Last class/ December 3
PR, press release, public notice and all that jazz:
November 19/ Week 10
www.ted.com/talks/paul_lewis_crowdsourcing_the_news.html
A reporter from the Guardian discusses the value of crowdsourcing techniques.
Two very important points are made: reporters still have a job to do and verify the material. Just because it’s on Twitter doesn’t mean it’s true. Second, that technology is helping journalists get at stories they couldn’t get at before.
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Internet impact on journalism
www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/feb/20/what-effect-internet-on-journalism
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The Guardian is opening up its newslists to let readers help budget news
www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/09/the-guardian-newslists-opening-up
November 12/ Week 9
More budget exercises
Reporting and Writing JMSC6001
News Budget Exercise (Part One) – Week 9
The class will break up into three teams. Each team has to compile a news budget or newslist by using raw news items from appropriate news websites and other sources.
Reporting and Writing JMSC6001
News Budget Exercise (Part Two) – Week 9
Based on the news budget you have prepared, propose realistic follow-up stories that can be pursued after the first stories have been published. Write a news presentation of budget lines or angles to pursue for the follow-up stories.
A real budget sample from SCMP:
November 5/ Week 8
Budget exercises:
SCMP Nov 3_Budget exercise (1)
How to follow an unfolding story
News-presentation-exercise (2)
October 29 (Week 7)
Reporting and Writing JMSC6001
Sex Scandal Exercise (1) – Week 7
You are a reporter for the South China Morning Post. Your editor has sent you to the Peak residence of former chief secretary and potential chief executive candidate Henry Tang Ying-yen, who has called an impromptu press meeting, most likely related to recent rumours about his extramarital infidelity. The story will appear in tomorrow’s paper.
Class_exercise_Henry_Tang_Wk07
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Reporting and Writing JMSC6001
Political Donations Exercise (2) – Week 7
You are a reporter for the South China Morning Post. You receive from an unknown source documents purporting to detail multimillion-dollar donations made by Next Media boss and democracy activist Jimmy Lai Chee-ying to various local pro-democracy parties, individuals and foreign groups.
How do you handle a story like this? Publish or not publish?
Discuss.
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In-class exercise review:
First graded assign_sample_Wk07
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October 15 (Week 6)
“Occupy Central” protest on Saturday (Oct. 15)
Alternative 2nd graded assignment: Reactions to the “Occupy Central” protest
Please hand in by October 21.
The story should be 500-600 words. When you do a reaction story, think of the people and groups who are affected by the person speaking or group doing something. In this case, these are protesters demonstrating against income inequality and the general economic situation that they claim is hurting the majority ofHong Kongresidents. They blame the financial industry and the government’s policies. Try to get reactions from the government, for example, from its press releases (www.gov.hk), and call up lawmakers. What about trade unions inHong Kong? What about people on the street, people in business? And what about the activist community in Hong Kong?
Definitely call up the organizers, who have even provided a mobile phone number for you (See their press statement below). And call up some fat cat bankers for comments.
Now is also the time to put together background on the story – what the “Occupy” movement is, for example. And by the way,Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang today spoke about a number of issues that touch on the same points the demonstrators are focusing on. Could his policy address fit in as background?
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Reporting and Writing JMSC6001
Story Exercise – Week 6: US State Department official’s visit to HK
You are a South China Morning Post reporter sent to interview a senior US diplomat visiting Hong Kong. You are writing a story for the print edition the next day.
Read the following key points. You have to decide which point should be your lede and focus for the story. Write a story of 600 – 700 words. An audio transcript of the interview is provided.
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Second graded assignment on Donald Tsang’s policy address
Please hand in by October 21.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang delivered his policy address on Wednesday (Oct. 12). For your 2ND GRADED ASSIGNMENT, please write a reaction piece of 500-600 words to his housing policy. The key part of his policy is to revive the home ownership scheme.
The relevant passages in the policy address run from paragraph 22-30 under “new policy for resumption of home ownership scheme” and can be downloaded at www.policyaddress.gov.hk/11-12/eng/index.html.
if you need some quotes from an academic, check here:
Unlike the old scheme, Tsang will allow the government much greater flexibility in adjusting the supply of flats year to year and even scrapping the whole scheme under certain conditions. This gives a lot of discretion to officials, but creates uncertainty as potential home buyers consider whether to go into the HOS market or not.
You’ll cover a range of reactions from home owners, prospective home-buyers, estate agents, property developers, academics and/or pro-government and opposition politicians. Make sure you get appropriate quotes from these people in your story. They can be for, against or indifferent to the government reviving the HOS scheme, so long as they have interesting things to say.
