News Reporting II

JOU 136
Spring 2010, Monday 6 pm– 8:30 pm
Room M416
Professor Errol Louis
Tel. 212-210-1954
Email: errollouis@gmail.com
This course provides an intensive study of actual newsroom problems
and the preparation of long, complex stories, such as:
· The meaning, origins and effects of the national economic
crisis and the efforts to cure it
· The 2010 elections
· Year Two of the Obama administration
We will focus on multi-platform reporting for stories in print, radio,
television and/or online media.
We will examine the power structure of New York – the formal and
informal institutions and arrangements that govern and shape life in
our city. We will study the formal powers of the “inner circle” of urban
government, including the mayor, city council, state agencies, etc. We
will also define and analyze the powers of the “supporting cast,” which
includes the media, community organizations, lobbyists, labor unions
and New York’s corporate, cultural, religious and civic organizations.
Throughout the course, we will study and consider how these players
clash, compete and cooperate to tackle major city problems, including
use planning, economic development, public safety, school
governance, waste management and the rebuilding of Lower
Manhattan.
Includes field assignments that require students to report stories off
campus, as well as in-class writing assignments. Quizzes will be
administered regularly.
Required Texts:
Bruce Berg, New York City Politics (Rutgers U. Press)
Jane Jacobs, The Death Life of Great American Cities (Vintage)
Pete Hamill, News is a Verb (Library of Contemporary Thought)
Robert Kuttner, Obama's Challenge (Chelsea Green)
Recommended Texts:
Robert Caro, The Power Broker (Vintage)
Online Resources:
Class information will be posted on a class blog,
http://liujournalism.blogspot.com
It will include links to other blogs and websites.
Course Requirements
The required reading will take us through nearly all of Berg’s New York
City Politics, Jacobs’ Death & Life of Great American Cities and
Kuttner's Obama's Challenge. Reading through these books in their
entirety is encouraged. Key reports and articles will be added to the
required reading from time to time.
You will receive reporting assignments most weeks. Some will be short
and designed for quick completion. A longer piece of in-depth reporting
will be due near the end of the course.
In addition to the assigned reading, you will be required to keep up
with current events in city life. The simplest way to do this is to read or
scan the newspapers each day, including my column in the Daily News,
which runs every Thursday and Sunday. My radio show is heard
weekdays from 6 am to 9 am on AM 1600 WWRL. Podcasts are
available on iTunes, http://podcast.com and at http://errollouis.com.
Course Meetings
Unless the school calendar says otherwise, we will meet every Monday
from 6 pm to 8:30 pm. If possible, you should check your email and/or
the class blog on the day of class; in the event I am delayed or must
cancel class, that is how I will communicate with you.
Exams
There will be an in-class midterm exam on March 1st and an in-class
final on May 3rd. We will also have frequent in-class quizzes.

Grades
Grades will be a combination of class participation (30%), quizzes and
take-home assignments (20%) and the midterm and final exams
(50%).

Honesty/Plagiarism Policy
As the LIU handbook puts it: “You must not intentionally adopt or
reproduce ideas, words or statements of another person without
acknowledgment. You must give due credit to the originality of others
and honestly pay your literary debts. You should acknowledge
indebtedness a) whenever quoting another person’s actual words; b)
whenever using another person’s ideas, opinions or theories; c)
whenever borrowing facts, statistics or other illustrative material
unless the information is of common knowledge.”

Academic dishonesty will result in an F for the assignment or for the

entire course, depending on the severity of the misconduct. If you have
questions or are unsure about a particular practice, please ask me
before you turn in the assignment.

Contact Information
The best way to reach me is by sending an email to
errollouis@gmail.com. My work phone number is 212.210.1954 and my
cell accepts txt messages.
I generally answer my phone when in the office, but urgent messages
should go to the cell.

