Running List of Past Daily Assignments 
(in chronological order)

For Monday, 5/23:

  • Come to class.

    • We’ll be in Shannon 107 from 1-3:15 p.m.

  • Bring your laptop or alternate screen device.

In-Class on Monday, 5/23:

  1. Please take this incoming survey:

    https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Xk93y0vSO1q4tg

  2. Headline Exercise:

    Take 5 minutes to write a brief headline that tells us something about you in the past year. Post to this document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QFSeKVDPXl0bWLid_73153IvePjyVkluy58DlkkOlo8/edit?usp=sharing 

  3. Initial discussion:

    What is “news writing” for?

    -earliest memories of the news (written, other formats)?

    -recent experiences with the news (negative and positive)?

  4. Diagram exercise:

    -Imagine you listened to a story on the radio (car or streaming or whatever) this morning, about how the overturning of Roe v Wade might effect miscarriage care in the U.S. Draw a diagram of how you think this story came to be on your broadcast. Include at least 5 steps in the process.

    -Take a picture of your diagram and upload it to this folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_cJDdNJRjZlWiCa5SOGNJ_RrsMXx6D69?usp=sharing

  5. Writing discussion, more generally:

    -What have your writing classes/experiences been like to this point? 

    -What do you think might be different about writing in a news writing class?

  6. Adopt-a-Paper Exercise, part 1

    1. Choose a local paper from the list.

    2. Set up a blank Twitter feed and subscribe to all the papers in the list.

    3. Story-style analysis:

      -Select any 3 recent (past month) stories from your adopted paper.

      -Run those stories through the checkers linked in our spreadsheet and report your averages.

For Tuesday, 5/24:

  1. Read “What Is Journalism For?” (excerpted from The Elements of Journalism, 3rd edition—2007).

    • Read/compare against the same chapter in the 4th edition, published 2021—available as a “Look Inside the Book” preview on Amazon.com.

    • And be prepared to discuss—to help you focus, try noting 3 main ideas or quotes that you’d be willing to open a conversation about during class time.

  • Order a copy of the AP Style Manual, 55th edition (print or Kindle edition).

  • Read your hard-copy newspaper (provided in class).

    • Bring it back to class on Tuesday along with observations regarding content and form.

  • Review the syllabus, schedule, and website, and let me know if you have any questions.

  • Finish the Adopt-a-Paper exercise from Monday’s class, including:

    • Complete the information in “your” row of the spreadsheet.

    • Set up a new course-specific Twitter feed, and ONLY follow the outlets listed in this exercise (but follow ALL of these).

    • Spent at least 1 hour reading stories from this Twitter feed (emphasize reading from YOUR “adopted” paper) and be prepared to report on your reading in class. Things to watch for:

      • What are they reporting?

      • HOW are they reporting it?

      • Are there differences in their styles, perspectives, sources, etc.?

      • What do you not understand in what you’re reading?

      • Are the same gaps coming up over and over for you?

      • What do you see that’s worth discussing in class?

  • Come to class ready for studio time (we’ll start with discussion of the readings, then complete several starter writing/editing exercises together)

In class on Tuesday, 5/24:

  1. Group Discussion exercise

  2. Writing Exercises:
    *For each exercise, be sure to copy the original document (don’t type IN that original). Be sure your name is on your file to receive credit!

    1. Exercise 1: Evaluating Leads

    2. Exercise 2: Rewriting Leads

    3. Exercise 3: Second Paragraphs

In class on Wednesday, 5/25:

  • Please revisit your assignments for today and make sure your name is on each of your files.
    (Submissions without names will receive a “0” in the gradebook—please be sure you earn the credit for your work.)

  • Group Discussion primer

  • Exercise:

    Step One:
    Take this quiz

    Step Two:
    In your usual news outlets, look up stories on the Supreme Court and Roe v. Wade from the past week.
    (I.e., How would you typically look up information on this topic? Do that now.)

    Step Three: 

    Choose ONE typical story that you would read. Copy/paste the text into a Google doc in this folder. Use the news outlet name for the file name. Do not include your own name.

    • Highlight in GREEN anything that is a fact. 

    • Highlight in ORANGE anything that is an opinion. 

