Final for Intro Journalism: 25 percent of semester grade Due Dates: Rough Draft – Monday, Dec. 14 Final Draft – Friday, Dec. 18 Grading: 20 points each for rough drafts, 80 points each for final drafts = 200 points possible *NOTE: Anyone who will not be here on the final due date must submit the assignment BEFORE then. THE DETAILS: Conduct two interviews with two different individuals and write two separate typed stories; one in Q&A format and another in profile story format. You must also write a lead, headline, and deck for BOTH stories much like those we discussed in class and detailed in your readings. The lead for the Q&A story should be a hard news lead (5 Ws & H). The profile story should use a featurelike lead (setting a scene, anecdotal, etc.) much like the examples in the handouts and textbooks. Q&A Example: John Doe is 65 years old from Little Rock, and he has been a military man of more than a quarter century. He said his proudest moment was when the President recognized him for his service in Vietnam. Q: Why did the President recognize you? A: He recognized me because I… Profile Example: John Doe sat in his living room filled with military memories, but he couldn’t take his eyes off one particular frame hanging near the kitchen door. “I’ve never been more proud in my live when I received it,” Doe said. The “it” Doe referred to is a medal given to him by one of his commanders – more specifically, the commanderinchief. “President Reagan awarded me that medal,” he said. The Q&A story needs to be 25 questions (no more than five about background), and the profile story needs to be 600 words. Besides those basic requirements, I will be grading you on these things: • Avoiding yes/no and using openended questions • Using direct quotes in the body of the profile piece • Using information from the story to form your lead • Creating a lead that is relevant to the main subject of the story • Recognizing Journalism Commandment #1 and avoiding editorializing/using first and/or second person • Following the rest of the Journalism Commandments and AP Style • Having two OTHER sources in the profile story (not the Q&A) • Adhering to journalistic style • Proper use of transitions and direct quotes • Meeting your deadlines If you have any questions on this assignment, please let me know. As of today, you have two and a half weeks to work on this (seven classes), and we will be in the computer lab to type your stories. However, use your time wisely and avoiding waiting until the last minute. I HIGHLY recommend that you schedule your interviews as soon as you can because it will be your grade that suffers if you can’t get a hold of your interviewees! I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LOOK OVER STORIES AFTER WEDNESDAY, DEC. 16 Feel free to email me with any questions/concerns:
mistergunterman@yahoo.com This form, and others from the semester, can be downloaded off the blog: http://mrgunterman.blogspot.com