LANGUAGE OF JOURNALISM

JOUR 2100.03
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY || FALL 2022
MONDAY, WEDNESDAY || 1:45 P.M. to 3:25 P.M.
PEREIRA HALL 211

INSTRUCTOR Prof. Ky Henderson

EMAIL [email protected]
OFFICE University Hall 3864
OFFICE HOURS Mondays & Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
SCHEDULING LINK https://calendly.com/kyhenderson/office-hours
ZOOM LINK https://lmula.zoom.us/my/ky.henderson

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The ways in which journalism is practiced, distributed, consumed, and financed have
arguably changed more rapidly over the past few decades than at any other point in
journalism’s history. Amid the upheaval, however, the fundamentals of what makes good
journalism have largely remained the same.

Accuracy. Clarity. Fairness. Transparency. Impact.

In this introductory course, students learn what journalism is and, perhaps just as
importantly, what journalism is not; now more than ever, empty hot-takes, malignant
disinformation, and misleading propaganda are disguised as and mistaken for journalism.
Students also learn about journalism laws and ethics; how news is disseminated and
consumed; how one goes about producing a work of journalism, from idea generation to
final product; the healthy and necessary adversarial relationship between the news
media and the government; the adverse effects America’s uncertain media landscape
has on democracy; the difference between truth and accuracy; and current events.

Students will be required to become regular and enthusiastic consumers of news—one of

the best ways to improve one’s journalism skills is to read, watch, and listen to good
journalism—and they will put what they learn into practice by reporting and writing their
own stories.

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REQUIRED TEXTS
I strive to keep additional costs to students as low as possible, and the total outlay for
course materials in this class should be about $25 or less. But I assure you, you will
require all of these materials in order to succeed in this class.

The Elements of Journalism, 4th Edition

Assigned readings from this well-researched and insightful book will not only
teach you about news media and make you a better news consumer, they will
help prepare you for doing your own journalism. (Please note: You must get the
4th edition of the book, which was released in 2021. It has a blue and white cover.)

The New York Times

Subscribe to the digital edition of the Times and read it every day. It is “The Paper
of Record” for a reason, and while it shouldn’t be your only source of news, it will
give you an excellent idea of what is going on in the country and the world. Stories
will also serve as the basis for class discussion and class assignments. If you are a
member of the Los Angeles Public Library—or perhaps your own local library from
back home—you can read the Times online for free. Otherwise a digital
subscription for students costs literally $1 per week.

The Associated Press Stylebook 56th Edition (2022-2024)

This is an industry standard that we will use as our in-class style guide. (We will
discuss what a style guide is.) If you already own a previous but recent edition,
that’s perfectly acceptable. And/or, you are welcome to use a searchable online
edition available to students for free via the LMU Library. To access it, sign in to
your LMU account and start here.

OPTIONAL TEXT
This is merely a recommendation for anyone who is interested in improving their writing.

The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition

In fewer than 90 pages, this classic book—co-written by E.B. White, the journalist
and author of the book “Charlotte’s Web”—provides rules and advice that will
supercharge your writing. More than a century old, it has been updated a handful
of times, but it is by and large a timeless instruction manual for how to write well.

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GRADING
This is how your final grade will be determined:

Class participation | 20 percent

Homework and in-class exercises | 20 percent
Midterm | 20 percent
Public meeting story | 15 percent
Final story | 25 percent

Class participation | 20 percent

You will be expected to come to class on time and prepared, meaning you have
done readings and assignments, and you have been following the news. You must
also ask and answer questions, and offer your analysis. If you need to miss a class
or two over the course of the semester, I understand, though I do ask that you let
me know ahead of time that you’re going to be absent. Regularly missing class will
significantly lower your class participation grade. Unavoidable reasons for missing
several classes—e.g., your appendix bursts or you get Covid—and the possibility
of making up work can be discussed with me.

Homework and in-class exercises | 20 percent

Homework will be assigned during the course, and other exercises will be
completed entirely in class; there will be occasional quizzes about stories on the
front page of the New York Times, and semiweekly assignments in which you will
analyze three news stories that appeared on the front page of the New York
Times over the previous week. You can see and read the NYT’s front-page stories
here: https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper.

