Journalism 105

Letter K quiz

2008-10-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

There are 10 errors in the following news article. Six are from the Letter K section of the AP Stylebook. Two are from the Letter A section, one is from the Letter F section and one is from Letter J. Quiz is due Monday, Oct. 13.

Police have arrested a 36-year-old man who they say is the self-proclaimed “Condiment Burglar.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department took William T. Harrison, of Newhall, into custody Tuesday night after an alleged burglary of catsup and mustard from the Burger King at 23560 San Fernando Rd. in Saugus.

The infamous Condiment Burglar has stolen bottles and whole bins of packets of catchup, mustard, pickle relish, horseradish, mayo and other condiments from a variety of fast food restaurants in the Santa Clarita Valley. He often leaves a message on a napkin or Kleenix that says “The Condiment Burglar strikes again.” No less than 30 restaurants have been hit during the past two months.

The Sheriff’s Department received a call from a Burger King employee about 9:30 PM saying that the Condiment Burglar might be in their store. When deputies arrived, Harrison ran from the restaurant. He later was caught in the K-Mart parking lot.

When caught, four bottles of catchup and 28 packets of mustard fell out of Harrison’s jacket, said Sheriff’s Detective Charles Evans, Sr. A Big boy knicknack also was found on Harrison.

“Stealing condiments may not seem like a big deal,” Evans said. “But imagine buying French fries and not having catsup for them. It’d drive most people to kill.”

2008-10-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

There are 10 errors in the following article. Six are from the Letter J section of the AP Stylebook. Two are form the Letter A section and two are from the Letter C. The quiz is due Monday, Oct. 13.

Burglars stole $200,000 from the Valencia J.C. Penny Co. store Friday night.

The crime occurred between 2 AM and 4 AM, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

There was no sign of forced entry, so sheriff’s detectives believe it was an inside job. Store cameras caught two hooded people walking around the store at about 3 a.m., Detective Luke Skywalker Junior said.

Criminal Judge Han Solo said he would give the maximum sentence to the burglars if they’re caught.

“Given the bad economy, there can be no excuse for ruining people’s lives by stealing from them,” Solo said.

If caught, the burglars face up to five years in jail. Burglary is a felony in California.

Customers who arrived at the store Saturday morning were surprised to find sheriff’s detectives examining counters for fingerprints and clothing racks for stray hairs.

“Jesus, what’s the world coming to when you steal from your own employer?” Canyon Country Resident Obi-wan Kenobi said when a sales clerk told him that the burglary probably was an inside job. “I just pray to Him that my own employees don’t steal from me.”

Local FM radio station KUTE reported that police have two suspects in the case. The two juvenile delinquents are both 17-years-old.

Letter I quiz

2008-09-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

The following article contains 12 errors. Eight of them come from the Letter I section of the AP Stylebook. One comes from the Letter F section and one from the Letter C section. Two come from the Letter A sectin (hint: one of those errors involves an abbreviation).

A state appellate court has put a financial cloud over the future of tens of thousands of undocumented California college students, saying a state law that grants them the same heavily subsidized tuition rate given to resident students conflicts with federal law.

In a ruling reached Monday, the state Court of Appeal reversed a lower courts’ decision that there were no substantial legal issues and sent the case back to the Yolo County Superior Court for trial.

"It has a huge impact," said Kris Kobach, an attorney for the plaintiffs and a law professor at the Iowa State University in Ames, IA.

The ruling will bring a halt to the law that has been giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens.
The suit was filed in 2005 by out-of-state Native American students attending California colleges. They challenged the state's practice of allowing illegal immigrants to pay significantly lower tuition than they pay at the University of California, the California State University and the California Community Colleges. The court case is not the kind to which defendants can plead innocent or not guilty. It instead tests the law, which is defended by the state’s lawyers.

UC charges out-of-state students nearly $18,000 a year more than it charges students, irregardless if they are residents or undocumented, so long as they graduated from a California high school. At CSU, out-of-state students pay about $8,000 more. And at the state's 110 community colleges, they pay an average of about $160 a unit instead of $20 per unit - or $1,920 for a full load instead of $240.

On Monday, three justices of the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento said that a 2001 state law, AB540, conflicts with Federal law. The state law provides the benefit of in-state tuition to undocumented students while the federal law says an illegal immigrant cannot receive that benefit unless the same benefit is extended to all U.S. citizens without regard to California residency.

