J550: Digital Media Editing/Production Spring 2017 syllabus Thiscoursewillallowstudentstobeimmersedinanewsroomenvironment,buildtheirexperienceandprepareforinternships.Asalargepartoftheclass,studentswillworkfortheUniversityDailyKansanandKansan.com,editingstories,writingheadlinesandcutlines,creatingpackages,workingonsearchengineoptimizationandcreatinggraphics. J550willbuildontheskillsofJOUR419:MultimediaEditing,givingstudentshands-onexperiencewitheditingstoriesandcreatingpackagesforalivepublication.Studentswilldelvedeeperintothefinerpointsofeditingandhonetheircritical-thinkingskills.Requirement:MustobtainagradeofC(2.0)orhighertoadvance.Course goals § Improveyourcritical-thinkingskills,especiallyyourabilitytoreadatadeeperlevel,askpointedquestionsandthinkininnovativeways.
§ Improveyourunderstandingofnewsstorystructure:completeness,newsvalue,interest.
§ Improveyoursenseofafair,complete,accuratenewsstory:correctfacts,inclusionofappropriateanddiversesources,andlackofbias,generalizationsandstereotypes.
§ Honeyourlanguageskills–includinggrammar,vocabularyandstyle–andhelpingyouapplythatunderstandingtothematerialyouedit.
§ Improveyourabilitytomovebetweenprintandonline,andtocreatevisualelementsforstories.
§ Understandingtheprinciplesandpracticeofcreatingnewsgraphicsandusingalternativestoryforms.
§ Understandhowtoread,useandaccuratelypresentnumbersanddata.§ DevelopanunderstandingofWebcontentmanagement,searchengineoptimizationandsocialmediaoptimization,anddigitalanalytics.
§ Developastrongsenseofstorymanagementandcollaborationwithco-workers.§ Developyourleadershipskillsandyourunderstandingofprofessionalism,ethics,accuracy,fairnessanddiversityintheworkplace.
§ Deepenunderstandingofthenewsmediaindustryandeditors’rolesinit.
Things to know Instructor:[email protected](TheBremnerCenter)785-864-7623 Officehours:M-W:9-11a.m.T-Th:noon-3p.m. F:9a.m.-noonandbyappointmentClassmeets:11a.m.-12:30p.m.MondaysandWednesdays107Stauffer-FlintKansannewsroom:SecondfloorofDole785-766-1491
Meeting the goals Wewillworktowardthecoursegoalsinseveralways:
§ Newsroomshifts:Thisistheheartoftheclass,anditprovidesanopportunitytogainhands-onexperienceediting,writingdisplaytype,andhelpingmanageonlinecontent.Insistonyour“Editedby”tagline,asthatensuresyougetcredit(andhelpsmekeeptrackofwhoisdoingwhat).
§ In-classcritiques,discussionsandassignments§ Useofsocialmedia§ Professionaldevelopment§ Relevantreadingsandassignments
In-class work and participation Duringtheclassmeetings,wewilldiscusstopicsrelevanttoediting,currenteventsandissuesinjournalism.Wewillalsotalkaboutthegoodandnot-so-goodworkintheKansan(see“Critiques”).Sodothereadings,keepupwiththeKansanandcomepreparedtoparticipate.Pleasedon’tbeadistractiontoyourclassmates:Turnyourphonesoffduringclassanduseotherelectronicdevicesonlyforclasswork.Itisimportantthatyoufeelcomfortableexpressingideasandopinions,differentperspectivesanddiverseexperiences.Berespectfulofotherswhoseviewpointsandexperiencesmaynotbethesameasyourown.
Eachstudentwillworktwofour-hourcopydeskshiftseachweekattheKansan.YouworkintheKansannewsroom.Theremaybeadditionalshiftsforspecialsections,oropportunitiestoworkonothereditingprojects.Important:YoureportdirectlytoandareresponsibletotheeditorsoftheKansanforthisportionoftheclass.Treatthisasyouwouldajob:thatis,showup,bethereontime,comepreparedtowork,actlikeaprofessional.Thisportionofyourgradewillbedeterminedbyyourwrite-ups,myevaluationofyourwork,andassessmentsfromyourrespectivesupervisors.Wemaymeetindividuallyduringthesemesterandtalkabouthowyouaredoing,andyoumayalsohavemeetingswithyournewsroomsupervisor.
