As we dive into our Spring semester of "Writing for the Ear," I have to admit. I'm not really thinking all that much about class. Sorry. That's what happens when you do the news, and a really big story hits, that shakes up your day. That's pretty much what happened today with the arrest of Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez.
The good thing about all this? It gives us a chance to hear up to the minute examples of the different kinds of reporting we'll be exploring during class. So, here goes...my sermon about terminology you should know:
If you don't work in the business, it's pretty hard to know what people are talking about when they say things like "copy" or "vo-sot."
Newscast: This could be a lot of things...five minutes of headlines read by a radio reporter at 6 a.m. or maybe a full, half-hour television broadcast, complete with weather and sports. For our purposes, a newscast is: The framework within which we place stories. We'll be talking in later classes about how to "stack" a newscast, or choose the important stories in the right order.
Reader: That's when the newscaster reads news copy (otherwise known as a script) directly to listeners. It's news that he has written himself, and doesn't include any additional outside sound. Many radio stations provide newscasts that are little more than a series of readers, strung together taken from wire service copy. It might look something like this:
The state Supreme Court ordered a new sentence today for a man convicted of shooting a New Haven police officer. The high court unanimously upheld the conviction of Arnold Bell, but found part of a law giving him a stiffer sentence as a persistent dangerous offender unconstitutional.
Scripter: That's when the newscaster reads copy, and inserts a soundbite into the the story. Of course, there's a million ways to refer to the soundbite, like: cut, bite, clip, sound on tape (or SOT), tape (that's pretty old-fashioned), audio, and probably a few I'll forget. Here's the same story, written as a scripter:
The state Supreme Court ordered a new sentence today for a man convicted of shooting a New Haven police officer. The high court unanimously upheld the conviction of Arnold Bell, but found part of a law giving him a stiffer sentence as a persistent dangerous offender unconstitutional. Bell's attorney, Joe Blow said the ruling was a victory:
Bell :12 "...will be vindicated."
Bell was convicted of shooting officer Jane Smith in 2001.
Another name for the scripter is the donut...and it's easy to see why. There's some stuff...then a hole where the soundbite goes, then more stuff. Many TV stations (they call them VO-SOTs, or voiceovers with sound on tape...catchy, no?), and some radio stations dispense with the second bit of "stuff" and just move on to the next story.
Spot (or Wrap): Basically, it's the same idea as a scripter, but a reporter is delivering the story...not a newscaster. A spot is short (for our class, :50 to 1:30) and it usually breaks news. It's the first reporting on a story, and is meant to get the basics out there. That doesn't mean spots can't be full of information. Each spot includes a "Host Lead" or "Host Intro" read by an anchor. It gives a description of what's to come. Here's an example from today by WNPR reporter Anna Sale. First the Host Intro:
Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez was arrested today on charges of bribery and fabricating evidence in connection with renovations at his home by a city contractor. WNPR's Anna Sale reports. Here's the link to the story itself.
Here's another spot from today's coverage by Lucy Nalpathanchil. First, the host intro: While Mayor Eddie Perez maintains his innocence on corruption charges and says he won't resign, Hartford City Council may have a say in Perez's future. WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil reports.
Now, the link to hear the story.
It's still a spot that's breaking news...but it's taking a different angle. Some people might call this a "sidebar" story - an old newspaper term. I just call it good reporting...following up on all aspects of an important story.
Feature: This is what you'll be producing by the end of this class. It's a longer story than a spot, although it has some of the same elements (news at the top of the story, background, voices of stakeholders, a conclusion that moves the story forward) as a spot, but takes more time, and provides more depth. Here's a good recent example of a story driven by a need to more fully develop an ongoing news story. And, another example, where we took a "micro" look at a bigger problem.
You can do more listening here to different kinds of stories that fit into these categories.
Okay, now those terms make sense, but we can't do much with them, unless we first explore the "Basic Rules of Broadcast Writing."
For next week - we'll get more depth on these subjects by tearing into our textbook, "Sound Reporting" - and reading the first four chapters.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Welcome to a new semester!
Classes start on Tuesday the 20th - so I'm getting ready by posting a few things on our class blog for JRN 521 - "Writing for the Ear." This blog is mostly for students in our Quinnipiac University class, but outsiders take a look now and again, too. It's filled with links to stories on public radio, writing tips, and current news events.
The class this semester will be producing work for an ongoing WNPR series "This Economic Life" (sorry Ira Glass) which looks at the changes people are making in a struggling economy. You'll soon get to hear some stories from last semester - production problems at wnpr.org have slowed the presentation of the Fall 2008 stories...but all are still very timely.
You'll also get visits from skilled reporters and producers, like Diane Orson and Catie Talarski.
Below is the syllabus for the class - you should also have access to the text, by NPR's Jonathan Kern, called Sound Reporting.
Looking forward to the fun!