The three Calif. college systems specifically limit the benefits to students who attended a California high school for at least three years and graduated from a state high school.

In spite of that, the appellate justices said in the ruling: "The state statute allows the benefit to U.S. citizens from other states only if they attend a California high school for three years. Thus, the state statute does not afford the same benefit to U.S. citizens 'without regard to' California residence," as required by the federal law. A transcript of the ruling is available on the internet.

Representatives from the state's three public college systems say they are still reviewing the ruling. UC Attorney Chris Patti said the appellate court did arm the plaintiffs with an argument by inferring that the case should go in their favor because the AB540 conflicts with federal law.

Letter H quiz

2008-09-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

Twelve errors appear in the following article. Seven of them are from the Letter H section of the AP Stylebook. Two are from the Letter A section, two more from the Letter C section and one from the Letter F.

On Greek Day, members of the various fraternities and sororities at Indiana University Southeast came together not to promote their organizations, like they usually do on this day, but to help one another grieve.

On Tuesday afternoon, one of their own, Jaime “Ryan” Rivas, a IUS student and member of Pi Kappa Alpha, was killed in a head on collision in Martin County.

His fraternity’s president, Taylor Lee, said Rivas, 19, was driving home after attending a friend’s funeral when the accident happened. Rivas died at the scene, according to the Indiana highway patrol.

On Wednesday morning, IUS police assisted fraternity members in moving the campus flags to half-staff, as well as raising their fraternity’s flag to fly just below the IUS flag.

Shortly after, fraternity members, people from other Greek organizations and others gathered at the flag poles to have a moment of silence, share their favorite memories of Rivas and to help one another cope.

“It’s quite a hit to start school off,” Daniel Rumbley, Pi Kappa Alpha member, told the crowd. “This is supposed to be Greek Day.”

Approximately 70 people came and went during the afternoon memorial. Later that night, they gathered at the same spot for a candlelight vigil.

Lee said Rivas was a person who everyone liked. Rivas also was a strong advocate of Latino causes on campus. He hoped to find a career in healthcare.

“I’ve never seen in my life a kid at 19 that had more character than Ryan Rivas did,” Lee said. “He was a man of his word. If he told you he’d do something, he did it.

“Everybody loved him. I’ve never heard him have a cross word with anybody. Come to think of it, I’ve never even heard him raise his voice.”

Many of those at the vigils wore garnet and gold ribbons, signifying Rivas’s fraternity, which Lee said Rivas had a great love and pride for.

“Any time a member of the IU Southeast community is lost, our campus feels the affects,” Walsh said in a written statement. “Our sympathies go to the family and Rivas’s fraternity brothers in Pi Kappa Alpha.”

She added that the university has a councelor available for students.

Lee said Greek recruitment events at IUS for the next week have been cancelled. The Indiana and the house of representatives is considering naming an honorary day for Rivas.

“Just a stand-up guy like Ryan,” Lee said, pausing. “It hits us real hard. But the impact on his family is exponential.”

Rivas’ murderer is awaiting trial in Marion County Superior Court. That driver had previously been convicted of a hit and run accident in Marion County.

Letter G quiz

2008-09-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Ten errors appear in the following quiz. Eight of them come fromthe Letter G section of the AP Stylebook. One comes from the Letter A section and the other from the Letter C section.

CHICAGO — Weeks after a proposal to open Chicago's first public high school catering to gay, lesbian and transgender youth was announced, about 200 people on Thursday met with administrators at the city's main gay social services center to discuss whether it's a good idea.

The Social Justice High School—Pride Campus would offer a college-preparatory curriculum in which students would take four years each of English and math, three years each of foreign languages and science, as well as fine arts and physical education, administrators said during the public hearing at the Center on Halsted on Chicago's North Side, located on the Avenue alongside Lake Michigan.

"[We want] to continue to provide a college-prep campus for students who are often overlooked," said Chad Weiden, an Assistant Principal at the Social Justice High School who would be the principal of Pride Campus. "Gay, lesbian and transgender students are often overlooked in our district. And this is a school for all students."

As a homosexual youth, Weiden said, he often experienced violence and fear at school. Even today, gay, lesbian and transgender students often are taunted when they hold hands in the hallway, he said.

But Andy Thayer, a co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network, said he fears the Pride Campus could relieve Chicago Public School administrators of responsibility for making sure gay and lesbian students throughout the district are being treated respectfully and not suffering from student jibes.

