Journalism 5514 - Newsgathering for TV
Fall 2005
Tuesday/Thursday 12:30-3 p.m., Armory 209
Schedule Assignments Tips & Broadcast Guide
Professor: Lee Hood, Ph.D.
Office: Armory 113C; phone 303/492-2572
Office Hours: Tuesdays 10-11:30 a.m., Wednesdays 3-4:30 p.m. (or by appointment)
E-mail: Lee.Hood @ Colorado.Edu Web page http://spot.colorado.edu/~hood
Class blog http://tvmasters.blogspot.com
¨ Course Objectives
This course is for master's students in the broadcast news or combination print and broadcast track. It is designed as a foundation for your work in the broadcast area. Our emphasis will be on developing skills for broadcast news, particularly television. Some of the skills you will have an opportunity to learn:
v Writing broadcast-style copy
v Shooting and editing videotape (non-linear editing)
v Developing story ideas and reporting information
v Interviewing techniques for broadcast
v Constructing television news stories, both packages and other types
We will also discuss contemporary issues in news, to develop your skills of critical reflection about the practices of broadcast journalism.
¨ Required Materials
External hard drive, firewire compatible, with at least 40 Gigabytes of storage
Two to three mini-DV videotapes (30- or 63-minute)
Recommended:
Stopwatch or other timing device
Computer zip disk (100- or 250MB, Mac-formatted) or other text storage device
¨ Texts
Broadcast News Handbook: Writing, Reporting & Producing in a Converging
Media World, 2nd edition, C.A. Tuggle, Forrest Carr, and Suzanne Huffman, 2004, McGraw-Hill.
The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, 2nd edition, Tom Schroeppel, 2004 (self-published).
¨ Read, Watch and Listen
Some reading assignments appear on the class schedule. Others will be assigned as the semester progresses.
***You will be expected to keep up with the news. Watch television news programs, and follow local, national, and international news events. Read newspapers, news magazines and credible on-line news sources. Listen to news on radio.
¨ Assignments
You will be given assignments throughout the semester to build your skills and confidence level. We will begin gradually, then work up to producing TV news packages. The packages will be your opportunity to demonstrate your progress in class and should reflect your ability as a writer, reporter, photojournalist, and video editor. These packages may air on NewsTeam Boulder, our student-produced cable newscast, or other programs on CU's cable channel. There will be other written and video assignments throughout the semester, including a writing portfolio. At the end of the course, you will turn in a final project intended to demonstrate your work and progress throughout the semester. There will not be a final written exam.
Packages
You will complete three packages before the end of the semester, plus a final project. On each of the packages during the semester, you will report, shoot, write and edit the stories in teams of two. You may choose the topics and types of stories, in consultation with your partner and with Lee. You may choose to complete your third package in a single day, to more accurately simulate the realities of daily TV news. Discuss details of this option with Lee.
Additional Package Requirements:
Ø At least one package must be built around a community that is under- or misrepresented in media coverage. Please check with Lee in advance if you have a question about whether your topic meets this requirement.
Ø At least one package must include a public records search and/or database in the reporting.
You may do some projects in conjunction with assignments for Newsgathering I (for print), Precision Journalism, or both. Such crossover would be a good way to experience different formats of presentation on the same stories. We encourage such projects, but please let the instructors in each class know if you are doing one.
Electronic Communication
We will maintain a class blog, where we can share thoughts on media, news, culture – even the blogging phenomenon – as well as any challenges you have as you learn new things in the class and in the school. The address is http://tvmasters.blogspot.com. I will trust you to treat other bloggers with respect.
We will also have a class e-mail list where you can post messages or class queries at tvma@lists.colorado.edu. Please no personal items such as party announcements on either the blog or the listserv!
Attendance and Participation You are expected to attend every class, and absences will impact your ability to get the most out of the course. If you have a genuine emergency, please notify me prior to class if possible. Any assignments missed due to unexcused absences may not be made up. If you will miss class or need a deadline accommodation due to religious observances, please notify me as soon as possible after the beginning of the semester.
Because timeliness is an important attribute in TV News, as in many professions, it will be part of your grade in this area.
Grading for attendance will be as follows:
-- On time for class = 2 points
-- In class but late = 1 point (may be reduced to .5 if extremely late)
Total possible: 50 points
Your participation grade will consist of:
-- Blog contributions (minimum of 5 meaningful posts) or
-- Class presentation on a relevant topic
Total possible: 50 points
Points may be deducted for excessive disruption or obvious disengagement from class sessions (such as Web surfing).
Final Project
For the final project, you will have a choice: Either an in-depth, longer-form TV news package (range 3:00-5:00) using multiple sources of information and sound; a regular-length TV news package (1:30-2:00), along with a separate vo/sot for the same story; or a multi-media project including a TV package and on-line and/or print elements. You may work on the final project either alone or with a partner of your choice. Final projects are due by noon on Monday, Dec. 12. You may also turn them in early.
¨ Grading
Grades will be divided as follows:
Packages (reporting, video, editing) 45%
Other assignments (including portfolio) 25%
Final project 20%
Participation 10%
Deadlines: Meeting deadlines is a fact of life in broadcast news. Assignments not turned in on time will be graded down one full letter grade for each day they are late.
Academic Honesty: CU has adopted an honor code to promote a culture of academic integrity within the University. The code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/
Turning in work that is not your own will result in failure on the assignment and possible dismissal from the class. You are not allowed to have people outside the class do any of thework on your stories, including shooting, editing and any other creative/editorial work. Plagiarism also includes turning in written assignments in which you represent someone else's work as your own and/or do not properly attribute source material.
Special Accommodations: If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit a letter from Disability Services early in the semester so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. For more information, contact 303-492-8671, Willard 322, www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices.
¨ About Your Professor
I have 18 years experience in television news, including 10 years as a full-time producer. In Denver, I produced the 10 p.m. newscast at KUSA (Channel 9), and have also worked at KCNC (Channel 4), KMGH (Channel 7) and KWGN (Channel 2). My newscasts earned honors including regional Emmy’s (hard news and spot news) and a Colorado Broadcasters Association best newscast award. Before returning home to Colorado, I produced and anchored newscasts in Huntsville, Alabama. I also have experience in reporting (both news and sports), photography and editing, and worked in radio and newspapers before starting my television career.
I hold a Ph.D. in Communication from CU. My dissertation was on the audience relationship to local TV news. I have a master's degree from CU and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri. I have been on the faculty since January 2000.
Back to courses
Back home