Wednesday, June 11, 2008# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/11/08; 7:37:48 AM - Discuss (1 response)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/10/08; 7:39:40 AM - Discuss (1 response)
Monday, June 9, 2008There are three common types of editorials: interpretation, criticism and persuasion, and entertainment.
I. Interpretation
Ø By taking a complex topic, breaking it down, and crafting a coherent editorial, writers provide a valuable service to readers.
For instance, say your school’s administrator has decided to decrease the number of student parking spaces on campus. Lately there has been more overcrowding than ever, as well as a series of accidents and minor injuries. The new parking policy is complex, and students, even faculty, do not understand it. In an editorial of interpretation, you might ask
*Why decrease space instead of increase it?
*Will there be alternative parking? Where? Who can use it?
*Will there be “anti-parking” incentives, such as discounted bus passes or vouchers?
II. Criticism and Persuasion
Ø Anytime an editorialist attempts to persuade readers about a sensitive issue, the writer can expect a vocal response from the opposing camp. Not everyone sees the world the same way.
For instance, in 1998 and 1999, editorialists expressed strong opinions about the private life of Bill Clinton, just at they routinely do with volatile national issues such as gun control. These issues and many others generate emotion, and often the writers who address them have strong personal opinions.
III. Entertainment
Ø Some of the best opinion writers use humor to make a point. Using humor can help an editorialist reach readers who disagree with his or her ideology, primarily because using humor helps the editorialist avoid the militant tone common to some opinion writing. Another strategy for entertainment writing—or any type of editorial writing, for that matter—is the use of numbers or lists. David Letterman became famous for his “top-ten” lists, and editorialists, to some extent, have followed suit. Lists can be quite compelling when the writer gets the facts straight and organizes them in a logical manner.
Tips for Writing Good Editorials
Ø Use documented, credible information to voice an informed opinion.
Ø Use manageable words rather than big, fancy words that nobody understands.
Ø Vary sentence length.
Ø Use a professional tone rather than a patronizing, all-knowing one.
Ø Make sure your facts are accurate!!!! I can’t stress this enough!
(adapted from Chapter 6, Writing Features, Editorials, Sports, Secondary School Journalism)
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/9/08; 7:41:04 AM - Discuss
Friday, June 6, 2008Peer critiques are helpful for a number of reasons. Someone else’s perspective can be invaluable to your writing process. Sometimes as writers we get “too close” to our pieces and don’t have the ability to take an objective step backwards. Other times, we stay up all night working on an essay or an article, and we’re too tired to be objective. Critiques also save your grade valuable points because others can find mechanical and grammatical errors that you missed. Sometimes another person’s opinion or reaction to your work can give you new or better ideas; these new ideas often lead to improvement.
Your mission: Exchange your hard news story with a friend and write that person a letter that addresses the following criteria:
I. First, you should take out your inverted pyramid diagrams to use as a guide.
II. Evaluate the piece as weak, fair, good, or excellent in terms of each of the following criteria:
1. focus on task
2. content
3. organization (very important)
4. coherence
5. clarity of language
6. concise sentences?
7. mechanics
III. Now answer the following questions:
1. What is effective and well done in the article?
2. What could be done to improve the article?
3. Does the summary lead answer the Big 6 questions?
4. Is there a backup to the lead that answers the remaining Big 6 questions the summary lead fails to answer?
5. Is there a lead quote within the first 3-5 paragraphs?
6. Is there an ample amount of attribution?
7. Is the attribution varied? In other words, are some quotes introduced with the attribution before the quote? Is the attribution at the end of some of the quotes?
8. Is there a balanced mix of paraphrasing and direct quotations?
*Remember, the more detailed and specific your critique, the better. Don’t be afraid to quote sentences to help illustrate your points.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/6/08; 7:36:42 AM - Discuss
Thursday, June 5, 2008On June 16th, you must have your final beat project posted to your weblog.
Please answer the following question: Did you like covering a beat? Why or why not?
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/5/08; 8:31:13 AM - Discuss
Thursday, May 29, 2008Hi folks,
I am out again today for a track meet. Sorry about this...we're going to 2-day meet in Little Egg Harbor. I want you to finish writing your interview questions during the first half of class today. Once you finish, you can start role playing and interviewing each other. I will be available for interviews next week if you want me to play a role. You probably won't finish all of your interviews today, but you will be able to get a good start. If you get done early with writing your interview questions and nobody else is ready, you can work on your weblog. Remember that you have 4 current events and 4 beat responses due by midnight. I will start grading blogs this weekend. For homework, I would like you to find and label a hard news story. Next week we will do an activity to help us with organizing hard news. Have a good weekend, and I'll see you Monday. If you have any problems or questions, e-mail me, and I'll get back to you sometime during the weekend.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/29/08; 10:36:06 PM - Discuss
Friday, May 16, 2008
This is a sample post for demonstration purposes.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/16/08; 8:52:52 AM - Discuss
Thursday, May 15, 2008
I think this is a well-written profile on Jim Edmonds. I particularly like the quotes at the end of the piece. What is the theme?# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/15/08; 9:45:33 AM - Discuss
Tuesday, May 13, 2008This feature story about female ACL injuries is really well done. Check it out.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/13/08; 11:40:44 AM - Discuss
Here is another example from Mr. McHale's weblog. His students wrote a profile on JD Gold, a former duty release aide at Hunterdon Central.
Here's an example of a nice lead, nutgraph and lead quote for the JD Gold Profile:
He is the man everyone looks over their shoulders for when they take out their cell phones. He is the man everyone pulls down their skirts and pulls up their shirts for as they pass him in the hallway. He is the man everyone blames for making them have a bad day.
He is also the man who has attended five colleges, builds computers in his spare time, and loves playing World of Warcraft. There is more to Jonathon Douglas Gold, better known as JD around school, than just the duty release aid students see patrolling the hallways everyday. To them, he is a strict authority figure, seemingly set out on ruining every student’s day, but outside of school, he is a different man.
“I’m a rather happy-go-lucky individual when I’m not here,” Gold says. “I think [the students] think of me as a pain in the ass. And they’re right. Nobody likes authority.”
