What you need to know by next class--(MON)

--If you haven't done so already, you need to turn in your short stories.
You'll be deducted two points for being late.

--If you've received a grade on it, you can fix it.

DON'T POST ANYTHING TO THE BLOG THIS WEEKEND. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT ON MONDAY.

--Also on Monday, turn your short story into a VOSOT.
Remember, here's how to set up your script: go to Microsoft Word, click on table, insert, table...change number of columns to 2, number of rows to 1. (Hit TAB to start new rows)

I'll be sending y'all the example we did in class.

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND!

YOUR OWN SIX INCHES OF NEWS, DUE THURS

Bring in your own news story to turn in Thursday. The stories I've read so far have been really good, even if I marked all over them. I'm really impressed.

Also on Thursday:

Quiz--Read Chapter 11 and be prepared to do some writing examples. Also, make sure you check your grammar that's on the schedule.

Amanda Lea

CONFIDENT YET CONFUSED: Born in the big city of Atlanta, but raised in small town Arkansas, Amanda Lea, 20, represents the majority of college students today; boldly walking blind. In her third year at Missouri State, Lea has declared herself a Public Relations major and Marketing minor. Although she is firmly grounded in a direction at school, Lea admits she hasn't chosen her career goal.
ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES: Although Lea claims she has no idea what her future holds, you can see the passion in her eyes when she mentions soccer. Lea immersed herself in the sport for years and eventually joined a travelling team that lead her to Springfield! Tearing her ACL three time in high school, Lea explains that she missed out on the glory of trying for the college team. Surprisingly optimistic, Lea has instead joined intramural soccer and plays on an indoor soccer team. When I asked if her injuries hold her back, Lea confidently replies, "Honestly, I see myself as a stronger person because of it."

anecdotal ledes quickie

Here are a few tips about writing anectodal ledes...it's not exactly from the most prestious academic institution, but I liked this explanation.

Anecdotal ledes (from about.com)

These are seen often in magazine stories or feature-style centerpieces in newspapers. An anecdotal lede opens with a little story that is integral to the story as whole, and may hook readers with the personal side of a story or humor. Here's an example crafted especially for this page:

"Ida Smith knew bears lived in the hills behind her Woodland home by the calling cards they left: overturned garbage cans, tufts of hair in her idyllic swimming pool, trampled petunias in the flower beds.

'I had heard tales of a giant black bear named Bud roaming through these parts,' Smith said as she swept up banana peels dumped out of her trash bin by the eager overnight visitor. 'But I never thought I'd see him right outside my window like that.'

Smith was one of five residents who spotted the legendary bear Wednesday, an intimidating animal that has created an atmosphere of fear in the quiet bedroom community."

And move into your facts, quotes, etc.

**My personal thought** The "why are you writing this story" should follow soon after--this is called the nut graph...however, my personal opinion is to not get caught up in the "one paragraph" theory. but the "why are you writing this story" needs to be up high.

Jerry Garretson

20 year-old media major Jerry Garretson hails from small Arkansas town of 200 or so, called Centerville. Nestled deep in the heart of what Garretson often refers to as “KKK country,” his hometown is also home to the Yell County Post-Dispatch. Garretson had written off-and-on for this county-wide newspaper since age 16 when he awoke one morning with a hankering for a couple Advils and a new challenge. Armed with that impulsive gumption, he simply walked in and asked to contribute. And so it was that Jerry Garretson became a semi-pro journalist. It is this same extemporaneous attitude that governs his life today. Undecided about his future, he is content to take life as it comes, at least until he figures out what he wants to do when he grows up.

Stephanie Fuller

Career Driven: Coming from a small town outside of Kansas City, Stephanie Fuller, 20, knew what she wanted. By finishing her high school career a year early, she was able to begin a new chapter of her life. Fuller had originally wanted to be a Computer Graphics major, but later changed her mind. Now Stephanie is a Public Relations major. “I wanted to be a PR person for a sports team, but after thinking about it, I wanted to represent a nonprofit Christian organization.” says Fuller, 20.