Critiques Onceaweek,youwillwriteupacritiqueofoneaspect(print,web,socialmedia)oftheKansanandKansan.com.Theintentofthecritiqueisnottocalloutindividualsformistakes,buttoprovideassessmentsofthequalityofreporting,editing,presentationandmultimediacomponents,pointingoutbothstrengthsandweaknesses.Eachpersonisexpectedtocontributetoanyclasscritiques,andhandinawrittencritiqueeachweekviaBlackboard(under“Journals”).Lateworkwillnotbeaccepted.Assignments Exercisesand/orresponsestoreadingswillbeassignedregularly,andonelongerwritingproject(aprofileofaprofessionaleditor)willbeassignedattheendofthesemester.Theseareduebyclasstimeontheduedate.Lateworkwillnotbeaccepted.Kansan work KeeptrackofthestoriesyoueditfortheKansanandpullthemoutofthepaperorlinktothemonthewebsite.Eachweek,turninalistviaBlackboard
(under“Journals”)ofallthestoriesyoueditedonyourpreviousshift–includingwirestories,briefs,calendaritems,sportsroundups,etc.,aswellaspageproofs–pluscommentsonhowyouapproachededits,headlines,trims,etc.Ifyouhadaparticularissuewithastory,brieflynotewhatitwasandhowyouresolvedit.Lateworkwillnotbeaccepted.Social media Socialmediaisanimportantpartofediting:Manyeditorsmanagesocialmediaaccountsfortheirnewsorganizations,andalljournalistsshouldbeusingsocialmediatofollowthenews,trendsandindustryhappenings,aswellastosharetheirowncontent.Aspartofthisclass,eachofyouwillcreateaTwitteraccount(oruseanexistingone)togatherandshareinformationrelevanttoyourworkasajournalist.Youwillbeexpectedtotweetatleasttwiceaweekwiththehashtag#J550toshareitemsofinteresttotheclass.Keeping up with the news YoushouldalsokeepupwitheventsoncampusandinLawrencewiththeKansanandtheLawrenceJournal-World,aswellasnationalandworldeventsinothernewsoutlets.Fivenewspapersarefreeoncampussopickthemupandbrowsethroughthem.Bepreparedtodiscusscurrenteventsinclass.
Books and materials § APStylebook.Youwill
havefreeaccesstotheonlinestylebookthroughtheKansan,butcanbuyapapereditionatthebookstoreifyouwantone.
§ ReadingmaterialspostedonBlackboard.
§ TheUniversityDailyKansanPolicy,StyleandLayoutGuide(availableonlinethroughtheAPStylebooksite).
§ ATwitteraccount,whichyoushouldusetofollowthenewsaswellastweetsfromyourclassmatesand@KUBremner.Ourhashtagis#J550.
Professional development Eachstudentshouldalreadyhaveanonlineportfoliothatincludesworksamplesofworkfromthesemesterandthatwillhelpdefineyouasajournalist.Startsavingexamplesofyoureditingworkfromthebeginningofthesemester:headlines,storiesyouedit,summariesyouwrite,cutlines,andsoon.Yourportfolioshouldreflectyourgoalsandaspirations,butshouldalsoincludesomeofyourworkfromthisclassandyourresume.YouwillalsoneedtocreateorupdateaprofileonLinkedIn.Thelastcomponentofprofessionaldevelopmentwillbeaprojectinwhichyouinterviewaprofessionaleditorabouthisorherjob,writeitupintoastoryandpresentittotheclass(detailsonBlackboard).Attendance Approachthiscourseasyouwouldajob:youdon’tjustfailtoshowupforwork(notifyouwanttokeepthejob),sodon’tjustfailtoshowupforclassorforyoureditingshifts.Ifyoucannotattendclassorifyouaregoingtobelate,pleasecallore-mailme.Absencesfromclasswillaffectyourgrade.Attendanceismandatoryforallcopyeditingshifts,aswellasatmeetingscalledbyKansaneditors.**Anunexcusedabsencefromyoureditingshiftmayresultinadeductionofonelettergradefromyourfinalcoursegrade.Asecondunexcusedabsencewillverylikelyresultinafailinggradeforthecourse.Butstuffhappens:Ifyouwillmissorbelateforaneditingshift,youmustinformmeANDyoureditorsattheKansanassoonaspossibleandmakeasincereandtimelyeffortatsecuringareplacement.Youwillhavealistofallthepeopleintheclassandtheircontactinfo.ItisOKtoswapshiftswithclassmatesaslongasyouletmeknowandletyourKansansupervisorknow.
Grading%oftotal(thisclassisona+/- system)
EditingattheKansan
AssignmentsIncludeswrittenwork,critiques,editingnotes,andotherassignments.