Week 1 (Jan. 25)

What is News?
What makes a story newsworthy? Why a reporter's judgment is her
most valuable tool.
Assignment #1: Who is in your class? - File a list in alphabetical order
of class members, their ages, year in school, the city or neighborhood
they come from and what they hope to do after graduation.
Assignment #2: State of the Union. File a summary of no more than
400 words on the State of the Union address.
Filing Deadline: 5:00 pm, Thurs. Jan. 28
Readings:
· Tribune Execs: "The Model for Newspapers No Longer Works"
· L.A. Times Newsroom to Shrink by 150 Jobs

Week 2 (Feb. 1)
Trend Spotting: How to Be Your Own
Assignment Editor
Readings
· James K. Galbraith, Stimulus is for Suckers
· Listen to 10-minute interview with Galbraith
· Al Tompkins, How Recessions Work
· Jimmy Breslin, Digging John F. Kennedy's Grave Was His Honor
· Steve Myers, Avoid Conventional Wisdom and Uncover Investigative
Gems

Additional Resources:
Calculated Risk
The Nation
Scientific American
Assignment #3: Identify a major macroeconomic trend and briefly
describe
· Why the trend is significant: why does this matter to your
audience?
· What kind of personal interview or profile would illustrate
the trend?
· What relevant history of the underlying trend you would
include in a story?
· List Your sources

Filing Deadline: 5:59 pm Feb. 9 (BEFORE the next class)

Week 3 (Feb. 8)

The Art of the Interview

Assignment #4: Interview a stranger (someone who is not a co-worker,
friend, family member or classmate) on their view of the new president
and administration. How confident are they that Obama can fix the
economy? Why do they think that? Write up your results in a story of
250 words or less.

Filing Deadline: 5:59 pm, Feb. 16 (BEFORE the next class)

Listen to my interview with Philip Berg and my interview in the Redfern

Houses

Week 4 (Feb. 16)- Note that this is a TUESDAY class meeting

Court Reporting
Readings: The indictment of Joe Bruno.

Assignment #5: Read the indictment of Joe Bruno, and answer the
following questions
· What crimes is Bruno accused of committing?
· If found guilty, what are the potential penalties he faces?
· Why does this matter?
 · What is Bruno saying in his defense?
· What happens next, and when?
· Prepare a list of documents and key interviews needed to
report on the next phase of the story.
· Describe 3 possible stories that follow from this indictment.

Filing Deadline: 5:59 pm, Feb. 22 (BEFORE the next class)

Week 5 (Feb. 22)

Blogging
Assignment #6: Post an original blog item about the economic crisis.
The entry should include:
· At least one link to another page or resource
· A graphic, audio or video

Readings:
· Scanlan, What Makes a Good Link

Week 6 (March 1)

MIDTERM EXAM

Week 7 (March 8)

How to Cover New York City Government

Reading: Bruce Berg, New York City Politics , Chapter 2 ("The
Economic Development Imperative")

(March 15)

SPRING BREAK

Read Pete Hamill, News is a Verb (whole book)

Week 8 (March 22)

Covering New York: Neighborhoods
Readings:
· Jacobs, Death & Life of Great American Cities, Chaps. 2, 3
& 4 ("The Uses of Sidewalks")

Week 9 (March 29)

Covering New York: Elections

Readings:
· Berg, New York City Politics, Chapter 3 ("The State and the
City") & Chapter 6 ("Political Parties in New York City
Governance")

Week 10 (April 5)

Covering New York: Corruption and

Conflict of Interest
Readings:
· Berg, New York City Politics, Chapter 7 ("The Charter, the Mayor
and the Other Guys")

Week 11 (April 12)

Covering New York: Civic Life

Readings:
· Jacobs, Death and Life of Great American Cities, Chaps. 7 - 12
("City Diversity")

Week 12 (April 19)

Putting It All Together

Readings:
· Jacobs, Death and Life of Great American Cities, Chaps. 13, 15, 18
and 22
Week 13 (April 26)

CRIME PANEL
Week 14 (May 3)

FINAL EXAM