For your sixth journal assignment, I want you to compose a detailed outline of your investigative report/profile/proposal using the structure we discussed in class. For each section, I want you to give me 1-2 sentences which state what you are going to do, what anecdotes you might want to include, whose voices you may include, what quotes you'll want to use, and what data will be relevant to the section. This is intended to help you organize the research you've been doing since last week. If you don't have your reporting done, then you may write information you hope to include in each section -- maybe you have an interview scheduled for Wednesday and you know what questions you will ask and, maybe, where you'll put that information in your paper. Here's the structure I want you to use as your road map:
1. Opening Scene
2. Illustrative quote that will conclude your scene
3. Nut Graph: This is where you have to tell me what you are writing about, why it's interesting, and why I should care.
4. Background: Give your issue/subject context. Let me know how this issue started.
5. Supporting Information 1: quotes? data? anecdote? what is your point and how does it relate to the issue?
6. Supporting Information 2: quotes? data? anecdote? what is your point and how does it relate to the issue?
7. Supporting Information 3: quotes? data? anecdote? what is your point and how does it relate to the issue?
8. Conclusion: Wrap-up your story. What would you like your audience to consider as a result of reading this piece? What relevant future issue could you point to?
Monday, September 27, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Journal Five: Investigating
For this week's journal assignment, you'll basically be choosing your own reading material. This assignment is meant to help you get a decent head start on researching your topic for the investigative report. For this week's blog I want you to do all of the following:
1. I want you to give me a 200-300 word description of a place or scene related to your issue/profile. You'll need to do some observation for this part. If you are writing about drinking in your dorm: Describe your dorm. If you are writing about manic street preachers, give me a portrait of a scene of someone preaching -- where are they? In front of the Hub? What are they wearing? What are they saying? If you are, say, writing about ANGEL, describe how the platform works -- what does it look like? How is it used?
2. I want you to give me three quotes from a few interviews you've conducted that are related to your issue. Make sure they are relevant and colorful. They can be from an interview with a student, a friend, a professor, your subject, a police officer. Whomever. Just make sure you tell me who the quote is from -- give me their name, their age, their profession (or their year if they are a student). Things like that. They can be three quotes from the same person -- just make sure that each quote says something unique and points to a particular point of interest within your issue.
3. Write down four relevant facts that you have found in at least two different sources, whether from a website, a newspaper article, a survey, an expert you have talked to. Make sure that you cite each fact -- tell me where you got the fact from.
4. While observing, interviewing, and researching, you likely stumbled across new ideas or avenues you hadn't thought about before -- things you might want to look into further for your paper. Tell me about two areas that you are interested in doing a bit more research, issues that you feel you need to address to make your paper stronger. Maybe you feel you need to interview someone in the IT department or you need to talk to a different fraternity or look for a specific article someone mentioned. Let me know what your next investigative steps will be.
You must include all four of these items in your blog -- there is no option to pick and choose.
And don't forget! Bring research materials to class for Friday. If you can bring your laptop, do that. If not, print out a few articles/websites that you can look over in class to do a bit of fact finding. We'll talk about how to cull the information you need in order to make your paper the best it can be! There is such a thing as over-researching and I want to teach you how to stay focused on the task at hand -- how to look for information that is relevant to your paper and how to avoid getting overwhelmed by the available information.
1. I want you to give me a 200-300 word description of a place or scene related to your issue/profile. You'll need to do some observation for this part. If you are writing about drinking in your dorm: Describe your dorm. If you are writing about manic street preachers, give me a portrait of a scene of someone preaching -- where are they? In front of the Hub? What are they wearing? What are they saying? If you are, say, writing about ANGEL, describe how the platform works -- what does it look like? How is it used?
2. I want you to give me three quotes from a few interviews you've conducted that are related to your issue. Make sure they are relevant and colorful. They can be from an interview with a student, a friend, a professor, your subject, a police officer. Whomever. Just make sure you tell me who the quote is from -- give me their name, their age, their profession (or their year if they are a student). Things like that. They can be three quotes from the same person -- just make sure that each quote says something unique and points to a particular point of interest within your issue.