Participation
Editorprofile
Portfolio
10%
25%
50%
10% 5%
Advanced Editing Rubric ThesearethecriteriaIwillusewhenassigninggradestoyourKansaneditingwork:StorymanagementA-Catchesnearlyallerrorsinstories.Checksfactsandnames,andshowsahighlevelofskepticismwhileediting.Ensuresstoriesareproperlystructuredandcomplete.Showsamasteryofandacomfortwithgrammar,andappliesgrammaticalrulesappropriately.DemonstratesfamiliaritywithAPandKansanstyleandusesstylecorrectlythroughoutstories.Ensurespublishedstoriesarecomplete,fairandeasytounderstand,flowwellandreflectgoodjudgmentormeaningfulimprovements.Appliesskillsconsistentlyfromnighttonight.Doesnotinserterrorsormakechangesthatworsenthestory.B-Catchesmosterrors,butletssomeerrorsslipthrough.Couldimproveonskepticism.Issometimeshesitantaboutmakingsignificantchangestostories.C-Catchesobviouserrorsbutshowsinsufficientattentiontothefinerdetailsofstyleandgrammarandusage.Publishedstoriesareofteninneedofsignificantrewordingorrestructuringorareoverlywordy.D-F-Makesdetrimentalchangesorinsertserrorswhilefailingtomakenecessaryedits.Headlines,cutlinesandotherdisplaytypeA-Writesaccurate,enticingheadlines.Movesbeyondtheobviousandtheclichéd.Cutlinesadddepthtothestoryanddon’tsimplystatewhatisobviousfromlookingatthepicture.Blurbsinvitethereaderwithouttellingtheentirestoryandotherdisplaytypeisfreeoferrors.Breakboxesandpullquotesareaddedtocomplexornumber-heavystorieswhennecessary.B-Headlinesarecorrectandappropriatebutmaybedullornotreflectiveofthemostnewsworthyorinterestingelementsofthestory.Cutlinescontainallthebasicinformation,butdon’tadddetailsfromthestory.C-Headlinesconsistentlyfailtoreflectthestoryanddisplaytypeoftencontainserrors.Cutlinesleavequestionsaboutthecontextofthepictureandblurbsfrequentlyjustrepeatthefirstparagraphsofthestory.D-F–Displaytypeisfactuallyincorrectorlibelous.
WorkethicA-Flexibleandopentosuggestionsaboutediting.Consistentlycallsreportersandasksrelevantquestionsthathelpimprovestories.Showsrespectforcolleaguesandarrivesforshiftontimeandtakesworkseriously.B-Mainlyfocused,butconsistencyisanissue.Qualityofworkvariesfromshifttoshiftorduringashift.Sometimesunwillingtocompromiseorlistentootherapproachestoastory.C-Frequentlylateandofftask.Doesnotseemtotakeworkseriouslyandconversationswithreportersareaquickreadingofchangesratherthanameaningfuldiscussionofhowtoimprovetheclarityofthestory.D-F-Missesshifts.Doesnotcommunicatewithreportersonsignificantquestionsaboutorchangestothestory.
ImprovementA-Worksatimprovingweaknessesandacceptscritiqueswithapositiveattitude.Showsawarenessofcommonpersonalmistakesandworkstoavoidthem.Ifunclearonapoint,researchestofindanswer/consensus.B-Improvementisvisibleoverthecourseofthesemester,butmanyerrorshavetobeaddressedrepeatedly.C-Demonstrateslittleimprovementorself-awareness.D-F-Doesnotdemonstrateanyinterestinimprovingskills.The fine print Academicmisconduct
Inthisclass,andinalljournalismclasses,honestyandintegrityarecritical.Anyworkyoudomustbeoriginalandreflectyourownideas,thoughtsandresearch.Inaworksetting,ifyouchoosetoviolateprofessionalstandards,youwillbefired.Inthisclass,ifyouchoosetoviolatethestandardsforacademicintegrity,you’llfail
thecourse,andyoumaybeexpelledfromordeniedadmissiontotheSchoolofJournalism. Here’ssomeclarification:Ifyouuseorattempttouseanyunauthorizedmaterialsduringatest,orifyougiveanyunauthorizedmaterialstosomeoneelseduringatest,thisischeating.Unauthorizedmaterialsincludewrittenmaterials,suchasnotes,aswellasnonverbalorelectroniccommunication.Plagiarismisstealing.Itistakingsomeoneelse’sideas,thoughts,orwordsandpresentingthemasyourownoriginalwork.Thisincludestakingideasfromwrittensources,broadcastsources,onlinesourcesorworkdonebyanotherstudent.CopyingandpastingmaterialdirectlyfromtheInternetandpresentingthatworkasifitwereyourown–thatis,withoutquotationmarksandproperattribution–isplagiarism.Youwilloftenneedtoincorporateanotherperson’sideas,opinionsandwordsintothestoriesyouwrite,tomakeapointortoprovidebackground.Whenyoudothis,itisessentialthatyouattributethatinformation:explainwheretheinformationcamefromandgivecreditwherecreditisdue.
