Television News Gathering
Fall 2007
School of Journalism & Mass Communication
San Jose State University
Roland De Wolk, Lecturer
The Official Goal: Principles and techniques of covering news for electronic media. Instruction in all aspects of television newsgathering, presentation and production including writing, shooting, editing, producing and anchoring. Includes both field and studio work. Prerequisites: APSC 96D, JOUR 61 or instructor consent.
The Situation: The news business is in its most wonderful state of turmoil in its long and crazy history. Broadcast news – although not getting the mass media attention print is earning — is also in tumult. We will consider the declining numbers as agents of change and position you — the first native-born generation of 21st century news media — to bring the very highest standards of journalism into the next, maturing phase of news & information. It is there that the mastery of video and audio to tell important and interesting stories in an obsessively accurate and fair fashion will wipe away the failures and anxieties of today’s news media dinosaurs.
Course Basics: Students are required to own at least two mini-DV video cartridges and a set of headphones for shooting and editing. There is no required textbook. This is a JOURNALISM class, so you will be expected to be informed on the news, both daily and otherwise. Be prepared for regular pop news quizzes. I STRONGLY recommend you watch at least two newscasts a night (one network and one local), read at least two daily newspapers a day (the Mercury or Chronicle and the New York Times are my suggestions), as well as have the news on in the car (NPR & KCBS) and be online for news & information daily.
The class Website will be at http://www.NewsPort.org. There is a class link towards the bottom of the navigation bar on the bottom right. Use it or wish you had.
Grades are determined by performance: 60 percent from finished stories (VO, VOSOTVO, & four packages), 20 percent from tests & quizzes and 20 percent from class participation. Grades are private but transparent to each individual student. I will provide each of you with a private progress report in the middle of the term. ANY STUDENT INTERESTED IN THEIR GRADE AND THEIR GRADE PROGRESS IS INVITED TO ASK AT ANY TIME FOR AN ACCURATE UPDATE. INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS ON THIS AND OTHER COURSE MATTERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. THIS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.
THIS LIMITS MY LIABILITY. PLEASE READ IT:
I am a serious, strict teacher with an old school newsman’s sardonic sense of humor. I have some basic requirements — as you should — that will be instrumental in making our three-month investment pay back for years and years to come.
— You MUST have e-mail and you MUST 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.
— Have a phone. You will need voice mail or an answering machine with a professional-grade recording.
— 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 will be 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.
— 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.
— Class attendance and promptness, as always, will be mandatory. Unfortunately, for some of you, this will be no joke. 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 THE ASSIGNMENT FROM A FELLOW REPORTER.
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 Thursday before class. If it’s important, make an appointment with me first. If not, it’s first-come-first serve. My e-mail is RolandDeWolk@gmail.com. I greatly prefer you use it rather than call me. But if you have a genuine emergency — professional or personal — my cell is 510 220 2217. It has voice mail on duty 24 hours a day. A word of caution about my home number: Although I will expect you 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 real emergency, I will be annoyed.
— I am accountable. You can expect the highest-grade professional learning from me. Moreover, you can expect respect from me throughout the course. If you feel 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 reward enterprise. Successful reporters are no different than most successful people in any other vocation: They seek success by consistently doing more than expected, finding solutions not excuses, restlessly looking for the next accomplishment. I am keenly interested in observing and measuring these traits and guarantee they will significantly boost what you will take home from this course — and your grade. On the other hand, those of you who exhibit natural gifts that may lead you to acting as if enterprise is not necessary will suffer the opposite experience — here and beyond.
— 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 I really hate to fail.
There is one more major requirement: Have a sense of humor. If this is of any concern of yours for any reason, please come talk to me and we’ll customize. Our primary mission is to learn. Everything else is just commentary.
Week 1
Introduction
Review of Writing Basics
Story Pitches
Week 2
Story Pitches
Scripts
Shooting & Editing Guidelines
Week 3
Story Pitches
Setting Up Shoots
Reader Assignment
Week 4
Story Pitches
Fact Checking
VO Assignment
Week 5
Story Pitches
Libel
VOSOTVO Assignment
Week 6
Story Pitches
Interviewing
Packages
Week 7
Story Pitches
Lede Ins
Package One
Week 8
Story Pitches
The Nut Graf/So-What Graf/Topic Sentence
Package One Recut
Week 9
Story Pitches
Public Information
Package Two
Week 10
Story Pitches
Graphics
Package Two Recut
Week 11
Story Pitches
Enterprise Reporting
Package Three
Week 12
Story Pitches
Making the Local Story Universal / Making the Universal Story Local
Package Three Recut
Week 13
Story Pitches
Feeds
Package Four
Week 14
Story Pitches
Online
Package Four Recut
Week 15
Wrapping it Up