3. Write down four relevant facts that you have found in at least two different sources, whether from a website, a newspaper article, a survey, an expert you have talked to. Make sure that you cite each fact -- tell me where you got the fact from.
4. While observing, interviewing, and researching, you likely stumbled across new ideas or avenues you hadn't thought about before -- things you might want to look into further for your paper. Tell me about two areas that you are interested in doing a bit more research, issues that you feel you need to address to make your paper stronger. Maybe you feel you need to interview someone in the IT department or you need to talk to a different fraternity or look for a specific article someone mentioned. Let me know what your next investigative steps will be.
You must include all four of these items in your blog -- there is no option to pick and choose.
And don't forget! Bring research materials to class for Friday. If you can bring your laptop, do that. If not, print out a few articles/websites that you can look over in class to do a bit of fact finding. We'll talk about how to cull the information you need in order to make your paper the best it can be! There is such a thing as over-researching and I want to teach you how to stay focused on the task at hand -- how to look for information that is relevant to your paper and how to avoid getting overwhelmed by the available information.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Journal Four: #1 Party School
In 2009, the Princeton Review named Penn State the #1 Party School in America. In honor of this new title -- and out of a certain curiosity -- journalists from This American Life came to investigate the scene. Their findings culminated in an hour long broadcast entitled "#1 Party School."
Click on the link above and listen to the report. Then, in at least 500 words, I want you to analyze the piece using the five questions listed on page 193 of Harbrace, under "What Makes It An Investigative Report." Aside from these five questions, I'd also like to get your take on the piece. Did you like it? Why? Why not? What worked for you? What didn't? What would have liked to hear more of/less of in the story? Post your response on your blog.
Click on the link above and listen to the report. Then, in at least 500 words, I want you to analyze the piece using the five questions listed on page 193 of Harbrace, under "What Makes It An Investigative Report." Aside from these five questions, I'd also like to get your take on the piece. Did you like it? Why? Why not? What worked for you? What didn't? What would have liked to hear more of/less of in the story? Post your response on your blog.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Reading for Wednesday, Sept. 15: Profiles
Profiles are supposed to offer us revealing glimpses into the lives of people who intrigue us for one reason or another, whether they are Hollywood celebrities, politicians, sports players, rock stars, or just some random, enigmatic character we see on the street.
Profiles are supposed to get down to the nitty gritty of a person's character -- the "real" story behind the man/woman. Often, a journalist will interview not only the subject of their story, but several people in that person's life, too -- family, business partners, enemies and critics. They'll surf the internet looking for old stories and background information, maybe even pull up police reports, legal documents, tax filings -- whatever sources they need to make their story interesting, complete, and three-dimensional.
Sometimes, it's also in what the journalist isn't being told -- the information they aren't able to get -- where the story can be the most illuminating. One of the most famous examples of this sort of story is "Frank Sinatra Has A Cold" by Gay Talese. Talese obviously had a hell of a time getting Frank to sit down and be open with him. But it didn't stop Talese from writing a close study of the singer. He simply relied on other instincts -- other signs and observations -- in order to give us a rather personal and touching glimpse of Sinatra. More recently, a reporter applied similar techniques in her profile of Lindsay Lohan for Vanity Fair.
Here are several links to profiles I find engaging and/or helpful as we begin to talk about the structure and purpose of profiles. Please read at least 2 of these stories before class on Wednesday. We'll be talking about them in great detail:
- Gross, Michael Joseph. "Sarah Palin: The Sound And The Fury." Vanity Fair. October 2010.
You may have heard about this story -- it's received a lot of hype, particularly due to the fact that the author has claimed he actually wanted to do a "glowing" profile of Palin, but, in the end, just couldn't. Do you buy that?
- Talese, Gay. "Frank Sinatra Has A Cold." Esquire. 1965.
For any young journalist, this story is required reading. It is used as THE great example of a perfect profile. A classic, for sure. You can't write a profile without reading Talese -- the godfather of great narrative journalsim.
