Journalist's Handbook Excerpt.pdf

JOURNALISTS

NEWSHOUNDS

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JOURNALISTS

NEWSHOUNDS

THINK NOW EDUCATION2013

BY

ROANE BEARD, M.F.A.

Typeface, Logo, and Initial Design by Jim Pinto

Illustration by Yoshiko Sakamoto

Additional Design by Roane Beard

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Think Now Education320 Pine Ave #608Long Beach, CA 90802

www.thinknoweducation.comwww.tnenewshounds.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the publisher.

1st Edition

ISBN: 978-1484134948

Newshounds Journalism Club is available for your school, school club, or after school program. Please contact Think Now Education for more information:

Printed in the United States of America

Copyright 2013 by Think Now Education

Tel: (562) 448-2299Email: [email protected] Web: www.thinknoweducation.com

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is book is dedicated to the teachers, sta and most of all the Newshounds journalists whose hard work, energy and enthusiasm made this program possible.

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Contents

Introduc on 2

How to Use This Book 3

Sec on 1: The Media 5

The Media is YOURS... 7

Tradi onal Media 7

New Media 8

...Because You ARE the Media 10

Sec on 2: Being a Newshound 13

The Ins and Outs 15

Role Pathways 18

Sec on 3: The Produc on Cycle 25

A Simple Overview 27

Introduc on 27

Stage 1: Story Development 27

Stage 2: Walking the Beat 27

Stage 3: Dra! ing & Revision 28

Stage 4: Publica on & Celebra on 28

Team Roles and the Produc on Cycle 29

Reporter 30

Photographer 35

Videographer 41

Ar st 47

Producer 53

Sec on 4: Glossary 61

Sec on 5: Materials 69

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1JOURNALISM [JUR-NL-IZ-UHM] e occupation of reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news or of conducting any news organization as a business.

- Dictionary.com

NEWSHOUND [NOOZ-HOUND]A kid who writes, asks questions, shoots photos and video, makes art, works online, and tells stories that matter to people who care about them.

- Journalists of the Newshounds Journalism Club

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2INTRODUCTIONHave you ever been in a newsroom? Its an exciting place. Journalists talk to important people about important stories. Millions of people see their stories, which cover a variety of topics. ey tell stories about presidential elections, wars, money, trade, even music and culture. A reporter might write an article about families hit by a natural disaster while a camera crew rushes to the site. Photographers shoot hundreds of pictures, then publish the best ones to the world. All these journalists work towards the same goal. ey want to tell meaningful stories that their audience cares about.

Newshounds Journalism Club is your newsroom. Its a place where you and your teammates choose stories that are meaningful to you. Youll take interviews, and shoot videos. Youll take inspiring photos, write stories, and create artwork. Even better, youll have a real audience. Youll reach classmates, teachers, principals and administrators, your parents, and even the general public. Like reporters in a working newsroom, youll publish your stories for the world to see.

In Newshounds, youll use the Internet to reach people in ways your parents and teachers never could. Youll have a school blog, which is an online newspaper run by your club. Youll post videos, photos, artwork and articles there. Anyone with a computer, a tablet, or even a smartphone will be able to see it. Depending on your clubs decisions, you may have a chance to have your work published at the end of the year in a printed Newshounds Annual. ats a book that collects the best stories your club has to o er. If your club chooses, it may even have a monthy newsletter.

Dont think of Newshounds as just a club. ink of it as a way for you to express yourself, to learn, and to become great at communicating on the Internet. Its a way for you to speak out to the people who are always speaking to you. Its a chance to get them to listen to what you have to say!

So make the most of it. Pick up a camera and gather your friends. Talk about the issues that matter to you. Start expressing yourself!

Welcome to the club.

Roane BeardBig HoundNewshounds Journalism Club


3HOW TO USE THIS BOOK is handbook is one part textbook, one part guide book, and one part workbook. It also contains a glossary, which is a vocabulary list of words you need to know to understand journalism, and a set of matierals. Youll use those to make your Newshounds stories.

SECTION ONE: THE MEDIA is section provides you with an overview of what we mean when we talk about the media in Newshounds. Go over this section to understand the role media has played in our society, and the role youll play by becoming a Newshound.

SECTION TWO: BEING A NEWSHOUND Here, youll be introduced to the roles youll be playing as a Newshound, and to the Production Cycle (youll learn more about that in section 3). Youll learn how to work with your classmates to choose stories, interview sources, shoot video and pictures, and write stories that are posted for the world to see on your Newshounds Blog.

SECTION THREE: THE PRODUCTION CYCLE is section walks you through the materials, tools, and skills youll use to write Newshounds stories. Youll learn about photography, videography, note taking, writing skills, how to take an interview, and more. ere are also instructions on how to access expanded content in the form of video tutorials on the Newshounds web site. Not least, there are worksheets for you to use to keep yourself organized as you prepare your stories.

SECTION FOUR: GLOSSARY ere are a lot of terms to remember when you become a Newshound. Whats a blog? What does it mean to frame a shot? For that matter, whats a shot? If youre not sure what a term means, dont worry. Just look in the back, under the glossary.