Midterm | 20 percent
About halfway through the semester, students will take a midterm test featuring
several short-answer questions and one essay question. (I call it an essay
question, but I do not want you writing an academic essay; I will explain what I
mean.) Big news stories, class readings, and class discussions are all fair game.
The quality of your writing on the test matters.

Public meeting story | 15 percent

You will attend a public meeting (e.g., a Los Angeles City Council meeting) and
write a story of approximately 700 words about a topic discussed at the meeting.
You will quote at least three different people in your story. For this and other

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 reporting assignments you do, you will be required to submit a source list with the
names and contact information (phone number and/or email) of everyone you
quote. I will contact sources at random to make certain they were quoted
accurately (and, of course, that they are real).

Final story | 25 percent

You will spend several weeks conceiving of, pitching, reporting, writing, and
revising a story of about 1,200 words. You will need to quote at least three people
in your story. The focus of your story must be approved by me, but I purposefully
don’t have many more criteria than that. This is a chance for you to find a story
that you truly care about and then talk to people and do research in order to learn
more about it. This should be a fun assignment!

This is a general idea of my grading scale (I will provide more detailed rubrics for some
assignments).

A (100%-94%), A- (93%-90%) Submissions are clear, well-organized, well-written,

and meet the criteria for the assignment. They conform to AP Style and have no
factual errors. They do not require much editing.

B+ (89%-87%), B (86%-84%), B- (83%-80%) Submissions require more than just

minor edits but are well-organized and clear.

C+ (79%-77%), C (76%-74%), C- (73%-70%) Submissions do not meet all the

criteria for the assignment, lack adequate reporting, and require major rewriting.

D (69%-65%) Submissions fail to conform to the requirements of the assignment

in more ways than they do conform to it.

F (64%-0%) Submissions either were not turned in by the assigned deadline, or

were turned in but were so lacking and displayed so little effort that they cannot
reasonably be considered a completed assignment. And/or, they contain
plagiarism or outright fabrication.

FACTUAL ERRORS AND DEADLINES

On most (but not all) assignments, any factual error—this includes the misspelling of
proper nouns—will lower the assignment grade by about half a grade. Assignments not
turned in by the deadline will be awarded a zero.

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IN-CLASS RULES
You must have your phone put away / on airplane mode by the start of class. If you take
notes, I ask that you take notes with a pen and paper and not with a laptop or other
device. I have two reasons for that: One, that’s how a journalist takes notes in the field.
Two, there is compelling research-based evidence that learning outcomes (i.e., your
grades) are far better when students take written notes vs. typed notes. I post the slides I
use in class on Brightspace the same day.

Please do not eat during class—this includes chewing gum.

Any assignments you submit via email must be in Microsoft Word document format (.doc
or .docx); both Pages and Google Docs make it very easy to convert to Word.
Additionally, Word is available to you for free through LMU. For directions on
downloading, visit:
https://its.lmu.edu/media/its/Office%202016%20download%20home.pdf.

We will be regularly discussing the news in class, and at the end of every semester of
every journalism class I teach, many students tell me these discussions are their favorite
part of the class. They’re mine too! That said, discussing the news means we will be
addressing a variety of potentially challenging and/or contentious and/or divisive
subjects, from gun violence to abortion to racial injustice. I have never had an issue in
any class I’ve taught. That’s in part because I insist students follow one rule: Don’t be a
jerk. If you’re not sure what I mean by that, please don’t hesitate to ask me to clarify.

OUTSIDE-OF-CLASS RULES
If you are out doing reporting for this course, you will be expected to behave like a
professional journalist. Dress appropriately—we can discuss what “appropriately” means,
since it can vary depending on the situation—be ethical, and treat people with respect.
When you act in a professional manner, people typically feel more comfortable opening
up to you and are more motivated to answer your questions. We will discuss in class how
to go out and report while also staying safe.

