Course Syllabus: JRNL 411 / MCMA 555 Public Policy Reporting / Advanced Public Policy Reporting: A political reporting and writing seminar.

David Yepsen 453-4009 [email protected]

Fall 2014 Wed: 3:00-5:30pm Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Conference Room U.S. Forestry Building, 1231 Lincoln Drive

Course Description: Public Policy Reporting: Learning how to cover politics. Emphasis is placed on the deadline writing and critiquing of political and public policy news, analysis and commentary.

About the Instructor: I am the director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Before assuming the position in 2009, I had a 34 year career with the Des Moines Register, serving as the paper’s chief political writer, political editor and political columnist. As part of this work, I was deeply involved in the paper’s coverage of presidential caucus campaigns in the state for 9 cycles, 1976-2008. Prior to that, I covered police and city hall beats for the Quad City Times.

I am a native of Jefferson, Iowa and a 1972 graduate of the University of Iowa. I’ve also done graduate work in journalism and mass communication at Iowa State University and in 1985 earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from Drake University. In 1989 I was a fellow at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. In 2008, I was also a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard where I led a study group on the nation’s presidential selection processes.

Office Hours for Students: My office is at the Institute. I’ll be available from 2 – 3 p.m. each Wednesday in the hour before class. I’m also available by appointment. Just email me to schedule an appointment. I encourage students to come visit with me about their writing and their work.

Required Texts/Readings: No text is required. Instead, you will be required to read articles from various publications. These will be provided as handouts. Students will be called upon to discuss the weekly assigned readings or have readings assigned to them to discuss for the class.

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Book not required but that would be helpful to peruse a bit:

Making of the President 1960, Theodore White: This book changed the nature of American political reporting by putting an emphasis on “fly on the wall” coverage of the strategy, tactics and personalities of politics. It’s also good writing about an important presidential campaign.

What It Takes, Richard Ben Cramer: Another classic from the 1988 campaign focused on the candidates and their challenges. It, too, is great writing.

Participation: Punctual attendance is required in order to participate. ANY absence will have an adverse impact on your final grade. We meet only once a week during the term so not attending is just a waste of your tuition dollars and taxpayer money. The course operates much like a newsroom. Not showing up, not working hard, not meeting deadlines, sloppy writing, lack of enthusiasm or inaccuracies are quick ways to earn a below-average grade.

You will need a laptop with wireless capability for the in-class deadline writing exercises and the final.

Use of laptops and smartphones in other class sessions is not permitted.

Objectives: The purpose of this course is to help students learn how to cover politics for a variety of media. Other objectives include helping students learn to spot good political stories and helping them polish their deadline writing skills. It is also designed to help a student get and keep a job in the trade.

Assignments: 1. The political junkie and news junkie will be off to a good start in this seminar. Prior to class, students are expected to be "up to speed" on international, national, state and local political stories and blogs. They should scan Politico.com and other news sources each day for the leading international, national, state, local and campus political stories.

Students should come to class each week prepared for a “Weekly Review of the News” discussion to talk about the news, how events and issues are covered and how that coverage could be improved.

Assigned readings are to be done before class. This won’t be a course where you can blow off the readings or ignore political news. Being a good political writer requires you to read good political writing.

2. Also, each student will be expected to bring copies of the best articles about politics and political journalism they find to class for discussion. (There is a copy machine here we can use.) Class participation is 25 percent of your grade.

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3. The core of our work will be deadline political writing exercises. Some of the classes will involve observing taped televised political events, listening to guest speakers, or reading a transcript of a news event, then writing a story or commentary about it during the class on deadline. You will critique each other’s stories so you can polish them before turning them in to me. The following week, I will then provide individual critiques as well as lead an in-class discussion about the work the following week. These are worth 25 percent of your grade.

4. One paper is REQUIRED of all students: Write a report about social media that answers three questions: How did political campaigns use social media in 2012 and 2014? How did political journalists covering that campaign use it? What might journalists do to improve their use of social media to cover politics in future campaigns? Length: 2,100 words minimum. Assume you are writing this for possible publication in a Journalism Review. The paper is 25 percent of your grade.

It is DUE October 8 at the start of class. Begin work now.