Please note how well the mystery lead pulls in the reader. The unclear pronoun "he" makes you want to find out who "he" is, so you continue reading. The repetition of the word pattern also makes the lead memorable and rhythmic. Use parallelism when you want to emphasize something to the reader. The parallel part of every sentence above is "He is the man everyone...." Paragraph 2 is the nut graph and addresses the basic Big 6 questions of the story. Paragraph 3 is the lead quote, and it's a good one. It really captures JD Gold's personality.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/13/08; 7:39:27 AM - Discuss
One of my runners, Ryan, was featured in The Courier News (last Friday) and The Star-Ledger (last Sunday); both were front-page articles! How would you classify these stories? Are they profiles? What quality of news are these? Here are the links to the articles:
http://www.nj.com/columns/ledger/politi/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/121048231326610.xml&coll=1
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/13/08; 7:38:26 AM - Discuss
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/13/08; 7:37:27 AM - Discuss
Monday, May 12, 2008# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/12/08; 7:26:27 AM - Discuss
Good morning. Sorry that I am out of school today. My foot is messed up, and I have to see a doctor. Even though I am out, you still have the quiz today. It might be a good idea to copy it and paste onto a Word document before you print it. Someone always prints the entire weblog when trying to print one page from it. After you print and take the quiz, please give it to the subsititute.
Once you are finished with the quiz, please work on your feature story. Remember that the hard deadline for the story is this Thursday. You should be in the interviewing or writing stage of the process. If you have questions, you can e-mail me, and I will try to get back to you today. Be sure that you set up your interviews in advance. If you need to go somewhere within the school for an interview today, the sub will give you a pass. If you don't have any interviews scheduled for today, you should be writing your story. You can write the lead, nut graph, elaboration, and background until you get your quotes. Whatever you choose to work on, make sure that you are productive today.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/12/08; 7:11:48 AM - Discuss
Thursday, May 8, 2008# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/8/08; 7:42:38 AM - Discuss
Monday, May 5, 2008# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/5/08; 1:58:22 PM - Discuss
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/5/08; 11:48:13 AM - Discuss
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/5/08; 11:44:02 AM - Discuss (15 responses)
Who: Three boaters
What happened: Two killed, the third injured when the boat capsized
When: Sunday
Where: Lake Harney, near the Volusia-Seminole county line in Florida
Why: High winds and waves
How: (Explained in the story)
The points of emphasis of a nut graph should be the first or last words of the paragraph. Decide the order of the information you present. Think SVO. Who did the action, what happened, to whom. Occasionally you will find that the how or why is most important.
Write a practice nut graph using the above information.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/5/08; 7:50:31 AM - Discuss
Friday, May 2, 2008# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/2/08; 7:39:21 AM - Discuss
Thursday, April 24, 2008# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/24/08; 2:43:21 PM - Discuss
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/24/08; 7:59:07 AM - Discuss
Tuesday, April 22, 2008# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/22/08; 7:43:42 AM - Discuss
Monday, April 21, 2008Good morning! I hope that everyone had a good weekend. Once you finish watching the film, I would like you to answer the following questions by clicking on the discuss link on this post: 1) What did this film teach you about journalistic ethics? 2) The main character of this film, Steven, had some redeeming qualities as a journalist. In fact, what made him good also made him plagiarize. What positive attributes does he demonstrate?
Once you finish your response, you may finish working on your summary lead from Friday. After that, you may read online news. You will have a news quiz tomorrow, and we will continue working with the basic parts of the news story.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/21/08; 7:48:29 AM - Discuss (38 responses)
Wednesday, April 16, 2008Dear Students:
Welcome to Journalism I! I hope that you are looking forward to this quarter as much as I am. I am confident that this will be a productive and fulfilling marking period as long as we all approach it with open minds. You should be very excited to have the opportunity to attend a school with such advanced technological resources. Journalism I has an appealing curriculum that I think you will enjoy. We will be using two textbooks and several newspapers to help develop your journalistic skills. My goals for the quarter are simple: A) I want you to become proficient writers (grammar and accessibility). B) To become better readers, that is, readers who read with a critical eye and who read actively. C) To learn interviewing skills. D) To produce quality work by given deadlines. E) To engage in classroom activities. F) To put forth your best effort. G) To utilize our journalism weblog as much as possible. H) Last, but not least, I want you to enjoy life as a journalist.
There are a few policies that I want to bring to your attention:
Stories
During the next nine weeks, you will write four major newspaper pieces: one hard news story, a profile, two features, and an editorial. You will be spending time in and outside of class working on and revising these stories. There will be days when you are interviewing various people throughout the school. You will also be gathering information for your stories through e-mail, phone interviews, reading newspapers (hard copies and on-line), and library/Internet research. When you are doing this research, I expect you to conduct yourselves like mature ladies and gentlemen. I want you to use your best manners, and I want you to demonstrate responsibility by setting up appointments for interviews. Remember, you are a reflection of this class, your teacher, and Hunterdon Central High School. I will provide a mock situation for the hard news story. This probably will be some sort of crime story. The second two stories will be feature stories (you’ll be able to choose your own topics), and your fourth piece will be an editorial. You'll also have your choice to a certain extent for who you profile. You must submit all of your interview notes and any other information you researched along with your final draft of each story. Otherwise, you will not receive credit for the story.
Deadlines
As you will soon learn, deadlines are very important in journalism. In order for newspapers to get printed daily, reporters must submit their stories by deadline. Excuses such as "I left it at home" or requests such as "Can I finish it at the beginning of class?" are inappropriate and unacceptable. If you were a professional journalist, you would get fired for missing a deadline. However, in this class your editor will be a bit more lenient. You should submit your completed story by deadline, but if you can’t for some reason, you may submit a work in progress. This will hurt your grade, but it will buy you two days time. You will not receive any credit for a missing assignment. Late submissions will be docked a letter grade for each day late. *If you are absent/sick/in the hospital/whatever on deadline day, you must find a way to get me the story for full credit. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Beats
Each one of you needs to choose a topic that you will cover throughout the quarter. This long-term assignment requires you to find 4 articles per week on your topic. For each article you must write a brief synopsis (a few sentences) and explain why you chose that particular article (could be as brief as one sentence). You will post the articles and your responses to your weblog. At the conclusion of the quarter, you will use your weekly beat articles as material for a project. Do a good job on your weekly beat assignment, and you’ll score some easy points. Here’s the breakdown: 4 articles=A, 3 articles=B, 2 articles=C, 1 article=D.
Reading Assignments and Quizzes
Reading is a critical homework responsibility, and I will use quizzes as well as written homework assignments to check your progress and effort. If a student does not pass a reading quiz or does not have a written assignment that accompanied a reading assignment, he or she can make up half of the points lost—BUT ONLY BY STAYING FOR A TUTORIAL WHICH WILL INCLUDE A SILENT READING PERIOD. THIS MUST OCCUR WITHIN FIVE SCHOOL DAYS OF THE LOST POINTS. I want to help those students who may lose points on an infrequent basis, but I also want to emphasize the value I place on completing the reading assignments in a timely fashion. If you are having trouble understanding any of the reading, you should come see me, so we can discuss strategies to improve your learning.