SECTION FIVE: MATERIALS ese are the worksheets that each role will use as they go about their jobs of making Newshounds stories, and making sure theyre great!


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5SECTION 1THE MEDIA


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7THE MEDIA IS YOURS... INTRODUCTION e Media!

ats an exciting word, and it means a lot of things to di erent people. When you think of media, do you think of movies, with action packed excitement and celebrity glamour? How about music, with its pop and hip hop stars, danceable beats, and big money lifestyles? Or do you think of television, with its reality TV stars, talk show hosts, and news anchors?

If you think of any of those things, youre right. e idea of media covers a lot of di erent kinds of communication. Film, television, and music are all media, but so are newspapers, magazines, radio, Internet video, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and a number of new, rising media that emerge all the time.

Before we talk about some of the exciting new forms of media, lets talk about the di erent types of media.

THE NEWS MEDIAWere going to focus our discussion on the news media. is is the Newshounds Journalism Club, a" er all! For years and years, long before you were born, the news media has been an important way Americans have gotten their information. Until the last few decades, that has meant the traditional media: mainly newspapers, television, and radio. In the last decade or so, however, new media has become increasingly important. New media is a term used to describe websites, blogs, apps and other digital media that deliver news in ways journalists were never able to do in traditional media.

Lets talk about traditional media in more detail before we get to new media.

TRADITIONAL MEDIA

ILL HAVE ONE

MEDIUM MEDIA,

PLEASE e word media is plural. If youre talking about only one kind of media, its called a medium.


8TELEVISION NEWSYouve seen it. TV news has been the main way most Americans got their news since the middle of the 20th century, when the broadcast networks dominated journalism. ABC, CBS and NBC all had high pro le, well regarded news organizations. ey still broadcast today, and millions of Americans tune in to watch.

RADIO NEWSRadio plays a small but important role in journalism today. Many radio stations play a few minutes of news at the beginning of every hour. In the United States, National Public Radio (NPR) broadcasts news through radio stations all over the country. eres even news delivered by satellite, through Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

PRINT JOURNALISMPrint has been an important way people around the world got their news for over a century; in fact, the rst paper in America was published in 1690! It was just one issue in the city of Boston, but for many years, daily newspapers like the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post have been mainstays in keeping Americans informed about current events. Now, with the coming of new media, newspapers are in decline, but newspaper reporters still cover major stories for the American public every day, and magazines like Time o er more in depth stories once a month.

NEW MEDIAToday, traditional media still has a big part to play in journalism, but thanks to the Internet, other, newer forms of journalism are becoming important. Websites, blogs, social media (like Facebook and Twitter), and video games are forms of new media. All of them, in one way or another, are used by practicing journalists, and many journalists consider new media to be the primary way journalism will be practiced in the future.

Lets look at the most common forms of New Media.

WEBSITESTraditional media like newspapers and television o en rely on new media to support their journalistic e orts. Commonly, that means a website. Newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times both use websites as places to publish some or all of the content that appears in


9their traditional media papers. In some cases, they also publish content that isnt published in the paper, like blog posts or video. Some Newshounds Journalism Clubs do the same thing, by maintaining a blog on a website that contains video and other content, but also publishing a newsletter, and an annual at the end of the school year.

BLOGSBlogs have become one of the most important pieces of the new media puzzle. A blog is a website where one or more writers can publish posts, or articles, for an audience to view online. ! eyre used by traditional media to reach a wider audience, and by everyday people as a platform to write about topics meaningful to them. Just like you will!

Blogs are used by Newshounds to publish their work. Every piece of work thats approved for publication will make it onto a Newshounds blog, where it can be read by anyone in the world (or at least, anyone in the world whos allowed access to the Newshounds blog.)

A few bloggers have become famous for the quality of their journalism. Nate Silver, for example, became an instant celebrity when his blog, called Five ! irty Eight, correctly predicted the Presidential race in 2012, along with almost every senate race.

SOCIAL NETWORKSYouve heard of Twitter and Facebook. You may have even heard of Google+ or Ning. What do these all have in common? ! eyre social networks, of course. So, whats that?

VIDEO GAMES IN

JOURNALISM.

WAIT, WHAT?

Journalists use video games? Really? Well, yeah. Not as much as they use more common media like television or blogs, but video games like Cutthroat Capitalism, which inform players about the realities of modern day piracy, serve to inform players about current events in a thought provoking, interactive way. Other games, like September 12, a game about the global war on terror, are a kind of new media editorial, which is a form of journalism that persuades its audience to believe in something. While video games arent being used in journalism as widely as blogs and social media, they do play a growing role.


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A social network is a service that promotes the building of social relationships. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and every other social network you may know of works because they help people connect with each other. More importantly, once people are connected, social networks help them stay connected.

So what does that have to do with journalism? Journalists working in both new media and traditional media use social networks to connect with their audiences, to create conversations around news stories, and even to break news. In places where traditional media isnt able to report, social networks can be a very powerful way of getting the news out. e revolutions of the Arab Spring in 2011, for example, relied widely on social networks for organizing revolutionaries, and to get the story out, when many traditional media outlets were shut out of the country or closed down.

