Jessica Mitchell
Special Education
Resource English I.
Austin High School
I had a class set of papers delivered yesterday but was not able to get to the activity for the week until today. We compared the front page of Monday's Statesman to several other front pages from around the world. My students loved looking at pages from other countries; and they were particularly intrigued by the idea that a newspaper in Hamburg, Germany would be carrying the same lead story (and picture) as _La Frontera_, a newspaper in McAllen, TX, among others. The story was about the economic situation in the US and Obama's financial advisors. Some of my students couldn't imagine why "our news" matters to the rest of the world. That led to a great "teaching moment" as we discussed why certain countries would cover news from the US and which countries might not focus upon us as much.
As for the front page they liked the best, they chose _The Times_ from Johannesburg, South Africa (Tuesday 11/25/2008; http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=SAF_TT&ref_pge=gal&b_pge=1) for the following reasons:
1. The picture on the front is eye-catching and immediately made the students wonder what the story was about.
2. The headline was simple enough for them to read without effort yet enticing because it obviously applied to the picture of the man that had first caught their attention. The byline and inset also caught my students' attention ("ANC youth leader finally apologises for 'kill for Zuma' comment" and "We'll never incite violence...we are law abiding citizens of this country'").
3. The front page contained just enough writing and stories to make it informative without being intimidating (like _The New York Times_) or uninteresting/sparse (like_Daily Journal_ from Tupelo, MS).
4. They also were drawn to the fact that the banner at the top of the paper contained pictures of people's faces (including an attractive singer) and easy-to-read headlines.
5. An observation I've made while writing this post is that my students overwhelmingly were drawn to front pages with pictures of people of varying ethnicities, rather than those papers with pictures they believe they usually see (politicians in suits or smiling white people like the "uninteresting" picture/headline on the front page of the _Daily Journal_). I mention this because I think my students are, perhaps subconsciously, looking for frontpage news with which they can identify (visually, at least) while simultaneously looking for news that differs from what they think they see all the time in the news (the "boring stuff" they don't think is relevant).
Overall, it seems that the most interesting front pages were the ones with the most color, the largest, most direct headlines, and intriguing pictures. Too many unfamiliar words or acronyms in the headlines deterred the students as did photos that were posed rather than candid shots.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Presidential Election Coverage--Long Overdue!
Jessica Mitchell
Austin High School
Special Education
Basic English I.
Hi folks,
My students and I discussed election coverage on the Monday before the election. I took notes on their responses and am now getting a moment to type them up. I teach Resource English I. at Austin High School, and most of my students are unmotivated and/or disenchanted with school/life. I had to brainstorm ways to modify the assignment for the Election week since most of my students had not been reading or paying attention to election coverage. I knew it was also going to be difficult to get them to read election coverage in the newspaper for ten minutes on Monday morning. So, I started the class period by giving them a survey about election information to complete. Ignore the first few questions, as they were Halloween questions that I knew the students would want to answer (since the 3rd was the first day back since Halloween). We then discussed the answers to the survey, which led to a fairly engaging discussion of election news. I then asked the students to look through the paper for headlines and articles that dealt with the next day's election. In groups, they were to record the headlines of the articles they found. Then, because they love the comic strips, I asked them to count how many comic strips had to do with the election.
If nothing else, this assignment let them see just how much information the paper included regarding the election and hopefully impressed upon them the strong impact this election was having on those around them.
I ended the class by asking students as a class to prepare a letter to the editor of the Statesman regarding the Presidential candidates' views they were most interested in knowing more about. The students didn't know one way or another if these views had been covered in the paper, because, as I said, they hadn't particularly been paying attention to the coverage before the election at all. But, I got some interesting responses about what they most wanted to know about the candidates. I also enjoyed being able to discuss with my students how the President really can have an effect on their lives.
Here's what we came up with as a class:
"We have been looking at Presidential Election coverage, but we haven't seen much in the Monday November 3rd paper that matters to us. We want to see what the candidates think about the things that affect teenagers like us. Some of these topics are the high cost of college and the rising cost of public transportation and food. We want gas prices to stay as they are now and not go up again like they did earlier this year. We also want to hear much more about the candidates' opinions on illegal immigration. We want to know how the candidates plan to offer help for those in need in this country and in Africa. We also want to hear the candidates' views on lowering the legal age for voting, driving, and drinking. We want to know what each candidate would do as president to stop the way some families abuse food stamp usage, while others go hungry. How would they help homeless people who live in ditches and under bridges? What are their plans for improving technology in our country and in our schools? And what about lowering taxes for war veterans?"
We ran out of time to finish our letter, but I was pleased with the fact that most of the students left class with a deeper understanding of the fact that the federal government really does have an impact on their lives.
I will post more soon on the things we have done in the past two weeks. I am also attaching the Election Survey in the comments section.
Austin High School
Special Education
Basic English I.
Hi folks,
My students and I discussed election coverage on the Monday before the election. I took notes on their responses and am now getting a moment to type them up. I teach Resource English I. at Austin High School, and most of my students are unmotivated and/or disenchanted with school/life. I had to brainstorm ways to modify the assignment for the Election week since most of my students had not been reading or paying attention to election coverage. I knew it was also going to be difficult to get them to read election coverage in the newspaper for ten minutes on Monday morning. So, I started the class period by giving them a survey about election information to complete. Ignore the first few questions, as they were Halloween questions that I knew the students would want to answer (since the 3rd was the first day back since Halloween). We then discussed the answers to the survey, which led to a fairly engaging discussion of election news. I then asked the students to look through the paper for headlines and articles that dealt with the next day's election. In groups, they were to record the headlines of the articles they found. Then, because they love the comic strips, I asked them to count how many comic strips had to do with the election.
If nothing else, this assignment let them see just how much information the paper included regarding the election and hopefully impressed upon them the strong impact this election was having on those around them.