You’ll mostly be quizzed on news, so you had better get into the habit of reading the newspaper everyday! You could have as many as five reading quizzes per week. I will vary the number of quizzes that I give by the week.
Grading
50%--Major Projects—This includes the three stories, the editorial, the profile, and the final beat project.
25%--Classroom Performance—This includes weblog contributions, asking and answering questions, EFFORT, conscientiousness, revision, discussing classroom topics, contributing ideas, successfully working alone and in groups, and following classroom rules and procedures.
10%--Beats and Homework—I will give you a weekly beat grade that will count as a homework grade.
15%--Quizzes—This includes news quizzes and tests on notes and book material.
Make-up Work
Any work missed, including tests and quizzes, must be made up within five school days of the date(s) of your absence(s). You will receive a zero for work you fail to make up. This applies to an absence from school of one or two days. If you are absent on three or more consecutive days, you will have twice the number of days absent to make up the work you missed. For example, if you are absent four days, you will have eight school days to make the work
Tutorial
I am available for tutorial in Rm. 807 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday every week. I’m also here most Friday afternoons as well if you can’t make it to any of the other tutorials. Please don’t hesitate to come see me. I’m here to help you!
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/16/08; 7:25:03 AM - Discuss
Wednesday, April 9, 2008# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/9/08; 7:53:04 AM - Discuss
Monday, June 18, 2007For your final writing assignment of the quarter, you are going to write an opinion piece. Unlike all of the other writing you have been doing for journalism, you are allowed to express your opinion. You can use first person, but do not use "I think" or "I believe" or "I feel." None of those expressions are necessary because they are understood. The objective of the editorial is to write concisely, so this should be short--1 page max.
Now for your topic...as many of you remember, radio personality Don Imus was fired by MSNBC and CBS radio earlier this spring for making offensive comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. This caused a huge reaction in the media. The controversy brought to light a lot of interesting issues about race, gender, socioeconomics, and free speech. Time magazine published an article about Imus when it was thought he would only be suspended. He was fired a couple of days after the magazine article was published. I think this topic will work well for interpretation or persuasive editorials. Use the information in the article to help you. If you want to read more opinion pieces about the Imus controversy, there are thousands of them online. For instance, you may want to read opposing viewpoint pieces before you decide on your stance. This is due on Wednesday by the end of class.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/18/07; 11:03:23 AM - Discuss
There are three common types of editorials: interpretation, criticism and persuasion, and entertainment.
I. Interpretation
Ø By taking a complex topic, breaking it down, and crafting a coherent editorial, writers provide a valuable service to readers.
For instance, say your school’s administrator has decided to decrease the number of student parking spaces on campus. Lately there has been more overcrowding than ever, as well as a series of accidents and minor injuries. The new parking policy is complex, and students, even faculty, do not understand it. In an editorial of interpretation, you might ask
*Why decrease space instead of increase it?
*Will there be alternative parking? Where? Who can use it?
*Will there be “anti-parking” incentives, such as discounted bus passes or vouchers?
II. Criticism and Persuasion
Ø Anytime an editorialist attempts to persuade readers about a sensitive issue, the writer can expect a vocal response from the opposing camp. Not everyone sees the world the same way.
For instance, in 1998 and 1999, editorialists expressed strong opinions about the private life of Bill Clinton, just at they routinely do with volatile national issues such as gun control. These issues and many others generate emotion, and often the writers who address them have strong personal opinions.
III. Entertainment
Ø Some of the best opinion writers use humor to make a point. Using humor can help an editorialist reach readers who disagree with his or her ideology, primarily because using humor helps the editorialist avoid the militant tone common to some opinion writing. Another strategy for entertainment writing—or any type of editorial writing, for that matter—is the use of numbers or lists. David Letterman became famous for his “top-ten” lists, and editorialists, to some extent, have followed suit. Lists can be quite compelling when the writer gets the facts straight and organizes them in a logical manner.
Tips for Writing Good Editorials
Ø Use documented, credible information to voice an informed opinion.
Ø Use manageable words rather than big, fancy words that nobody understands.
Ø Vary sentence length.
Ø Use a professional tone rather than a patronizing, all-knowing one.
Ø Make sure your facts are accurate!!!! I can’t stress this enough!
(adapted from Chapter 6, Writing Features, Editorials, Sports, Secondary School Journalism)
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/18/07; 10:50:33 AM - Discuss
Thursday, June 14, 2007Beginning on p. 165 in your purple book, there is a section on the different styles of feature leads. We have already read this section together and practiced finding different leads in newspapers. Here is a brief exercise to help prepare you for the final exam:
Identify each of the following feature leads:
The acid-tongued, sarcastic student named Phil sat on his salmon-colored swivel chair spewing insults to anyone who spoke to him.
Late one winter evening in 2002, after several margaritas and a Mexican dinner, Libby blue agreed to go back to Mike’s bachelor pad.
Cory walked slowly down the narrow hall, deftly rolling her soccer ball around every obstacle she approached.
This is no ordinary high school.
The Bulls had Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The Lakers had Magic Johnson and Kareem. The Celtics had Bird and McHale.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/14/07; 1:34:56 PM - Discuss
Wednesday, June 13, 2007Here are the requirements for your final beat project. Please note that this project must be completed and posted to your weblog by 6/20/07, the day of the final exam.
Please answer the following question: Did you like covering a beat? Why or why not?
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/13/07; 9:59:22 AM - Discuss
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/5/07; 12:56:30 PM - Discuss
Congratulations to our bloggers of the week, Jen W. and Shelly C. Both of these students are doing good work on their blogs and are making big efforts to connect their writing to other sites. Good work, girls!
I would like to see more images in your posts in general.
Remember that for your final beat project you need to discuss your 5 favorite sites, 5 favorite stories, 5 people you'd like to interview if you could (hypothetical), and you need the transcript of an interview with an expert in your beat area. You should make an effort NOW to contact your person. Don't wait until the last minute for this!
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/5/07; 12:52:08 PM - Discuss
Thursday, May 31, 2007# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/31/07; 9:38:56 AM - Discuss
Monday, May 21, 2007I love reading stories about archaeological finds. There have been a couple of major discoveries in Egypt in the last month. This story is about a 4000-year-old tomb that Belgian archaeologists discovered accidentally. It's mind-blowing to think that clay figures in good condition still exist from that long ago. Check this out!
I want to remind you that the DEADLINE for your hard news story is Wednesday by the end of class. Please submit a paper copy of your story. If you are not here, you must submit the story to me electronically and give me a hard copy upon returning to school. Remember, the absent work policy does not apply to journalism! You must submit what you have, along with your interview notes, by Wednesday. If you do not submit your story on time, you will get a zero on the assignment with no chance of revision. If you are not done with your story, it's better to hand it in partially finished than not to submit it on Wednesday.
