Feature Writing (SFSU 0321-01)

Journalism Department

San Francisco State University

Spring 2006

Roland De Wolk / Senior Lecturer

Feature Writing is often – and I do believe with some merit — considered the highest form of journalism by some of the most experienced and thoughtful of today’s top news professionals. Students enrolled in this demanding course are advised the title might be better put as Feature Reporting, for there will be abundant attention paid to reporting as well as writing. The two are, gratefully, inseparable. Standards of excellence and competence will be strictly enforced. Commensurate rewards for the gifted, enterprising, hard-working student will be far greater than the challenge.

PREREQUISITES:

This course carries the same requirements for all Advance Writing classes and satisfies the department’s Advance Writing requirement. This particular class is engineered to be the broadest platform of all Advanced Writing courses offered in the department. It will allow excellent students of journalism to exploit the best parts of the other Advanced Writing classes – with the exception of “public journalism” & opinion writing (which are more or less the same thing) — while not restricting students to the rather more limited roles in the other courses.

SUMMARY:

The course is designed to learn and hone truly distinguished reporting and writing skills, with an emphasis on the most difficult, if attractive, large canvas for any writer of news and information: The astonishing world of cultural change in the most complicated and complex civilization of human history: 21st century United States of America. We will, out of necessity and desire, concentrate on the enormously vital 7 million people of the San Francisco Bay Area, a world-class news environment.

News judgment will be a major emphasis in this process. To those ends, students should fully understand the course will be run very much like a real newsroom, where story ideas are brought to the table, openly and aggressively thought through, and executed on deadline.

Assignments will begin immediately and progress to increasingly difficult news features. There are few limits in this professional environment except your own. Like any real newsroom, you will be competing with each other for the best stories and with yourselves to find your true voice and true talent. It is not unlikely that distinguished final work will be published in print, a goal I will assist you with in every way.

We will likely post the best of our work online and there will be a substantial Web component to our project, not just template design issues. Your future – and the future of news – is on the World Wide Web. This course will give you the option to significantly advance your choices in that direction.

A more detailed rundown of all the assignments is described later here.

TARGETS:

Our aim will be totally consistent with those of top tier journalism work, regardless if it is at the undergraduate level or the highest forms of professional news outlets:

• Accuracy

• Attribution

• News judgment

• Story-telling

• Clear and graceful writing

• Editing and rewriting

• Newspaper & magazine content & style

• Libel law

• Fairness

• Multiple sourcing

• Highest and best sourcing

• Use of quotes

• Use of transitions — and knowing when they are useless

• Deadline writing

• Note-taking

• Use of statistics

• Research tools including phones, the Web, databases, primary sources

• Interviewing

• Listening

• Marketing your story – and yourself

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS:

We will meet as a newsroom every Tuesday at 7pm for our story conference. Here, reporters (the students) will pitch stories and work with fellow reporters and your editors (me and guest editors) to develop strong ideas and strategies for successful story execution.

From there, we will report, write, report, rewrite, folo, and rewrite again, bringing all the skills and powers you have earned through your hard work in Newswriting and Reporting courses, as well as other vital and varied school and life experiences.

There will be a strong emphasis on developing professional competence. We will regularly examine – and you will be expected to understand – issues such as ethical and legal standards, freedoms and responsibilities. We will hold up the highest and best standards of our cultures and history.

All assignments will be written either on paper or through Microsoft Word and e-mailed to me. All will be at least double-spaced. All will have this format at top:

Slug

Byline

Date

Course/Instructor data

Word count

Punctuation, grammar, spelling and adherence to the Associated Press Stylebook will be emphasized. Making the same stylebook or syntactical mistake twice or more will spark some polite unpleasantness.

Grades will come from final edits, that is to say, the second draft. Source sheets, with full names, titles and contact data, will accompany all stories. Stories failing this vital accompaniment will earn a failing grade.

Class attendance and promptness, as always, will be mandatory. Unfortunately, for some of you, this will be no joke. More on this later.

News quizzes will be regular. Daily reading will include, but will not be limited to, two newspapers. Students must watch at least two television newscasts each week, and listen to radio news as often. Further details are below.

Writing coaches may be available through the journalism department. A detailed explanation on this opportunity may take place at the beginning of the term.

COMPLETION OF JOURNALISM 0321 FEATURE WRITING:

In order to progress in the Journalism Department’s sequences, you must earn a C or better grade in Feature Writing.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

There is no assigned textbook, but there will be regularly assigned reading from great and not-so-great news features that may come from a variety of sources, including newspapers, magazines, books and of course, online. You will be expected to have read the material in advance and be prepared to discuss it in class. Failure to participate will likely be interpreted as a failure to have completed the assignment.

You will need the AP Stylebook and I strongly suggest a good grammar book. You can go the wonk way with Wm. Follett’s “Modern American Usage,” Henry Fowler’s classic “Dictionary of Modern English Usage.” (Or “New Fowler’s Modern English Usage.) Or you may choose (as I would) the more approachable method, which would be something such as C. Edward Good’s “A Grammar Book for You and I. Oops, I Mean Me.” (Which isn’t nearly as stupid as it sounds.)

