J353D Television Reporting

Fall 2009

Tuesday and Thursday 10-12, Thursday 3-5

Office Hours: T 3:00-4:30 and by appointment

Who

Professor: Dr. Kris M. Wilson drkris@mail.utexas.edu CMA 5.134E; 471-4975

Graduate TA: Aimee Meader aimeemeader@hotmail.com 858-699-7773

Final Cut Pro TA: Harsh Kalan harsh.kalan@gmail.com 512-587-1069

Why (we are here)

While critics decry the sinking standards seen on many news products (and we’ll do our share as we critique the good, bad and ugly in TV news), television is still the preferred medium for most people to acquire news. Television tells stories with emotion and impact and can connect powerfully to the audience. We’ll learn how to achieve that. Critique is a powerful learning tool and we’ll spend much of our time engaged in this process.

While much of our time will be spent learning necessary skills to be good reporters, we’ll also keep our attention on the bigger picture--why journalism matters to society and how to serve our communities better with our reporting. A major theme will be enriching our journalism through a concerted effort to identify a diversity of stories and sources. We will learn why finding under represented voices is required of us as good journalists and how to find those valuable points of view to enhance our story telling. We will put a premium on enterprise reporting—that is telling fresh and new stories rather than recycling “news” from other media. As we develop the needed skills as broadcasters we will remain grounded in our purpose to serve our audience.

How (we will work)

We will continue to build on good broadcast skills you have learned in J322, including additional emphasis on writing, which serves as the foundation for everything else we do. Early on we will have many writing exercises and every story will go through extensive script approval in order to sharpen this fundamental skill. We’ll also focus on how to tell a compelling story. This includes how to get good interviews, how to choose the best soundbites (and write in and out of them effectively), and how to use your voice and delivery to enhance the meaning of your words. Finally we will learn how to shoot and edit well. Many of you already have some experience with these aspects of broadcasting, but we will teach you how to improve these skills and why we do things according to certain standards. If you don’t yet know what a jump cut is, you will learn quickly, and you will also learn that even though some news outlets air them, why we won’t. We want you to excel at broadcast journalism and not settle for the lowest common denominator. We will set and expect high standards, tell you why they matter and be here to guide and support you through the process.

You will become critical consumers of all media, but especially TV news. We will employ constructive criticism, that is the evaluation of our own work, as well as the work of others in a way that does not demean anyone and provides feedback on both strengths and weaknesses and HOW to improve future work. We will critique all our work collectively and publicly, which speeds up the learning curve as we learn from each other’s success and failures. Being able to accept criticism is another important skill that will serve you well in life and in television news. The critiques are of the work and not the person and you must not take them personally, but rather understand that our primary job is to improve your work and skills and we will focus on these issues.

We will enjoy the wisdom and inspiration of many guest speakers this semester, many of them graduates of the sequence who will share with you how they got where they are, how they do their jobs and what they learned in the program that served them in their careers. Due to the nature of their work, dates for their visits are likely to change.

How (you will be evaluated)

You're accustomed to this by now, but this course and this career, will demand a LOT from all of us. Take your responsibilities seriously, work together with skill and cordiality, and we will all enjoy the process while we learn. Please come to class prepared each day. Complete reading assignments in advance, be ready for story meetings, know what is happening in the news and be prepared to participate in class discussions. This course is a major time commitment, so make sure you make it a priority.

We will be producing packages to potentially air on Texas Newswatch, which is produced by students in the capstone course in the sequence. Our deadlines will be 9:30 am Tuesdays before class. That means the edited package, all supporting documents (script, logs, background notes) and E-Z news materials must be completed by this time or deadline will not be met. Late work will not be accepted and will earn a "0" on that assignment. You will also work rotating assignments on the newscasts and will be evaluated on your work.

Your weekly packages will not be given a numerical score. The reason is to move your focus from the points earned an assignment on to the constructive comments about the work instead. You will receive one final grade for your reporting and one final grade for your shooting based on a demo reel that you turn in the last week of class. It will include your best work of the semester with the necessary changes to those assignments based on the previous reviews.

Reporting/Shooting/Editing (final demo reel at end of semester) =60%

Class Exercises/Assignments /Participation/Quizzes =25%

Working on newscasts =15%

=100%

Each and every unexcused absence will cost you 5% of your grade. If you're going to miss class for any reason, you must contact me in ADVANCE. Shooting/Reporting a story is not an excused absence. Please schedule your interviews outside our regular meeting times. There will be some class release time as the semester progresses.

What (you will need)

• 6 (or more) well-labeled mini-DV tapes (Sony brand)

• “Television News: A Handbook for reporting, writing, shooting, editing and producing,” Teresa Keller and Steve Hawkins. Holcomb Hathaway Publishers.

• Broadcast News Writing Stylebook, Robert Papper author, Allyn and Bacon Publishers (keep copy from J322D)

• A set of headphones/earphones with a mini-plug to hook into the cameras

• A newspaper subscription/on-line access (beyond Daily Texan)

• A television to regularly watch news programs

Why we are here (part two)

This is an intense class. We will be learning new ways to think and produce excellent broadcast journalism as well as new technology and skills. Remember not to let the technology overwhelm you—these are the tools that help you as a journalist. Pay close attention to the class demonstrations, practice early and often before deadlines to reduce the discomfort with the learning curve. We have excellent teaching assistants who willingly provide guidance and expertise, but it is up to YOU to learn the skills that will make you prepared and desirable upon graduation.

Also remember the greater purpose of journalism in all that we do. To serve our audience and communities with news that is important, relevant, contextual and engaging. Good journalism empowers people with the knowledge they need to make their lives better. As we accomplish these goals we will grow as broadcast journalists and human beings.