After we study different styles of feature leads today, you may work on your hard news stories as well as your weblogs. Be ready for a news quiz tomorrow.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/21/07; 12:23:12 PM - Discuss
Friday, May 18, 2007Here is another example from Mr. McHale's weblog. His students wrote a profile on JD Gold, a former duty release aide at Hunterdon Central.
Here's an example of a nice lead, nutgraph and lead quote for the JD Gold Profile:
He is the man everyone looks over their shoulders for when they take out their cell phones. He is the man everyone pulls down their skirts and pulls up their shirts for as they pass him in the hallway. He is the man everyone blames for making them have a bad day.
He is also the man who has attended five colleges, builds computers in his spare time, and loves playing World of Warcraft. There is more to Jonathon Douglas Gold, better known as JD around school, than just the duty release aid students see patrolling the hallways everyday. To them, he is a strict authority figure, seemingly set out on ruining every student’s day, but outside of school, he is a different man.
“I’m a rather happy-go-lucky individual when I’m not here,” Gold says. “I think [the students] think of me as a pain in the ass. And they’re right. Nobody likes authority.”
Please note how well the mystery lead pulls in the reader. The unclear pronoun "he" makes you want to find out who "he" is, so you continue reading. The repetition of the word pattern also makes the lead memorable and rhythmic. Use parallelism when you want to emphasize something to the reader. The parallel part of every sentence above is "He is the man everyone...." Paragraph 2 is the nut graph and addresses the basic Big 6 questions of the story. Paragraph 3 is the lead quote, and it's a good one. It really captures JD Gold's personality.
Your job for tonight is to write a feature lead and nut graph for your Kelly Reimer profile. Try to capture the reader's attention in the first paragraph and lead into the nut graph. You can begin the story in a number of different ways. Review the different feature styles in your purple book if you forget.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/18/07; 1:05:23 PM - Discuss
I cut and paste this post from Mr. McHale's site:
Next, check out this story about a college basketball coach. It's a simple yet effective example of a profile. It begins with a descriptive lead which nicely transitions to an important goal of this coach - the Olympics. Notice how the lead is followed by a nutgraph that provides some details on who she is and some of her pertinent accomplishments.
The story then proceeds to give some important information about the basketball team and her job, but notice that it doesn't focus primarily on this. The story focuses on two aspects of the coach: her work ethic and determination (the theme). Almost everthing else in the story works to support this.
What sentence in the story best expresses this theme? What are some of the elements that attempt to show her work ethic and determination? How effective did you think this profile story was in giving you a sense of this woman? What are at least five questions the reporter might have asked to get some of this information? What are some elements of a profile that are different from a hard news story? Post your answers to these questions on your weblog for 10 points by the end of class today (title it: "Profile Response").
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/18/07; 1:03:45 PM - Discuss
I found some good information on http://central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/mcjournalism the class website of Mr. McHale (the other journalism teacher). Here is an excerpt from one of his posts: "Some of the features of a profile story involve writing that evokes an important aspect of a person through description, dialogue and scene setting. Click here to go to an interview with a Pulitzer prize winning profile writer on why profiles are important and how to go about writing them." Please take a minute to read this explanation on profile stories before we talk.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/18/07; 1:02:00 PM - Discuss
Before I get started with today's lesson, allow me to extol the work of Cory B. our blogger of the week. Cory has been doing some wonderful work on her beat (Bayern soccer) and current events. She includes images and a lot of reaction in her posts. All of you should strive for this blog quality. Way to go, Cory!
The next piece you will begin writing is a profile on Ms. Reimer. Profile pieces can be tricky, and I think it's important to read as many as possible to get a feel for the different styles. Here is an interesting one I found in The New York Times today. You may need to subscribe to NYT online before you can read it. Read this profile and write down 3 things you notice about its organization, writing style, and content.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/18/07; 10:18:41 AM - Discuss (1 response)
Tuesday, May 15, 2007# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/15/07; 11:45:00 AM - Discuss
Monday, May 14, 2007# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/14/07; 8:11:42 AM - Discuss
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Check out this story about a 74-year-old retired trucker who bought an alleged Jackson Pollock painting at a thrift shop for $5. It's pretty amusing.# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/9/07; 10:55:01 AM - Discuss
Thursday, May 3, 2007# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/3/07; 10:17:06 AM - Discuss (7 responses)
Wednesday, May 2, 2007# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/2/07; 1:54:15 PM - Discuss
Monday, April 30, 2007# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/30/07; 10:59:51 AM - Discuss (17 responses)
Thursday, April 26, 2007# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/26/07; 11:53:39 PM - Discuss (14 responses)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007I'd like for you to do some practice writing summary leads. Remember that a summary lead is the focus paragraph of a hard news story and must be concise. A summary lead is one sentence long and addresses some of the Big 6 questions. It should not exceed 35 words.
Who: A University of Florida law student
Where: Gainsville, Florida
When: yesterday
What: mysteriously disappeared
Why: suffering from amnesia
attribution: authorities said
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/25/07; 12:51:52 PM - Discuss
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/25/07; 12:50:12 PM - Discuss
Tuesday, April 24, 2007Although the first story you will write in this class is a hard news piece, I want to introduce the feature story. You need to know the differences between hard and feature news. Today we will spend some time labeling the parts of feature and hard news stories.
You need to know the following terms before we can begin. Use your books to define these and then we'll talk:
backup to lead
nut graph
elaboration
impact
attribution
kicker
background
lead quote
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/24/07; 12:15:11 PM - Discuss
Wednesday, June 14, 2006I know that you might be a little young to think about this stuff, but you should print this story and read it again in four or five years. This is great financial advice for ensuring that you'll have money when you're old and retired.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/14/06; 8:20:34 AM - Discuss
Monday, June 12, 2006Don't forget that the final draft of Feature Story #1 is due tomorrow.
The final beat project is due this Friday.
The final draft of your editorial is also due this Friday.
Feature Story #2 is due sometime next week and should be your area of focus for this week after you finish the beat project.
Please check out the final exam review sheets posted in the navigation bar.
I will be available for conferences the entire week. Let's finish strong!
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/12/06; 9:03:26 AM - Discuss
Here are the requirements for your final beat project. Please note that this project must be completed and posted to your weblog by Friday, 6/16/06.
Did you like covering a beat?
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/12/06; 8:14:52 AM - Discuss
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Congratulations to Kaitlin for being our Blogger of the Week for week 5. She has the most visually pleasing weblog in the class and also writes insightful reaction to global issues. I have enjoyed reading her blog, and I know you will too. Check out her blog when you get a minute.