I ended the class by asking students as a class to prepare a letter to the editor of the Statesman regarding the Presidential candidates' views they were most interested in knowing more about. The students didn't know one way or another if these views had been covered in the paper, because, as I said, they hadn't particularly been paying attention to the coverage before the election at all. But, I got some interesting responses about what they most wanted to know about the candidates. I also enjoyed being able to discuss with my students how the President really can have an effect on their lives.
Here's what we came up with as a class:
"We have been looking at Presidential Election coverage, but we haven't seen much in the Monday November 3rd paper that matters to us. We want to see what the candidates think about the things that affect teenagers like us. Some of these topics are the high cost of college and the rising cost of public transportation and food. We want gas prices to stay as they are now and not go up again like they did earlier this year. We also want to hear much more about the candidates' opinions on illegal immigration. We want to know how the candidates plan to offer help for those in need in this country and in Africa. We also want to hear the candidates' views on lowering the legal age for voting, driving, and drinking. We want to know what each candidate would do as president to stop the way some families abuse food stamp usage, while others go hungry. How would they help homeless people who live in ditches and under bridges? What are their plans for improving technology in our country and in our schools? And what about lowering taxes for war veterans?"
We ran out of time to finish our letter, but I was pleased with the fact that most of the students left class with a deeper understanding of the fact that the federal government really does have an impact on their lives.
I will post more soon on the things we have done in the past two weeks. I am also attaching the Election Survey in the comments section.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Steven Kreytak’s visit to Aimee Finney's Austin High communications class
I admit I was nervous. I have spoken to college students several times but never to a high school class. It didn’t help that Ms. Finney warned me that her class has its share of cut-ups, including a group of boys at the front table who have a habit of making laugh-type noises at random times.
But the class of about 30 students seemed nice. As I told them that I worked for the Statesman covering courts and have been a reporter for about ten years they appeared engaged. (Well, all of them besides the big guy in the back with his headphones on and the girl in front with her head pressed to the books on top of her desk.)
We discussed the principles of journalism and the students suggested some principles that matched my own. Tell the truth to readers. Be fair. I was pleased with their participation, and their answers.
I asked them to read a story I wrote about two years ago about a woman who lived in “a prison of fear” because of her ex-boyfriend’s stalking. He had been indicted in Travis County on felony wiretapping and burglary charges after he was caught sneaking under her house to change the tape in a listening device he had attached to her phone. The story reported that he struck a plea bargain to plead guilty in exchange for ten years probation.
I asked the students what they thought of the deal. Their responses varied. One thought probation was appropriate, because the ex-boyfriend was never violent. Another thought he should go to prison. They appeared to really be thinking about the case.
This was my favorite type of story, I explained, one in which it is not clear what is justice. This is the type of story the community needs to know about, I told the students. This is the type of story that would not be debated outside the courthouse walls if I did not track it down and put it in the paper. This is what I do as a reporter.
Then I gave them the ending. After my story ran the judge in the case refused to accept the plea bargain and set the case for trial. He was easily convicted and at sentencing two decades of the defendants’ ex girlfriends testified that he had previouslly harassed them too. He had sneaked into one of their homes; he put sugar in another’s gas tanks.
The jury gave him five years in prison.
I had little time to ask the class about their impressions of the paper. One student said he was frustrated that so many movie reviewers gave two or three stars (out of five). He wants to know if a movie is good or bad, not whether it’s mediocre. Another student said she goes straight to the cops and courts stories. I am going to tell my editor about that.
After the bell rang Ms. Finney told me I did great and asked if I had ever thought about teaching. Now that I have made it through a class with 30 high schoolers, anything feels possible.
But the class of about 30 students seemed nice. As I told them that I worked for the Statesman covering courts and have been a reporter for about ten years they appeared engaged. (Well, all of them besides the big guy in the back with his headphones on and the girl in front with her head pressed to the books on top of her desk.)
We discussed the principles of journalism and the students suggested some principles that matched my own. Tell the truth to readers. Be fair. I was pleased with their participation, and their answers.
I asked them to read a story I wrote about two years ago about a woman who lived in “a prison of fear” because of her ex-boyfriend’s stalking. He had been indicted in Travis County on felony wiretapping and burglary charges after he was caught sneaking under her house to change the tape in a listening device he had attached to her phone. The story reported that he struck a plea bargain to plead guilty in exchange for ten years probation.
I asked the students what they thought of the deal. Their responses varied. One thought probation was appropriate, because the ex-boyfriend was never violent. Another thought he should go to prison. They appeared to really be thinking about the case.
This was my favorite type of story, I explained, one in which it is not clear what is justice. This is the type of story the community needs to know about, I told the students. This is the type of story that would not be debated outside the courthouse walls if I did not track it down and put it in the paper. This is what I do as a reporter.
Then I gave them the ending. After my story ran the judge in the case refused to accept the plea bargain and set the case for trial. He was easily convicted and at sentencing two decades of the defendants’ ex girlfriends testified that he had previouslly harassed them too. He had sneaked into one of their homes; he put sugar in another’s gas tanks.
The jury gave him five years in prison.
I had little time to ask the class about their impressions of the paper. One student said he was frustrated that so many movie reviewers gave two or three stars (out of five). He wants to know if a movie is good or bad, not whether it’s mediocre. Another student said she goes straight to the cops and courts stories. I am going to tell my editor about that.
After the bell rang Ms. Finney told me I did great and asked if I had ever thought about teaching. Now that I have made it through a class with 30 high schoolers, anything feels possible.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Joshunda Sanders' Mills Elementary Visit to Suzanna Ammenheuser's class
I had the good fortune this morning of addressing the very astute and intelligent 3rd graders in Suzanna Ammenheuser's class at Mills Elementary School. They had prepared questions for me on index cards, and I'd prepared my notes on an index card, so we already had one thing in common aside from an interest in newspapers.