Graduate Students:

There are more rigorous requirements for students taking this course for graduate credit. In addition to meeting the high standards set for all student, each graduate student taking the course should write a paper on the topic: “How To Get A Job Covering Politics Today.” The paper should examine the challenges of seeking employment in both old and new media covering politics as well as discuss ways students can prepare themselves for the job market – both in class and outside the class. Assume you are writing this for possible publication in a journalism review.

This Paper DUE Dec. 3 at the start of class. Grad students will brief the class that day on their findings and lead a discussion about it.

Guest Speakers: We may have speakers who will appear from time to time, or join us by speaker phone or Skype, to enrich our discussions.

You may also be required to attend occasional lectures by visiting speakers on campus. You may also be required to watch televised debates between candidates. If so, we will make arrangements to view the events in the classroom.

NOTE: To accommodate last minute syllabus changes, such as guest speakers or breaking news events I want you to watch, I must have a WORKING EMAIL – ONE YOU ACTUALLY LOOK AT – and a phone number for you. I will pass around a sheet on the first day of class to collect this information.

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Plagiarism: Pawning another's work off as your own carries the journalistic death penalty. The sanction here will be the same as it is in the job market: You fail the course. So always be on your guard not to commit it inadvertently, lest someone using a computer program spots the similarities in your work and that of someone else. The Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Conduct Code (Section II, Article A) explicitly states that plagiarism is an act of academic dishonesty in violation of the code. Punishment may include suspension from the university.

Grades: Four factors will go into your grade including 1) Informed participation in the seminar discussions and evidence the readings were completed, 25 percent; 2) The social media paper: 25 percent. 3) The in-class deadline writing exercises, 25 percent; 4) The final: A similar deadline writing assignment to be completed during the exam period, 25 percent.

ALL writing for the class MUST show correct grammar, spelling and usage. This is a 400 level course, folks. Expectations are high. Your writing should be clear and concise. You should show progress in your writing during the semester.

CLASSES

Class 1: Aug. 20 - What Goes Into a Good Political Story or Column?

Topics: 1) Housekeeping for the seminar. 2) We’ll be taking stock of political reporting: What is it, why is it important. We discuss what constitutes “politics,” why it is important and how it affects daily lives; we will also look at the purpose of political reporting and what goes into good political reporting. Just how do political journalists do their job and what do they do? What are their goals, and whom do they serve? 3) We’ll start our weekly “Review of the News.”

In class handouts to discuss:

1. Vocabulary: Political Words. Scholastic.com

2. Loaded Words: How Language Shapes The Gun Debate. Ari Shapiro. NPR.org

3. JournalistsResource.org “Code of Ethics” Society of Professional Journalists

4. JournalistResource.org “Principles of Journalism” Committee of Concerned Journalists.

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Assignment for Next Week: Write a paper assessing your own consumption of political journalism; 400 words, due at the start of the next class. You should list the average amount of time per week you spend consuming political news, the sources (i.e., Wall Street Journal, Politico.com, CNN, etc.), medium (print, on-line, broadcast), and possible biases (does the source have inherent political, ethical, gender, race religious, economic, or other biases). What did you like/dislike about the political journalism you consume? Why do you choose the news sources you do? Also, please tell me a little about yourself, your background and why you are interested in the class. These papers will be discussed in class and collected to give me an idea of your interests.

Class 2: Aug.27 - Politics. The Only Game for Adults.

Topics: Unlike other “games,” political ones have real world consequences: war or peace; freedom or limits; high taxes or low; jobs or unemployment; health care or not; free markets or regulations. We will review the news and discuss your news consumption papers. Then we’ll discuss how to write a political story and put facts in wider context. Other subjects include understanding your audience and the news itself; providing balance; how to write tight; use quotes; breaking through writer’s block; and working with editors.