...BECAUSE YOU ARE THE MEDIAYou may have noticed that theres one very important di! erence between new media and traditional media that a! ects you personally:

YOU can be a new media journalist just by choosing to be one. You may not be able to form your own TV station, or publish your own newspaper,

BREAK THE

NEWS!Breaking the news means telling the world about a story before anyone else. Social networks make it easy to break news. ats what makes them so powerful. Anybody who has news to break can break it on the social networks. at includes you! ink about that as you write stories for newshounds. If your parents or teachers provide you with access to social networks like Facebook, Google+ or Twitter, ask them if you can use them to talk about your Newshounds posts. Better yet, ask them if you can use it on your own time, to write posts on your own!

INTERNET ACCESSOf course, to use social networks you have to have Internet access. If you dont have it at home on a phone, tablet or computer, you may have Internet access at school. Dont have it there, either? Try the local library.

Although if you dont have Internet access at school, that might be a good topic for the Newshounds to tackle. Everyone should have access to the superhighway of information that is the Internet!


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but theres nothing stopping you from publishing a blog, making a website, or breaking stories on social networks. It just takes Internet access and knowhow. Its up to your school, your parents, or your community to provide Internet access. But the knowhow? You get that in Newshounds.

So why is that important? It means that you have just as much access to new media as President Obama, or Taylor Swi , or LeBron James. You can be just as e ective as they are. You can even talk to them! Take advantage of it. Talk to your parents and teachers. See how you can safely use social media to express yourself, share ideas, and break your news!


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SECTION 2BEING A NEWSHOUND


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THE INS AND OUTSNewshounds helps you learn the tools that every citizen of the 21st century needs to have the best possible opportunities in life. Being a Newshound means having a voice, nding an audience, and having the skills to reach them.

As journalists in the club, that means youll have to decide what stories you want to tell, gure out what to say, gure out how you want to say it, and then say it.

Newshounds helps you work through that process in the Production Cycle. It looks like this:


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Each stage of the cycle has its own focus. ink of it this way:

STAGE 1: STORY

DEVELOPMENTIn the story development stage, youll gure out what stories you want to tell, and where to get the information you need to tell them. e stories can be anything you think your readers will be interested in.

Youll identify a driving question thats at the heart of your story, and make a plan to discover the answers. Its helpful to ll out the Story Planning Worksheets in this stage so that you can keep your ideas organized.

STAGE 2: WALKING THE BEATYouve gured out the story you want to tell, and decided on the storys driving question; now you need to get the information you need to tell it. In this stage, youll talk to your sources: the people or resources that can tell you about your story topic. If you need to, youll do research, either in the library or online. Use the Story Planning Worksheets as guides in this process. If youve lled them out well in Stage 1, theyll help steer you in the right direction.

e main tool youll use at this stage is either pencil and paper for taking notes, or with technology like an iPad, Android tablet, or cell phone, if you

PENCILS? I THOUGHT THIS WAS

21ST CENTURY STUFF!Well, its true that pencils arent cutting edge. In fact, theyve been around in one form or another for 400 years! But pencils have an advantage over computers in that theyre small, very portable, and easy to carry around in the eld. Of course, so are smart phones, tablets and netbooks, so if your class has access to those tools, use them! A er all, using the best tools that are available to you is a big part of being literate in 21st century skills.

READERS? I HAVE

READERS? Yes! When you publish a post to your Newshounds Journalism Club its put on the Web for the world to see. Share your posts with anyone you think might be interested in what you have to say, like classmates, parents, teachers, your principal. You know: your readers.


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have access to that powerful technology.

STAGE 3: DRAFTING & REVISION! is is where you do the work of being a journalist. If youre writing a story, you write it. If youre making a video, you edit it. Same with art or photos. ! en, when youre done, you upload them to your class blog and have your Newshounds Facilitator review it for publication.

Youll need computers for this (or tablets, or really good smartphones). eres no way around it. Youll also nd it helpful to follow the step by step process plan for Stage 3 in the Role Pathways section to help you stay organized throughout the process of dra# ing and revision.

STAGE 4: PUBLICATION AND CELEBRATIONWhen you reach this stage, youve done it! Hooray! You or your Newshounds Facilitator will post your work to your Newshounds Club Blog, and youll be able to share it. Youll make a presentation of the facts of your story to your class, and provide them with an opportunity to read and comment on your work. Youll also let everyone far and near know to go to the club blog and read your work. Ask them to leave comments. Find out what stories theyd like to hear about next. And celebrate your success!


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ROLE PATHWAYS is section helps you understand each role in the Newshounds program, and what that role is responsible for.

ere are ve key roles in Newshounds Journalism Club: reporter, photographer, videographer, artist, and producer.

Lets go over each one.


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THE ROLES

REPORTERYouve seen reporters in the movies and TV. Its usually the guy or girl with the iPhone and laptop chasing down the big story. You may not have an iPhone or a laptop, but if youre the reporter, getting the story is still your job. Youll interview sources, research your topic online, take good notes, and write an article for the blog.