Fun Times: Aside from going to school, Fuller loves to hang with her friends and have a good time. “I am not a typical girlie girl, I like playing video games, watching sports, and cars,” says Stephanie, “ I even drive a truck.”

PHOTO JUNKIE: Chalmers Smith, a journalism major at Missouri State, recently received a job working for the Picture People, a company that take family portraits. He pointed out that he enjoys photography, and that is part of the reason he got the job. "I told them I liked taking pictures," said the 19-year-old, De Soto, Missouri native. "They don’t have to know I meant with a disposable camera." Smith has taken many pictures, but his favorite is one of his friends. He took it on a night when they snuck into his hometown’s VFW and climbed on the military tanks. "It reminds me of having fun,"
he said.
ENTERTAINMENT: "I am a completely random person," said Smith, who once surveyed Wal-Mart customers for no reason. "It’s the only way to make life fun."

SUPER SMEE: Shelli Smee isn’t your typical college student. At 42, Smee has a full-life outside the classroom. She works 60 hours a week for a local cab company while caring for her teenage daughter, Piper. The Kansas City native moved to Springfield three years ago looking for a better life. Smee and Piper live at Kentwood South Apartments, a non-traditional student apartment complex on campus. Smee’s daughter jokingly calls her mom cruel for choosing the on-campus apartment. Piper enjoys being around college students while being close to class is convenient for Mom. Entering her senior year, Smee switched majors to professional writing with a minor in bio-medical science. When questioned about her intentions after graduation, Smee states, “I just want to write and be independent.”

Dustin Pruett

DUSTIN PRUETT – PUBLIC RELATIONS MAJOR

Close Quarters: “My dream is to work for the Cardinals,” Pruett, shares during our evening course. The 20 year-old student has grown-up a fan in his Springfield home and hopes to one day have a job for last year’s World Series winner. For now, he’ll reside in Springfield where he lives only a 10 minute drive from campus. Pruett says, “I work during the day and take class at night.” His tan skin confirms his position as head lifeguard at a nearby pool where he mainly deals with kids who don’t listen.
Family Fun: “Everyone in my family has the initials ‘D.P’- even the dogs,” Pruett jokes while discussing his background. Family and friends are important to this Kickapoo Grad who doesn’t mind living at home to cut expenses.

Kyra Werdehausen

Kyra Werdehausen-Student/Future Anchor

Future Anchor- Kyra Werdehausen is majoring in Broadcast Journalism. When you don’t see her at class at Missouri State, you can find working at the Plaster Student Union information desk. Werdehausen dreams of someday working as an anchor for the national news. Werdehausen said she would like to work for CNN or some sort of national news organization. Werdehausen is ready for the challenges of reporting.

Strong Activist for Poverty-Werdehausen believes that poverty is an issue that should be addressed in Springfield. Werdehausen is also working towards a minor in Sociology. Werdehausen asked me if I knew where there was a lot of poverty in Springfield. I replied that you mostly see it on the north side of town. Werdehausen is a very passionate person on this topic of poverty.

Jessica Whitaker

Intelligent and Independent: Jessica Whitaker, Hamilton, Mo., junior, was the valedictorian or her small high school. She graduated from Penney High School as the best of 52 classmates. The print journalism major, with a technical writing minor, is paying for her own school, and despite her financial strain she always makes time for others.
Great with Geezers: Whitaker works at the Cracker Barrel, a restaurant laden with the elderly, in order to continue working with the elderly. Her previous job was at a nursing home. “I enjoy working with old people. I don’t think they should be brushed aside,” she said. Whitaker worked at the nursing home for near minimum wage because she was not in it for the money. “I wanted them to have an employee who was compassionate,” she said.

