This document provides an overview of Professor Eric Luther's COMM 104 News Reporting and Writing course. It introduces Professor Luther and his background. It outlines the course topics, structure, assignments, grading criteria, textbooks, and policies regarding attendance, late work, and use of the course Blackboard site. The course focuses on teaching news reporting and writing skills for print and multimedia journalism. Key assignments include weekly writing pieces, online discussion, style quizzes and a final exam.

1. COMM 104:
NEWS REPORTING & WRITING
Professor Eric Luther
• TX Community College transfer student
• SMU: Dallas, TX – Bachelors of Humanities
• NYU: New York, NY – Masters in Arts & Humanities Education
• 10 years in media production (mainly TV news)
• Taught communications and media courses as adjunct at other
community colleges, but came full-time to WCC as of Fall 2010
• Curriculum Chair, Communications & Media Arts
• Communications, Journalism, & Media Arts Internship
Instructor/Coordinator

2. Students:
• Who are you and what brings you to
this class?
• How do you typically get your news?
What makes you trust/use your
news source(s)?
COMM 106: MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM

3. CLASS DISCUSSION:
•In your experience, what makes
any class a meaningful
experience? In other words,
what should a college class be
like in order for it be effective
and engaging?
COMM 106: MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM

4. CLASS DISCUSSION:
• To me classes are all exercises in communication
and in order for a class to be effective and engaging -
for both instructors and students - you have to do
more than just "show up"...you have to bring your
genuine interest and critical thinking. If you don't
(again, for both instructors and students), you run
the very real risk of just going through the motions.
You'll not only cheat yourself, you’ll also cheat
everyone else in the class by not truly contributing
yourself to the experience. I find this is not only true
in school, it's true in life, too...
COMM 106: MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM

5. TODAY’S OVERVIEW:
• Go over Class Outline
• Discuss Journalism Basics
• Class Materials are posted on
Blackboard prior to class meeting
• GO TO THIS COURSE SECTION ON
BLACKBOARD NOW
COMM 106: MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM

6. VIRTUAL CLASS MEETINGS:
•Typically we will meet virtually on
Wednesdays from 1-12:15 to discuss that
week’s materials and assigned work.
•PLEASE turn/leave your camera on – seeing
your faces really makes a huge difference
to the quality of the class…thank you!
•All due dates, virtual
office/meeting/discussion times, etc. will
be clearly posted as the class progresses.
COMM 106: MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM

7. COMM 104:
NEWS REPORTING & WRITING
• An introduction to reporting and writing news for all
media, including defining what is newsworthy. Students
will develop a mastery of the basic elements of
newsgathering, interviewing and storytelling skills that
conform to standards of clarity, accuracy and fairness. An
emphasis is placed on gaining practical experience
through reporting on campus and community events.
• Basically, this class should help you be a better writer not
only in journalism, but in other areas/types of writing,
too.

8. USING BLACKBOARD
• All assigned class work and materials can be found in the
corresponding WEEKLY LEARNING MODULES area of the course
blackboard shell:

9. USING BLACKBOARD
• Click into the appropriate module for class meeting

10. USING BLACKBOARD
• There you will see all the assigned work & material for that week
that you are to do in the order they are assigned

11. COMM 104:
NEWS REPORTING & WRITING: GRADING
• This course has four distinct graded/credit parts:
• A. Weekly Writing Assignments + Quizzes (25%): Weekly news writing
assignments + quizzes over course materials (lowest scored dropped)
• B. Online Participation (25%): You are expected to participate fully as
instructed (lowest score dropped)
• C. Associated Press Style Quizzes (25%): A series of online AP-style quizzes
that you must complete and get a 100% on before passing this course.
The quizzes cover basic Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation, and AP style and
you can retake them as many times as necessary in order to achieve the
100%.
• D. Final Exam (25%): Comprehensive examination of class quiz material.
• TOTAL = 100%
• Your current grade should always be available in BLACKBOARD: MY
GRADES: CURRENT GRADE

12. COMM 104:
NEWS REPORTING & WRITING: TEXTBOOKS
•REQUIRED:
News Reporting and Writing
• Thirteenth Edition ©2020 The
Missouri Group
• (Access to LaunchPad SOLO will
be provided for free)
• Journalism is a dynamic field and, in
addition to the textbook, we will also be
using real-world current examples and
instructor-supplied information as our
course source materials.

13. COMM 104:
NEWS REPORTING & WRITING: TEXTBOOKS
•Other Required
Supplies:
• Steady Internet connection
• Working web cam and
microphone
• Quiet location without noise
or distraction
• Desktop or laptop computer
(rather than a phone or
tablet)

14. COMM 104:
NEWS REPORTING & WRITING: TEXTBOOKS
•RECOMMENDED:
CURRENT AP STYLEBOOK
• A useful resource but much of
this information is also readily
available via online sources.
• Print or Digital Copy is
acceptable

15. COMM 104:
NEWS REPORTING & WRITING: LATE WORK
• LATE SUBMISSIONS:
Journalism is all about deadlines so, typically, NO LATE
WORK IS ACCEPTED FOR FULL CREDIT (50% credit maximum
for late work)! Material will always be posted in the
appropriate area/weekly class module of Blackboard and
there will plenty of time allowed for any and all work and
Blackboard will be consistently updated. The best way to
ensure that you miss deadlines and are behind is to put
things off until the last minute – train yourself to not
procrastinate and you’ll be helping yourself in every aspect
of your life, not just this class.

16. COMM 104:
NEWS REPORTING & WRITING:
ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION
• ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION:
Class participation and attention is essential to your
success in this course. We don’t meet in-person so you are
solely responsible for attention and adherence to due
dates, assignments, etc. Everything covered and assigned
will be contained in the appropriate Blackboard WEEKLY
LEARNING MODULES area.
• The surest way to do poorly in this class is to not
participate and/or not do reading and assignments –
students should take this online course and its work as
seriously as they would any class.

17. LOOKING AHEAD
•DISCUSSION BOARD #1
•READ CHAPTER #1
•AP-STYLE QUIZ #1
•Typically, all material/assignments
for the coming week will be posted
on Tuesday and due the following
Monday by the end of the day