READ CAREFULLY.
Writing Activities in Campus Journalism
I. NewsgatheringA. Identify a
STORY in SPCP that deserves to be reported. This may either be an event or an issue containing the necessary elements that interest your public (Examples: election of officers, leadership training, “Speak English” drive, interschool contests, Seniors’ preferred courses and schools, special programs, etc. ). You are encouraged to work on “non-traditional” stories such as a survey or evaluation results on the efficiency of a school project, the effectiveness of the school’s policy on waste segregation, etc. Observe. Be a nosy reporter. Attempt to do “simple”
investigative techniques. Make sure, however, that you observe
accuracy, fairness and balance. All claims must be substantiated by evidences.
B. Identify and enumerate the important
DETAILS/FACTS of the story. Write
only those that you intend to include in your report. Conduct interviews from the
right sources when necessary. Double-check facts because these will likewise be double-checked (by me).
C. Point out the
ANGLE that you intend to play up, and
briefly explain why. Remember that the angle is the “it” of the story:
1. that which makes the story interesting because it’s new or controversial; or
2. that which may have been ignored but is significant
D. Attach a paper trail or a documentation of the newsgathering activity. This may be the
original interview notes or a picture of the event covered or the actual interview.
II. In no more than 7 sentences, explain what the following statement means:
“I want stories to startle and engage me within the first few sentences, and in their middle to widen, deepen or sharpen my knowledge of human activity, and to end by giving me a sensation of completed statement”
---John Updike
Format of the Newsgathering Activity Report
Class Number, Surname, Given Name
Year and Room NumberI. Story (3 points) This part answers the question
What is the story about? Oops, you don’t need to write in sentence form. Simply give a general idea about your story.
II. Details (20 points)
This section answers the question
What are the significant details of the story that your readers NEED to know?”
Enumerate all the details in bulleted form.
II. Angle ( 7 points)
This section answers the question
What makes the story interesting to the readers?
Briefly explain why such an angle.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:1. Email all submissions at
rpvelardejr@yahoo.com NO LATER than August 7, 9:00 PM, Philippine time :=)
2. Except for the paper trail or documentation of the newsgathering report, all submissions must be emailed as
MS Word attachment (2 files—one for I and another for II) following this format of filename:
1. Surname_roomnumber_newsgathering
Example:
Velarde_2_newsgathering2. Surname_roomnumber_myviews
Example:
Velarde_2_myviews3. To be collected by the Academic Chair, the printed copies (on 8” X 11” copy paper) of the emailed submissions must be submitted no later than August 8, Wednesday. This shall include the documentation and paper trail.
ONLY THOSE SUBMITTED FOLLOWING THE CORRECT FORMATS AND SPECS SHALL BE CORRECTED. READ THE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY.