"My fear is that the rest of the system will be let off the hook," Thayer said. "The notion that the Pride Campus means goodby to discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth is mistaken."Administrators at the meeting said the Pride Campus would not segregate gay students because attendance is voluntary and the institution would be open to all students, regardless of their sexual orientation.

District Admin. Arne Duncan is expected to decide by Oct. 1 whether he wants to bring the proposal for Pride Campus to the board for a vote. If Duncan decides to go forward with the plan, there will be at least one more public hearing before the board votes on Oct. 22.

Backers of the school said that even if they receive the necessary approvals, they do not expect the school to open until 2012. A site for the school must still be determined.

The plan is being put forward by members of the Greater Lawndale Little Village High School for Social Justice. The group has been developing their plan for more than two years.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a vocal proponent of tolerance for gay, lesbian and transgender students in public schools, had no comment on the proposal.

Officials expect a school of up to 600 students, and those familiar with the project expect a high population of minorities. It would be the first school of its kind on the plains.

Quizzes for Wednesday

2008-09-23T12:47:00.001-07:00

My apologies for not getting the letters G and H quizzes ready for you. I'll have them up sometime Wednesday, so let's make them due Monday, Sept. 29.

Today's class

2008-09-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

As you didn't receive the Letter E quiz until Sunday afternoon , it will not be due until Wednesday, Sept. 17.

The following three assignments are due today,however:
g Letter C quiz
g Letter D quiz
g Review of The Signal (if you missed the tour last week, obtain a copy of The Signal at the library or at a newsstand and write a review of it as described in a previous blog entry).

Today, we'll review the tour of The Signal, the answers to the letters C and D quizzes and watch "The Paper."

Letter F quiz

2008-09-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

There are 15 errors in the following article. Twelve are from the Letter F section of the AP Stylebook. One is from the Letter A section, a second from the Letter B and a third from the Letter D.

FT. CASTAIC - The kind of snack you like the most says a lot about your personality, Psychologist Bebe Stevens told students during a presentation Monday at CSU Castaic.

Stevens recently went on a fact finding mission, quizzing students about their personalities and their favorite snacks. She found that those students who liked certain snacks also shared common personality traits, whether they bought their snacks at a farmer's market or at a grocery store. She received Federal dollars to conduct her research.

Among her findings:

g Potato chip - Potato chip lovers are successful, high achievers who enjoy the rewards and trimmings of their success, both in business and family life. Less than 10 out of 100 people who liked potato chips weren't high achievers, Stevens said.

g Crackers - Contemplative and thoughtful, people who prefer crackers base their decisions on logic rather than emotions. They are mostly the analytical type and make for good accountants, lawyers and doctors. Former First Lady Hillary Clinton often said she preferred Ritz and Saltine crackers when snacking.

g Pretzels - Lively and energetic, pretzel fans seek novelty and thrive in the world of abstract concepts. They often lose interest in a mundane, day to day routine. They prefer living by the saying "carpe diem," or "seize the day."

g Beef jerky - Gregarious and social, those who crave beef jerky and other meat snacks are often the life of the party, shining brighter than a flourescent light. They are loyal and true friends who can always be trusted.

g Tortilla chips - Perfectionists in regard to their own actions and to the community at large, people who crave tortilla chips are humanitarians who are often distressed by the inequities and injustices of society. They often tend to criticize others before thinking of the affects.

g Cheese curls - Formal, conscientious and always proper, cheese curl lovers can be described with one word: integrity. They always maintain moral high ground with their family, work and romantic partners. They don't flip flop on issues. Putting themselves on a pedestal, however, often steers away many potential friends and business partners.

Not all students thought Stevens' research added up.

"What if you forego snacks because you're health conscious?" sophomore Philip Pirrup said. "Does that mean you don't have a personality?"

Junior Clyde Donovan said he enjoys all of the snacks Stevens listed, and on a July 4th party this summer, ate each one with equal gusto.

"Does that mean I have multiple personalities?" Donovan said.

While some students agreed withthe findings, they were disappointed that some snacks weren't mentioned. "What does eating French fries mean?" freshman Anne Polk said.

She plans to hold a fund raiser so Stevens can afford to do more research and find the answer to her question.

Letter E quiz

2008-09-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

There are 15 errors inthe following article. Ten are from the Letter E section of the AP stylebook. Three are from Letter D, one is from Letter C and one is from Letter A.

