print out the page that shows the source and date and the page where the story begins. (Don't copy more than two pages per story.)
• Highlight the sentence that fulfills the assignment. Identify it according to the assignment (label it on the paper).
• You may use multiple sentences from the same story or newspaper if they fulfill the assignment.

Staple all your sentence pages together, with one TYPED cover sheet, on which you:


• Briefly state the rule .The rules will be about commas, quote marks, abbreviation, capitalization and the like. For the first assignment, use your quotations handout or Media Writer's Handbook; thereafter, use the AP stylebook. You must tell how the rule applies to the example you chose.
  
• State the page number in the Media Writer's Handbook or Associated Press Stylebook that covers the example you found (or just cite the handout for the first assignment).
• Put all the rules on one sheet (or two if needed). Don't waste paper if you can help it.
• ALL HOMEWORK MUST BE TYPED. Do not print on both sides of a page.
• Staple the whole thing together with your name on the front.

Assignments:

DUE	ASSIGNMENT
Homework No. 1 -- Total of five sentences You may use the Quotations handout to cite as rules.	Bring in five quotations: two indirect, two direct and one partial, with the attribution in different places.  10 pts. Be sure that you cite the rules, don't just identify the type of quotation. Include information about the different uses of commas, quotation marks and capitalization.
Homework No. 2 -- Total of 10 sentences AP Stylebook -- Places: See stylebook entries for states, directions, county, cities and towns, city, datelines. Time: See stylebook entries for dates, days of the week, yesterday, today, tonight, tomorrow, months, years, decades, time of day, a.m. and p.m., historical periods and events, century, and all cross references	Bring in five sentences that illustrate different uses of "places" as found in the AP Stylebook (see the stylebook entries listed at left). Read the stylebook entries so you can be sure you have five different examples, related to five different entries in the style book. ALSO: Bring in five sentences that illustrate different uses of "time" as found in the AP Stylebook. Read the stylebook entries outlined at left so you can be sure you have five different examples, related to five different entries in the style book. 10 pts.
Homework No. 3 -- Total of 10 sentences AP Stylebook -- Numbers: See stylebook entries for numerals and all its cross references (all the boldfaced words at the end of the "numerals" entry. Measurements: See stylebook entries for dimensions, monetary units, weights and all cross references.	Bring in five sentences that contain five different uses of numbers. Vary among figures and spelled-out numbers or fractions.Read the stylebook entries outlined at left so you can be sure you have five different examples, related to five different entries in the style book. ALSO: Bring in five sentences that contain five different uses of measurements. Vary among kinds of measurments.Read the stylebook entries outlined at left so you can be sure you have five different examples, related to five different entries in the style book. 10 pts.
Homework No. 4 -- 7 examples	Bring in news stories that illustrate each of the seven news values (InRep. p. 17).  Explain how or why the story represents the news value.  No need to "state rules."    10 pts.
Homework No. 5 -- 5 examples	Bring in 5 examples of calculations in news stories. These are not mere numbers, but instances where you can tell that someone (either the reporter or the source) had to do some math to come up with the figure. At least one sentence must contain a "percent change." Explain whether the use of math in each story was helpful to the understanding of the story, and why.   No need to "state rules."    10 pts.
Homework No. 6 -- 5 ideas in a list	Come up with five ideas for stories for The Traveler. Turn in a typed list. Two of your ideas should be for news stories, two for feature stories and one for your choice of editorial, column or review. No sports stories except for "your choice." Tell which of the news values each story would serve. (See assignment for second week.) No need to "state rules." (10 points)
Homework No. 7 - (50 points) 500-word paper	Write a 500-word paper (two pages, double spaced) comparing online writing, broadcast writing and ad/PR writing to newswriting.  Your paper will be graded on content as well as style and grammar; however, it can be first-person if you wish. Read these pages in Inside Reporting for your information. (Your comparisons should be based on  these descriptions.)  No need to "state rules." Online journalism:  154-162, Broadcast journalism: 164-171 Public relations: 176-183

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