Our runners up were Kelsey and Eric (second week in a row). Good job to all!
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/7/06; 8:15:18 AM - Discuss
Just a reminder on some upcoming deadlines--
Editorial is due today. Most likely you will have an opportunity to revise once before I give you a grade.
Your final profile draft is due on Friday. I will grade these over the weekend.
Your final draft for Feature #1 is due next Tuesday.
Remember that this is your last week of blogging. Next week you will work on your final beat project. If you haven't done so already, you should contact an "expert" in your beat field to interview for the final project.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/7/06; 7:44:15 AM - Discuss
Friday, June 2, 2006
Congratulations to Mary Kate, our Blogger of the Week for week 4. Her posts are developed and opinionated, which makes for good reading. Check out her blog. Our runners up for the week were Eric and Trevor. Good job to all!
Remember that you have until midnight Saturday to post all of your weblog writing for week 5 because of the weather last night. You only need to have 8 posts because we did not have school last Monday.
For homework this weekend, think of a topic for your next feature story, work on your Zane profile piece, and find/label a feature story from the newspaper. I foresee the Zane profile deadline as Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 6/2/06; 8:34:49 AM - Discuss
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
When we left it still felt like spring; now it is officially summer with these 90 degree temperatures. It was bound to happen...this reminds me that there is a limited amount of time to finish all of our work. As you know, you have a couple of pieces due this week. I am a bit behind on the blog grading, but I'll have blog grades for you in a day or two. Please remember that you should resume your weblog writing this week. Please try to create links in each of your posts. Cut down on the summary.
Today--I want to continue conferences. We can talk about hard news, profiles, or features...whatever you're working on...today is also an "out" day. You can leave the classroom for interviews. Just remember to sign out.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/30/06; 7:34:21 AM - Discuss
Thursday, May 25, 2006Hard news revision deadline is due next Friday, June 2.
Your first feature story is due next Thursday, June 1.
You should be working on your editorial piece, and I hope to get your profiles graded this weekend.
We're back to weblogs next week. Please remember that you must include an interview of an expert in your area for your final beat project. You should start working on this now because this counts as 20% of your final beat project grade.
Have a nice Memorial Day weekend. See you Tuesday.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/25/06; 9:06:42 AM - Discuss
There are three common types of editorials: interpretation, criticism and persuasion, and entertainment.
I. Interpretation
Ø By taking a complex topic, breaking it down, and crafting a coherent editorial, writers provide a valuable service to readers.
For instance, say your school’s administrator has decided to decrease the number of student parking spaces on campus. Lately there has been more overcrowding than ever, as well as a series of accidents and minor injuries. The new parking policy is complex, and students, even faculty, do not understand it. In an editorial of interpretation, you might ask
*Why decrease space instead of increase it?
*Will there be alternative parking? Where? Who can use it?
*Will there be “anti-parking” incentives, such as discounted bus passes or vouchers?
II. Criticism and Persuasion
Ø Anytime an editorialist attempts to persuade readers about a sensitive issue, the writer can expect a vocal response from the opposing camp. Not everyone sees the world the same way.
For instance, in 1998 and 1999, editorialists expressed strong opinions about the private life of Bill Clinton, just at they routinely do with volatile national issues such as gun control. These issues and many others generate emotion, and often the writers who address them have strong personal opinions.
III. Entertainment
Ø Some of the best opinion writers use humor to make a point. Using humor can help an editorialist reach readers who disagree with his or her ideology, primarily because using humor helps the editorialist avoid the militant tone common to some opinion writing. Another strategy for entertainment writing—or any type of editorial writing, for that matter—is the use of numbers or lists. David Letterman became famous for his “top-ten” lists, and editorialists, to some extent, have followed suit. Lists can be quite compelling when the writer gets the facts straight and organizes them in a logical manner.
Tips for Writing Good Editorials
Ø Use documented, credible information to voice an informed opinion.
Ø Use manageable words rather than big, fancy words that nobody understands.
Ø Vary sentence length.
Ø Use a professional tone rather than a patronizing, all-knowing one.
Ø Make sure your facts are accurate!!!! I can’t stress this enough!
(adapted from Chapter 6, Writing Features, Editorials, Sports, Secondary School Journalism)
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/25/06; 7:42:19 AM - Discuss
Friday, May 19, 2006I can't find the link to that forbes blog site we looked at last week, so I am providing you with a few links to other "top blog" sites. Here is one that you can access on Bloglines (you've probably seen this before). This site from CNet is also pretty good. Blogstreet's Top 100 list is also easy to navigate.
For this class assignment, please read and evaluate any 5 weblogs. You should write a one-paragraph evaluation of each and post this on your weblog. Consider the following criteria when you are evaluating:
Quality of layout (aesthetics)
How Provocative the Stories Are
Timeliness
Humor/Seriousness (depeding on the type of blog)
Number of links to other sources
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/19/06; 8:14:51 AM - Discuss
Did I get your attention?
Link of the Day--Read and respond to this interesting editorial from yesterday's NYT on sex education and teen sexual activity. No anecdotes please!
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/19/06; 8:02:21 AM - Discuss (12 responses)
Wednesday, May 17, 2006Here is another example from Mr. McHale's weblog. His students wrote a profile on JD Gold, a former duty release aide at Hunterdon Central.
Here's an example of a nice lead, nutgraph and lead quote for the JD Gold Profile:
He is the man everyone looks over their shoulders for when they take out their cell phones. He is the man everyone pulls down their skirts and pulls up their shirts for as they pass him in the hallway. He is the man everyone blames for making them have a bad day.
He is also the man who has attended five colleges, builds computers in his spare time, and loves playing World of Warcraft. There is more to Jonathon Douglas Gold, better known as JD around school, than just the duty release aid students see patrolling the hallways everyday. To them, he is a strict authority figure, seemingly set out on ruining every student’s day, but outside of school, he is a different man.
“I’m a rather happy-go-lucky individual when I’m not here,” Gold says. “I think [the students] think of me as a pain in the ass. And they’re right. Nobody likes authority.”
Please note how well the mystery lead pulls in the reader. The unclear pronoun "he" makes you want to find out who "he" is, so you continue reading. The parallelism also makes the lead memorable and rhythmic. Use parallelism when you want to emphasize something to the reader. The parallel part of every sentence above is "He is the man everyone...." Paragraph 2 is the nut graph and addresses the basic Big 6 questions of the story. Paragraph 3 is the lead quote, and it's a good one. It really captures JD Gold's personality.