UC-Ventura plans to tighten its rules on credit-card marketing on campus to discourage students from racking up huge amounts of debt.

The news shook the student population like an 8.1 magnitude earthquake.

"How on Earth can we students afford to pay for the things we needs unless we have some money?" Student Council president W.V. Audry said.

This autumn, financial-services companies are focusing more of their campus marketing on "prepaid debit cards," which work like standard debit cards except that they aren't linked to a traditional checking account. Among the issuers UC-Ventura students can choose from are both U.S. Bancorp and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

But the cards typically carry hefty fees and offer fewer consumer protections than credit cards. Fees are often charged when the card is activated, when it is used at an ATM and even when there's a lack of transaction activity.

They also offer less protection than credit cards do when a card is lost or stolen. If a missing prepaid debit card is reported within 48 hours, cardholders are not responsible for more than 50 dollars in unauthorized charges. Yet if reported two to 60 days afterward, cardholders could be held accountable for up to 500 dollars in unauthorized charges. After 60 days, users face losing their entire balance. With a lost credit card, users face a maximum 50 folalrs liability, regardless of when the loss is reported.

"That's good enough for eason for me to limit credit-card marketing on campus," said the elderly Gordon Train, UC-Ventura's president.

Another drawback: The cards don't help users establish a credit history, as they are not considered a line of credit. That may hurt students when they look for an apartment or shop for private student loans down the road.

"Because of this, we may hold an enquiry into marketing efforts on the campus," Train said.

One positive affect is it's virtually impossible to incur an overdraft with prepaid debit cards. Students also can't get into thousands of dollars of debt, as they can with credit cards. The average college graduate carries $2,748 in credit-card debt, according to a 2007 survey by student lender Nellie Mae. Nearly one in four graduates leaves school with more than $5,000 in credit-card debt, according to a recent survey by Zogby International, that was commissioned by credit reporting agency TransUnion Corp.

"Such cards insure students won't leave school with a lot of debt," Train said.

As adults, students are as equally qualified to make financial decisions as campus administrators who are limiting their choices, Train said.

Sophomore Percy Locomotive said he likes his prepaid credit card. It allows him to have money for expresso everyday.

"I know administrators think they're looking out for our own good," Lomotive said. "But this is one decision that I don't see eye to eye with them on."

Change in when quizzes are due

2008-09-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

As you haven't received the Letter E quiz yet, it will not be due until Wednesday, Sept. 17.

The following three assignments are due tomorrow (Monday, Sept. 15), however:
g Letter C quiz
g Letter D quiz
g Review of The Signal (if you missed the tour last Monday, obtain a copy of The Signal at the library or at a newsstand and write a review of it as described in a previous blog entry).

On Monday, we'll review the tour of The Signal, the answers to the letters C and D quizzes and watch "The Paper."

No class today

2008-09-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get the city hall tour arranged for today, and I'm out of town this week. Watch for the letter E quiz, which will be posted Thursday. We'll next meet on Monday, Sept. 15.

No class tomorrow

2008-09-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get the city hall tour arranged for Wednesday, Sept. 10, and I'm out of town this week. Watch for the letter E quiz, which will be posted Thursday. We'll next meet on Monday, Sept. 15.

Tour of The Signal is today

2008-09-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Today the class will meet at 8 a.m., Monday, Sept. 8, at The Signal, the daily newspaper in Santa Clarita. Signal Editor Lila Littlejohn will lead you on a tour that will last about an hour. You'll have an opportunity to see the newsroom, our recording studio, the printing press and a chance to ask working professionals about their jobs and how a newspaper operates.

When going through the newsroom, Ms. Littlejohn will have you pick up a copy of The Signal from my desk. Your assignment is to write a two-page review of the newspaper. Look at the newspaper's writing, photos and design. I'm interested in your thoughts on:
g Who is the newspaper's audience from your viewpoint?
g Is the content of interest to you? Why or why not?
g How might the content be improved to make it a better newspaper with a wider appeal? Remember that your review must be typed (handwritten reports will not be accepted), double-spaced and free of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. The review is due Monday, Sept. 15.

The tour and class will end at 9 a.m. so that everyone has enough time to get back to campus for the 9:30 class.

For parking at The Signal, enter the main lot that takes you to the building's visitor entrance. Drive under the squared arches and park in the employee lot.