When I arrived, I spoke with the students about the purpose and principles of newspaper journalists. I told them that our main goal is to inform our fellow citizens while remaining accurate, timely and objective. I provided context about this from the perspective of a crime reporter who contributes both to the web and print iterations of the Statesman.
They were curious about how I became a reporter, what the job was like, the differences between a hard news story and a feature and about how much money I make (all very good questions! I should've asked those when I was still new to the biz). The students said they love reading the comics, and the sports section. They called the advertisements "boring" and said they disliked negative stories.
They were particularly affected by the recent story of a mother who abused her children in public. I was moved by their compassion and thoughtfulness related to this story. Like some adults who read it, the third graders wondered why no one had done anything when Ms. Gallardo threw her little one against a car. It was difficult to remain unbiased about that answer, but they picked up on the difficulty of being unbiased and objective when writing about difficult topics.
They seemed interested in the kinds of stories I like to write, and I mentioned to them that I enjoy writing profiles, like this one about an 109-year-old black woman whose father was a slave. She mailed in her ballot for President-Elect Barack Obama after witnessing decades of discrimination. One student asked a particularly thoughtful question about whether I ever "make things up in order to make my stories more interesting," to which I replied that a reporter's worth is in part determined by his or her credibility, so it's important not to damage one's reputation by fudging the truth.
I enjoyed hearing from young Statesman readers. They were very engaged and intelligent.
I have to admit I did feel a little ancient when they informed me that they were mostly born in 2000 - the year I started my career in newspaper reporting. It was great to see them scribbling on their index cards while I spoke and they had no shortage of questions. Should they choose a career in newspapers, that inquisitiveness and penchant for note-taking will serve them well.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Kate Weidaw's visit to Ojeda Middle School
Over the years I've given many talks to students, but never have I received such a warm welcome as I did from Ms. Rocha's 6th grade class at Ojeda in Del Valle. As I waited in the office I noticed out of the corner of my eye a group of students walking down the hall with a giant handmade poster saying "KXAN welcome to Ojeda". And that was just the beginning of this wonderful experience.
Once inside the classroom I gave the students a short synopsis of what it's like to be a TV reporter and showed a few slides from my station as well as a resume tape so they could see what you need to make in order to get a job. Knowing the students had taken time in their newspaper groups to come up with questions, I opened it up to them. I found these 6th graders had very intelligent and insightful things on their mind when it came to journalism. So many times the one question I get is, "So who does your hair and make-up?". Not one person asked that which lead me to believe they are truly interested in what it takes to be a journalist and not just someone on television.
I think all of Ms. Rocha's students have a bright future as journalists and I hope they take me up on my offer to come visit KXAN one day.
Once inside the classroom I gave the students a short synopsis of what it's like to be a TV reporter and showed a few slides from my station as well as a resume tape so they could see what you need to make in order to get a job. Knowing the students had taken time in their newspaper groups to come up with questions, I opened it up to them. I found these 6th graders had very intelligent and insightful things on their mind when it came to journalism. So many times the one question I get is, "So who does your hair and make-up?". Not one person asked that which lead me to believe they are truly interested in what it takes to be a journalist and not just someone on television.
I think all of Ms. Rocha's students have a bright future as journalists and I hope they take me up on my offer to come visit KXAN one day.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Presidential Election Coverage
We are a little behind in our discussions, but today (Friday 11/14) we talked about the current newspaper coverage on the aftermath of the election. We readthrough the paper looking for articles that discussed Obama, McCain, or activities that were occurring as a result of the election.
The article that most intrigued my 3rd graders was the article titled "Suddenly, Obama's everywhere - on T-shirts, mugs, buttons" on page A4. We discussed the importance of the articles and several interesting opinions emerged:
- because he is the first black President
- because he is one of our youngest presidents
- because the Republicans have held the office for 8 years and now there is a change
- because his supporters are so excited that he won
- because he has promised hope and change
I was surprised and impressed with their strong statements and explanations for why people are buying up items with Obama's image on them.
I also pulled up Ben Sargent's cartoon from Nov. 5th from the Statesman's website to talk about political cartoons. We discussed what a political cartoon was and how it was different than a comic. The students looked at the cartoon and we talked about what it meant. They quickly saw the images in the cartoon and recognized the storm aftermath, Uncle Sam, the storm cellar, and they saw that the rising sun was "Hope and Change".
Again, I was impressed by how well they are making connections and learning about how the newspaper can communicate and share information with the public.
We are not following all of the lessons exactly, but we are learning about the importance of news and newspapers during our reading and discussions.
The article that most intrigued my 3rd graders was the article titled "Suddenly, Obama's everywhere - on T-shirts, mugs, buttons" on page A4. We discussed the importance of the articles and several interesting opinions emerged:
- because he is the first black President
- because he is one of our youngest presidents
- because the Republicans have held the office for 8 years and now there is a change
- because his supporters are so excited that he won
- because he has promised hope and change
I was surprised and impressed with their strong statements and explanations for why people are buying up items with Obama's image on them.
I also pulled up Ben Sargent's cartoon from Nov. 5th from the Statesman's website to talk about political cartoons. We discussed what a political cartoon was and how it was different than a comic. The students looked at the cartoon and we talked about what it meant. They quickly saw the images in the cartoon and recognized the storm aftermath, Uncle Sam, the storm cellar, and they saw that the rising sun was "Hope and Change".
Again, I was impressed by how well they are making connections and learning about how the newspaper can communicate and share information with the public.
We are not following all of the lessons exactly, but we are learning about the importance of news and newspapers during our reading and discussions.
Austin High Election Coverage
Austin High Students find coverage strong, but a few weaknesses. One of the more interesting comments made by more than one of my students is that the coverage did not really explain how the results of the election would affect the Austin and surrounding areas. We only read the paper once a week, but they wanted more "home town impact." One of the recommendations from the students is to offer an explanation for the editorial cartoons. Several of the kids said that they thought the cartoons were sometimes funny, they were unsure why they were funny. What an interesting idea, offer an explanation of the cartoons so that everyone would be able to enjoy them. On that note, the students are often asked to read and analyze editorial cartoons as a way to get ready for the TAKS test. I think the kids would appreciate being able to understand the cartoons.