By now, I presume you have a copy of Strunk & White’s “Elements of Style,” a very basic book for all real writers.

GRADING:

Grading will be along department guidelines: Here’s the official tome from the people who (sort of) run this place:

To grade someone’s writing is a difficult and inexact task. This is how we will try to do it: While each instructor’s grading policy on issues such as spelling may be unique, the journalism faculty has agreed on and enforces one thing: “Any story with a misspelled name receives an automatic ‘F’.” Beyond that, grading criteria are:

A — The news story is exceptionally well written and free of errors. The lead is clear, concise and interesting. The story is well organized and contains effective transitions, quotations, descriptions and anecdotes. Because of the story’s obvious merit, any newspaper would be eager to publish it.

B — A newspaper could publish the news story after minimal editing. The story contains only a few minor errors of style. The lead clearly summarizes the story, and the following paragraphs present all the information necessary for a comprehensive news story. The information is presented in a cohesive, well-organized manner. The story is not as detailed, descriptive or interesting as an “A” story.

C — The news story is superficial or could be published only after heavy editing. The lead may be too wordy and fail to clearly emphasize the latest, most interesting or most important aspects of the story. The story tends to be disorganized and contains many minor errors. A few sentences or paragraphs may have to be rewritten because they are repetitious, awkward or confusing.

D — The news story contains all the necessary facts, but those facts are presented so ineffectively that they would have to be rewritten before the story could be published. The story also may contain an unacceptable number of stylistic, spelling or grammatical errors.

F — The news story could not be published by a newspaper and is so incomplete, confusing or erroneous that the facts in the story could not be rewritten and published.

The University’s grading policy:

A = Outstanding work (“…truly unusual accomplishment…”)

B = Above average work (“…exceptional accomplishment…”)

C = Average performance (“…successful completion of all course requirements, no significant weaknesses…”)
D = Below average (“…completion of course requirements but with significant weaknesses…”)
F = Failure (“Course requirements not met.”)

As to the question, “Should grades represent quality and a level of accomplishment? Or effort? Or progress?” here is what the University says:

“A. Grades are assumed to reflect the instructor’s judgment of the quality of the student’s performance. Grades should not merely be awarded for effort, attendance, native ability, etc…, notwithstanding the fact that all of these may affect performance and become part of the evaluation.

“B. Students who elect the CR/NC system are not to be given fewer or easier assignments than those who are on the A-F system; such practice makes grades reflective of the quantity rather than the quality of the student’s performance.

“C. Students may not be guaranteed ‘at least a “C” or “B,” etc. in advance or by a contract related solely to the quantity of assignment completed, as evaluation is a post-performance function rather than a pre-performance contract.”

PLAGIARISM:

“The Journalism Department has an official policy on this issue you must read and understand:
Plagiarism, the passing off of someone else’s work as your own, is a serious offense against scholarship, journalism and honesty. It is regarded as a serious offense by this university and this department.

In journalism, the object is to develop one’s own original body of work, based on one’s own reporting and research, and delivered in one’s own “voice”–in one’s own writing–in an effort to give the reader as faithful a rendition of the truth of things as we are capable.

By contrast, plagiarism delivers what someone else has researched and written under the pretense that it is one’s own work. The plagiarist lies to the reader by pretending the stolen writing is original, depriving the real author of credit, and denying readers the right to form opinions based on the real sources of information.

To call this a disservice to journalism is putting it in the mildest terms. When a journalist steals someone else’s work, it damages the credibility of all his or her associates, calling into question the integrity of the newspaper or magazine in which the plagiarized work is published.

Plagiarists fail their readers, their profession and themselves.

San Francisco State University calls plagiarism “literary theft” and treats it as a disciplinary issue. Any student suspected of plagiarism can expect, first, a conference with the instructor and department chair. If they conclude that plagiarism has occurred, the student’s conduct may be reported to the Dean’s office and, ultimately, the university’s Student Judicial Officer, who may take further action. The student’s case will be made known to the department’s faculty, so that they can watch the student’s future work closely for any more transgressions.

Journalism Department professors regard plagiarists as liars and thieves and will read their assignments with disbelief beyond skepticism.”

Here are my own first and last words on this subject: Plagiarize and I will do everything I can to have you expelled from the university. ‘Nuff said.

IMPORTANT STUFF:

Aside from the broad reading and reporting assignments required of you and referred to above, you will be expected to:

• Be familiar with the news on a daily basis. That means reading AT LEAST two newspapers each day (I suggest the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times), watch a TV news broadcast at least twice a week (A local show and a network broadcast), listen to radio news daily (NPR, KCBS, etc.). Suggestions for online news sites are enthusiastically welcomed. There will be a regular spot quiz to gauge your daily news knowledge.

• Bring at least one feature story to class each week you found admirable in some fashion. They may come from a variety of outlets, including magazines. Be prepared to discuss them.