Your job for tonight is to write a feature and nut graph for your Marci Zane profile. Try to capture the reader's attention in the first paragraph and lead into the nut graph. You can begin the story in a number of different ways. Review the different feature styles in your purple book if you forget.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/17/06; 9:04:23 AM - Discuss
I cut and paste this post from Mr. McHale's site:
Next, check out this story about a college basketball coach. It's a simple yet effective example of a profile. It begins with a descriptive lead which nicely transitions to an important goal of this coach - the Olympics. Notice how the lead is followed by a nutgraph that provides some details on who she is and some of her pertinent accomplishments.
The story then proceeds to give some important information about the basketball team and her job, but notice that it doesn't focus primarily on this. The story focuses on two aspects of the coach: her work ethic and determination (the theme). Almost everthing else in the story works to support this. 
What sentence in the story best expresses this theme? What are some of the elements that attempt to show her work ethic and determination? How effective did you think this profile story was in giving you a sense of this woman? What are at least five questions the reporter might have asked to get some of this information? What are some elements of a profile that are different from a hard news story? Post your answers to these questions on your weblog for 10 points by the end of class today (title it: "Profile Response").
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/17/06; 8:19:16 AM - Discuss (1 response)
I found some good information on http://central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/mcjournalism the class website of Mr. McHale (the other journalism teacher). Here is an excerpt from one of his posts: "Some of the features of a profile story involve writing that evokes an important aspect of a person through description, dialogue and scene setting. Click here to go to an interview with a Pulitzer prize winning profile writer on why profliles are important and how to go about writing them." Please take a minute to read this explanation on profile stories before we talk.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/17/06; 8:08:35 AM - Discuss
Monday, May 15, 2006# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/15/06; 9:52:45 PM - Discuss
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/15/06; 7:50:43 AM - Discuss
Congratulations to Amanda, my pick for Blogger of the Week. She is one of the few students in this class who is mixing summary with reaction while linking to other articles. Please take some time to read her blog and model yours after hers. Way to go, Amanda! Trish was the runner-up. Good job, Trish!
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/15/06; 7:45:59 AM - Discuss
Thursday, May 11, 2006 Tuesday, May 9, 2006
Congratulations to August for being our Blogger of the Week! Many of you did an excellent job this week so it was a tough choice. I chose August because his posts are interesting, opinionated, and insightful. Check out his blog at http://central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/ah155
You should all aspire to such blog greatness! Way to go, man...keep up the good work!
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/9/06; 8:22:06 AM - Discuss
G=goals (Why are you doing this? What are you trying to accomplish?)
O=obstacles (What is one example of a difficult problem you have faced?)
A=achievements (How did you overcome these obstacles? How did you achieve your goal?)
L=logistics (This is the background—What factors in the person’s background relate to the story?)
¨ Particularly useful for profiles and features about new programs
In case you have forgotten, here are some general guidelines for interviewing someone:
þ Be polite and friendly.
þ Be sure to maintain appropriate eye contact.
þ Ask open-ended questions if you want quotes.
þ Ask close-ended questions if you want cut and dry facts.
þ Act like you are interested in the subject.
þ Stay focused on the question at hand. Don’t get ahead of yourself.
þ Control the direction of the interview. Be persistent with your tough questions. Find the angle.
þ Ask the Big 6 questions.
þ Don’t be afraid to ask for a clarification. Accuracy is more important than your ego.
þ Be responsive and encouraging.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/9/06; 8:16:48 AM - Discuss
Monday, May 8, 2006Hi folks,
I'm out today...please make sure that you talk about the big stories of the weekend such as the resignation of the CIA director. For today, please do your beat and current event posts. Make sure that you continue making progress on your hard news stories. Please have the first half of your story posted to your blog by tomorrow's class. See you soon...
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/8/06; 4:03:46 AM - Discuss
Thursday, May 4, 2006Here is a list of the ice breaker questions you generated. Please choose your 10 favorite so that I can post a common list for all of you to use.
How are you feeling today, do you like the hot spring weather?
Is this your first interview?
Is this the first interview that you’ve ever done?
Why did you agree to be interviewed today?
Is journalism a class that you would be interested in teaching here at Central?
Am I detecting an accent?
Are you a Mets fan? Because if not we can not resume this interview.
Did you have a good breakfast?
So what do you think about Brett Favre staying in the NFL?
How is your family doing?
What do you like to do on your leisure time?
Is this the first time you’ve been interviewed?
Are you excited for summer in a couple months?
So has this been a busy day for you?
I like your shirt, where did you get it?
What does it feel like to be a father?
Do you ever want to snap at your high school students/athletes sometimes?
It’s nice that the weather’s getting warmer isn’t it?
Are you excited to be able to go on a break soon and enjoy your vacation?
I really like your outfit; I’ve been meaning to go shopping lately, where’s your favorite place to shop?
What’s you daily schedule like?
Did you have to take time out of you busy schedule to be here?
Do you enjoy your job?
Are you nervous about being here?
How was your day so far?
Did you have a good (lunch/breakfast/dinner)?
How’s the family?
What do you do in your spare time?
Lovely weather isn’t it?
Where did you grow up?
What do you like to do in your spare time?
What is your favorite sport to play or to watch? What’s your favorite restaurant to go to and why?
What’s your favorite television show to watch?
How long have you been working at your job?
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Do you have a favorite band or artist?
What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
What is your favorite season?
How long have you been working at your job?
Do you like what you do?
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Who do you look up to in your life?
What is your daily routine?
What do you do on your free time?
What’s your favorite food?
Do you enjoy your job?
What’s your favorite color?
What is your favorite vacation spot?
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/4/06; 8:57:37 AM - Discuss (12 responses)
Tuesday, May 2, 2006# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/2/06; 9:04:56 AM - Discuss
You have just finished your mock press conference and you have all of this scrambled information. What is the best way of organizing this information? I suggest that you let the Big 6 questions guide your organization. Think about the inverted pyramid model I drew on the board the other day. The answers to the basic questions of the story need to be answered first. It is up to you to decide what information is the most important. You should include that information in your summary lead and backup for lead. After you gather information and quotes from your sources, you also must decide which of your quotes is the most provocative. Use that one as the lead quote. Work on your interview questions after you finish typing and organizing your notes. Good luck!