Famous reporters you may have heard of include:

ANDERSON COOPER

A eld reporter and anchor for CNN. Hes covered wars, disasters, politics, trials, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR

A hard hitting investigative reporter who has worked for newspapers, magazines and television news.

NANCY MAYNARD

A woman who covered the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and went on to be one of the rst African-Americans to own a major newspaper: the Oakland Tribune.

PHOTOGRAPHERYou know photographers. Sure, you probably mainly think of the paparazzi, staked out behind Starbucks trying to get a shot of Beyonces latte, but theres a lot more to being a photographer than spying on famous people. Photographers who practice journalism are called photojournalists, and theyre just as serious about getting pictures that tell a story as Beyonce is about putting on a killer show for the fans.

As a photographer for Newshounds, youll shoot events, pro le fellow journalists, and look for pictures that illustrate your story teams article to the best of your abilities.

Famous photographers include:


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ANSEL ADAMS

A landscape photographer who shot the American West.

ANNIE LIEBOVITZ

A photographer who shoots personal portraits of rock stars and celebrities.

DOROTHEA LANGE

A photographer from the Great Depression whose work includes haunting images of internment camps in World War II where thousands of Japanese Americans were wrongfully held prisoner.

VIDEOGRAPHERA videographer is anyone who works in video production. For the purposes of Newshounds, a videographer is a journalist who gets the story on video.

Although Newshounds videographers shoot interviews, they also have a chance to record close up coverage of athletics, performances, and other important events that take place at the school. Its a challenging role, but a really fun one.

! ere are few famous videographers, as the work that goes into making a news style video is usually done by a team of people. But Newshounds videographers are

similar to documentarians, like these:

MICHAEL MOORE

A controversial documentarian who covered has topics ranging from gun violence, to the economy, to 9/11.

KEN BURNS

A respected documentarian whos covered topics ranging from baseball to the Civil War.

HENRY HAMPTON

A documentarian who dug into the Civil Rights movement years a" er its peak, and provided a sense of the historical signi# cance of its successes.

ARTISTWhat does an artist have to do with journalism? Well, quite a lot. When


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a news team doesnt have footage of an event theyd like to cover, or they want to use an image that is lled with symbolism, they turn to artists. Artists do work ranging from making 3D graphics, like the one showing the Navy Seal raid on Osama Bin Ladens compound, to 2D graphics, like the logos and headline images on a newscast. ey do traditional drawing and sketch work too, reproducing scenes in court where news cameras arent allowed.

In Newshounds, artists use their drawing skills to illustrate their teams stories. Some famous artists in journalism are political cartoonists, who are artists who make a point about politics through funny cartoons:

CHESTER COMMODORE

An African-American political cartoonist who reached prominance at a Chicago paper, the Chicago Defender, in the mid-twentieth century.

RICHARD DECKER

A long running cartoonist who had a celebrated career, Richard Decker drew for the New Yorker, a prominant New York magazine, for over 40 years.

PRODUCERIn television news, the producer is the person in charge of the whole show. Sometimes there are producers responsible for smaller sections of a show. Producers may also accompany a team into the eld and direct the process of getting the story. Frequently, theyll make the arrangements to talk with experts or sources.

In the Newshounds Journalism Club, producers play the role that a quarterback might play on a football team. While the quarterback focuses on getting the team to score, the producer focuses on leading his team so that their story is done on time, on topic, and with all the right supporting materials. If a story is supposed to have an article, photos, artwork, and video, its the producers job to encourage everyone is doing the work, and getting the help they need to do it.

Hollywood producers do the same thing: keep the team moving towards the same goal. Famous Hollywood producers include:


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STEVEN SPIELBERG

Hes a famous director, but did you know hes a producer on most of his lms?

GEORGE LUCAS

Lucas directed the original Star Wars, but hired directors for the rest of the movies. His role? Producer.

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER

Bruckheimer is an unstoppable force in the Hollywood world. Have you heard of him? He produced such lms as Pirates of the Caribbean, Bad Boys, and National Treasure. Heard of those? I bet you have.


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SECTION 3THE PRODUCTION CYCLE


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A SIMPLE OVERVIEWINTRODUCTION e production cycle is the centerpiece of the Newshounds Journalism Club. Its a 12 to 16 class process through which stories are thought up, researched, beat out, planned, written and posted to the Newshounds Journalism Club blog. Most of the big stories your club creates will be made by following the process of the production cycle. Just remember: the production cycle is just a set of guidelines. Its up to your Newshounds team to make it come alive.

Take a look at the following sections for a brief overview of the cycle, then look at Team Roles and the Production Cycle section to see how each role plays a part.

STAGE 1: STORY DEVELOPMENT

STEP 1: STORY MEETING & TEAM BUILDING

e whole club meets to brainstorm and select story ideas, build teams, and assign roles. is is the step where journalists choose story roles and form teams to take on a story. e whole club collaborates in this process as a group.

STEP 2: TEAM STORY PLANNING

Each story team gets together and works on the Team Story Planning Worksheet. at will help the team narrow down their topic to a driving question that they want to answer over the course of the story, and give the team a plan for answering it. Youll collaborate with your teammates in this process.