PolicyonPlagiarismandFabricationorFalsificationTheSchoolofJournalismdoesnottolerateplagiarism,fabricationofevidenceorfalsificationofevidence.Penaltiesforengaginginsuchbehaviorcanincludeafailinggradeforthiscourseandexpulsionfromtheschool.Ifyouhavequestionsaboutwhatconstitutesplagiarism,fabricationorfalsification,pleaseconsultyourinstructor.ThefollowingdefinitionsarefromArticleII,Section6,oftheUniversitySenateRulesandRegulations,revisedFY98.PlagiarismKnowinglypresentingtheworkofanotherasone'sown(i.e.,withoutproperacknowledgementofthesource).Thesoleexceptiontotherequirementofacknowledgingsourcesiswhentheinformationorideasarecommonknowledge.FabricationandFalsificationUnauthorizedalterationorinventionofanyinformationorcitationinanacademicexercise.
Fabricationmeansthatyoumadeupinformation,sources,citationsorquotes.Thisincludesmakingupanentireintervieworsourceorembellishingafact,quote,orstatistictomakeitsoundbetter.Don’tdoit.Ever.Nomatterhowpressedyouarefortime,it’sfarbettertoriskthewrathofyourbossthantoriskyourcredibilityasajournalist.Content“recycling”:Theexpectationinthisclassisthatyou’vecometolearn,tobecreative,tostretchyourimagination,andexpandyourskills.Therefore,alltheworkyoudointhisclassmustbeoriginal.Thatmeansno“recycling”ofyourpreviousinterviews,assignments,storiesorworkfromotherclasses.Thejournalismschoolregardsanyeffortstorecyclematerialfrompreviouscourseworkasacademicdishonesty.DisabilityaccommodationIfyouhaveaspecialneedthatmayaffectyourlearningandforwhichyouwishtorequestaccommodation,contactKUStudentAccessServicesintheAcademicAchievementandAccessCenter(AAAC),whichcoordinatesaccommodationsandservicesforallstudentswhoareeligible.Informationaboutservicescanbefoundathttp://disability.ku.edu/,attheofficeinStrongHallRoom22,orbycalling785-864-4064.Pleasecontactmeprivatelyregardingyourneedsinthiscourse,andrealizethatyouwilllikelyneedofficialdocumentationandrequestsfromtheAAACbeforeaccommodationsaremade.JournalismSchoolandfinancialaidpolicyonclassroomattendance"Studentsmustattendtheirclassesandlaboratoryperiods.Instructorsmaytakeattendanceintoaccountinassessingastudent'sperformanceandmayrequireacertainlevelofattendanceforpassingacourse.Instructorsmaychoosetodropstudentsfromacourse,basedonattendance,withoutconsent.”"TheKUOfficeofStudentFinancialAidisrequiredbyfederallawtodeterminewhetherstudentswhoreceiveaidareattendingeachclassinwhichtheyareenrolled.Instructorsarerequiredtoreporttothatofficeabsencesofstudentswhohavestoppedattendingandnamesofthosewhohaveenrolledbutneverhaveattended.Studentswhodonotattendclassesmayberequiredtorepayfederaland/orstatefinancialaid.”InclementweatherIntheeventofbadweather,thedecisiontocancelclassesismadebyKUofficials.Todeterminewhethersnoworicyconditionshavecanceledclasses,call785-864-7669.RecordingofclassroomlecturesCoursematerialspreparedbytheinstructor,aswellascontentofalllecturespresentedbytheinstructor,aretheinstructor’sproperty.Videoandaudiorecordingoflectureswithoutinstructorconsentisprohibited.Onrequest,theinstructorusuallywillpermitstudentstorecordlectures,ontheconditionthattheserecordingsareusedonlyasastudyaidbytheindividualmakingtherecording.Unlesstheinstructorgivesexplicitpermission,recordingsoflecturesmaynotbemodified,broadcastorpublishedonline,andmustnotbetransferredtoanyotherperson,whetherornotthatindividualisenrolledinthecourse.