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 5/2/06; 8:40:41 AM - Discuss
Thursday, April 27, 2006Who: An accountant who worked for the Internal Revenue Service years ago
What: fired shots outside the White House fence and was shot in the knee by a Secret Service agent
How: After a 10-minute standoff
Why: has been engaged with disputes with the IRS
When: today
Where: Washington, DC
Attribution: officials said
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/27/06; 7:57:07 AM - Discuss
Wednesday, April 26, 2006When you are creating a news item, select "source" at the bottom of the text box. Then, you have to type some html code. It should look like this: <img src="address of picture" align=right (or left)> Once you type in this code, select "WYSIWYG" at the bottom of the text box. You can adjust the size of the picture by highlighting it once it is in your text box. Drag the corner toward the center of the image to downsize it or away from the center of the image to increase its size. See me for help if you get confused.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/26/06; 9:06:23 AM - Discuss
I'd like for you to do some practice writing summary leads. Remember that a summary lead is the focus paragraph of a hard news story and must be concise. A summary lead is one sentence long and addresses some of the Big 6 questions. It should not exceed 35 words.
Who: A University of Florida law student
Where: Gainsville, Florida
When: yesterday
What: mysteriously disappeared
Why: suffering from amnesia
attribution: authorities said
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/26/06; 7:32:59 AM - Discuss
Monday, April 24, 2006
It is a stormy Monday morning, but I am glad to be here. I am pumped because I used my new grill for the first time last night and made burgers.# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/24/06; 8:53:43 AM - Discuss
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/24/06; 7:47:28 AM - Discuss
Friday, April 21, 2006
New York Mets' Pinch Hitter Julio Franco, 47, became the oldest player ever to hit a homerun in a major league baseball game. Franco is 47 years 240 days old and eclipsed the old record set in 1930 when he hit a 2-run homerun in a game against the San Diego Padres last night. Pretty amazing stuff. Do you know any 47-year-olds who are in this kind of shape?
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/21/06; 8:08:49 AM - Discuss
Wednesday, April 19, 2006# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/19/06; 8:56:35 AM - Discuss
Tuesday, April 18, 2006Mr. DeLisle
284-7200 x8325 or jdelisle@hcrhs.k12.nj.us
Dear Students:
Welcome to Journalism I! I hope that you are looking forward to this quarter as much as I am. I am confident that this will be a productive and fulfilling marking period as long as we all approach it with open minds. You should be very excited to have the opportunity to attend a school with such advanced technological resources. Journalism I has an appealing curriculum that I think you will enjoy. We will be using two textbooks and several newspapers to help develop your journalistic skills. My goals for the quarter are simple: A) I want you to become proficient writers (grammar and accessibility). B) To become better readers, that is, readers who read with a critical eye and who read actively. C) To learn interviewing skills. D) To produce quality work by given deadlines. E) To engage in classroom activities. F) To put forth your best effort. G) To utilize our journalism weblog as much as possible. H) Last, but not least, I want you to enjoy life as a journalist.
There are a few policies that I want to bring to your attention:
Stories
During the next nine weeks, you will write four major newspaper pieces: one hard news story, two features, and an editorial. You will be spending time in and outside of class working on and revising these stories. There will be days when you are interviewing various people throughout the school. You will also be gathering information for your stories through e-mail, phone interviews, reading newspapers (hard copies and on-line), and library/Internet research. When you are doing this research, I expect you to conduct yourselves like mature ladies and gentlemen. I want you to use your best manners, and I want you to demonstrate responsibility by setting up appointments for interviews. Remember, you are a reflection of this class, your teacher, and Hunterdon Central High School. I will provide a mock situation for the hard news story. This probably will be some sort of crime story. The second two stories will be feature stories (you’ll be able to choose your own topics), and your fourth piece will be an editorial. You must submit all of your interview notes and any other information you researched along with your final draft of each story. Otherwise, you will not receive credit for the story.
Deadlines
As you will soon learn, deadlines are very important in journalism. In order for newspapers to get printed daily, reporters must submit their stories by deadline. Excuses such as "I left it at home" or requests such as "Can I finish it at the beginning of class?" are inappropriate and unacceptable. If you were a professional journalist, you would get fired for missing a deadline. However, in this class your editor will be a bit more lenient. You should submit your completed story by deadline, but if you can’t for some reason, you may submit a work in progress. This will hurt your grade, but it will buy you two days time. You will not receive any credit for a missing assignment. Late submissions will be docked a letter grade for each day late. *If you are absent/sick/in the hospital/whatever on deadline day, you must find a way to get me the story for full credit. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Beats
Each one of you needs to choose a topic that you will cover throughout the quarter. This long-term assignment requires you to find 4 articles per week on your topic. For each article you must write a brief synopsis (a few sentences) and explain why you chose that particular article (could be as brief as one sentence). You will post the articles and your responses to your weblog. At the conclusion of the quarter, you will use your weekly beat articles as material for a project. Do a good job on your weekly beat assignment, and you’ll score some easy points. Here’s the breakdown: 4 articles=A, 3 articles=B, 2 articles=C, 1 article=D.
PowerPoint Presentations on the History of Journalism
I will organize you into groups for this project. At that time I will assign each group a topic related to the history of journalism that the groups must research and present. I will give you guidelines for the PowerPoint presentation later. But I can tell you now that each person must have a significant role in the presentation and that you must document your participation.
Reading Assignments and Quizzes
Reading is a critical homework responsibility, and I will use quizzes as well as written homework assignments to check your progress and effort. If a student does not pass a reading quiz or does not have a written assignment that accompanied a reading assignment, he or she can make up half of the points lost—BUT ONLY BY STAYING FOR A TUTORIAL WHICH WILL INCLUDE A SILENT READING PERIOD. THIS MUST OCCUR WITHIN FIVE SCHOOL DAYS OF THE LOST POINTS. I want to help those students who may lose points on an infrequent basis, but I also want to emphasize the value I place on completing the reading assignments in a timely fashion. If you are having trouble understanding any of the reading, you should come see me, so we can discuss strategies to improve your learning.
You’ll mostly be quizzed on news, so you had better get into the habit of reading the newspaper everyday! You could have as many as five reading quizzes per week. I will vary the number of quizzes that I give by the week.
Grading
40%--Major Projects—This includes the three stories, the editorial and the profile.
40%--Weblog Writing—This includes your beat responses, current event responses, peer critiques, Link of the Day responses, other blog-related assignments and your final beat project.
20%--Homework and Quizzes—This includes short and long-term homework assignments, reading quizzes, take-home projects and news quizzes.
Make-up Work
Any work missed, including tests and quizzes, must be made up within five school days of the date(s) of your absence(s). You will receive a zero for work you fail to make up. This applies to an absence from school of one or two days. If you are absent on three or more consecutive days, you will have twice the number of days absent to make up the work you missed. For example, if you are absent four days, you will have eight school days to make the work
Tutorial
I am available for tutorial in Rm. 128 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday every week. I’m also here most Friday afternoons as well if you can’t make it to any of the other tutorials. Please don’t hesitate to come see me. I’m here to help you!