STEP 3: ROLE STORY PLANNING

A! er the teams plan, each journalist meets with journalists from other teams who share the same role. is cross-team collaboration helps every role take the best ideas from each meet and see what advice they can give to each other about getting good information for their stories. In this step youll be working on your individual role worksheet.

STAGE 2: WALKING THE BEAT

STEP 1: FIELD SESSIONS


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e story teams walk the beat! at means they nd the information they need to tell their stories. at might include shooting video of interviews, taking photos, sketching ideas for art, and doing Internet research.

STAGE 3: DRAFTING & REVISION

STEP 1: PLANNING AND OUTLINING

In this stage, Newshounds review their notes and organize them so that they can do the work of creating their stories. Reporters write an outline, artists create sketches, photographers and videographers move their les to the Internet, and producers help with all of that.

STEP 2: DRAFTING

e artists and reporters make the best rst dra" they can at this stage, while photographers and videographers choose the photos and videos they think is best, and do any required editing.

STEP 3: REVISION

Reporters revise their rough dra" s. Artists make their nal works of art. Videographers and photographers write their captions and post them to the class blog. Producers make sure everything that the other roles are doing supports the story the team is trying to tell.

STEP 4: COPY EDITING & PREPUBLISHING

In this step, everybody cleans up the work as much as possible. Check NAMES! Dont get names wrong! Also check grammar and spelling. When everything is cleaned up, post it for your Newshounds Facilitator to review.

STAGE 4: PRESENTATION & PUBLICATION

STEP 1: PUBLICATION

When your work is ready, your Newshounds Facilitator will publish it. is is the last chance to make any nal changes before your work is live.

STEP 2: PRESENTATION

Once your work is live, youll present it to rest of the club. Youll make an oral presentation explaining your driving question and the answers you found for it, and youll give your classmates a chance to review your work online and leave their comments. Respond to them! Publishing is like beginning a conversation. Make sure you hold up your end when people


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respond! And when other teams publish, leave your feedback for them as well!

STEP 3: CELEBRATION

Youre published. " ats exciting! Share the news with everyone you know. Have them go to the class blog and leave comments for you.

TEAM ROLES AND THE PRODUCTION CYCLE

INTRODUCTION" e production cycle doesnt happen overnight. Every class, you work on one part of it. Like a journey of a thousand miles, the production cycle happens step by step. Fortunately, this step by step guide will keep you right on track.

STAGE 1: STORY DEVELOPMENT Step 1: Story Meeting & Team Building Step 2: Story Planning Step 3: Presenting the Driving Question

STAGE 2: WALKING THE BEAT Step 1: Field Sessions

STAGE 3: DRAFTING & REVISION Step 1: Planning and Outlining Step 2: Dra ing Step 3: Revision Step 4: Copy Editing & Prepublishing

STAGE 4 Step 1: Publication Step 2: Presentation Step 2: Celebration


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REPORTER e story is out there, waiting to be told. Its up to me to nd it, understand it, and tell it. e people need to know!

-Ava, Newshounds Reporter

Newshounds reporters are the beating heart of the Newshounds team. eyre the ones who do the major research, ask the hard questions in the interviews, take good notes, and write the stories that get posted to the Newshounds Blog. Without the reporter, the rest of the team has no glue to hold their e orts together.

NEWSHOUND CONCEPTS

FOR REPORTERS

WRITING QUESTIONS: FIVE WS

(AND AN H)Most news stories revolve around providing six kinds of information that help readers understand what a story is about: who, what, where, when, why and how. Its easy to remember to look for that information if you think of it as ve ws and an h, or H5W.

Use the ve ws and an h to write questions you want your sources to answer. Remember, your questions should be focused on nding the answers to your driving question.

EXAMPLE: THE HALLOWEEN PARTY Driving Question: What do students need to know to get the most out of next months Halloween party?

ROLE: REPORTER

Power: Getting the truth.

Tools: Notepad, pencil, good

questions, and a well-

sharpened mind.

# e Best Part: e reporters work is the

centerpiece of everything

the team does. Without the

reporter, theres no story!


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Who: Who is invited to the party?

When: When will the party happen?

What: What will students be able to do at the party?

Why: Why is the school having a Halloween party?

Where: Where will the party be held?

How: How is the school making the party happen?

Of course, you should have more than one question per W. But these are good examples.

TAKING AN INTERVIEW! e most important part of walking the beat is getting a good interview. ats when you speak to a source and nd out everything they can tell you about the story topic youve chosen. Youll ask them your H5W questions, then ask detailed follow up questions. Youll listen carefully to their answers, and take good notes. Youll have your videographer record the interview so that it can accompany the teams blog post. But the most important thing you can do in your interview is to learn everything you can to write a good story!

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND: Work with your facilitators to gure out exactly when you can conduct

your interviews - or your research.

Work with your classmates to make sure you have any photographers, videographers, or artists assigned to your story ready to go with you.

Ask your questions! at includes any new ones you think of during the interview. Good follow up questions make a good interview.

Get the names right! Make sure that you ASK people how to spell their names. Would you want your name misspelled in the article?


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Talk to your club facilitator to when you think you

have a good one. Get feedback! Work with the other reporters to create ideas for

sources and questions. Collaborate together to " nd the best ideas!

