J461 News Editing Syllabus

Fall 2022, Tuesday-Thursday, 2-5 p.m., Allen 304
John Russial
323 Allen Hall; 346-3750

This page can be found at http://pages/uoregon.edu/~jrussial/j461/sylf22.html

Some editing references can be found at http://pages.uoregon.edu/~jrussial/j461/

Strategic Copy Editing is the basic text for the course, and I expect that you will have read the appropriate chapters for the week. The text reflects my approach to editing instruction, which I have developed over four decades of working as a copy editor and teaching editing. The bookstore has some copies. Other copies are available on Amazon, many of them used in good condition.

We'll be using AP style in this course, so having access to the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual is handy. If you have a hard copy, that's fine. If not, the library makes the electronic version available. There's a link in a Canvas module.

As in other news courses, it's important to keep up with the news. This means you should be reading local media, including the Emerald. The Register-Guard now has a paywall, but you can read a limited number of articles for free. Try to read a major metropolitan paper, such as The Oregonian, whose website (oregonlive.com) offers many stories free but limits the others to subscribers. You can read a number of stories per month in several other metro news sites, such as the New York Times, without subscribing. And OPB.org and NPR.org are free.

In this class you should develop:

• Skills in copy editing
• Skills in headline and caption writing for print and online
• News judgment
• Basic skills in page design for print and online
• An appreciation for the role of editing in journalism.

Course overview

The course covers copy editing, headlines and design, pretty much in that order. In lectures, we'll discuss concepts and issues and look at a lot of examples. In labs, you'll be editing copy, writing headlines, captions and other display elements and designing pages. For most class meetings, the lab will cover the last two hours of the class.

Most, if not all, editors copy edit. Some editors focus more on story structure and broader questions; others focus more at the detail level of accuracy, grammar, spelling, punctuation and the like. I believe that editors, and their publications, are best served by focusing across the levels--from smaller issues of detail to larger questions of fairness, approach and organization, and that's how we'll approach editing in discussions and in the daily assignments during the first three weeks.

Headline-writing is another fundamental aspect of editing. Many editors write headlines, captions and other forms of "display type" for print and/or online publication. These days, largely because of the extensive use of social media forms such as Twitter and Facebook, many reporters and writers also find themselves acting as editors as well as writers, producing headlines, captions and summary text. The labs during weeks 4-6 will primarily focus on headline and caption writing for both print and online.

Design is the third major focus of the class. At some publications, particularly large ones, design is a specialized function -- done by staff members who are designated as designers, though in some cases the title is different. At many smaller publications, copy editors do page design as well as word editing and headlines. Some large news corporations, such as Gannett, which was acquired by Gatehouse though it retained the Gannett name, have centralized copy editing and/or design functions for dozens of their publications, and those central "hubs" are staffed by copy editors, designers or, in some cases, people qualified to do both. Gannett has used several hubs for its 100-plus community newspapers (the Salem paper, for example, has been edited and designed in Phoenix, Arizona,) and Gatehouse created a huge hub in Austin to serve its many papers several years ago. The Register Guard has been copy edited and designed in Austin for a few years. It's still not clear how many of both companies' former hubs will be retained, but they do represent a large chunk of copy editing and design employment in newspapers. Some other companies, such as McClatchy, have regional hubs.

We will spend the last several weeks doing page design, as well as integrating news judgment and headline and caption writing into design toward the end.

We will use InDesign to design pages. More details on use of InDesign will follow. The first several weeks of the term, we'll be using Microsoft Word for copy editing. We might also have a one-class workshop on HTML, and possibly an outside web assignment that will include some basic HTML coding.

Time pressure will be a big part of the course, as it is in just about all publications. The online era has, if anything, increased time pressure for many reporters and editors. In practice, editing is a balancing act. Editors must know how to manage their time -- to work quickly yet thoroughly. This is an important skill for any media professional to develop.

Attendance is required throughout the term. Your grade is based largely on lab work, and the labs will draw heavily on what we talk about in the lecture/discussion portion of class. Readings from the text will help you improve your grade. I'll allow makeup work in the case of unavoidable circumstances, such as illness, but I need to be told that you're missing the class before the class is scheduled to meet by phone message or E-mail. If you think you might have contracted COVID, or have tested positive, you shouldn't come to class until you're sure it's safe to return. I'll arrange makeups in that case. I will accept other requests for makeup labs if you have a good reason, for example, a religious holiday or a family emergency, but I need to be informed in advance. In general, I won't allow makeups if you miss class to do work for another class or for student media, such as interviewing a source for a story. You should schedule those tasks at other times.

Grading will be based on criteria that newspapers and other publications use. In copy editing, that means work will be graded down for errors of spelling, punctuation, style, usage, etc. (See the grading guidelines.) Certain assignments will contain errors of fact, which you will be expected to catch using reference works and online sources available in the lab. Be careful, though, about checking facts online. Many websites contain errors. Clarity, conciseness, legal issues and organization are additional considerations. The criteria for headlines and design also reflect publishability criteria. See the Grading Guidelines for more detail.

Grades will be based on the following formula:

* One ongoing outside assignment will be to find (and fix) errors in newspapers such as the Emerald, Register-Guard and Oregonian. Any professional paper or magazine, print or online, can be used as well. I will explain this assignment in class.

** I'm looking for contributions to lecture discussions and evidence of improvement over the course of the term.

I've spent half a career as an editor, most of it as a copy chief. I like to edit, and I hope I can share some of the enthusiasm I have for editing. In any event, this course is worthwhile even if you've wanted to be a reporter or writer since you were 6. If there were such a thing as a newspaper oracle, it might say: Edit thyself.

The university is serious about this, and so am I. In the lab portion of this course, as in a newsroom, colleagues often discuss their work. You are, however, expected to do your own work and be graded on your own work. For example, when we write headlines, you need to work on your own headline, not discuss it with another student. If you find a mistake in copy, don't broadcast it to the rest of the class.

Here is a statement from the Dean of Students office on academic misconduct: The University Student Conduct Code (available at conduct.uoregon.edu) defines academic misconduct. Students are prohibited from committing or attempting to commit any act that constitutes academic misconduct. By way of example, students should not give or receive (or attempt to give or receive) unauthorized help on assignments or examinations without express permission from the instructor. Students should properly acknowledge and document all sources of information (e.g. quotations, paraphrases, ideas) and use only the sources and resources authorized by the instructor. If there is any question about whether an act constitutes academic misconduct, it is the student's obligation to clarify the question with the instructor before committing or attempting to commit the act. Additional information about a common form of academic misconduct, plagiarism, is available at on the UO library website.

Services available

The university has a list of services available to deal with sexual harassment, sexual violence or discrimination, including "confidential" employees. You can find information about these services on this site. Each resource is clearly labeled as either "required reporters," "confidential UO employee," or "off-campus" to allow you to select your desired level of confidentiality.

Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the Dean of Students Office (346-3216, 164 Oregon Hall) for support.

Accessible Education

The University of Oregon is working to create inclusive learning environments. Please notify me if there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in disability-related barriers to your participation. You are also encouraged to contact the Accessible Education Center in 360 Oregon Hall at 541-346-1155 or uoaec@uoregon.edu.

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity is supported and valued at the University of Oregon. We respect the dignity and essential worth of all individuals; reject bigotry, discrimination, violence, and intimidation; practice personal and academic integrity and expect it of others; and promote a diversity of ideas, opinions, and backgrounds.