Here's a map of where The Signal is located:

View Larger Map

Tomorrow we tour The Signal

2008-09-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

Remember that tomorrow the class will meet at 8 a.m., Monday, Sept. 8, at The Signal, the daily newspaper in Santa Clarita. Signal Editor Lila Littlejohn will lead you on a tour that will last about an hour. You'll have an opportunity to see the newsroom, our recording studio, the printing press and a chance to ask working professionals about their jobs and how a newspaper operates.

When going through the newsroom, Ms. Littlejohn will have you pick up a copy of The Signal from my desk. Your assignment is to write a two-page review of the newspaper. Look at the newspaper's writing, photos and design. I'm interested in your thoughts on:
g Who is the newspaper's audience from your viewpoint?
g Is the content of interest to you? Why or why not?
g How might the content be improved to make it a better newspaper with a wider appeal? Remember that your review must be typed (handwritten reports will not be accepted), double-spaced and free of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. The review is due Monday, Sept. 15.

The tour and class will end at 9 a.m. so that everyone has enough time to get back to campus for the 9:30 class.

For parking at The Signal, enter the main lot that takes you to the building's visitor entrance. Drive under the squared arches and park in the employee lot.

Here's a map of where The Signal is located:

View Larger Map

No class on Wednesday, Sept. 10

2008-09-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get the city hall tour arranged for this day, and I'm out of town. Watch for the letter E quiz, which will be posted Sept. 11. We'll next meet on Monday, Sept. 15.

Letter D quiz

2008-09-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the Letter D quiz, which is due Monday, Sept. 15. There are 17 errors in the news article. Most of the errors come from the Letter D section of the AP Stylebook. Six of the errors come from the letters A, B and C sections, however.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – College students will lose four years of their income to paying off financial aid loans for their education, a report released Thursday said.
The report, The Real Cost of Attending College, renewed calls for additional monetary assistance to students and raised heckles from others.
Attending college at public schools for four years now costs about 120,000 dollars, the report said. When interest on student loans is added to that amount, the total equals four years of income that students can expect to earn as an adult.
“With the high cost of housing and daycare, many adults who attended college never can afford houses and must delay having children,” said the report, which was written by the Center for Income Monitoring, based in Los Angeles.
CSU-Ventura student body president Boots Monkey, who is seeking a Master’s of Science in economics, said many students don’t realize what strain these large loans will place on their lives. He called for more government aid that students don’t have to pay back.
After reading the data, the report remains unconvincing, said Swiper T. Fox, Chairman of the No Free Lunch Society, a Arizona-based group that opposes government entitlements. “The report doesn’t at all tell how much money Dad actually gives each kid to go to school.”
Fox said he could understand why someone who is wheelchair-bound or otherwise handicapped would need government aid for going to college. “Everyone else ought to get a job and work,” he said.
Though a college grad would lose four years of total income, given Social Security deductions and income taxes, most actually will lose six total years of their personal income to paying off loans, the report said.
CSU-Ventura students can receive free advice about how to plan for their financial future at the Cry on Our Shoulder Counseling Center, located at 456 Tico Boulevard. “We tell students to borrow the very minimum of what they need,” said Dr. Denny T. Bull, who holds a doctorate’s in business and is the center’s Director.

Letter C quiz

2008-09-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here's the Letter C quiz, which is due Monday, Sept. 15. There are 26 errors in the news article. Most of the errors come from the Letter C section of the AP Stylebook. Three of the errors come from the Letter A and the Letter B sections, however.

The president of CSU-Ventura frequently drinks alcohol with underage students from his campus, FM radio station KUTE reported Wednesday.
Four pictures of campus president Guy Smiley holding plastic cups of what appears to a amber-colored beverage while standing next to who appear to be young adults wearing shirts emblazoned with the school’s mascot, the Landslide, appear on KUTE’s Web site. KUTE-FM says that the pictures were taken by CSU-Ventura students who attended recent drinking parties.
The President’s office declined to comment on the pictures. President Smiley is in the state capitol meeting with lawmakers about cut backs in university funding.
“When president Smiley returns from the Capital Building, we expect a full explanation of these pictures,” Faculty Senate chairman Ernie Planck said in a statement. “It is difficult to carry on as an institution with these pictures out there.”
Where the pictures were taken remains unclear. But the walls in the four shots appear to be made of cement blocks – blocks that are painted the same light blue color as those at Bert Residence Hall on 123 Little Bird Dr. at the campus.
Some CSU-Ventura students said they thought the pictures were a hoax. “I can not believe President Smiley actually would drink cheap beer,” Freshman Prairie Dawn Dobbs said. “Red cups like that go for $0.50 at dorm parties, and the beer is the cheapest the guys throwing the party can buy. Not that I would know from actually attending one of these parties, of course.”
Added Sophomore Bert Cummings, “That red cup stuff is like the Chevvy of beers. You’d think the President would drink like a BMW. Besides, do you think he really would help with the clean up?”
Still, many said they believed the pictures were real and found the president’s behavior contemptable. “He’ll have to have a really good explanation to persuade me otherwise,” said Senior Kermit T. Frog. “A big wig like him would think he can get away with drinking with students.”