Readings:

1. Jack Shafer, “Presidential Campaigns, Sports Writing and the Fine Art of Pretending,” Reuters, 2012. 2. Jay Rosen, “Why Political Coverage Is Broken,” Jay Rosen’s Press Think, August 26, 2011. 3. Jodi Enda, “Campaign Coverage in the Time of Twitter,” American Journalism Review, 2011. 4. Jeremy W. Peters, “Latest Word on the Trail? I Take It Back,” New York Times, 2012. 5. Paul Farhi, “Off the Bus,” American Journalism Review, 2009. 6. John Harris, “Shifting Influence From Institution to Individual,” Nieman Reports, 2008. 7. William Safire, “How to Read a Column,” New York Times, January 24, 2005. 8. Michael Kinsley, “Cut This Story,” The Atlantic, January/February 2010. 9. Thomas Patterson, “The Case for Knowledge-Based Reporting,” Journalist’s Resource, 2012. 10. Hans Noel, “Ten Things Political Scientists Know That You Don’t” (PDF), The Forum, 2010. 11. “Research chat: Nicholas Lemann on journalism, scholarship and more informed reporting,” Journalist’s Resource, 2012. 12. The Politics of News, Chapter 3, Jim Lehrer’s “Guidelines.” 13. Smithsonian, “There Oughta Be a Law.” 14. The Press, Chapter 2, “American Journalism in Historical Perspective.”

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15. Wall Street Journal, “Keeping America Safe From Ranters.” 16. New York Times Book Review, “The Daily Show.” 17. Southern Illinoisan, “Bad News for Media: More Believe They’re Biased.” 18. Wall Street Journal, “Quality Reporting Doesn’t Come Cheap.” 19. New York Times, “When Reporters Get Personal.” 20. New York Times, “Getting It First or Getting It Right.” 21. New York Times, “Invasion Of The Data Snatchers.” 22. GQ “Dweebs on the Bus” Stanley/Doud.

Class 3: September 3 - Writing Politics on Deadline: Exercise I.

Assignment: In-class deadline writing exercise. You will be given the text of a recent speech or news program and asked to write and submit a 400 word story about it by the end of the class period. Before handing in your stories, you’ll swap copy with another student to critique your work so you can polish it. The purpose of the exercise is to give you an idea of what it feels like to produce deadline political copy. Copy needs to be e-mailed to me by 5:30 p.m. sharp.

Class 4: September 10 - Reporters, Commentators, and Pundits, oh my!

Topics: Perspectives and roles in political reporting. Connecting citizens with their governments.

Readings

1. The Press, Chapter 24, “What Kind of Journalism Does the Public Need?” 2. Columbia Journalism Review, “The Reconstruction of American Journalism.” 3. Elisabeth Rosenthal, “I Disclose … Nothing,” New York Times, January 21, 2012. 4. “The Impact of Race and Ethnicity, Immigration and Political Context on Participation in American Electoral Politics,” Journal of Social Forces, 2012. 5. Ron Brownstein, “Our Diverse Suburbs,” National Journal, 2012. 6. Thomas Patterson, “The Vanishing Voter: Why Are the Voting Booths So Empty?” National Civic Review, Winter 2002. 7. Mark Seibel, “Making Reporting About Voting Part of the Political Beat,” Nieman Reports, Spring 2004.

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Class 5: September 17 - How Political Writers Do It.

Topics: Techniques and tricks of political journalists. Interviewing, researching, source cultivation, organizing thoughts, writer’s block, etc.

Readings:

1. Media Power, Chapter 14, “How the News Media Cover Presidential Campaigns…” 2. Media Power, Chapter 16, “Miscast Institution.” 3. Mass Media and American Politics, Chapter 9, “The Struggle for Control: News from the Presidency and Congress.” 4. David Barstow, “Message Machine: Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand,” New York Times, April 20, 2008. 5. Sarah Allen Gershon, “Press Secretaries, Journalists, and Editors: Shaping Local Congressional News Coverage,” Political Communication, April 26, 2012. 6. John G. Bullock, “Elite Influence on Public Opinion in an Informed Electorate,” American Political Science Review, August 2011. 7. Riccardo Puglisia, James M. Snyder Jr., “News Coverage of Political Scandals,” Journal of Politics, August 2011. 8. Brendan Nyhan, Jason Reifler, “Misinformation and Fact-Checking: Research Findings from Social Science,” New America Foundation, February 28, 2012. 9. Politics of News, Chapter 5, “News Shapers.” 10. Politics of News, Chapter 6, “Deception.” Just page 133

Class 6: September 24 - Writing Politics on Deadline Exercise II.

Assignment: In-class deadline writing exercise.

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Class 7: Oct. 1 – Covering Campaigns and Campaign Finance. Topics: How to development coverage plans for campaigns. Also, who owns politicians? We try to make sense of campaign finance issues in the wake of recent court decisions.