LBJ High School with Mr. Cedric Golden
Mr. Cedric Golden, spotswriter for the Austin American Statesman visited my AP English III class on Tuesday the 11th. We all want to thank him for coming to talk with us. He was engaging and my kids loved him. Rather than try to find a strong article written by only one of my kids, I am going to post direct quotes from their responses to his visit.
I will also say that out of 22 kids in attendance that day, I received nothing but positive comments. The only one that I can possibly see as a negative is the one from the young lady who wanted to know why he only spoke about sports. I hope I cleared that up for her.
He is welcome in my class whenever he wants to come by. The quotes from my students follow.
"The hardest part of his job was writing the first few sentences."
"He gave us tips on what to expect working in the real world."
"What I remember most is that even though he has met lots of people, he still has some more he wants to meet."
"He seems like he has great advice for young writers."
"If LBJ beats Lake Travis, he said he would be up here on Monday morning to talk to the team."
"I like how he said writing can take a reader to new places."
"The two people he most wants to meet are Charle Barkley and Muhammed Ali."
"He seemed like he really enjoyed his job."
"He started his career when he was 11 or 12 years old on a school newspaper."
"I honestly can say I will start reading the newspaper more."
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Visit to Ann Richards School
This morning I had the pleasure of visiting the yearbook class at Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders.
I talked to the girls about my job as a reporter at the Statesman, explaining the watchdog role of reporters who cover the Texas Capitol and the use of multimedia by newspapers. I also explained how an idea becomes a story and shared with them a recent series of articles I wrote in India about medical tourism (Statesman.com/medicaltourism).
The girls were bright and engaged students who were great listeners and had some good questions for me. They asked me if I've ever been scared before an interview (yes!), how I decide what the beginning of my stories will say and when I knew I wanted to become a journalist.
Then, it was my turn to ask the girls questions. They told me about their work on the yearbook. This is their school's second year of existence and the first year to have a yearbook class. One of them just finished an article about the significance of best friends. As for news habits, one girl said she doesn't tune into the news because it's often sad and depressing.
Thank you to teacher Vilma Cajigas and to the girls of the yearbook class! Here is a picture from my visit. I'm in the back center and Ms. Cajigas is on the right.
- Corrie MacLaggan, reporter, Austin American-Statesman
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Austin-American Statesman Tour -Oct. 2008 - John Kelso
After the tour of the Austin-American Statesman, we met several reporters. We had the pleasure of meeting John Kelso (John Kelso's column is printed on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays). He was telling our group about his story in his column of "Lipstick on a Pig".
(More pictures will be posted by the end of the week of the tour.)
Week 4: Nov. 3, 2008 -Time to Evaluate 2008 Presidential Election News Coverage
Ojeda Middle School - 6th grade Reading (Pre-AP)
Students discussed in their groups the most important issues discussed in this election:
- The Iraq War
- Gas prices
- The Economy
All 5 groups recommended that when covering future Presidential elections, the newspaper should include students in a mock election (per school), results being posted in the newspaper so students see that their input is valued. Also, negative comments should not be printed. Presidential election coverage should be to the point and not about who did what or how they voted in the past, but rather what are they going to do different from the present President of the United States. Elections are complicated enough. Students want coverage that sticks to the point.
Students found "Now It's Time to Choose" Section A-1 interesting because it featured pictures of both candidates with a few details mentioned. Students also found "Obama's Grandmother Dies in Hawaii" - Section A-3 interesting. The comments made in several of the groups were of how Obama would be able to focus on the campaign when going through such pain. Sympathy was shown even by nonsupporters of Obama.
The groups came to a consensus about issues being discussed at home that were not discussed much in the presidential elections. (Students were asked to watch presidential debates in order to discuss this.)
Issues being discussed at home:
- Education--funding/scholarships for college, public school funding
- Immigration
- Health insurance for everyone (that made sense to students)
Some students recommended getting students to be "reporter of the week" and cover presidential elections at the campus level and printing their story in the newspaper.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Week 3: October 27, 2008: The Many Faces of a News Story.
Ojeda Middle School/ 6th grade Reading (Pre-AP)
If students were the editor of the newspaper and had to decide which story would be the featured story or column, they would select
If students were the editor of the newspaper and had to decide which story would be the featured story or column, they would select
- "Man Charged in Death at Club" by Laura Heinauer (Section B- Metro&State page 1) or
- "Ugly But Effective: Defense Puts Cowboys Back on Winning Track" by Jaime Aron (Section C -Sports page 1)
Criteria they used to select these stories:
- Stories were about topics familiar to them (first one is about a place that a lot of my students know about because it is in their neck of the woods/second one--many are Cowboy fans)
- Wording of bylines ("death" and "winning track")
- Second article --picture caught reader's attention
When discussing news story vs. feature story vs. editorial vs. column, I requested that the groups find examples of each in the newspaper and then we discussed how each one was written and which was more interesting. Students gravited toward the feature story rather than the news story because there wasn't too many facts to remember in the feature story examples and they were more interesting to read. The editorial and columns were not as interesting because the issues being discussed were not familiar to the students. The discussions I heard among the 5 groups were engaging and ran rather smoothly. Each group had a scribe, a time keeper, a spokesperson, a reader and an editor that paraphrased or summarized the groups comments into 10-15 words.
Week 1 / Week 2 Free Reading Choices/Engaging Stories
I apologize for the lateness of my postings...been dealing with dear ones passing away, children sick, etc. They say they come in threes! The first week I had some difficulty in getting my newspapers, but Debra Debra Waugh Joiner (Newspapers in Education Manager Austin American-Statesman) quickly made sure that my newspapers arrived by that Friday.