What you'll need to do for tomorrow's class

2008-09-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Make sure you've read:
g Chapter 7 (NR)
g Letter B (AP)

Make sure you've completed this assignment:
g Letter B quiz

We will discuss the how journalists write stories (which includes thei nverted pyramid and the lede, aka "lead"), discuss the AP Stylebook and go over the letter B quiz.

Tour at The Signal set up for Monday, Sept. 8

2008-08-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

The class will meet at 8 a.m., Monday, Sept. 8, at The Signal, the daily newspaper in Santa Clarita. Signal Editor Lila Littlejohn will lead you on a tour that will last about an hour. You'll have an opportunity to see the newsroom, our recording studio, the printing press and a chance to ask working professionals about their jobs and how a newspaper operates.

When going through the newsroom, Ms. Littlejohn will have you pick up a copy of The Signal from my desk. Your assignment is to write a two-page review of the newspaper. Look at the newspaper's writing, photos and design. I'm interested in your thoughts on:
g Who is the newspaper's audience from your viewpoint?
g Is the content of interest to you? Why or why not?
g How might the content be improved to make it a better newspaper with a wider appeal? Remember that your review must be typed (handwritten reports will not be accepted), double-spaced and free of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. The review is due Monday, Sept. 15.

The tour and class will end at 9 a.m. so that everyone has enough time to get back to campus for the 9:30 class.

For parking at The Signal, enter the main lot that takes you to the building's visitor entrance. Drive under the squared arches and park in the employee lot.

Here's a map of where The Signal is located:

View Larger Map

Letter B quiz

2008-08-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here's the Letter B quiz, which is due Wednesday, Sept. 3. There are 15 errors in the news article. Eleven of the errors come from the Letter B section of the AP Stylebook. Four of the errors come from the Letter A section.

A group of 20-somethings have filed a civil lawsuit against an homeowners association that only allows Baby Boomers to live on its grounds.

“No one should be able to say where a person can live – this is age discrimination,” said Josh Howard, an Sacramento attorney who filed the lawsuit against the Age of Aquarius Homeowners Association, located at 1910 Fruitgum Dr. in Ventura.

The first of the Age of Aquarius’ 12 buyer guidelines – a baker’s dozen of rules – requires that all owners be born between 1945 and 1964.

Age of Aquarius leaders defended the rule at a recent BBQ held for prospective buyers.

“We’re trying to create a paradise here for people who are in the last decades of their lives,” said HOA President Barbara Annison as she munched on a baloney sandwich. “We don’t need to hear these kids’ rap music blaring through our streets.”

The blonde-haired Howard said the rule is akin to not saying Negroes can live there. “Everyone has a right to buy a coke wherever they want. Why shouldn’t we be able to buy a house wherever we like?”

Not all 20-somethings were bothered by the rules. “Who would want to live next to people who were born in, like, 2000 BC, anyway?” said Jessica Geek, a brunet student attending CSU-Ventura. “I mean some of these people were born before the bible was written.

“Besides, the city busses don’t run by the association. What good would living there be for me, who doesn’t have a car? I just don’t see how this effects me.”

What you need to know for Wednesday's class

2008-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Make sure you've read:
g Chapter 1 (NR)
g Letter A (AP)

Make sure you've completed these assignments:
g Letter A quiz
g "Welcome to Journalism 105" handout

We will discuss the journalists' audience (which includes principles and functions of journalists), discuss the AP Stylebook and go over the letter A quiz, and if I can get the right key spend some time learning about QuarkXPress

Welcome to Journalism 105: Beginning News Writing

2008-08-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

This is the official blog site for Journalism 105: Beginning News Writing (Section 62627, Fall 2008). The class meets Mondays and Wednesdays, 8-9:20 a.m. in Room Hasley 234.