Readings:

1. Charlotte Grimes, “Elements of Money in Politics Stories,” Journalist’s Resource, 2011. 2. Anthony Corrado, “Financing Presidential Nomination in the Post-Public Funding Era,” The Making of the Presidential Candidates 2012. 3. R. Sam Garrett, “State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress,” Congressional Research Service, July 18, 2011. 4. Robert G. Kaiser, “Citizen K Street: How Lobbying Became Washington’s Biggest Business,” Washington Post, March 4, 2007. 5. Christopher Witko, “Influence of Corporate Campaign Contributions in Government Contract Award Decisions,” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, March 18, 2011. 6. Nicholas Confessore: “GOP Campaigns Grow More Dependent on Super PAC Aid.” New York Times, Feb. 20, 2012 7. Tanzina Vega: “Online Data Helping Campaigns Customize Ads” New York Times. Feb. 20, 2012 8. Matt Bai: “How Did Political Money Get This Loud.” New York Times Magazine. July 22,2012 9. Confessore et al: “In Republian Race, a New Breed of Superdonor: New York Times., Feb. 21,2012 10. Lee Druthman: “The Political 1% of the 1% in 2012.” SunlightFoundation blog. June 24,2013.

Class 8: Oct. 8 – Writing Politics on Deadline Exercise III.

SOCIAL MEDIA PAPERS ARE ALSO DUE AT THE START OF CLASS

Assignment: In-class deadline writing exercise.

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Class 9: Oct. 15 – Social Media and Politics. Topics: The Internet and campaigning.

Readings

1. “Twitter and the Campaign,” Pew Research Center, December 8, 2011. 2. Julia K. Woolley, Anthony M. Limperos, Mary Beth Oliver, “The 2008 Presidential Election, 2.0: A Content Analysis of User-Generated Political Facebook Groups,” Mass Communication and Society, November 20, 2010. 3. Aaron Smith, “The Internet and Campaign 2010,” Pew Research Center, March 17, 2011. (Readings continued on next page…) 4. Keith Hampton, et al., “Social Networking Sites and Our Lives,” Pew Research Center, June 16, 2011. 5. “Research chat: Nicco Mele on five ideas that animate the Internet,” Journalist’s Resource, 2011. 6. Mass Media & American Politics, Chapter 8, “Elections in the Internet Age.” 7. Media Politics: A Citizen’s Guide, Chapter 5, “New Media, New Forms of Campaigning.” 8. Five Ways Journalists Can Use Twitter Better 9. Mobile News: A Review of Mole of Journalism in An Age of Mobile Media. JournalistsResource.org . John Wibey, Jan. 23, 2013 10. Effects of the Internet On Politics: Research Roundup. Journalists Resource.org . John Wibey. March 22, 2013. 11. Social Media Opportunities 2012. Editor and Publisher. Staff. June 21, 2012

Class 10: Oct. 22 - Writing Opinion Journalism.

Readings:

The Why, Who and How of the Editorial Page, Kenneth Rystrom, Fourth Edition. Chapters 10, 11 and 16

We’ll discuss the fundamentals of opinion writing and how we might use them for blogs, columns and social media.

Class 11. Oct. 29 -- Polls and Exit Polls. Secrets of the Temple.

Topic: We’ll discuss use and abuse of polling, drafting questions, interpreting data and writing about it. Guest Speaker: Dr. Charles Leonard, pollster and political science professor at SIU. (invited.)

Readings

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1. “Polling Fundamentals and Concepts: An Overview for Journalists,” Journalist’s Resource, November 17, 2011. 2. Sheldon R. Gawiser, Ph.D., G. Evans Witt, “20 Questions a Journalist Should Ask about Poll Results,” National Council on Public Polls. 3. Politics of News, Chapter 9, “Polls” Andrew Kohut 4. Polling Standards of the New York Times 5. Charles Leonard, Ph.D. “Lessons from 2012 Election Polling” Gateway Journalism Review. Winter 2013. 6. Nate Silver: Notes on Poll Watching. New York Times, April 2012. 7. Elizabeth Wilner. “The State of Public Affairs Polling Is….12 Predictions For How Polling May Adapt For the Future. Cook Political Report/ Feb. 12. 2013.

Class 12: Nov. 5 - - Courts, Cops, City Hall, and Statehouse: the Meat and Potato beats.

