JOUR 5206: Reporting Methods

1. Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Pressjim.bronskill@thecanadianpress.comDavid McKie, CBCdavid_mckie@cbc.ca JOUR 5206: Reporting Methods

2. Course syllabus http://www.davidmckie.com

3. JOUR 5206: Goals • 1) Obtain a thorough grounding in journalistic research methods. • 2) Acquire skills needed to make sense of the information gathered. • 3) Develop the ability to shape the information into accurate and compelling stories. • In short: become a critical thinker

4. Textbook

5. Optional textbook 1

6. OPTIONAL TEXTBOOK 2

7. Readings • * Assigned readings are listed on the syllabus for relevant weeks • * With the obvious exception of this week, please read chapters before class to help prepare

8. Assignments • * Four assignments, each worth 20 per cent of overall grade • * Assignments involving a city budget, access-to-information requests, data and historical perspective • * Final 20 per cent of grade based on presence, punctuality, participation and professionalism, including quiz results

9. Elements of evaluation • With the exception of the access-to-information exercise, each assignment has three components, all of which will figure in the grade: • A. Copies of the actual documents compiled / gathered • B. A description of how the documents were obtained, and why they were useful • C. The resulting story or visualization • Please use Canadian Press style

10. GRADInG • As in the fall boot camp, you will be graded on all elements of your work, not just the amount of effort you put into an assignment • That means originality, newsworthiness, readability, clarity, accuracy and whether you followed the directions will figure in your grade

11. The “good story” test • * If your story or visual representation reads easily, chances are it is A-level work • * If we must read your story two or three times or puzzle over your visualization to make sense of it, chances are it is B- or C-level work at best • * Tip: have a friend read your story to gauge flow and readability, and to see if there are obvious holes

12. Time management • * We are giving you as much time as the short term will allow to complete your work • * However, in order to succeed in this course you must work progressively at each assignment, sometimes tending to two or even three in the same week • * This is good practice for the newsroom, where work on different stories often overlaps

13. OUTLINES / Drafts • We require brief outlines of your stories. See the syllabus for due dates. • The idea is to ensure your story is on the right track. • For each story or visualization, we will tell you what must be included in the outline. • If you do not submit an outline, we reserve the right to deduct half a grade when marking the story. • Fuller drafts of your work are welcome, but must be submitted at least four days before the final deadline.

14. What we expect Think of class as news meeting Regular attendance Inform us in advance if you cannot attend Punctuality Participation Breaks only during break time No phones or social media in class unless part of a lesson Laptops are welcome but only for taking notes and following along with the lesson Please help us learn your names

15. Contacting us Contact information on syllabus: click on our names Email is best Please avoid contacting us late in the afternoon on weekdays Virtual office hours: Wednesdays 11 a.m. to noon, we will be available for phone calls Other calls / meetings: by appointment

16. Emails • * Please try to use your Carleton account for all correspondence with us • * cc: the other instructor • * Please acknowledge our replies to your questions and comments. It lets us know you received our message.

17. Apprenticeships * No more than one week of class time * If two weeks, one week must be a break week * Please inform us in advance

18. The story process • The idea • Research • Questions • Interviews • Sorting • What is the story? • What will help tell the story? • Flow • Fairness • Accuracy