Share your ideas in the story meeting! Volunteer for the reporter role.

SSShhhare your iidddeas iin thhhe story meeSShhhare your iidddeas iin thhhe story mee

Step 1: Story Meeting & Team

Building

Step 2: Story Planning

Stage 1:

REPORTER ROLE FLOWCHARTUse this owchart to see what your job as a reporter will be in each stage of the production cycle.

Once your team has eshed out a driving question and made a plan to answer it, present them both plan to the club. Answer any questions they have,

and use them to improve your plan.

OOOOOOOnnnccceee yyooouurrr tttteeeaaammm hhhhhhhaaasss eeessshhhhhhheeeddddddd ooouuttt a dOOOOOnnnccceee yyooouurrr tttteeeaaammm hhhhhhhaaasss eeessshhhhhhheeeddddddd ooouutt a d

Step 3: Presenting the Driving

Question


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Interview the sources you picked in Stage 1. Ask all your basic questions, but remember that the

best interviews come from good follow ups. Ask great follow up questions.

How do you do that? Listen! When the person you interview speaks, make sure youre really pay attention. " en youll have a good idea of what to ask next.

Get clari# cation on any responses you arent sure about. Check the spelling of NAMES!

Create an outline from your story worksheet. Focus on getting down all the important details, and putting them in an order that makes sense.

Use complete sentences!

paragraphs. Dont worry too much about spelling and grammar right now. Just get your story down as best

you can.

Stage 2:

Intterviiiew tthhhhe sources you piiickkkkeddd inIntterviiiew tthhhhe sources you piiickkkkedd in

Step 1: The Beat

Stage 3: Drafting & Revision

Step 1: Predevelopment

Step 2: Drafting

Now that you have written a # rst draft, make it better! Now you should go back and correct the grammar and spelling. Also, make sure all your sentences are complete. But more importantly, use the revision step to make sure your story

is clear to the reader.

Noww ttttthhhhhhhaattttt yyoouu hhhhhhhaavvee wwrriiiiiitttttttttteenn aa #######rrssttttt ddddraNoww ttttthhhhhhhaattttt yyoouu hhhhhhhaavvee wwrriiiiiitttttttttteenn aa #######rrsstttt dddra

Step 3: Revision


34

Stage 4: Publication & Celebration

Add photos, artwork and videos your team members made to your post. When its ready, submit it for review so your clubs facilitator can publish it!

Step 1: Publication

Present your work! Alongside your team, explain the answers you found to your driving question, and let them take a look at your published work. Ask them to

review your work online and leave their comments.

Alonnnggggssssiiiiiiddddddddeeee yyyyoooouuuurrrr ttttteeeeaaaammmm, eeeexxxxppppllllllllaaaaiiiiiinnnn ttttthhhhhhhheeeeAlonnnggggssssiiiiiiddddddddeeee yyyoooouuurrrr ttttteeeeaaaammmm, eeeexxxppppllllllllaaaaiiiiiinnnn ttttthhhhhhhheeee

Step 2: Presentation

At this stage, you " x any problems you might have missed. Make sure you have no grammar or spelling errors, and that the story makes sense. It should also be focused entirely on your teams story idea, without extra information.

Make sure you got names right! Put your byline in place, and make sure your title is

great.

" xx aaaaannnnnyyyyy ppppprrrrrooooobbbbbbbbbblllllllllleeeeemmmmmsssss yyyyyooooouuuuu mmmmmiiiiiiiiiiggggghhhhhhhhhhtttttttt hhhhhhhhhhaaaaavvvvveeeee " xx aaaaannnnnyyyyy ppppprrrrrooooobbbbbbbbbblllllllllleeeeemmmmmsssss yyyyyooooouuuuu mmmmmiiiiiiiiiggggghhhhhhhhhhtttttttt hhhhhhhhhhaaaaavvvvveeeee

Step 4: Prepublishing

Once your club facilitator publishes your story, celebrate! Take the time to read the other story teams articles. Leave comments, and reply to the comments your classmates leave. Have fun!

Once your class has had a chance to go over your Newshounds articles, share them with the world! Make announcement cards telling your friends and family about your article, or use ones your facilitator gives you.

Step 3: Celebration


35

PHOTOGRAPHER e world is lled with beauty. Sometimes the best thing we can do with it is capture it, share it with others, and tell the story behind it. en were spreading the joy beauty can bring.

-Matt, Newshounds Photographer

Newshounds photographers capture the very heart of a Newshounds story on camera. ey seek out the perfect shot, and help readers understand the stories Newshounds share by treating them to an insiders view of the story through photography. ey even get to put the photo in context by writing the caption, explaining whats important about their work. Best of all, theyre a critical part of the teams storytelling e ort: without the work of the photographer, the reporters story wouldnt have half the impact strong photography can lend it.

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY:

GETTING GOOD SHOTS

SHOTS OF PEOPLEWhat people are involved in the story? What should they be doing in the pictures youd like to take? Keep these ideas in mind when working on your story worksheet. For example, Mrs. Higgins, standing in front of her classroom, or a close up of a happy mother.