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 4/18/06; 7:33:35 AM - Discuss
Wednesday, January 25, 2006# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/25/06; 10:05:01 AM - Discuss
Friday, January 20, 2006# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/20/06; 8:02:16 AM - Discuss
Thursday, January 19, 2006Take this current events quiz on the major stories of 2005. See how many you can answer correctly.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/19/06; 7:33:06 AM - Discuss
Wednesday, January 18, 2006Here are the requirements for your final beat project. Please note that this project must be completed and posted to your weblog by 1/26/06, the day of the final exam.
Did you like covering a beat?
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/18/06; 7:49:43 AM - Discuss
Tuesday, January 17, 2006# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/17/06; 7:40:40 AM - Discuss
Tuesday, January 10, 2006# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/10/06; 7:47:08 AM - Discuss
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/10/06; 7:39:50 AM - Discuss
Friday, January 6, 2006# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/6/06; 9:10:29 AM - Discuss (17 responses)
Thursday, January 5, 2006Read and classify each of the following editorials:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/opinion/05burns.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/opinion/05thu1.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/opinion/05thu3.html
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/5/06; 7:29:45 AM - Discuss
Wednesday, January 4, 2006# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/4/06; 8:43:40 AM - Discuss (1 response)
There are three common types of editorials: interpretation, criticism and persuasion, and entertainment.
I. Interpretation
Ø By taking a complex topic, breaking it down, and crafting a coherent editorial, writers provide a valuable service to readers.
For instance, say your school’s administrator has decided to decrease the number of student parking spaces on campus. Lately there has been more overcrowding than ever, as well as a series of accidents and minor injuries. The new parking policy is complex, and students, even faculty, do not understand it. In an editorial of interpretation, you might ask
*Why decrease space instead of increase it?
*Will there be alternative parking? Where? Who can use it?
*Will there be “anti-parking” incentives, such as discounted bus passes or vouchers?
II. Criticism and Persuasion
Ø Anytime an editorialist attempts to persuade readers about a sensitive issue, the writer can expect a vocal response from the opposing camp. Not everyone sees the world the same way.
For instance, in 1998 and 1999, editorialists expressed strong opinions about the private life of Bill Clinton, just at they routinely do with volatile national issues such as gun control. These issues and many others generate emotion, and often the writers who address them have strong personal opinions.
III. Entertainment
Ø Some of the best opinion writers use humor to make a point. Using humor can help an editorialist reach readers who disagree with his or her ideology, primarily because using humor helps the editorialist avoid the militant tone common to some opinion writing. Another strategy for entertainment writing—or any type of editorial writing, for that matter—is the use of numbers or lists. David Letterman became famous for his “top-ten” lists, and editorialists, to some extent, have followed suit. Lists can be quite compelling when the writer gets the facts straight and organizes them in a logical manner.
Tips for Writing Good Editorials
Ø Use documented, credible information to voice an informed opinion.
Ø Use manageable words rather than big, fancy words that nobody understands.
Ø Vary sentence length.
Ø Use a professional tone rather than a patronizing, all-knowing one.
Ø Make sure your facts are accurate!!!! I can’t stress this enough!
(adapted from Chapter 6, Writing Features, Editorials, Sports, Secondary School Journalism)
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/4/06; 7:53:06 AM - Discuss
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 1/4/06; 7:34:28 AM - Discuss (17 responses)
Friday, December 23, 2005Let's help each other with our feature stories by providing some constructive feedback. Please be honest and thorough so that this isn't a waste of time. Here are the areas your critique should address:
1. Write a one-paragraph initial reaction. What were your thoughts as you read the story?
2. How effective is the lead? Does it make you want to read on? How could it be improved?
3. Which Big 6 questions does the nut graph address? Where is the nut graph?
4. How interesting is the lead quote? Is there a more appropriate quote for the lead quote? Is the attribution at the end of the quote?
5. Does the elaboration explain the nut graph and give you a clear picture? How could this be improved?
6. How is the quote incorporation? (This is critical) Make sure that quotes are introduced with a sentence that provides the reader with context. The quotes should also have accurately placed attribution.
7. How is the organization? Does the organization follow the inverted pyramid model? If not, what changes do you suggest?
8. Evaluate the quality of the background information. Does it work?
9. How effective is the kicker? What style of kicker is it?
10. What improvements, in general, do you suggest for your partner?
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 12/23/05; 7:57:56 AM - Discuss
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Link of the Day--This is an interesting story about female CEO's of Fortune 500 companies. For some reason, the number of female CEO's is dwindling. Why do you think this is happening? Does it have anything to do with gender stereotyping? With the economy? With the president? Respond to this link.# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 12/22/05; 7:42:27 AM - Discuss (17 responses)
Tuesday, December 20, 2005# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 12/20/05; 8:52:22 AM - Discuss
Wednesday, December 7, 2005Once you get your topic approved, you will cover your beat for 5 weeks. I would like you to find 1 article each day that relates to your topic. Post a 1 paragraph reaction to each article you find. This paragraph should be a combination of summary and reaction. It is hard to react without summarizing certain parts of the article anyway. I want you to find articles in multiple online sources. You should try to read different journalists too. Here are the guidelines for your final beat project (due at the end of the quarter):
I'll post these again, of course, but I want you to get an idea of what this project entails now so you can start thinking about some of this stuff.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 12/7/05; 9:40:48 AM - Discuss
Tuesday, December 6, 2005Here is a quick review on how to post content to your weblog in case you forget:
- Login to your site and make sure the editor's only toolbar is at the top of your page.
- Click on News in the Editor's Only toolbar.
- You will see a page that says Create News Item.
- Make sure that you give your post a title. This is very important!
- If you would like to link the article to the title, paste the URL of the article in the URL box.
- Choose a department for your post.
- Type in your content.
- Click Create News Item.
- Then click Post to Home Page.
*A quick note on altering the size of a picture you post: If you need to make the picture smaller, you need to go back to the picture (once it is posted), select Properties and look at the Dimensions. If you change the dimensions, you must do so proportionately. For example, if the current width x height is 200 x 300, then you could change it to 100 X 150 (a reduction of 50% of each value) to make it work. Subtracting 100 from both will distort the picture. So if your code should look like <img src="http://www.whateveraddressyoucopied.com" align="right" width="100" height="150"> Sort of a hassle, I know, but that's the deal....Happy Blogging! See you tomorrow.
# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 12/6/05; 7:31:42 AM - Discuss
Monday, December 5, 2005 Wednesday, November 30, 2005# Posted by Mr. DeLisle on 11/30/05; 8:42:23 AM - Discuss
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