    • Highlight in GREY anything that seems like a grey area or where you’re uncertain whether to classify as fact v opinion.

    Step Four:

    Take a few minutes to explore all the files in the folder now. Review one anothers’ analyses to see if we agree on the color-coding; if you generally agree, compare/contrast the Green/Orange/Grey balance across the articles.

For Wednesday, 5/25:

  • Be sure to complete your in-class exercises from Tuesday’s class and submit before Wednesday’s class. If you need to reference the instructions/links, visit the “Past Daily Assignments” page linked below.

For Thursday, 5/26:

  • Spend time reading your local news outlet and be prepared to tell us about a story or trend you see there.

  • Take time to review these four sources and be prepared to discuss the backgrounds/missions/work of the groups:

-Associated Press, https://www.ap.org/about/

-Reuters, https://www.reutersagency.com/en/about/about-us/ 

-Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/about/

-Poynter, https://www.poynter.org/about/ 

Come to class ready to get your first week’s news writing assignment—you’ll get it in the first few minutes of class and will have most of the class time to write. That assignment will be due before midnight on Thursday.

Due by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, 5/26:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1d-V1ZPueIFjPpIX3XbxikUwXv47wev5Q?usp=sharing

Have fun!

For Friday, 5/27:

Change of plans for today—apologies. I’m still working through edits to your (very engaging!) articles, and I’ve been informed that no one has classes on Monday. With those details in mind, we’re pivoting a bit—

For Tuesday, 5/31:

Come ready to discuss your community papers reading from Friday, revise your first articles from last week, and do some related exercises to help going into this week’s articles.

In-Class on Tuesday, 5/31:

For Wednesday, 6/1:

  • Heads up: I’ve added a spreadsheet to the Submission Return folder, so when you’re ready for me to regrade your assignment, you can just say so in the spreadsheet. I’ll check in every morning and try to update grades quickly in Collab.

  • Finish and submit Exercises 1 and 2 before Wednesday’s class.


In-Class on Wednesday, 6/1:

  • Reference “Body of a News Story” for review/discussion of story shapes. See especially:

    • Inverted Pyramid, page 181ff

    • Hourglass, page 189ff

    • Focus, page 191ff

    • Narrative, page 192ff<—Note: Narrative shape is not an option this week, but will be in the future. Still, you may use some narrative elements in your stories this week if you choose.

For Thursday, 6/2:

  • *Heads up: I’ve started “cleaning up” our house style guide for better use as we go forward. There were a few people, though, who hadn’t put their names by their contributions, and currently don’t have credit for that exercise in the gradebook. To check and/or add your name/missing items, please visit this original copy. I’ll check it once more on Friday before I update exercise grades in Collab for this week.

  • Read “Body of a News Story” in full; bring questions to class.

  • Be working on your story files and story drafts for Major Assignment #2 (due before 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, 6/2).

    • We’ll do exercises connected to story development during Thursday’s class.

  • Optional: Feel free to go ahead and add questions for Ginny Bixby (Friday’s guest speaker) to this Google doc. I’ll assign everyone to add at least 2 questions before Friday’s class time, so if you don’t do that on Wednesday, you can do it on Thursday.

In-Class on Thursday, 6/2:

Due by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, 6/2:

For Friday, 6/3:

  • Read at least 3 of the 5 articles in this PDF from Ginny Bixby, Daily Progress reporter and our guest speaker for Friday:

  • Add at least 2 questions for Ginny to this Google doc. Feel free to ask specific or general questions—about the articles above, about her work in general, about the news business, or even advice on your work.

  • Heads ups, continued :) :

a) I’ve started “cleaning up” our house style guide for better use as we go forward. There were a few people, though, who hadn’t put their names by their contributions, and currently don’t have credit for that exercise in the gradebook. To check and/or add your name/missing items, please visit this original copy. I’ll check it once more on Friday before I update exercise grades in Collab for this week.

b) When you’re ready for your regrades on MA#1 (any time before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, 6/3), please make sure the latest draft is in your submission folder and then indicate that you’re ready for regrading on this spreadsheet.