• Have e-mail and read it daily. Assignments and other vital messages will come to you via the Internet and you will be responsible for reading, understanding and executing them. Your e-mail address must be professional grade. I will explain this in some detail in class. Just once, I hope.

• Have a phone. You will need access to voice mail or an answering machine with a professional-grade recording. I will explain this, too. Hopefully, not more than once, either.

• Attend every class. Every teacher says attendance is mandatory. Let me make this very simple for you: I will give an F grade on attendance to anyone absent two or more times without my express advance permission. I will give an F grade on attendance to anyone who is late twice or more by five minutes without my express advance permission. If you miss class, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FINDING OUT WHAT WE COVERED THAT EVENING, INCLUDING OBTAINING AND COMPLETING THE ASSIGNMENT. I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO COVER FOR YOU.YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE GETTING THIS INFORMATION FROM A FELLOW REPORTER.

• Meet all story deadlines. I will give an F grade to any story – complete or not – that does not meet its deadline.

• Meet minimal quality standards. Those standards are described in detail here and throughout the course. Factual errors will, from the start, prompt an F grade on any assignment. Factual errors include misspelled names. As noted earlier, this is department policy and one I endorse with no qualification.

I will demand a great deal from you. I will expect you to demand at least equally high standards from me:

• I am accessible. My regular office hour will be every Tuesday just before class. Make an appointment with me first and keep it. I prefer you contact me via email: RolandDeWolk@gmail.com. If you have a genuine emergency — professional or personal — my phone number is 510 220 2217. It has voice mail on duty 24 hours a day. A word of caution: Although I expect real reporters to call sources at home when necessary, I prefer not to be called at non-work numbers. I will NOT be impressed that you found my home number. Unless it’s a true emergency, I will be annoyed.

• I am accountable. You can expect and should demand the highest-grade professional learning from me. Moreover, you can expect respect from me throughout the course. If you feel that any of my teaching is not meeting your individual needs, I expect to hear from you. Since I do not read minds, THIS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

• I am goal-oriented. Although many newsroom managers will expect you to be a bulldog outside and a lapdog inside, I will demand you carry out all your work – inside and outside – with courtesy and persistence; professionalism and independence; compassion and skepticism. One can sum up my teaching attitude quite simply: When you succeed, I succeed. When you fail, I fail.

And although I relish calculated risk, I have a pronounced distaste for failure.

Grades are private but transparent to each individual student. I will provide each of you with a formal progress report a little past the midpoint of the term. ANY STUDENT INTERESTED IN THEIR GRADE AND THEIR GRADE PROGRESS IS INVITED TO ASK AT ANYTIME FOR AN ACCURATE UPDATE. INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS ON THIS AND OTHER COURSE MATTERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. THIS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

• Weekly assignments will count for 50 percent of your grade. As mentioned earlier, the final grade on each story comes from the rewrite.

• In addition to weekly stories, I will assign two major stories: One with a deadline near the middle of the term, the second on the final day of instruction. They will count for 10 percent and 20 percent respectively towards your final grade.

• Attendance, professionalism and, perhaps most of all, pure effort will count for the remaining 20 percent of your final grade. Do not underestimate my resolve regarding issues of honest hard work.

You and I will need one additional major trait to make these next three months a success: A SENSE OF HUMOR. If this is of concern for any reason, I expect to hear from you.

WEEK 1

Introduction (This is the scary part, so get your game on before you walk in)

The lede, the top of the story & the nut graf

When good sources go bad

Writing assignment

WEEK 2

Syllabus test

Story Conference

The Basic News Feature Story: How it differs from simple creative writing and hard news stories

Putting it together and beginning the editing process

Interviews: Rapport. Keeping control of the conversation. Taking notes and knowing what matters. Listen to NPR’s “Fresh Air” and write a story based on the interview. The show airs daily at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on KQED 88.5. Other times on 91.7. There is reason to believe it is also online

WEEK 3

Story Conference

The Consumer/Shopping Story : Using numbers, not letting them use you

WEEK 4

Story Conference

The Fashion Feature: Culture not Couture

WEEK 5

Story Conference

The Sports Tale: Beyond a Fan’s Notes

WEEK 6

Story Conference

Posting/Publishing online. How we do it, Part I

The Night Owl Prowl / Dawn Patrol: You are not part of the story

WEEK 7

Story Conference

The Political Yarn: Power: The pursuit, the wielding, the retention

WEEK 8

Story Conference

Posting/Publishing online. How we do it, Part II

Midterm assignment / Government: Putting our first lessons together

WEEK 9

Story Conference

Profiles: Making a human being instead of a caricature — or worse

WEEK 10

Individual Performance Assessments

The Good Earth: The environmental story

WEEK 11

Story Conference

The Health & Science Story

Writers Market, query letters and pimpin’it for print

WEEK 12

Story Conference

The Business Feature: The most creative aspect of modern American life

WEEK 13

Story Conference

Crime, Punishment, Fear

WEEK 14

Wrapping it up – Final Story Assignment.