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Marking

Marks will be based on a combination of editorial and production values, with a third component set aside for entrepreneurial or innovative efforts.

Editorial

Strong editorial values are what separate good journalists from great ones. In this course, editorial considerations include:

  • depth of research
  • news judgement
  • logic of story structure
  • quality of sources
  • quality of content and writing

Production

Production values take into consideration technical execution and reflect the overall quality of the multi-media elements. In this course, production considerations will include:

  • grammar, CP style, language
  • design
  • audio/video/edition quality
  • overall technical quality

Innovation

Entrepreneurial or innovative effort is required to stand apart. Consider this the “get up and go” aspect of an assignment. For example, you are working on a story about traffic tie-ups and you wake up at 6 a.m. to shoot Go-Pro video of the congestion. Maybe you cover an event that ends late but you still manage to track down and travel to meet a second interview subject. Creativity and resourcefulness will always be rewarded.

Other considerations

This course will include lectures, peer-driven seminars and a lot of hands-on journalism. Students are expected to be on time and to participate. Journalists are not shy about speaking their minds or about seeking help. If you don’t know the answer to a question, find someone who does.

Students can expect to work in teams. This reflects the reality inside an integrated newsroom. Teams will be created based on an assessment of skills and interests with the aim of producing high quality projects.

Ethical/Professional Conduct

Students are considered journalists in this course and will be held to the professional standard. When setting up interviews, students can consider their work publishable and should tell interview subjects the material is for all-to-see. We will be working “on the record” and we will be naming all subjects. Unless approved by Amanda, interviews are not to be conducted with friends, classmates or family members. Misspelled names in any story could result in a fail. Journalists who get names wrong are not credible and damage the reputation of the entire group.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the most common offense under the Academic Code of Conduct. The code defines it as “the presentation of the work of another person as one’s own or without proper acknowledgement.” Plagiarism also refers to copying video, audio, ideas, oral presentations, computer assignments, and artistic work. In other words …

DO NOT COPY, PARAPHRASE, PLAY OR TRANSLATE ANYTHING FROM ANYWHERE WITHOUT SAYING FROM WHERE YOU OBTAINED IT!

Duplication of assignments between courses is an offence. If students are in any doubt about what constitutes a duplication, they should consult with Amanda.

Look here for more on what constitutes a Scholastic Offence