News Writing and Reporting

Catalog description

COMM 260W News Writing and Reporting (3) COMM 260W introduces students to the basics of news reporting and writing. Through a combination of lecture, discussion, and writing assignments, students learn how to write news stories that are accurate, fair, clear, and concise. The goals of COMM 260W are to produce students who can: * Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of accurate, thorough, and fair news writing * Write concise, well-organized stories with effective leads that get the reader's attention and tell the most important news * Gather information through the use of interviews, documents, and basic reference materials * Generate story ideas that reflect an understanding of the elements of newsworthiness (timeliness, prominence, proximity, conflict, novelty, and impact) * Produce copy free of misspellings, grammatical errors, AP style errors, and factual errors * Understand the legal, ethical, and historical principles underlying journalism, including the role of journalists in society * Appreciate the joy and importance of being well informed