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. 1 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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).