SHOTS OF PLACESWhat places are relevant to the story your team is telling? What kinds of pictures of those places might help tell the story? For example, e uprights on the football eld

ROLE:

PHOTOGRAPHER

Power: Capturing reality.

Tools: A camera, a keen eye, and a

computer to share photos

with the world.

! e Best Part:

Getting the perfect moment

on camera, and listening to

the reactions of your friends

when they see it.


36

being taken down, or e cafeteria with all the tables pulled up against the wall.

ACTION SHOTSSome of the most interesting photos you can take are those where actions are taking place. Sports stories are obvious choices for action shots, but how might you use action shots in your story?

SIX STEPS FOR TAKING THE SHOT is section lays out the steps for taking a great photo. Dont worry if you dont get every step right every time: just do your best to follow them and your photos will get better with practice.

STEP 1: CHECK YOUR BACKGROUND Always check your background to make sure there isnt anything distracting in the frame, like someone making a funny face behind your subject or something that looks like its sticking up from out of your subjects head. ese shots may be funny, but they dont make good photos for a Newshounds blog!

If theres a distraction in the background, try to move your subject, or change your shooting angle.

STEP 2: HOLD THE CAMERA STRAIGHT ere are no right and wrong ways to hold a camera, but following these steps can help to keep the camera stable.

Use your right hand to grip the right hand end of the camera.

Use your le" hand to support the weight of the camera

For extra stability lean against a solid object like a wall or a tree or by sitting or kneeling down. If you have to stand and dont have anything to lean on for extra support put your feet shoulder width apart to give yourself a steady stance. e stiller you can keep your body the stiller the camera will be.

STEP 3: GET CLOSEDont be shy get in close to frame your subject! You can also adjust the focus on the camera to help you take a close shot!


37

STEP 4: TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOSDont hold back! Take lots and lots of photos. You can choose the best one later.

STEP 5: TRY TO TAKE PHOTOS OF BOTH PEOPLE AND LOCATIONSA common mistake beginning photographers make is to take lots of photos of locations without people, or people without clear location. Try to take photos with both people and things that identify the location where the photo is being taken.


38

Take your planned shots, but also look for an opportunity to take interesting shots you didnt plan.

Write down the names of everyone you take a picture of. Spelling counts!

Practice your photography skills. Take great pictures! Use your research time to learn about photography.

Share your ideas in the story meeting! Volunteer for the photography role.

Work with your team to develop a driving question. Talk to your club facilitator when you think you have a

good one. Get feedback! Work with the other photographers to create ideas for

shots. Collaborate to " nd the best ideas!

harreee yyyooouuurrr iiiiiidddddddeeeaaasss iiiiiinnn tttthhhhhhheee sssttttooorrryyy mmmeeeeeettttiiiingharreee yyyooouuurrr iiiiiidddddddeeeaaasss iiiiiinnn tttthhhhhhheee sssttttooorrryyy mmmeeeeeetttiiing


r team to ddevellop a ddriiviing questiionr team to ddevellop a ddriiviing questiion


Stage 1:

Stage 2:

T k l d h b lT k l d h b l

Step 1: The Beat

PHOTOGRAPHER ROLE FLOWCHARTUse this owchart to see what your job as a photographer will be in each stage of the production cycle.

Once your team has eshed out a driving question and made a plan to answer it, present them both plan to the club. Answer any questions they have, and use them to improve

your plan.

Onccceeee yyyyyooooouuuuurrrrr tttttteeeeeaaaaammmmm hhhhhhhhhaaaaasssss eeeeessssshhhhhhhhheeeeeddddddddd ooooouuuuutttttt aaaaa ddddddddrivOncceeee yyyyooooouuuurrrrr tttttteeeeeaaaaammmmm hhhhhhhhhaaaaasssss eeeeessssshhhhhhhhheeeeeddddddddd ooooouuuutttttt aaaa ddddddriv



39

Image Management Upload your pictures from your camera to a computer. Check your checklist and make sure you have all the photos you

need. Work with producers to choose the pictures you want to keep

and upload them to the Newshounds site. Talk to your team, and the Newshounds Facilitator, for

suggestions as to how the pictures should be edited.

Edit your pictures! Crop them, resize them, and retouch them to make sure theyre the best pictures possible for your story.



thhhheeeemmmmm, rrrrreeeeesssssiiiiiiiiizzzzzeeeee tttttttthhhhhhhhheeeeemmmmm, aaaaannnnnddddddddd rrrrreeeeettttttttooooouuuuuccccchhhhhhhhh theeeemmmmm, rrrrreeeeesssssiiiiiiiiizzzzzeeeee tttttttthhhhhhhhheeeeemmmmm, aaaaannnnnddddddddd rrrrreeeeetttttttooooouuuuuccccchhhhhhhhh

Step 2: Drafting

Library.

Pick Your Final Artwork Choose one or two pictures that you really want to put in the

story.

Step 3: Revision

Take another look at your caption. Is it grammatically correct? Does it have complete sentences? And did you remember to include your byline? Make sure your name is correct!