My name is Mr. Bignell, and I'm the class instructor. I currently am the news editor at The Signal newspaper and have worked at several other newspapers as an editor and reporter.

You'll need two textbooks for the class: “News Reporting and Writing” (referred to on this blog as NR) and “The Associated Press Stylebook” (referred to as AP)

Course goals
The course has four basic goals. Students will:
g Learn basic styles of journalistic writing and coverage (news, features, sports, editorial, headline, cutline writing)
g Learn basics of news judgment (including media ethics and law)
g Learn basics of interviewing
g Learn basics of how news media functions

Expectations
All student taking this course should know my basic expectations of them:
g Behave in a mature manner – Mature adults, which includes college students, do not talk out of turn, pass notes, sleep, behave rudely or act disruptively during a class. Besides cheating yourself, you would be denying others of their education.
g Arrive on time and be ready to go – Journalists and other writers must meet deadlines daily, sometimes hourly. Therefore, arriving to class on time and being prepared to start at 8 a.m. is required. Tardiness will cost class participation points. Being ready to go also means that you’ve read the assigned materials and completed the assigned work for that class period.
g Attend class – We are covering a lot of information rapidly. Missing class means you miss vital information, putting yourself and your fellow students behind. If you cannot attend class due to illness or emergency, you must contact the instructor immediately. Unexcused absences will result in lost classroom participation points; more than two unexcused absences will result in an F grade. In addition, absences do not excuse students from their reading, assignment or test responsibilities. Quizzes may not be made up, and tests may be made up only in the most urgent of circumstances.
g Participate in class – The most important trait any journalist or writer can possess is curiosity. Journalists and writers who possess this trait constantly interact with news sources and their colleagues. As a student of journalism, you should emulate this behavior by interacting with your instructor and classmates.
g Hold your writing to the highest standards – Your writing is your baby. You wouldn’t give your infant anything but the most love and care you could provide. Similarly, your writing must be free of spelling, punctuation, capitalization and grammatical errors. It should be typed and double spaced. Corrections should not be hand-written. After the third error, I stop grading your paper and return it to you ungraded for a rewrite at a reduced grade.
g Maintain the highest level of ethics – The most important asset of any journalist, writer or publication is its reputation. You will not have a good reputation if you are unethical. Because of this, cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated.n Read a newspaper – You can’t be a writer of something if you don’t read your colleagues’ work. Indeed, the best way for a novice to a profession to learn is to read what those experienced in the profession are doing. You don’t have to read a print edition (though I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to), but if going online, don’t limit yourself to video. Actually read the article.

Grading
You can earn up to 500 points in the class through:
g Quizzes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q-R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z): 100 points total (20% of overall grade); each quiz is worth 4 points
g Reviews (The Signal, “The Paper”) and coverage stories (speech/meeting; crime; obit): 100 points total (20% of overall grade); each review and story is worth 20 points
g Exams (midterm, final): 250 points total (50% of overall grade); each test is worth 125 points
g Class attendance and participation: 50 points total (10% of overall grade)
g Extra credit: Only two types will be accepted: 1. Stories submitted to the Canyon Call newspaper with instructor’s permission; 2. Typographical, grammatical or factual errors found in USA Today and brought to the instructor’s attention (bring clipping; “corrections” that ran do not count)

Syllabus
Here's a day-by-day syllabus of our coursework. Check back for updates.

MONDAY, AUG. 25
Topic: Course overview and introduction to journalism
Handouts: “Journalism 105: Beginning News Writing” (you’re looking at it); “Extra Credit”; “That Geeky Chick”; “College presidents spark debate on drinking age”; “Letter A quiz”; “Welcome to Journalism 105”
Assignment: Read Chapter 1 (NR); read letter A (AP); letter A quiz

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 27
Topics Your audience; introduction to Quark XPress
Handouts: "Clinton salutes Obama as Dems at convention cheer - washingtonpost.com"; Letter B quiz
Due: Letter A quiz; "Welcome to Journalism 105" handout
Assignment: Read Chapter 7 (NR); read letter B (AP); complete Letter B quiz

MONDAY, SEPT. 1: NO CLASS (LABOR DAY)