Before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, 6/3:

Last chances for the following:

a) I’ve started “cleaning up” our house style guide for better use as we go forward. There were a few people, though, who hadn’t put their names by their contributions, and currently don’t have credit for that exercise in the gradebook. To check and/or add your name/missing items, please visit this original copy. I’ll check it once more on Friday before I update exercise grades in Collab for this week.

b) When you’re ready for your regrades on MA#1 (any time before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, 6/3), please make sure the latest draft is in your submission folder and then indicate that you’re ready for regrading on this spreadsheet.

For Monday, 6/6:

  • No need to prepare anything; just come to class ready to jump into larger audiences/feature writing. Enjoy the weekend.

For Tuesday, 6/7:

  • Add these outlets your Twitter feeds.
    *Mostly U.S. state publications with national reach (and some of the highest circulation rates, so long as they have strong reputations for solid reporting—I excluded a few high-circulation papers that tend toward click-bait approaches). I’ve also included a couple of international outlets that you’ll be able to read in English. Feel free to add other established international outlets in languages in which you are reasonably fluent.

  • Read:

  • We’ll start class with a debrief discussion of both Ginny, Friday’s guest speaker, and Monday’s viewing of Spotlight, and we’ll bring in the readings above:

    • Re: Ginny and your responses, we’ll start with the Google doc with your questions/notes.

    • On the film, a few starter questions:

      • On reporter identity in relation to the larger community: Can you point to key moments in the film that demonstrate how reporters relate to their local communities? (Why, for example, might it be challenging for a seasoned reporter in one city to switch to writing in a different location?) In particular, of course, in Spotlight, we see how important Catholicism is to the community in Boston, and how the reporters needed to understand that community to investigate and write their story. Those particulars will shift from place to place, but every community will have their own histories, cultures, values, etc. What do you do with that reality in the context of news writing (and reading)?

      • On objectivity: In the NYT piece, “When Reporters Get Personal,” we read the following idea: “objectivity is problematic when it involves ‘taking the midpoint between opposing sides and calling that neither/nor position ‘impartial.’“ How does Spotlight help unfold that idea a bit? What are your thoughts?

      • On trust: So—we’ve talked at some length about the distortions we face in trying to read the media—bluntly, when the news is biased. This film shows the value of reporters in breaking through entrenched systems and community norms, etc.—journalism at its “best.” What are your thoughts and concerns about how this tension played out in the film?

      • On journalism research methods: This week, we’ll be introducing more research into our work. You saw the reporters in Spotlight conducting research in many ways, both archival (going through records, etc.) and field (networking, interviewing, observing, etc.). Which approaches stood out to you? What questions did it raise for you, in taking on some of these methods yourself?

  • Obviously, this week you’ll be writing for larger audiences—think state and/or national scope.

    • Start your story file for the week with that scope in mind:

      • What topics would you like to cover? Brainstorm a bit.
        *Once again, to clarify—you will not be assigned to write anything scandalous/controversial/”hot button.” You are welcome to pitch any idea that you believe is relevant/of interest to a larger (state/national/international) audience. Use the sources you’ve added to your Twitter feed to get ideas of range, and bring questions to class as needed.

      • Pull a few (3-10) related articles that give you some context.

        • Feel free to also pull additional sources (government reports, data sets, whatever would help you make sense of your topic).

      • Who would you reach out to for interviews? Gather 3-7 names and contact info.; think about how they’d work together in your piece.

For Wednesday, 6/8:

  • FYI, this is the Boston Globe/Spotlight article as featured in the film.

  • Start on your third major assignment. This is a feature article and will be the longest (and probably most fun) of the stories you write for the class, so dig in. :) (As one spoiler, next week’s piece is a new take on one of your first three stories, if that helps you at all in planning for this week.)

    • Reposting for your quick reference:

    • Continue working on your story file; I’d say spend at least 2 hours on it tonight, so you have enough done tomorrow that you can make the most of the time with your team. (I’ll put you in editorial/newswriting teams for some low-stakes collaborative exercises.)

  • Review your MA#2 comments and reach out if you want to discuss during office hours, etc.