Ojeda Middle School/ 6th grade Reading Pre-AP
Week 1 / Week 2 Activities - October 16, 2008 newspaper edition (completed on Friday, Oct. 17th):
When students were given time to free read, most students read the comics or the horoscopes. Mostly boys read the comics. When they discussed in their groups why they made these selections, they responded that they chose comics/horoscopes to read because it wasn't related to school and it made them laugh.
When asked to read an engaging story...4 out of the 5 groups read "In Final Debate, Attacks Overshadow Issues" and "McCain Keeps Obama on Defensive, But Will That Be Enough to Win the Race?" (found on the front page of the first section of newspaper).
The 5 groups discussed what would be the lead story and came up with the following criteria for choosing a lead story:
*Title is the biggest print on the front page of section
*Issue being written about is something readers need to know about immediately
*Lead story has a picture or graphic organizer.
The lead stories were the same as the engaging stories read.
Ojeda Middle School/ 6th grade Reading Pre-AP
Week 1 / Week 2 Activities - October 16, 2008 newspaper edition (completed on Friday, Oct. 17th):
When students were given time to free read, most students read the comics or the horoscopes. Mostly boys read the comics. When they discussed in their groups why they made these selections, they responded that they chose comics/horoscopes to read because it wasn't related to school and it made them laugh.
When asked to read an engaging story...4 out of the 5 groups read "In Final Debate, Attacks Overshadow Issues" and "McCain Keeps Obama on Defensive, But Will That Be Enough to Win the Race?" (found on the front page of the first section of newspaper).
The 5 groups discussed what would be the lead story and came up with the following criteria for choosing a lead story:
*Title is the biggest print on the front page of section
*Issue being written about is something readers need to know about immediately
*Lead story has a picture or graphic organizer.
The lead stories were the same as the engaging stories read.
Paula Poindexter on Historic Election and Upcoming Visits to mynews@school classrooms
The 2008 Presidential Election is now in the history books. The election of the first African-American President was a major reason this election made history but it wasn’t the only reason. The 2008 Presidential election also was historic because it was the most expensive ever and for the first time since the implementation of a public financing system after Watergate, a Presidential candidate bypassed public funds and spent $650 million to his opponent’s $85 million publicly financed dollars.
This campaign may also go down in history for its use of the Internet to the max, from mega-fundraising to e-mail and text messaging and Facebook and MySpace and YouTube and Twitter. The roller coaster ride that the big issues took may also be historic, with dramatic shifts from the Iraq War to energy to the meltdown of the economy, which may have been the real October surprise. Finally, this election may go down in history as not only the most exciting but also the one that re-connected young people with this most important civic responsibility.
I hope you had great Presidential Election discussions in your classroom. A special thank you to Paul Rials at LBJ, Mark Webber at Austin Jewish Academy, and Vilma Cajigas at Ann Richards School for posting their classroom discussions on Presidential Election news coverage. For those of you who haven’t posted at all or only once, please commit to posting during the remaining few weeks of the program. Communicating what’s happening in your classroom with the newspaper is a very important component of the mynews@school program. If you’re still having trouble posting, please send me an e-mail and I’ll post for you. Or from now through December, assign one of your groups the responsibility of posting or sending me an e-mail, which I will then post to the blog.
If you take a look at the weekly activities distributed during the kick-off, you’ll see that now is the time for a Statesman reporter or former journalist, now turned UT Journalism Professor or Ph.D. student, to visit your class. Last week, journalists and journalism professors/Ph.D. students met at the Statesman to discuss visiting your classrooms. The assignment sheet for classroom visits was e-mailed this morning and the activities for the Week of November 10 are below.
I have also asked the journalists and journalism professors/Ph.D. students to blog about their visits to your classrooms. But we also want your students to become Citizen Journalists for a day and blog about the visits, which brings us to another journalism fundamental: Be prepared. Just as Scouts must be prepared so must journalists so they can fully and accurately report a story. That’s why I asked Statesman reporter and blogger Corrie MacLaggan, whom you met at the kick-off to, give us some pointers on being prepared when covering a press conference or interviewing a newsmaker. Some of Corrie’s tips will help your students prepare for their guests so they can cover the visit as a Citizen Journalist, then post it at http://mynewsatschool.blogspot.com/. It would also be terrific if your students would take a photo of their guest journalist and post it with their citizen journalism story. Jacie has posted instructions on how to upload a photograph on the blog.
Finally, please don’t forget that you and your students are invited to hear Michele Norris, NPR host of “All Things Considered,” November 20, 7 p.m., AT&T Center Ballroom, 1900 University Avenue. The program is part of the Mary Alice Davis Distinguished Lecture in Journalism and presented by the School of Journalism and College of Communication.
This campaign may also go down in history for its use of the Internet to the max, from mega-fundraising to e-mail and text messaging and Facebook and MySpace and YouTube and Twitter. The roller coaster ride that the big issues took may also be historic, with dramatic shifts from the Iraq War to energy to the meltdown of the economy, which may have been the real October surprise. Finally, this election may go down in history as not only the most exciting but also the one that re-connected young people with this most important civic responsibility.
I hope you had great Presidential Election discussions in your classroom. A special thank you to Paul Rials at LBJ, Mark Webber at Austin Jewish Academy, and Vilma Cajigas at Ann Richards School for posting their classroom discussions on Presidential Election news coverage. For those of you who haven’t posted at all or only once, please commit to posting during the remaining few weeks of the program. Communicating what’s happening in your classroom with the newspaper is a very important component of the mynews@school program. If you’re still having trouble posting, please send me an e-mail and I’ll post for you. Or from now through December, assign one of your groups the responsibility of posting or sending me an e-mail, which I will then post to the blog.