Alex Robichaud

On the Move: Among the hushed voices of students interviewing one another in class, Alex Robichaud talks about his life. The discussion is enhanced by his friendly demeanor and easy-going grin. Robichaud, Blue Springs, Mo., is a senior at MSU majoring in Print Journalism. At the time of the initial interview, he had been in Springfield a total of five days. Robichaud, 21, decided to make the recent transition from KU to Missouri State because of degree admission issues.
Both of Robichaud’s parents, who both teach in music-related fields, are graduates of KU, and he has lived in various cities in Kansas and Missouri. He is optimistic about his recent move. “I think I am going to be better off here,” Robichaud says. “It’s going to help me in the long run.”

Jenny West

NO FOWL PLAY: Living in Ozark, Mo. could not have been easy for someone with Alektorophobia. 20-year-old, Jenny West, however, does not allow her fear of chickens to interfere with her life. "I just don’t like chickens or birds," she says, " but I don’t mind water fowl."
SYNTAX ADDICT: West finds enjoyment watching "Myth Busters" or playing "Scrabble". These activities have quite possibly led to her addiction to grammar. "I like words. I’m a grammar and English nerd," West confidently disclosed. "When I was younger I couldn’t listen to a BackStreet album because they used poor grammar!" Her grammar fixation, however, has led to multiple nights filled with creative thoughts worth writing. Currently attending Missouri State University, West can use her witty writing and communication skills to complete her degree in public relations.

Carrie Boyd

Ambition Driven

Twenty-one year-old Carrie Boyd, senior, originally from Illinois and currently living in Springfield, Mo., is working toward a degree in public relations at MSU. This hard-worker spends her time engaging in various hobbies and pursuing her many ambitions. Among these are aspiring to one day learn how to play the guitar, singing, and playing the piano. “I love to learn and explore things,” says Boyd, “there is just so much out there that I want to know and so many things that I want to know how to do.”

Boyd welcomes mystery and whatever else may come her way, as well. “My biggest goal is to one day own a chic little coffee shop downtown in a big city,” Boyd states, and it is apparent that she truly enjoys the challenge of pursuit when it comes to achieving her goals.

Jared Wilcox

Jared Wilcox is not what he appears. Though he’s, some say freakishly, tall, he’s not a giant, nor is he a Giants fan, nor does he play basketball. Though he has a mop of unruly hair, he’s probably not currently under the effects of any hallucinogenic substances. And though his demeanor is laid back, he’s not an artist or media lackey. No, Jared Wilcox is, and has been for six years, a professional student.
But Jared has outgrown school, and looks to the world with an expectant gaze. Someday (though he’ll at first be a Technical Writer) he hopes to be a high school teacher by day and a creatively writing guitarist by night. And when one sees the intensity with which he chases his dreams, it’s apparent he’ll probably maybe achieve them.

Office Girl to CEO

Pamela Robertson, Springfield, Mo., sophomore, is an energetic, full-time, non-traditional student at Missouri State University. She juggles a husband, three cats and working a 40 hour work week as an administrative assistant at The Kitchen, a not-for-profit agency that helps the homeless and impoverished. When asked what she wants to do after graduating, a small grin transforms into a full-blown smile as her enthusiasm for the topic becomes evident. Leaning forward in her chair, she replied, “My dream is to someday be the CEO of a non-profit agency.” With a major in public relations, emphasis in non-profit administration and a good amount of experience in the not-for-profit business, Mrs. Robertson is well on her way to realizing her goal.

QUIZ FOR THURSDAY

Study grammar--
missing commas
confusion of that/which

Study leads
inverted pyramid

Your Final: Mark your calendar

Final is scheduled for 3:30-5:30pm, Thursday 8/2/07.

Quickie Profile, due Monday

This was one of my first assignments in my journalism class...thank you Max Utsler and Rick Musser...

This assignment gets you familiar with interviewing someone, and you get to write a little bit.

**On Friday you will find a partner, interview him/her in class and by Monday you will bring two copies of your profile to class**

The assignment: Do a profile on a partner following the magazine format you'll see when you scroll down. You'll write exactly 130-135 words. No more, no less. The following profile was written to a very specific format with pictures and text. Follow the format. Complete the assignment by Monday. Give a printed copy to the person you profiled. They will comment on it when we meet next week.