REMEMBER: you are NOT writing on the new HOS scheme, but people’s reactions to it. So, lead off with their reactions before explaining what the new scheme is and how it works.
Your deadline is next week, and I will give you further instructions on Saturday. So don’t worry, you have plenty of time.
October 8 (Week 5)
Please complete your first graded exercise and hand it in before the end of next week.
Please read ch. 14, 15 & 16 in The Universal Journalist. They deal with writing intros, constructing a news story and using quotes effectively. Now that you have some experience writing news stories, you should benefit from the book’s discussions. Try to apply the lessons you have learned in class and from the book to all your writing exercises from now on.
Week05.Attribution and Quotation
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September 24 (Week 4)
Please complete the following assignments. The first assignment on the Apec-UN report should be no more than 400 words, including quotes. Try to call up an expert to get one or two quotes for the story. Since you need time for the interview, you have two weeks to hand it in before our next class.
The other two exercises should be about 500 words. You need to condense and focus on the main points, as the Commonwealth game exercise has an especially long fact sheet with lots of quotes. Only pick the most interesting quotes. Please send both exercises to me by the end of September.
Week04_lecture_Fairness and Balance
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September 17 (Week 3)
For this class, please read ch. 11 & 13 in the Universal Journalist.
Complete the following three exercises and email to me by September 23. You can download them from the link below, Week3.exercises.in-class.
You need to write 8 to 10 paragraphs in each of the exercises. One is about Sars.
The other two are based on the same fact sheet about the Bali bombing. In one, you are writing for the South China Morning Post with a local audience in mind. So you might lead off on the latest death toll of victims from Hong Kong. In the other, you are writing for the New York Times with a global audience. That means you would want to focus on the terrorist link disclosed as the latest development.
Week03_Lecture notes_Accuracy and Clarity
September 10 (Week 2)
Please read ch. 4 & 5 of the Universal Journalist. If you haven’t finished your first assigned reading (see below), make sure you catch up by our next meeting. You will also need to come and up with a news story idea of your own for this class.
Complete the following assignments and email to me by Wednesday (Sept.14):
A 300-word news report on the fatal car accident I have briefed you on in class and a second report of similar length on the triad court case based on the fact sheet:
“One killed, four seriously injured as truck smashes car on highway”
Sep 05, 2011, SCMP
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Courtroom story
*Courtroom scene observed by you; history of case from previous SCMP stories:
1. Chan Chi-ming and his wife ran a clothing stall at Ladies Market inTung Choi Street, Sham Shui Po.
2. Chan was being hounded in 2009 for $400,000 by a triad member he had done business with.
3. Chan paid $20,000.
4. In June 2009, Ken Chi Chi-hong showed up at Chan’s stall demanding the remaining $380,000. Chi said he was a follower of the original triad member.
5. An argument followed, and Chi tried to stab Chan. Chi himself was cut in the struggle, and he ran off.
6. Chan reported the incident to the police, and Chi was arrested in July and charged with attempted wounding.
7. He appeared in court onSept. 3, 2009, and was granted bail.
8. OnSept. 6, 2009, he returned to Chan’s stall with a thermos containing sulfuric acid. He threw the acid in Chan’s face.
9. Chan and 10 others were hit by the liquid, including Li Juan, a mainland woman.
10. Chan and Li suffered the worst. Both have permanent, disfiguring scars to their faces and bodies.
11. Chi ran off. He was caught by two off-duty police officers who heard Chan’s wife crying for help.
12. Chi is 29 years old.
13. Yesterday (September 2010), Chi pleaded guilty to one count of blackmail, one count of possessing an offensive weapon, one count of throwing a corrosive fluid with intent.
14. Mr Justice Alan Wright of the Court of First Instance said Chi had acted “recklessly” by throwing the corrosive liquid in a busy marketplace and injuring passers-by.
15. Wright sentenced Chi to 13 ½ years in jail.
16. The judge rejected the defense lawyer’s contention that Chi came from a broken family and had been under the bad influence of friends.
17. Wright: “I don’t think he has any remorse.”
18. The court heard that Chi has had 21 previous criminal convictions since age 13.
- Week02 Lecture Notes – The Art of Reporting
- Week02 Lecture Notes -_In class_news scale
- Week 1 lead reviews
September 3 (Week 1)
Please read the first 3 chapters and Chapter 14, ‘Intros’, in The Universal Journalist for our first lesson.
You need to email in two lead-writing exercises and a mock 1-page cover letter applying for a reporter job by September 9 (Friday). Please use my gmail account.
- Week1 Lead Exercises
- Week 1 Lecture Notes - How to write a lead
- Week 1 Lecture Notes – What is news?