This document provides an overview of an Introduction to Journalism class. It discusses profile stories, interviewing techniques, and assignments. The professor cancels an AS-L requirement and instead assigns students to write a 250-word snapshot profile of Senator Tim Scott. Tips are provided on writing profiles and conducting interviews. Students are instructed to watch an interviewing video, read an interviewing handout, and submit a one-page biography about themselves for an upcoming class exercise.

1. JOU 1000
Introduction to
Journalism
Professor Michael Rizzo
Director, Journalism Program
Division of Mass Communication
Collins College of Professional Studies
Second Presentation for week of Sept. 14, 2020
Posted September 18, 2020

2. JOU 1000
Introduction to
Journalism
Last class presentation – Sept. 14
Profile stories

3. JOU 1000
Introduction to
Journalism
Today
Snapshot profile review
Interviewing

4. Update on AS-L
My hope was to have you participate in
AS-L this semester but the
arrangements I was seeking will not
come together as planned.
The AS-L requirements for our course
are CANCELED and there is nothing you
need to do or worry about for this.

5. Recap
Profiles are not biographies
Find and focus on what makes
the person newsworthy: impactful,
unique, notable, timely, connected
to a bigger trend
Profile stories are features so you
can be more creative in your writing
but never creative with facts
Snapshot profiles: short but filled with
details and descriptions

6. Elements of Journalism
1. Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.
2. Its loyalty is to citizens.
3. Its essence is a discipline of verification.
4. Its practitioners must maintain independence
5. It must serve as a monitor of power.
6. It must provide a forum for public criticism.
7. It must make the significant interesting and
relevant.
8. It must keep the news comprehensive and
proportional.
9. Journalists must exercise their personal conscience.
10. Citizens also have rights and responsibilities to the
news.

7. Assignment for Friday September 18, 2020
Write a 250 word snapshot profile about
Sen. Tim Scott

8. What facts do you include for such a
short article?
Think about what are the most unique,
notable, memorable, dramatic and
newsworthy aspects of his life.
Tips: events/things about him that are
“first,” events/things that set him apart
from others, events/things that molded
him to be who he is, stands that he takes
or interesting comments that he makes

9. Some standout choices from the
facts provided:

10. Some standout choices from the
quotes provided:

11. Snapshot profile about Sen. Tim Scott my
version

12. Interviews supply the
unique content to stories
Good interviews can reveal things
about the person(s) in your story,
can give you important information
about the story and provide a
human face to the story.
How do you do good interviews?

13. Interviewing
“There's only one interview technique
that matters. Do your homework so
you can listen to the answers and
react to them and ask follow-ups. Do
your homework, prepare.
-Jim Lehrer
PBS “NewsHour”

14. Ask what you don’t know
Let the interviewee wander a bit
[but bring them back to the
topic if they stray too far]
Don’t send advance questions
Be prepared. Find the overlooked
Listen, really listen

15. There are questions that waste time
and effort!
[they are the ones on topics where
you already know the answer
and/or don’t elicit any insightful
answers]

16. Ask open ended questions that start
with the words WHAT, WHY, HOW
Yes or No questions are also
called DIRECT questions.
Don’t just settle for quotes. Make
your interview a dialogue that
illuminates character and drives
action in your story

17. What’s the most important information you
want to get out of the person you’re
interviewing for a profile story?
Answers: Who is this person? Why should we
care about this person? What makes this
person interesting?
What’s the most important information you
want to get out of the person connected to
breaking news? What new information or
insight can they provide?

18. What’s the value of asking open-ended
questions? You get expansive answers. But just
because it’s phrased as open-ended doesn’t
guarantee an expansive answer.
“Were you born in Chicago?” gets a yes-or-no
answer. “Where were you born?” still gets a one
word answer: Chicago.
“What was it like growing up in Chicago?” is an
open-ended question that shows you did your
research and coaxes a reflective response from
your interviewee.

19. Some open-ended questions are weak.
“How do you feel?” to a player after they won
the Super Bowl or a person just elected to the
office they campaigned for is a weak question.
“How do you feel winning the game after your
best/worst running-catching-throwing-
blocking-defensive game?” shows you have a
grasp of the newsworthiness of what your
interviewee has done.

20. How do you ask tough questions? First, you
need to know what you are talking about.
People can sense when you don’t.
Second, be professional, show you are basing
your question on research, not your personal
opinions, and ask every question, whether
it’s tough or easy, with respect.

21. We all ask questions every day because we
need to know something…that’s what an
interview is: a purposeful series of questions
that leads to understanding, insight, and
perspective on a given topic.
Good interviewers are simply “themselves.”
They’re not acting. They’re curious. They know
how to be quiet and listen. Authentic
interviewers get profound answers instead of
clichés, and…go past the surface and into
something with their interviewee that rarely
gets explored.

22. Writing your story after the interview
Organize Your Research
What does your research show that
makes this person newsworthy?
Review Your Notes
Identify memorable comments from your
interviewee.

23. Get To The Focus of Your Story
Write the most important facts of the story.
Write your lede in an engaging way. Write
so your story flows from one part to the
other. Use direct quotes from your
interviewee of the most important
comments made and paraphrase for the
reader in your own words the other things
said or done by your interviewee.

24. Watch this video on BlackBoard attached to
the PowerPoints for this class presentation
by Katie Couric,
former anchor of CBS Evening News,
who talks about interviewing.

25. Assignment for MONDAY September 21, 2020
• Watch the Katie Couric video
• Read the handout in BlackBoard on Doing
interviews for journalism
• Start working on a one page “biography”
about yourself. You need to submit one
next week for a class exercise.
What is this?

26. Here is my
one page
“biography”

27. There is NOTHING to submit now.
Watch my first presentation for the week of
September 21, 2020 with more details.
It will explain how you will apply your
biography and how you will use it to practice
writing journalism.

28. STAY WELL
AND
STAY SAFE