The SKED

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Dear ’Dawgs:

As we discussed, the rest of the semester's basic schedule will look like this (subject to change):

1. Midterm on Wednesday (this week):
Section I: short answer IDs;
Section II: AP style/copy editing;
Section III: hard news story fact sheet, write the story.
Bring a pencil (for the editing section) and your brain.

2. Story Assignments: You will write one outside story per week, due Wednesdays, for the rest of the semester (+/-), starting next Wednesday (10/29).

3. Story Ideas: Create and ongoing file of your story ideas, updated in email to me or posted on NewsHounds1 no later than every Sunday midnight. Each week’s posting should include three story ideas, some idea of the focus, answer to the “So what?” question, and three possible sources. Like this....

Example:
What? (slug): Pet adoption
Focus: the need for more homes for unwanted pets in Cache Valley
So what? Even though the new Humane Society animal shelter is open, they have more animals than they can handle and may have to euthanize more.
Sources: Ron Thorkildsen, pres., Humane Society; Irene Animallover (?), shelter manager; Lisa Whosits (?), director of Four Paws (another rescue organization); someone who takes in stray animals as fosters

4. The News Cycle: You should have pitched your story to me and gotten approval no later than Wednesday for the following week’s deadline; we also can settle on stories farther out so you can start working on them. (So we (you) have to hustle for next week’s (10/29) story--email me TODAY!)

5. What Kinds of Stories? Stories may be either hard news or features, but ALL should have some kind of timeliness element, even if it’s not an actual event or fire or bank robbery or something. Will discuss further in class. For example, the people who run Café Ibis would make a great feature story, but what might be a “So what?” Maybe you frame the story in terms of the calendar, and coffee sales are rising as finals approach? Or maybe they have noticed that Republicans buy stronger/weaker brew than Dems? (I’m making this up.) Whatever—gotta find some rationale, some nut graf, some raison d'etre for the story.

6. NEXT WEEK: We meet with President Stan Albrecht for a 30-minute press conference on Wednesday (10/29) at his office. Meet in the newsroom and we’ll troop over (all walking backwards). The subject of the news conference will be his statement on the state of USU's economy; we will need to read up on background on the budget, the USU capital campaign, etc., which we’ll find through the USU PR website. Check out the link I sent you this (Tuesday 10/21) morning for the president’s speech TODAY at noon. Start digging into the USU Today website for other background. This press conference story should not take too long to write—it’s a straight hard news story. If I were doing it, I’d write it as soon after the event as possible, and file it that night or Thursday. But you're busy people. Let's say it’s due Friday by noon.

Further details and bright ideas to follow.