In-Class on Wednesday, 6/8:

  • Pitch Session:

    • Part I (Prep)—Take 15 minutes to review your notes and be prepared to take about 2-3 minutes max sharing with the class:

      • Your story topic

      • What you’ll cover that’s new/value-added for your audience

      • Who you’ll talk to

      • What data you’ll be working to find

    • Part II (Delivery and Feedback)—

      • Round robin reporting; give each other feedback; take notes on the feedback you get.

      • Everyone should respond to others’ stories at least twice during the session. :) Things to say:

        • Follow-up questions for clarification on topic, purpose, audience, etc.

        • Ideas for people to contact, sources to check out for data, related stories you’ve read in the past 1-2 weeks

        • Perspectives the author might want/need to take into account during research/writing

    • Part III:

      a) Take 5 minutes to process the feedback you just got; plot your next 3 steps, decide on your VERY NEXT STEP.

      b) Share your plan with your peers—what are you going to do/accomplish in the next 30 minutes? (This is an accountability function. :-D)

      c) Start on that thing. Get back to your group at 3:00. 

      d) Report to your group. What went well? What did you accomplish? What’s your next step now?

For Thursday, 6/9:

  • Note: I will NOT have my office hours on Thurs. morning due to a scheduling conflict. Reach out to me if you want to schedule a time to talk. Text as needed (615.509.7448); I’ll respond as I am able throughout my other appointments.

  • Continue working on your stories. You should aim to have a fairly complete, VERY rough draft by class time tomorrow. (A decent target is 2/3-ish, or the whole thing but with big placeholders/gaps.) We’ll do some team workshop on those drafts for the first half of class, and then you’ll be able to go work independently again.

  • Please take each others’ surveys!

For Friday, 6/10:

  • MA#3 is due before class time. Submit to this folder.

  • Come ready to work on style revisions to MA#2 and #3. I’ll walk you through some key style items that you can apply live and improve your sentence-level readability.

In-Class on Friday, 6/10:

Coming Up (Friday, 6/10-Monday 6/13):

  • Submit all MA#2 revisions by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, 6/10.

  • If you want to make any STYLE change to your MA#3 submissions before I grade them, just be sure you make those before
    9 a.m. on Monday, 6/13. (Yes; that’s later than I said in Friday’s class.)

  • Here are the slides from Friday’s class, for your reference in making style revisions:

  • For Monday’s class, just come ready launch into Major Assignment #4. You’ll get it in class on Monday; it will be due before class time on Thursday.

    • Given that you won’t be able to revise your work on that last assignment, DO consider signing up ASAP for sessions with the Writing Center. Those slots are likely to fill up fast in the last week of Summer I.

      • I recommend the full-hour option if slots are available.

      • Note that tutors are not allowed to copy edit/proofread your full articles. (Per Writing Center policy—the point is for them to help you become better writers, not to perfect any individual piece of writing). They CAN:

        • weigh in on big-picture items (concept, organization, development, voice, etc.)

        • copy edit/proofread small sections of the piece (usually the equivalent of a paragraph or two) and explain patterns to help you do the rest of those detailed edits yourself

        • answer specific questions you might have about grammar or particular sentences that are giving you fits

For the week of Monday, 6/13-Saturday, 6/18:

  • In-class on Monday, 6/13:

  • Tuesday, 6/14:

    • Expect MA#3 markup returns for revisions

    • Continue working on MA#4

    • We will not meet synchronously; you are welcome to meet up with one another for collaboration and/or to sign up for optional conferences with me.

  • Wednesday, 6/15:

    • Continue working on MA#4

      1. We will not meet synchronously; you are welcome to meet up with one another for collaboration and/or to sign up for optional conferences with me.

  • Thursday, 6/16:

    • MA#4 is due BEFORE class time—so, before 12:59 p.m.

    • Submit your MA#4 to this folder.

      • Just make sure your name is on the file itself.

      • You can submit both pieces in a single Google doc, or submit 2 separate doc files, as you prefer.

    • No class on this day.

  • Friday, 6/17:

    • Final exam and course evals

    • Any MA#3 revisions are due BEFORE class time—so, by 12:59 p.m.

    • You do not need to prepare for the exam.

  • Saturday, 6/18:

    • Required individual conferences during the scheduled exam time (1-3:30 pm); sign-up sheet pending.