Journalism 171
Public Affairs Reporting Online
Prof. Woodward
Spring Semester 2004

Journalism 171 is the capstone course in the news-Internet sequence; consequently, students should already exhibit a high degree of professional competence in their reporting, writing and editing. The major objectives of the course are: (1) To familiarize students with public affairs news beats such as the courts, city government, school boards, Iowa state agencies and the Iowa Legislature; (2) to cover, on deadline, public affairs activities; (3) to develop further your depth/enterprise and investigative reporting techniques; (4) to polish your writing skills; (5) to increase your abilities to use the Internet in your reporting; (6) to discuss problems and issues in journalism; and (7) to test your journalistic awareness of public affairs issues.

THE CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE

As the University moved to a new Drake curriculum, one requirement for all University students was a "capstone experience." Journalism 171 was far ahead of the curve on this requirement; 171 was the "capstone" course in the news-editorial sequence since the early 1970s and continues in the news-Internet sequence. The course aims to provide a final and special classroom experience in which students can bring to bear in their senior year all of their education in journalism and other areas of the University.

TEXTBOOKS

The required reading materials are:

Fuller, Jack. News Values for an Information Age. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

Rosensteil, Tom, and Mitchell, Amy S. Thinking Clearly: Cases in Journalistic Decision-Making. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003.

Weinberg, Steve, and Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. The Reporter's Handbook: An Investigator's Guide to Documents and Techniques. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996.

The Washington Post, daily online Monday through Sunday. You must read this daily online.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Students will be required to write one major public affairs article employing the depth reporting technique or "enterprise journalism;" to write at at least four public affairs news stories or features for class sites on the World Wide Web; to cover at least three public affairs events under deadline conditions; and to take a one-hour oral examination in late April with the professor.

SITES ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

In recent years, students in Journalism 171 classes have created and reported for one or more sites on the World Wide Web--concentrating on governmental affairs and political activities. This semester, student stories will be posted on two Web sites--CyberCaucus2004 begun during the fall semester 2003 on the Iowa caucuses and a newly created site by Journalism 171 students this semester.

CyberCaucus was first posted on the Web for the 1996 Iowa caucuses, and, in fact, the original CyberCaucus carried stories by Des Moines Register reporters because the paper did not yet have a Web site of its own.

This semester, we have a fast-approaching deadline for stories for CyberCaucus2004. Each class member will be expected to develop at least one caucus-related story prior to the caucuses Jan. 19, and we will seek to put the finishing touches on CyberCaucus2004 during the second week of classes.

Once the caucus coverage has ended, Journalism 171 students will be asked to develop a Web site on the subject "How the Internet Has Changed the Face of Iowa." Details on story assignments and Web production will be discussed early in the semester.

GRADING

Professional expectations will be applied on your reporting, writing and editing and on your ability to meet deadlines. Failure to turn in assignments by deadline will result in an automatic F; this applies to all assignments including story rewrites. All assignments must be completed to receive credit for the course. Sloppy editing and inaccuracies, such as misspelled words and names, will result in heavy downgrading and may necessitate additional story assignments. The depth story will count 35 percent of your final grade. The public affairs features will count 40 percent. The remaining 25 percent of your grade will be determined by class punctuality, attendance and participation in all phases of the class; by contributions to the class Web sites; by work on required rewrites; by satisfactory completion of the deadline assignments; and by satisfactory completion of the one-hour oral examination.

DEADLINES

Deadlines are extremely important in communications work. Your deadlines will be established early so there will be no problems about "missed deadlines." Rewrites required by the instructor must be submitted within one week after the return of the initial story. It's your responsibility to know when the deadlines are.

NEWS BEATS

Classroom discussions will concern various public affairs news beats and issues. Consideration will be given to how a reporter covers the various areas and to helping students understand the processes on which they may be reporting.

COPY PREPARATION

Students at the senior level are expected to write clean news/feature copy. Stories with basic style errors and sloppiness will be heavily graded down. Stories must be written on a computer and be double-spaced. An original printed copy and a digital copy must be turned in to the teacher, and you should keep a copy of your story for your files.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS AWARENESS

To be a top-flight public affairs reporter, you should understand how government works at all levels, and you should know the issues/concerns that exist throughout the nation and the world. During the semester, you will be expected to keep abreast of international affairs, of federal government activities in Washington, D.C., and state and local government activities in Des Moines. You will be expected to read regularly The Des Moines Register, and you will be required to read daily The Washington Post on the World Wide Web.

ORAL EXAMINATION

Your class will take an hour oral examination for each graduating senior in news-Internet. The first such oral exams were given to the Journalism 171 class in 1998 and have been a special part of the class since that time.The one-hour examination for each student will be held in the last two weeks in April. As the semester progresses, you will be informed more about the nature of the exam but don't panic. It's intended to test your ability to show how much you know about your professional area of news-Internet journalism as you prepare to graduate from Drake University--and the examination will be designed to complement the nature of this capstone experience.

CORE VALUES IN JOURNALISM EDUCATION

We will have class discussion concerning the core values of your education in the School of Journalism and Mass Communciation.