OFFICE HOURS
I hold office hours from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. If you need
to meet with me at another time, let me know and we’ll work it out. I’m happy to meet in
person or via Zoom, but please schedule appointments beforehand. To schedule an
appointment during normal office hours, use this link:
https://calendly.com/kyhenderson/office-hours

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ACADEMIC HONESTY
I have caught multiple instances of plagiarism over the years. Do not plagiarize! (We will
discuss what constitutes plagiarism.) Academic dishonesty will be treated as an
extremely serious matter with severe consequences that can range from receiving no
credit for assignments, to failing the class, to expulsion from LMU. It is never permissible
to turn in any work that has not been authored by you—though plagiarism goes beyond
simple copying and pasting. It is your responsibility to make sure that your work meets
the standard of academic honesty set forth in the “LMU Honor Code and Process,” which
appears in the LMU Bulletin. (http://bulletin.lmu.edu)

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS
Students with special needs who require reasonable modifications, special assistance, or
accommodations in this course should promptly direct their request to the Disability
Support Services (DSS) Office. Any student who currently has a documented disability
(ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Learning, Physical, or Psychiatric) needing academic
accommodations should contact the DSS Office (Daum Hall 2nd floor, 310.338.4216) as
early in the semester as possible. All discussions will remain confidential. Please visit
http://www.lmu.edu/dss for additional information.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS OF SEXUAL OR INTERPERSONAL MISCONDUCT

Faculty are required to report any case of suspected sexual or interpersonal misconduct
and cannot protect student confidentiality. For information about confidential counseling
and for general information about consensual relationships, sexual harassment, and
sexual assault, please see the LMU Cares website:
https://studentaffairs.lmu.edu/wellness/lmucares/.

SEMESTER SCHEDULE
Think of this schedule as a rough draft; it’s subject to change in response to breaking
news, the evolving needs of the class, Covid realities, etc. In fact, I can all but guarantee
there will be changes. I remind students of deadlines in class, and without exception any
and all dates I announce in class take precedence over dates on this syllabus.

Weeks 1 to 3 | Aug. 29 to Sept. 16

● Introductions.
● How to follow the news.
● How to identify reliable sources of news.
● The current state of the news industry.
● The elements of journalism.

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 ● What makes something newsworthy?
● “Elements” Introduction and Chapter 1.
● And, as always, we discuss the news.
● Please note: There is no class on Monday, Sept. 5.

Weeks 4 to 6 | Sept. 19 to Oct. 7

● How journalism has changed in the digital age.
● The civic functions of journalism and its importance to democracy.
● Libel vs. defamation vs. slander.
● The meaning of “journalistic truth.”
● Journalistic ethics.
● The differences between news, public relations, propaganda,
misinformation, and disinformation.
● How to find people to interview and how to conduct those interviews.
● What makes a good quote?
● What is AP Style?
● Why we use the Oxford/Serial Comma.
● “Elements” Chapters 2, 3, and 4.
● And, as always, we discuss the news.
● Please note: There is no class on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
● Please note: Person-on-the-Street assignment is due Wednesday, Sept. 28.

Weeks 7 to 9 | Oct. 10 to Oct. 28

● Ledes, nutgrafs, and how to write them.
● Basics of a standard news story.
● How to find and cover a public meeting.
● “Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
● The myth of objectivity.
● “Elements” Chapters 5, 6, and 8.
● Midterm review.
● And, as always, we discuss the news.
● Please note: The midterm will be given on Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Weeks 10 to 12 | Oct. 31 to Nov. 18

● How to generate story ideas.
● Show, don’t tell.
● How to pitch a story.
● Common mistakes in news stories and how to avoid them.

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 ● And, as always, we discuss the news.
● Please note: Meeting story due Monday, Oct. 31.
● Please note: The last day to withdraw from classes or apply for credit/no
credit grading is Friday, Nov. 4.
● Please note: Final Story pitch due Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Weeks 13 to 15 | Nov. 21 to Dec. 9

● Fact-checking: Why it’s important and how to do it.
● How to find and write a scene.
● How to give edits and how to respond to edits.
● Reporting challenges and how to overcome them.
● Your input on how the class could be improved in future semesters.
● And, as always, we discuss the news.
● Please note: No class on Wednesday, Nov. 23.
● Please note: First draft of Final Story due Wednesday, Nov. 30.
● Please note: Class workshop of first drafts on Monday, Dec. 5.
● Please note: Last day of class is Wednesday, Dec. 7.
● Please note: Final draft of Final Story due Monday, Dec 12.

-END OF SYLLABUS-