Spring 2009 Writing for the Ear Syllabus
Syllabus//JRN 521B Writing for the Ear//Spring 2009//
Tuesday
Contact Information:
- Work Phone, WNPR: 860-275-7301
- Email (please use both): jkdankosky@quinnipiac.edu, jdankosky@wnpr.org
- Website: http://www.listeninglab.org
Required:
- Sound Reporting: The NPR Guide to Audio Journalism and Production by Jonathan Kern (
- Olympus Digital Recorder (WS-110, WS-311M) – or similar audio recording device that allows for mp3 or WAV recording, and can upload audio via USB. More information: http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-WS-311M-Digital-Recorder-Player/dp/B000VDNC9M/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_1
- Audacity Free Audio Software Editor: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
- Writing News for Broadcast by Edward Bliss Jr. and James L. Hoyt
- Writing Broadcast News: Shorter, Sharper, Stronger by Mervin Block
- Associated Press Broadcast News Handbook
The schedule for this class is free-flowing, according to news events and class progress. You can count on one mid-semester project deadline and one final project due on the last day of class.
Quinnipiac loans professional radio flash recorders, cables and microphones to students on a short-term basis. We will have a tutorial on how to use and sign out this equipment – but the sign-out times present limitations for our class/production schedule. As such, I am suggesting that you purchase a low-cost digital recorder, whose output can interface with Pro Tools digital editing software.
We will also have a tutorial on how to use the AP ENPS system in our newsroom, and the Pro Tools audio editing suites. These tutorials are very important and will require mandatory attendance. I will also briefly be talking about Audacity, a free audio editor, which you can download and use in lieu of Pro Tools – but this software will not be supported by QU staff.
- This course provides an overview of the skills necessary to become a successful broadcast writer, editor and producer. We will examine the basic practices of broadcast journalism, and the differences between commercial and public radio, print and television, and documentary news writing. The focus will be on “public radio style” reporting.
- The class will function as a workshop, simulating a radio newsroom. Students will be expected to write on deadline, critique, edit and discuss their work and that of others. This will include writing exercises in class, and reporting assignments outside of class.
- The instructor will serve as editor, helping students shape their work. We will examine the role of editor and the necessary elements for a strong editor/reporter relationship.
- Each class will feature listening sessions, with work by national and local news media. Students will be asked to discuss specific elements in these stories for accuracy and effectiveness. We’ll use these examples to encourage creativity and individual style.
- Students will do field reporting and learn to incorporate recorded sound into their news writing. They will use editing software to craft their final pieces.
- Students will contribute stories to a radio journalism blog and podcast called “The Listening Lab” (www.listeninglab.org). This site will also feature online discussion. It is recommended that you check this site frequently for updates. Note: Classes may be conducted remotely using this site to allow students ample time to report and edit features, and allow for maximum interaction of instructor/editor. The schedule for these remote classes will be subject to change.
- The 15 classes will be broken into thirds. The first third will include tutorials on equipment, lectures on terminology and craft, listening sessions, and deadline writing exercises. The second third will be devoted to the craft of reporting, writing and editing longer form stories. The last third will be devoted to a final project - a public radio style, multi-source news report. This final project will align with one of three ongoing WNPR series: This Economic Life, Regionalization: State of Change or The Changing Face of Connecticut.
- The best student work may be featured on WNPR and wnpr.org.
- We will have occasional guest speakers from the media, academia and politics.
Attendance and Class Participation:
Please attend class regularly, and be on time. Since we’re conducting this class like a newsroom, please treat it as you would a job. Class participation includes discussion, critique and listening sessions. It also includes the daily reading of at least one newspaper, and listening to radio programs as assigned. It’s a news class, so you have to be engaged in the news. Also, when assignments are due for editing, we will have class periods where the instructor will be working one-on-one with students on scripts, and-or audio. Please use this time to do research and writing for class projects. Just like at work, “surfing the web” for personal information during these periods is not acceptable.
We have 15 total classes scheduled, and as previously noted, not all of them will be in our regular classroom. If you have more than three absences or late arrivals you can expect to have your letter grade lowered. The instructor will accept appeals if extenuating circumstances exist.
Grading:
Regular writing exercises and class projects will be critiqued for quality, accuracy, clarity and creativity. These critiques are part of the editor’s job to help you make your work better, but they are not the main indicator of what your letter grade will be. Here’s how the grading works…it’s pretty simple: Assume you have an “A” in the class, unless you…
- Turn in an assignment late
- Turn in an incomplete assignment
- Fail to follow instructions for the assignment
- Turn in factually incorrect information
- Fail to follow the above guidelines for attendance
Refer to the Quinnipiac University Academic Integrity website for information about Academic Integrity and proper student behavior. Students are expected to be familiar with these university policies. Forms of dishonesty include:
- Cheating or helping another to cheat on an exam
- Using a paper authored by someone other than yourself
- Plagiarizing another’s written work (papers or outlines), in full or in part (includes failure to properly cite any or all sources according to MLA style)
- Deliberately distorting information
- Falsifying information (ex - reason for absence)
Students found guilty of any of the above will be subject to sanctions in class, as determined by the professor, and will also be reported to the Academic Integrity Board.
Americans with Disabilities Act:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)