FALL 2011 JOURNALISM 2020 COPY EDITING Section A Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11:45 a.m. 12:35 p.m.

.; Hale Center 306 Journalism is a conversation, not a lecture. Instructor: Professor Dana C. Hackley, M.S. Office Hours: By Appointment or via Skype Telephone: 412-303-4110 (cell) University e-mail: hackley@rmu.edu
Cartoon Courtesy: John Cole, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Course description and goal: This class is an overview of editing, language and research skills applicable to all media. The course includes a review of grammar and syntax, AP Style and media formats. Such skills are useful to students planning to pursue a career in newspaper, broadcast, advertising, public relations, photojournalism, digital media and online journalism careers. With a changing media environment, and an ever-increasing reliance on Web-based communication, this will provide students with beginning editing skills for all forms of communication. Objectives: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental and advanced concepts of communications process and theory, including language learning and the development of language and communication skills; writing process, skills and semantics; and communications rights, freedoms and responsibilities. Students will review basic grammar and word usage skills required for success in journalism and communication careers Students will learn AP style for print, broadcast and online media. Students will learn how to recognize news and write appropriate leads and headlines. Students will be introduced to libel laws and protections afforded journalists. Students will be introduced to layout, design and photographic basics. Students will study speech and language, including access and use of telecommunications tools for communication and information sharing, including Internet resources. Students will study the media, including basic techniques of broadcasting, print and online media; functions of the mass media and critical analysis of the mass media. University Policies: Please take the time to review these policies as they will be enforced during the course of this class. Statement on Academic Integrity Students with Disabilities Course Policies: Attendance Missing or Late Work

FALL 2011 Required Textbooks: Lauren Kessler and Duncan McDonald (2007). When Words Collide: A Media Writers Guide to Grammar and Style, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Associated Press. Associated Press Stylebook. New York: Basic Books. Most recent edition. Mark Briggs (2007). Journalism 2.0. Free download available at: http://www.kcnn.org/images/uploads/Journalism_20.pdf Supplemental Reading: http://www.cyberjournalist.net/ Recommended Textbook for broadcast students: Brad Kalbfeld (2001). AP Broadcast News Handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill. Resources: www.lynda.com http://www.aejmc.org/

Assessment:
Grading and assignments: Weekly current event quizzes, weekly editing and writing labs, a final examination and an online portfolio comprise your grade in this class. PERCENT 30 percent 30 percent 15 percent 15 percent 10 percent

Weekly graded labs/quizzes/assignments Student Media Editing Copy Edit the World Final Exam Current Events Quizzes

Explanation of Assignments: Weekly graded labs: You will complete at least one graded lab/assignment each week. Those labs USUALLY will be on Friday, but there will be times that the schedule precludes that. The labs will cover a specific topic, which will be fully introduced to you in the preceding classes. There will be times that the labs will be completed in class, and there also could be times when the lab must be completed outside of class. You will not be allowed to make up any missed labs unless the instructor is aware of your absence IN ADVANCE OF CLASS. Please note that the instructors e-mail address and telephone number is at the top of this syllabus. Student Media Editing: Each student will assist an editor from The Sentry. You should treat the time you assist The Sentry editor as an internship. You are responsible for contacting the editor and determining how best you can help. You are encouraged to meet with them several times. The editor will evaluate how well you contributed and learned/improved over the course of the semester. I will 2

FALL 2011 also allow you to self-assess your work, but I will ultimately determine how much youve improved. Any work you edit for The Sentry should be handed in to me with the before and after copy.
Copy Edit the World:

Find and correct AP style errors, typos, grammatical errors, misused words and other mistakes in published materials (newspapers and magazines, PR and marketing materials, textbooks, class handouts, menus, signage, newsletters, etc.). These must be errors youve spotted, not errors identified by others and posted online. You must submit at least two documents that youve corrected.
Final Exam: Details of the final exam will be provided to you as the semester continues. The time and date are provided by the university and are nonnegotiable.

Current Events:
Journalists (including copy editors) need to be conscious of the world around them, so current events quizzes will be given weekly. The 10-question quiz will be based on the top news stories of the week covering local, state, national and international news.