Topics: Covering local politics and governments are meat-and-potato beats of American journalism. Along with the police beats, these have long been a “starter” beat for many reporters.

Readings

1. Mass Media & American Politics, Chapter 4, “News Making and Reporting Routines”; 2. Chapter 10, “Covering the Justice System and State and Local News.” 3. The Press, Chapter 13, “Government and the Press.” 4. Jarol B. Manheim “The News Shapers” 5. Commonly Used Legal Terms 6. Basic Steps in Criminal Jury Trial 7. Basic Questions About Court Systems 8. Tips for Covering Local Government Budgets 9. Covering Board meetings 10. “Ten Hints for Covering Government,” Journalist’s Resource, 2011.

Class 13. Nov. 12 - Deadline Writing Exercise 4

Assignment: In-class deadline writing exercise. For this one, you will be shown a video of a short news event such as a stump speech or a Sunday TV appearance. 1. In an email to the instructor, do mock tweets while you watch the event. 2. Then post a short blog at the bottom of the email. 3. Write a story.

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Class 14. Nov. 19 – TV Ads, Talking Heads, Gender Bias Topics: Television is one of the most important forces in our culture. Covering politics on TV. Gender bias in media. What is it? Is it changing? View film: “Miss Representation.”

Readings:

1. Politics of News, Chapter 7, “Advertising and Citizen Behavior.” 2. Media Power, Chapter 13, “Influencing Election Outcomes: Television Advertisements.” 3. “Women and News: Expanding the News Audience, Increasing Political Participation, and Informing Citizens” (PDF), pages 32-62, “A Narrative Overview of the Research,” Joan Shorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy School, 2008. 4. Richard L. Fox, Jennifer L. Lawless, “Gendered Perceptions and Women’s Equality in Electoral Politics,” American Journal of Political Science, October 25, 2010. 5. Rachel Joy Larris, Rosalie Maggio, “Name It, Change It: The Women’s Media Center’s Media Guide to Gender Neutral Coverage of Women and Politicians” (PDF). 6. Sarah F. Anzia, Christopher R. Berry, “Why Do Congresswomen Outperform Congressman?” American Journal of Political Science, July 2011. 7. Alexis Gelber, “Digital Divas: Women, Politics and the Social Network,” Joan Shorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy School, Spring 2011. 8. “Barriers to Sustaining Gender Diversity in Politics.” 9. Christopher T. Stout, Reuben Kline, “I’m Not Voting for Her: Polling Discrepancies and Female Candidates,” Political Behavior, 2011.

Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 26 - 30

Class 15. December 3 - Future of Political Journalism/Ethics of Political Journalism. Review of the Course

1st Hour Topics: In-class discussion of where this business is headed and how we can prepare for it. What are the take-aways from this course?

Readings: 1. What Would Google Do, "Media" 2. What Would Google Do, "Advertising 3. What Would Google Do, "Generation G”

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4. The Press Ch. 25 (Future of News) 5. Mass Media and American Politics, Chapter 12, “Current Trends and Future Directions in Media Policy.”

Graduate students will present their papers on jobs in the trade.

2nd Hour Topics: Ethics of Political Reporters. Covering politics in a balanced and ethical manner. The formal and informal rules of the game.

Readings:

1. Shorenstein Center, “Disengaged 2. The Atlantic, “The Story Behind the Story.” 3. Sarah Sobieraj, Jeffrey M. Berry, “Incivility and Outrage in American Politics: Political Discourse in Blogs, Talk Radio and Cable News,” Political Communication, 2011. 4. “Beyond the Facts: A Partisan Era Requires a Vigorous Press,” Columbia Journalism Review, January/February 2011. 5. “Partisan Polarization Surges in Bush, Obama Years,” Pew Research Center, June 4, 2012. 6. “Twitter and Political Polarization,” Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, 2011.

FINAL EXAM is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 12, 2 p.m.- 5:30 p.m.

Deadline Writing Exercise.

For your final exam, you will be given a news situation in class and asked to produce a 600 word deadline political news story. Copy needs to be emailed to me by 5:30 p.m. sharp.

I will have you address an envelope so I can mail your papers back to you.

______The following attachment from the Provost’s office is also considered part of this syllabus. http://pvcaa.siu.edu/frequently-used-forms/Syllabus%20Attachment_Fall2014-1.pdf

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