The audience: The profiles are from Ingram's Magazine. The monthly feature was written for the magazine's audience of middled-aged, Kansas City white guy business leaders with an average income of $85,000 plus and a managerial position.

The purpose: A quick read on interesting people written in an up-beat, conversational style.

Readable copy. Upbeat, 5 pts
Subject/Verb/Object construction, 5 pts
Organized well. Story has a beginning, middle and end, 5 pts
Follows Format. 5 pts

-----------------
example:

A-MUSED ARTIST: With three months of backlogged commissions, Corbin quit his advertising job eight years ago to become a full-time sculptor. "I was pretty naive," says Corbin, 40. "Now, if I don't have a year to a year and a half of projects going, the schedule seems light." Locally, the artist's work in bronze can be seen at the Firefighter's Fountain on 31st Street and at the soon-to-be-completed Children's Fountain in North Kansas City. Farther afield, his artwork appears in Singapore's Royal Sporting Club.
-------------------

Tips:

Identify students by class and hometown: Some copy editors will insist that you always do it all the first time. Example: "Michelle Sherwood, Tulsa, Okla., junior." However, some good writers know that for features and profiles you can identify them just by name and, soon after that, use a second reference like, "The Tulsa, Okla., sophomore said..."

Use last name on second reference, like so: Sherwood said that it would be hard to get a passing grade if students didn't take this class seriously. (NOT Michelle said)

Quotes should say something: Use direct quotes to advance the story. Don't use direct quotes simply to convey facts or numbers. Use them to convey emotion, opinion, or insight. Beware of empty cliches--especially things like: "I'm excited about..." or "I really love it at..."

Attach attribution to all direct quotes, like so: "Pay attention to tense when you use attribution," said Michelle Sherwood, lecturer of journalism. Do not "float quotes." Not like this: "Sometimes you use past tense and sometimes you use present." WHO SAID THAT? Attach the "source says."

How to turn in your story ideas--

Story ideas are coming along, but you need to start developing ideas that are more focused. Many of you have broad story topics that don't mean a whole lot. Just think: focus, focus, focus. It's kind of like a mini-thesis statement.

This is all you need to turn in on for your daily story ideas:

Schools Safer Than Ever/Werdehausen
School Violence is lower than 20-30 years ago.
Statistics/books/Professor Percy @ MSU MJF
Evergreen or next big school violence issue
Parents, students, grandparents

*My suggestion with this example: I would try to narrow my focus and find an emotion that goes along with this, such as: "Despite high-profile violence cases, professors are eager to report that school violence is down from three decades ago." OR "Students shocked to hear that there are fewer school violence cases now than three decades ago."

The reason for finding an emotion?? It helps you write clearly and with focus. If you know recognize how people feel, it's easier to set the tone for the story. You can try to anticipate how people feel before you get the story, but that may change once you get your interviews.

THANK YOU DAVE CATANESE

KY3 Political Reporter Dave Catanese spoke at our class tonight on blogs. Here is a list of the blogs mentioned in his discussion.

Check them out:

• KY3 Political Notebook


• Chatter by Ron Davis


• The Turner Report


• The Columbia Tribune Daily Politics Blog


• St. Louis Post Dispatch: Political Fix


• The Hotline


• First Read: The Day in Politics


• The Caucus

KYTV News at six June 11th pt 2

KYTV News at six June 11th pt 3

KYTV News at six June 11th

YOUTUBE IS FREAKING OUT

If you're on this blog to see a television newscast, then you'll temporarily have to go to my personal blog. I'm not posting the entire newscast but just the first couple of blocks. YouTube also posted it in the wrong order.

Remember, find some similarities and differences in the television news and tomorrow's headlines. Find strengths and weaknesses in each.

See you in class tomorrow.