- Grollmus, Denise. "Jesus For Sale." Cleveland Scene Magazine. October 2007.
Ok. I know. This feels weird to me, too. BUT...some of you have asked that I include my writing in your reading. I did work as an investigative journalist for over 6 years before coming to PSU. Here's just one example of the many profiles I did. It's about Rex Humbard, the father of televangelism. If you want to see more, there are links on my webpage. Also, I can talk very specifically about HOW these stories were put together, which should be helpful to you all!
- Lewis, Michael. "The No-Stats All-Star." The New York Times, February 2009.
Here's a great sports profile. Just to mix stuff up.
Profiles are supposed to get down to the nitty gritty of a person's character -- the "real" story behind the man/woman. Often, a journalist will interview not only the subject of their story, but several people in that person's life, too -- family, business partners, enemies and critics. They'll surf the internet looking for old stories and background information, maybe even pull up police reports, legal documents, tax filings -- whatever sources they need to make their story interesting, complete, and three-dimensional.
Sometimes, it's also in what the journalist isn't being told -- the information they aren't able to get -- where the story can be the most illuminating. One of the most famous examples of this sort of story is "Frank Sinatra Has A Cold" by Gay Talese. Talese obviously had a hell of a time getting Frank to sit down and be open with him. But it didn't stop Talese from writing a close study of the singer. He simply relied on other instincts -- other signs and observations -- in order to give us a rather personal and touching glimpse of Sinatra. More recently, a reporter applied similar techniques in her profile of Lindsay Lohan for Vanity Fair.
Here are several links to profiles I find engaging and/or helpful as we begin to talk about the structure and purpose of profiles. Please read at least 2 of these stories before class on Wednesday. We'll be talking about them in great detail:
- Gross, Michael Joseph. "Sarah Palin: The Sound And The Fury." Vanity Fair. October 2010.
You may have heard about this story -- it's received a lot of hype, particularly due to the fact that the author has claimed he actually wanted to do a "glowing" profile of Palin, but, in the end, just couldn't. Do you buy that?
- Talese, Gay. "Frank Sinatra Has A Cold." Esquire. 1965.
For any young journalist, this story is required reading. It is used as THE great example of a perfect profile. A classic, for sure. You can't write a profile without reading Talese -- the godfather of great narrative journalsim.
- Grollmus, Denise. "Jesus For Sale." Cleveland Scene Magazine. October 2007.
Ok. I know. This feels weird to me, too. BUT...some of you have asked that I include my writing in your reading. I did work as an investigative journalist for over 6 years before coming to PSU. Here's just one example of the many profiles I did. It's about Rex Humbard, the father of televangelism. If you want to see more, there are links on my webpage. Also, I can talk very specifically about HOW these stories were put together, which should be helpful to you all!
- Lewis, Michael. "The No-Stats All-Star." The New York Times, February 2009.
Here's a great sports profile. Just to mix stuff up.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Journal Three
For your third journal assignment, I want you to read a chapter from Anne Lamott's book, Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, entitled, ehem, "Shitty First Drafts."
After the reading, you'll notice that there are three questions. You can use any of these questions to guide your reflection on Lamott's piece. But, most importantly, I want you to think about what Lamott says regarding the importance of the "shitty first draft" as it relates to your personal writing process. What could you relate to in the reading? What did the reading illuminate for you? What part of Lamott's observation relates to your recent experience with writing your rough draft for our personal narrative assignment? How did it contribute to the strength of your story?
Please write your reflection on the reading as it relates to your own writing in at least 500 words and post your response on your blog before class on Friday.
After the reading, you'll notice that there are three questions. You can use any of these questions to guide your reflection on Lamott's piece. But, most importantly, I want you to think about what Lamott says regarding the importance of the "shitty first draft" as it relates to your personal writing process. What could you relate to in the reading? What did the reading illuminate for you? What part of Lamott's observation relates to your recent experience with writing your rough draft for our personal narrative assignment? How did it contribute to the strength of your story?
Please write your reflection on the reading as it relates to your own writing in at least 500 words and post your response on your blog before class on Friday.
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