New Ideas, New Skills

Every topic covered in this news writing class has been completely new to me.  Not only has the class introduced a new style of writing that is totally different than anything I've encountered in literature-based writing classes, I've also been introduced to the world of ethics that lies behind journalism.  My compilation of blog entries addresses some of these skills and underlying principals of journalism that have been covered thus far in class - including timeliness, interaction and depth of writing. 

Timeliness -- As we've learned throughout the semester, timeliness is key to completing every step of the journalism process - from background information and scheduling interviews to submitting a final copy of an article.  These blog entries show my ability to submit on-time.

Quick Crime (I accidentally left this entry untitled, but for the sake of this portfolio I titled it)

Avoiding the Trap...

Harsh Realities of Crime Reporting

By the Knife - a double-duty entry that covers two different kinds of crime

Dizzying Distractions of Crime Reporting

Interaction -- Interaction is fundamental in both the practice and learning of journalism.  Interaction between peers is helpful for solving problems throughout the writing process, from developing a pitch to last minute copy-editing.  Here, I interact with my classmates by creating entries that foster discussion and also by commenting on my classmates’ entries.

My entries that created conversation:

Avoiding the Trap...

Harsh Realities

My comments to others:

Different Hooks

Crafting Compelling Leads

How Not to be "That" Reporter

Depth -- Knowledge is power.  It's of the utmost importance to know and present the facts surrounding a story while also searching for the truth behind the face-value of facts.  In this entry, I went beyond simply the topic of the article and really tried to explain what moved me. 

Harsh Realities