JRN 285 - Advanced News Publication

3 Credits, 4 Contact Hours
2 lecture periods 2 lab periods

Continuation of JRN 185 . Advanced work on print and online publication of the college’s biweekly student newspaper. Includes news coverage; qualities of high-level writing, reporting, and copy editing; research and the use of computers, newsroom management, page design, and newspaper legal and ethical considerations.

Prerequisite(s): JRN 185  
Information: This course meets for a combination of lecture and lab. Additional open lab time is available for students. May be taken three times for a maximum of nine credit hours. If this course is repeated, see a financial aid or Veteran’s Affairs advisor to determine funding eligibility as appropriate.

1. Construct and write under deadline pressure accurate, properly sourced, well-organized high-level news feature stories, analyses, and reviews using interpretive abilities to apply the inverted pyramid and other organizational formats, Associated Press style and Aztec Press style.
2. Take story-telling photographs, write captions that include appropriate identification of photographic subjects, and use the Aztec Press system for storing and processing photos.
3. Record advanced-level video and/or audio, edit for maximum story-telling appeal and use the Aztec Press system for storing/uploading completed material.
4. Edit copy, write headlines and cutlines, and design story packages using advanced techniques of page design software.
5. Synthesize and apply advanced tenets of media law, journalistic ethics, and taste.
6. Explain the newsroom management needed to publish a newspaper including an organizational structure, business operations, and human relations.

1. Photo/video software
2. Online publishing

1. Advanced Newsroom Management
   1. Job descriptions
   2. Business of newspapers
   3. Human relations and communications
   4. Deadlines
   5. Mentoring
2. Advanced Page Design
   1. Typography
   2. Terminology
   3. Modular design
3. Newspaper Legal Considerations
   1. Advanced understanding of libel
   2. Advanced understanding of privacy
   3. Advanced understanding of Freedom of Information Act
4. Ethical Considerations
   1. Advanced understanding of sources
   2. Advanced understanding of advocacy
   3. Advanced understanding of role of opinions