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 3
Topics: Inverted pyramid; writing ledes
Handouts: Sample 1/Sample 2 (part of in-class exercise); "Harvard reclaims top spot in latest US News list - Yahoo! News"; Letter C quiz; Letter D quiz
Due: Letter B quiz
Assignment: Read letter C (AP)

MONDAY, SEPT. 8
Topics: Tour The Signal (8 a.m.-9 a.m.)
Handouts: Copy of The Signal
Assignment: Read letter D (AP); write a 1-2 page review of The Signal

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9
CLASS WILL NOT MEET TODAY
Assignment: Read letter E (AP); Letter E quiz

MONDAY, SEPT. 15
Topics: Watch “The Paper”
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter C quiz; Letter D quiz; review of The Signal
Assignment: Read Chapter 8 (NR); read letter F (AP)

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 17
Topics: Good writing; finish watching “The Paper”
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter E quiz; Letter F quiz
Assignment: Read letter G (AP); write review of “The Paper”

MONDAY, SEPT. 22
Topics: More good writing
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter G quiz; review of “The Paper”
Assignment: Read Chapter 3 (NR); read letter H (AP)

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24
Topics: Interviewing techniques
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter H quiz
Assignment: Read Chapter 5 (NR); read letter I (AP)

MONDAY, SEPT. 29
Topics: More on interviewing techniques
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter I quiz
Assignment: Read Chapter 4 (NR); read letter J (AP)

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1
Topics: Quotes and attribution
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter J quiz
Assignment: Read letter K (AP)

MONDAY, OCT. 6
Topics: Review of basic journalistic writing
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter K quiz
Assignment: None

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 8
MIDTERM EXAM (Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 in NR; letters A-K in AP)
Handouts: TBA
Assignment: Read Chapter 12 (NR); read letter L (AP)

MONDAY, OCT. 13
Topics: Covering speeches, news conferences and meetings
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter L quiz
Assignment: Read Chapter 13 (NR); read letter M (AP); cover speech or meeting

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 15
Topics: Covering crimes and courts
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter M quiz; news story about speech or meeting
Assignment: Read Chapter 10 (NR); read letter N (AP); write crime story

MONDAY, OCT. 20
Topics: Writing obituaries
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter N quiz; crime news story
Assignment: Read Chapter 6 (NR); read letter O (AP); write obit

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 22
Topics: Reporting with numbers
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter O quiz; obit news story
Assignment: Read Chapter 15 (NR); read letter P (AP)

MONDAY, OCT. 27
Topics: Business news
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter P quiz
Assignment: Read Chapter 16 (NR); read letters Q-R (AP)

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29
Topics: Sports reporting
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter Q-R quiz
Assignment: Read Chapter 14 (NR); read letter S (AP)

MONDAY, NOV. 3
Topics: Covering a beat
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter S quiz
Assignment: Read Chapter 11 (NR); read letter T (AP)

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 5
Topics: News releases
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter T quiz
Assignment: Read Chapter 2 (NR); read letter U (AP)

MONDAY, NOV. 10: NO CLASS (VETERANS DAY)

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 12
Topics: Convergence and the Internet
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter U quiz
Assignment: Read Chapter 20 (NR); read letter V (AP)

MONDAY, NOV. 17
Topics: More about convergence and the Internet
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter V quiz
Assignment: Read Chapter 23 (NR); read letter W (AP)

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 19
Topics: Ethics
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter W quiz
Assignment: Read Chapter 22 (NR); read letter X (AP)

MONDAY, NOV. 24
Topics: Media law
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter X quiz
Assignment: Read “Briefing on Media Law”, pp. 335-352 (AP); read letter Y (AP)

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26
Topics: More about media law
Handouts: TBA
Due: Letter Z quiz
Assignment: Read “Briefing on Media Law”, pp. 352-377 (AP)

MONDAY, DEC. 1
Topics: Editorial writing
Handouts: TBA
Due: TBA
Assignment: TBA

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 3
Topics: Headlines and cutlines
Handouts: TBA
Due: TBA
Assignment: TBA

MONDAY, DEC. 8
Topics: Newspaper design
Handouts: TBA
Due: TBA

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 10
FINAL EXAM (Chapters 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23 in NR; letters L-Z and “Briefing on Media Law” in AP) You MUST take the final exam to pass the class.