If you take a look at the weekly activities distributed during the kick-off, you’ll see that now is the time for a Statesman reporter or former journalist, now turned UT Journalism Professor or Ph.D. student, to visit your class. Last week, journalists and journalism professors/Ph.D. students met at the Statesman to discuss visiting your classrooms. The assignment sheet for classroom visits was e-mailed this morning and the activities for the Week of November 10 are below.
I have also asked the journalists and journalism professors/Ph.D. students to blog about their visits to your classrooms. But we also want your students to become Citizen Journalists for a day and blog about the visits, which brings us to another journalism fundamental: Be prepared. Just as Scouts must be prepared so must journalists so they can fully and accurately report a story. That’s why I asked Statesman reporter and blogger Corrie MacLaggan, whom you met at the kick-off to, give us some pointers on being prepared when covering a press conference or interviewing a newsmaker. Some of Corrie’s tips will help your students prepare for their guests so they can cover the visit as a Citizen Journalist, then post it at http://mynewsatschool.blogspot.com/. It would also be terrific if your students would take a photo of their guest journalist and post it with their citizen journalism story. Jacie has posted instructions on how to upload a photograph on the blog.
Finally, please don’t forget that you and your students are invited to hear Michele Norris, NPR host of “All Things Considered,” November 20, 7 p.m., AT&T Center Ballroom, 1900 University Avenue. The program is part of the Mary Alice Davis Distinguished Lecture in Journalism and presented by the School of Journalism and College of Communication.
Q and A with Statesman Reporter Corrie MacLaggan on her reporting methods
Corrie MacLaggan is Health and Human Services Reporter at the Austin American-Statesman. As part of her reporting, Corrie conducts interviews with newsmakers and covers press conferences. When the Legislature is in session, Corrie writes a blog. mynews@school asked Corrie how she prepares for interviews and press conferences. mynews@school also asked how she gets her story ideas, the guidelines she uses for writing questions and using verbatim quotes. Finally, mynews@school asked about blogging vs. writing for the print edition of the newspaper.
Q: On TV, we sometimes see reporters asking questions at press conferences or interviewing newsmakers. Can you describe how press conferences and interviews are part of your work as a reporter?
A: Sometimes, press conferences are called in advance about a certain topic and we have time to prepare questions. Other times, a public official or state agency (such as the Office of Attorney General) will call a press conference but will not tell the media what the topic is. That makes it difficult to prepare questions, but I just ask the questions that pop into my head when I hear the news. Sometimes, press conferences will occur as news is developing. For example, when Hurricane Rita was heading towardTexas in 2005, I was assigned to spend a lot of time at the state emergency operations center in Austin. The governor and state emergency officials would hold press conferences to update the media on where the hurricane was and how they were preparing. In general, if you want to get your question answered at a press conference, you can’t be shy. You have to call out “Governor!” or “Senator!” and ask your question loudly, or you may miss the opportunity.
Q: Which format—press conference or interview—is best for generating news that you can write about? Why?
A: I don’t think the format makes a difference about whether I can write about it. If it’s important news, that will come across in either a press conference or an interview. Naturally, I prefer an interview — especially if it’s one-on-one — so that I get ample time to ask all my questions rather than having to jostle with other reporters to get my questions answered. But sometimes, officials like to speak to all the reporters at once.
Q: What are some of the other ways that you get news or ideas for reporting a story?
A: Talking to people: friends, neighbors, relatives, the guy bagging my groceries, the woman cutting my hair, the college student sitting next to me on the airplane.
Q: What research do you do in advance of covering a press conference or interviewing a newsmaker and how important is it to do advance research?
A: It’s important to do research but, as I mentioned above, it’s not always possible.
Q: Do you write your questions in advance for press conferences and interviews? Why or why not?
A: Yes, when possible. It’s good to have something to start with, though frequently other questions will come to mind during the press conference or interview.
Q: What guidelines, if any, do you use for writing questions for newsmakers?
A: Like others who cover state government, I always want to know things like: How many people does this affect? How much money does this cost?
Q: How important are verbatim quotes to your story and how do you determine which quotes to use in your story?
A: Very important. The best quotes convey emotion or colorful details or the person’s character rather than just facts. For example, there’s no need to use a quote from the mayor saying that a proposed city project will cost$50,000. You can include that information in the story — and attribute it to the mayor — without using a direct quote. But if the mayor says something like: “This is the most important project we’ve ever attempted in Austin,” that may be worth putting in the story. Even more important than what the quote says is the fact that you know it’s 100% accurate. If you aren’t absolutely sure the person used those exact words, you shouldn’t put those words between quotes.
Q: As a reporter, you also blog. What do you blog about and why do you blog? How is blogging different from writing a story for thenewspaper?
A: I blog along with the Statesman’s other state government and politics reporters at Statesman.com/postcards. Blog posts are usually shorter andwritten in a less formal style than newspaper stories. Our blog is especially important when the Legislature is in session. The newspaper comes out just once a day, but the blog can be updated all day long, so it’s a great tool to use when news is happening quickly, as it does duringthe legislative session. A hearing I covered last session lasted until around 2 a.m. By then, my last deadline had already passed for the print edition of the newspaper. But I could still update blog readers on what had happened at the end of the meeting. Also, blogs — and online stories —give readers the opportunity to give instant feedback by posting comments.
Q: On TV, we sometimes see reporters asking questions at press conferences or interviewing newsmakers. Can you describe how press conferences and interviews are part of your work as a reporter?
A: Sometimes, press conferences are called in advance about a certain topic and we have time to prepare questions. Other times, a public official or state agency (such as the Office of Attorney General) will call a press conference but will not tell the media what the topic is. That makes it difficult to prepare questions, but I just ask the questions that pop into my head when I hear the news. Sometimes, press conferences will occur as news is developing. For example, when Hurricane Rita was heading towardTexas in 2005, I was assigned to spend a lot of time at the state emergency operations center in Austin. The governor and state emergency officials would hold press conferences to update the media on where the hurricane was and how they were preparing. In general, if you want to get your question answered at a press conference, you can’t be shy. You have to call out “Governor!” or “Senator!” and ask your question loudly, or you may miss the opportunity.