All labs are graded on a 100 point scale. The instructor will be reviewing the editing work to look for errors of omission and commission according to directions for that assignment. Lab exercises will test students on grammar, punctuation, syntax, AP style, readability and other journalistic style, writing and format issues. The grading scale is as follows: A = 94 - 100 A- = 90 - 93 B+ = 87 - 89 B = 84 - 86 B- = 80 - 83 C+ = 77 - 79 C = 70 - 76 D = 60 - 69 F = 59 and below Additional and important points about your grade in this class: Extra credit opportunities are available: Communications Skills and Tutoring Lab Schedule an appointment and meet with a counselor to create a personal development plan. Turn in the plan to the instructor and earn 10 points toward any assignment. Center for Student Success Schedule an appointment and meet with a counselor to develop a few career goals and a plan for how to accomplish them. Turn in the plan to the instructor and earn 10 points toward any assignment.

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TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE: Please remember to read all assigned chapters of the required books before the first class each week. Bring at the minimum your AP Stylebook to all class sessions. Week 1: Foundation August 29, 2011 Review Syllabus August 31, 2011 Importance of Editing The Copy Editors Job For Next Class Read: https://docs.google.com/a/rmu.edu/Doc? id=dhrxdnf3_543fwkgwmdz&pli=1 and http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/12/revamping-the-story-flow-for-journalists337.html September 2, 2011 Approaches to Editing Tools of the Trade Week 2: September 5, 2011 Labor Day Holiday NO CLASS September 7, 2011 Back to Basics Grammar Assessment Copy Editing Marks September 9, 2011 RSS Feed Subscription Grammar Review/Eats, Shoots, Leaves For Next Class: Complete http://breeze.sc.edu/apstyle1 Week 3: September 12, 2011 AP Style A-F For Next Class: Complete http://breeze.sc.edu/apstyle2 September 14, 2011 AP Style G-L September 16, 2011 4

FALL 2011 AP Style M-R For Next Class: Read http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/Tactics/Articles/view/8510/1007/Inside_the_world_of_the_AP_ Stylebook Week 4: September 19, 2011 AP Style S-Z September 21, 2011 AP Style Quiz September 23, 2011 AP Style Review For Next Class: Read http://www.themergeblog.com/2007/01/youre-too-wordy.html Week 5: Components of the Story September 26, 2011 Content Editing Wordiness September 28, 2011 Story Structure September 30, 2011 Current Events Quiz Editing Activity 1 Week 6: October 3, 2011 Accuracy Fact Checking For Next Class: Look through http://www.socialbrite.org/sharing-center/resources/directory-ofjournalism-resources/ October 5, 2011 Attribution October 7, 2011 Current Events Quiz Editing Activity 2 Week 7: October 10, 2011 Leads/Nut Graphs For Next Class: Read http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/chip-on-yourshoulder/11371/the-nut-graf-part-i/ 5

FALL 2011 October 12, 2011 Headlines October 14, 2011 Editing Activity 3 Current Events Quiz Editing Activity 4 Week 8: October 17, 2011 Working with Wire Copy October 19, 2011 Perils of Plagiarism October 21, 2011 Current Events Quiz Editing Activity 5 Week 9: October 24, 2011 NO CLASS October 26, 2011 NO CLASS October 28, 2011 TBD Week 10: October 31, 2011 Math in Journalism For Next Class: Read http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/journalists_need_to_do_the_math.php November 2, 2011 Journalism and Statistics November 4, 2011 Current Events Quiz Math Activity Week 11: November 7, 2011 Headlines/Cutlines 6

FALL 2011 For Next Class: Read http://soshable.com/what-role-will-develop-in-social-media-to-replacetraditional-editors/ November 9, 2011 Changing Nature of News November 11, 2011 Current Events Quiz Editing Activity 6 Week 12: November 14, 2011 Editing for Broadcast November 16, 2011 Editing for Online Content Copy Edit the World Assignment Due November 18, 2011 Current Events Quiz Editing Activity 7 Week 13: Thanksgiving Break November 21, 2011 NO CLASS November 23, 2011 NO CLASS November 25, 2011 NO CLASS Week 14 November 28, 2011 Editing for Public Relations November 30, 3011 Guest Speaker via Skype Visual Rhetoric December 2, 2011 Current Events Quiz Editing Activity 8 For Next Class: Read http://dupreyethics.blogspot.com/ Week 15: December 5, 2011 7

FALL 2011 Legal Implications Ethical Concerns December 7, 2011 Jobs & Internships December 9, 2011 Grammar Assessment Redo Finals Week: December 12-16 Final Grades Due: December 19, 2011