Q: Which format—press conference or interview—is best for generating news that you can write about? Why?
A: I don’t think the format makes a difference about whether I can write about it. If it’s important news, that will come across in either a press conference or an interview. Naturally, I prefer an interview — especially if it’s one-on-one — so that I get ample time to ask all my questions rather than having to jostle with other reporters to get my questions answered. But sometimes, officials like to speak to all the reporters at once.
Q: What are some of the other ways that you get news or ideas for reporting a story?
A: Talking to people: friends, neighbors, relatives, the guy bagging my groceries, the woman cutting my hair, the college student sitting next to me on the airplane.
Q: What research do you do in advance of covering a press conference or interviewing a newsmaker and how important is it to do advance research?
A: It’s important to do research but, as I mentioned above, it’s not always possible.
Q: Do you write your questions in advance for press conferences and interviews? Why or why not?
A: Yes, when possible. It’s good to have something to start with, though frequently other questions will come to mind during the press conference or interview.
Q: What guidelines, if any, do you use for writing questions for newsmakers?
A: Like others who cover state government, I always want to know things like: How many people does this affect? How much money does this cost?
Q: How important are verbatim quotes to your story and how do you determine which quotes to use in your story?
A: Very important. The best quotes convey emotion or colorful details or the person’s character rather than just facts. For example, there’s no need to use a quote from the mayor saying that a proposed city project will cost$50,000. You can include that information in the story — and attribute it to the mayor — without using a direct quote. But if the mayor says something like: “This is the most important project we’ve ever attempted in Austin,” that may be worth putting in the story. Even more important than what the quote says is the fact that you know it’s 100% accurate. If you aren’t absolutely sure the person used those exact words, you shouldn’t put those words between quotes.
Q: As a reporter, you also blog. What do you blog about and why do you blog? How is blogging different from writing a story for thenewspaper?
A: I blog along with the Statesman’s other state government and politics reporters at Statesman.com/postcards. Blog posts are usually shorter andwritten in a less formal style than newspaper stories. Our blog is especially important when the Legislature is in session. The newspaper comes out just once a day, but the blog can be updated all day long, so it’s a great tool to use when news is happening quickly, as it does duringthe legislative session. A hearing I covered last session lasted until around 2 a.m. By then, my last deadline had already passed for the print edition of the newspaper. But I could still update blog readers on what had happened at the end of the meeting. Also, blogs — and online stories —give readers the opportunity to give instant feedback by posting comments.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Adding an image when you post
Here's the powerpoint file of using blogger.com again. If you take a look at slide #10, it shows you the screenshot of how to add an image. Please click here for a bigger view.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
ARS Week of Nov. 3: Media Critic of Presidential Election Coverage
Monday, November 3rd Newspaper
Students felt that there wasn’t enough election coverage, and that the republicans did not receive equal time. Students wanted to know more about Obama's and McCain's experience, and some students wanted to see more election stats.
Students felt that there wasn’t enough election coverage, and that the republicans did not receive equal time. Students wanted to know more about Obama's and McCain's experience, and some students wanted to see more election stats.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
LBJ Election Day
I replied to a couple of previous posts, but I guess I can toe the line and create the new post. My kids (11th grade) are really caught up in the election. Some fairly discerning reading, and some not-so-much. Several of my kids thought that there should have been more newspaper coverage devoted to voting irregularities and how they will be addressed. They discussed the 2000 election (which they have read about) and how they would like to see those issues mentioned. They hope there will not be a repeat of that drama. Others actually surprised me with the reasonable responses they gave for their choice for president. While the lines are very clearly drawn, the emotional aspects are not preventing the majority of my students from forming intelligent decisions based on their knowledge of the candidates. None of them are old enough to vote, but they all assure me that voter turnout will be huge in Austin. I did have one student say that the death of Barack Obama's grandmother was the most depressing thing he had read in awhile. The overall feeling for most of them is that change is coming. They are very excited and hope that the election is actually decided by the time they wake up tomorrow.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Mark Webber's Austin Jewish Academy Fifth Grade Class---Paula-although we are not strictly following the guidelines for time allowed in group/class discussions-My Fifth grade had some very lively classroom discussions regarding the issues in the campaign, methods used to put out the issues to the public, and their general vies regarding which media is most effective.
Now remember that I have 18 students, mostly white, mostly from affluent Jewish homes.
Their take is that the economy is definitely the number one issue, followed closely by health care and the War in Iraq.
Naturally a very strong Pro-Israeli sentiment prevails and the safety of Israel was raised after some in the class noted the story on the front page of the paper today-“Two friends-two views of Zionism”.
Other issues raised included racism in the campaign, the environment, and the War in Afghanistan.
They said that they had learned about the issues from classroom discussions, on-line sources, and many cited specifically CNN-more generally TV news.
Sad to say most did not see the newspaper as a main or primary source-and I was stunned-because we usually use the paper in some way most days in class.
And for the most part they agreed that the front page of the paper-World and Nation-should have had more stories on the election and the campaign than stories focused on state or local events-
Interesting since when we as teachers got to meet with the editor-he mentioned that newspapers were a dying breed and that one way they were trying to maintain readers was to bring a spot light to local events. Oh well-
Mark Webber
Now remember that I have 18 students, mostly white, mostly from affluent Jewish homes.
Their take is that the economy is definitely the number one issue, followed closely by health care and the War in Iraq.
Naturally a very strong Pro-Israeli sentiment prevails and the safety of Israel was raised after some in the class noted the story on the front page of the paper today-“Two friends-two views of Zionism”.
Other issues raised included racism in the campaign, the environment, and the War in Afghanistan.
They said that they had learned about the issues from classroom discussions, on-line sources, and many cited specifically CNN-more generally TV news.
Sad to say most did not see the newspaper as a main or primary source-and I was stunned-because we usually use the paper in some way most days in class.
And for the most part they agreed that the front page of the paper-World and Nation-should have had more stories on the election and the campaign than stories focused on state or local events-
Interesting since when we as teachers got to meet with the editor-he mentioned that newspapers were a dying breed and that one way they were trying to maintain readers was to bring a spot light to local events. Oh well-
Mark Webber
Paula Poindexter says now is the time to evaluate Presidential Election News Coverage
Dear Teachers:
After every Presidential Election, many of us who teach Journalism, become media critics, dissecting the news coverage to determine how well Journalism has lived up to its purpose and principles and how well the public has been served. This week your students will have an opportunity to become media critics and evaluate how well the press did its job. One dimension of that critical analysis is directly related to coverage of the issues. In addition to the general activities for this week of November 3, I have listed some specific ideas about coverage of the most important issues to jumpstart the discussion on press coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election.
I also want to remind you that toward the end of this week, you’ll receive an e-mail from a Statesman reporter or UT Journalism professor who will visit your class next week to talk to your students about the purpose and principles of journalism. Please plan to arrange a time that is convenient for you and if possible on the day that your newspapers are delivered.
Don’t forget to post at http://mynewsatschool.blogspot.com/.
Have a great Presidential Election week!
Paula Poindexter
mynews@school
UT School of Journalism
Additional Ideas for Group and Class Discussions: Evaluating News Coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election
Over the course of the 2008 Presidential Election, the most important issues have changed. What have been some of the important issues during this Presidential Election?
The issues reported on the front page of the newspaper, as the lead story on the network evening news or in the most recent public opinion poll are not necessarily the most important issues being discussed around the kitchen table or among friends and neighbors.
Take an informal poll of your friends, schoolmates, teachers, coaches, and family to find out what they personally consider the most important issues in the 2008 Presidential Election. (Although your informal poll will differ from a scientific poll reported in the newspaper, it still will provide some insight into public opinion among those around you.) Other questions you might ask in your informal poll are: What is your primary news source and what grade would you give the news source for its coverage of the issue most important personally? What is the primary reason for the grade?
Discuss the findings from your poll with your group. As a group, evaluate news coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election. Compare your group evaluations with the new Project for Excellence in Journalism study on 2008 Presidential Election news coverage, which can be found at: http://journalism.org/node/13307.
What recommendations does your group have for covering future Presidential elections? What specific recommendations does your group have for including young people in the news coverage? Have a student-led class discussion on 2008 Presidential Election news coverage and recommendations for improvement. Include your top recommendations in a mynews@school blog post to the editor.
Week of November 3, 2008: Media Critic of Presidential Election Coverage.
1. Distribute newspapers with each student receiving a newspaper.
2. Discuss coverage of the Presidential Election—from news to opinion to charts to multimedia.
3. Students have 10 minutes of free reading on presidential election coverage.
4. For 5 minutes, students discuss presidential election stories that they found important and the reasons why.
5. For 5 minutes, students discuss aspects of the presidential election that are of interest to you and your family but are not being covered. Also discuss coverage that can be improved.
6. Write a comment for the editor.
7. Post comment to the mynews@school blog.
After every Presidential Election, many of us who teach Journalism, become media critics, dissecting the news coverage to determine how well Journalism has lived up to its purpose and principles and how well the public has been served. This week your students will have an opportunity to become media critics and evaluate how well the press did its job. One dimension of that critical analysis is directly related to coverage of the issues. In addition to the general activities for this week of November 3, I have listed some specific ideas about coverage of the most important issues to jumpstart the discussion on press coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election.
I also want to remind you that toward the end of this week, you’ll receive an e-mail from a Statesman reporter or UT Journalism professor who will visit your class next week to talk to your students about the purpose and principles of journalism. Please plan to arrange a time that is convenient for you and if possible on the day that your newspapers are delivered.
Don’t forget to post at http://mynewsatschool.blogspot.com/.
Have a great Presidential Election week!
Paula Poindexter
mynews@school
UT School of Journalism
Additional Ideas for Group and Class Discussions: Evaluating News Coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election
Over the course of the 2008 Presidential Election, the most important issues have changed. What have been some of the important issues during this Presidential Election?
The issues reported on the front page of the newspaper, as the lead story on the network evening news or in the most recent public opinion poll are not necessarily the most important issues being discussed around the kitchen table or among friends and neighbors.
Take an informal poll of your friends, schoolmates, teachers, coaches, and family to find out what they personally consider the most important issues in the 2008 Presidential Election. (Although your informal poll will differ from a scientific poll reported in the newspaper, it still will provide some insight into public opinion among those around you.) Other questions you might ask in your informal poll are: What is your primary news source and what grade would you give the news source for its coverage of the issue most important personally? What is the primary reason for the grade?
Discuss the findings from your poll with your group. As a group, evaluate news coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election. Compare your group evaluations with the new Project for Excellence in Journalism study on 2008 Presidential Election news coverage, which can be found at: http://journalism.org/node/13307.
What recommendations does your group have for covering future Presidential elections? What specific recommendations does your group have for including young people in the news coverage? Have a student-led class discussion on 2008 Presidential Election news coverage and recommendations for improvement. Include your top recommendations in a mynews@school blog post to the editor.
Week of November 3, 2008: Media Critic of Presidential Election Coverage.
1. Distribute newspapers with each student receiving a newspaper.
2. Discuss coverage of the Presidential Election—from news to opinion to charts to multimedia.
3. Students have 10 minutes of free reading on presidential election coverage.
4. For 5 minutes, students discuss presidential election stories that they found important and the reasons why.
5. For 5 minutes, students discuss aspects of the presidential election that are of interest to you and your family but are not being covered. Also discuss coverage that can be improved.
6. Write a comment for the editor.
7. Post comment to the mynews@school blog.
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