Proof pictures Take another look at your pictures. Are they in the

Newshounds media library? Do they look right? When everythings ready, ask your teams reporter to

put your pictures in the teams article.



40

Stage 4:

When your teams article is ready, your Newshounds Facilitator will publish it to the

Newshounds blog.

Step 1: Publication

Once your club facilitator publishes your story, celebrate! Take the time to read the other story teams articles. Leave comments, and reply to the comments your classmates leave. Have fun!

Once your class has had a chance to go over your Newshounds articles, share them with the world! Make announcement cards telling your friends and family about your article, or use ones your

facilitator gives you.

Step 3: Celebration



Alonnnggggssssiiiiiiiiddddddddeeee yyyyoooouuuurrrr tttttteeeeaaaammmm, eeeexxxxppppllllllllaaaaiiiiiiiinnnn tttttthhhhhhhheeee Alonnnggggssssiiiiiiiiddddddddeeee yyyyoooouuuurrrr tttttteeeeaaaammmm, eeeexxxxppppllllllllaaaaiiiiiiiinnnn tttttthhhhhhhheeee



41

VIDEOGRAPHER eres an art to being a videographer. Anyone can point a camera and get a shot on video. It takes skill to cut right to the heart of the story and capture it for the viewer. ats how a story comes alive.

-Alvaro, Newshounds Videographer

If reporters play a central role in writing the main articles for each Newshounds story, videographers are the key to giving stories a human voice.

at might sound a little strange; a er all, they record video, not just sound, right? But one of the main jobs of a videographer is to make great footage of the interviews that are the heart of Newshounds reporting. When the team goes into the eld to interview a source, its the videographers job - with help from the producer - to make sure that theres good, usable video of the interview. at doesnt just mean that the video looks good; it means the video has to sound good too! So making sure that the team gets good video and sound of an interview is the videographers job. In other words, videographers make sure that the voice of Newshounds reporters and sources can be heard.

Of course, thats not all videographers do. As a videographer, you might record live events like sports or artistic performances. And if your school has a computer lab that lets you edit video - that is, cut it down and string video together, like a movie - youll have a chance to do that, too.

ROLE:

VIDEOGRAPHERPower: Capturing life as it happens.

Tools: A video camera, an eye for

seeing what looks good

on video, and the timing

to capture just the right

moments.

! e Best Part:

Sharing a perfect moment

caught on camera with people

who really appreciate it.


42

To do all that, though, you have to master the rst rule of being a videographer: get the shot.

SIX STEPS FOR GREAT RECORDINGS is section provides you with a list of steps that will help you record great shots for your story. ese steps are to be followed once you have decided on the shots you want and where to record the shots. Pay VERY close attention to the last step!

STEP 1: CHECK THE LIGHTINGMake sure you have enough light. If there isnt the video wont come out well.

STEP 2: CHECK THE BACKGROUNDJust like photography, you want to make sure there are no distractions in the background. People walking in and out of the recording can be distracting. Make sure you clear the area, or stop recording until the distraction can be moved.

STEP 3: HOLD THE CAMERA STEADYIt is important to hold the camera steady when recording. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart to give yourself a steady stance. ! e more steady you are, the more steady the camera will be.

STEP 4: SHOOT ESTABLISHING SHOTSTry to record something that would help viewer understand where the activity is taking place or what activity is taking place. For example, if you are going to record the upcoming basketball game, try recording the basketball court rst.

STEP 5: RECORD YOUR SUBJECT! is step is easy! Just point the camera at the subject you want to shoot and press record. Keep the camera still; if you have to move it, keep your movements slow and steady; dont jump around. Remember to press the stop button when you are done.

STEP 6: SHOOT COMPLETE CHUNKSYou probably wont be able to spend much time editing your video later, so you want to make sure that you get good chunks of usable footage. For the Newshounds Blog, try to shoot between one and two minutes at a time.


43


44

Share your ideas in the story meeting! Volunteer for the videographer role.

Work with your team to " esh out your story idea. Work with the other videographers to create ideas for shots.

Shoot video! Keep these ideas in mind: Follow the shot list Keep shots under 90 seconds. Take shots you didnt plan, but you see in the # eld. Use good technique. Use your internet research time to learn more about

videography. Take advantage of the Glossary and Google.

Share your iiiiddddeas iiiin ttthhhhe stttory meettiingShare your iiiiddddeas iiiin ttthhhhe stttory meettiing


h outt your sttory iiidddeaoutt your sttory iiidddea


Stage 1:

Stage 2:

Step 1: The Beat

VIDEOGRAPHER ROLE FLOWCHARTUse this owchart to see what your job as a videographer will be in each stage of the production cycle.

Once your team has " eshed out a driving question and made a plan to answer it, present them both plan to the club. Answer any questions they have, and use them to

improve your plan.

O h " h dh " h d



45

Get ready to use your video: Upload your video ! les from your camera to a

computer. Watch your videos and make sure you have at least

one good, usable video. Choose the videos you want to use and show it to

your Newshounds Facilitator for approval. Upload the video to your media library or video

server.

Video Description Your video needs a brief, two to three sentence

description. In other words, you should write a short paragraph that explains what the video is, who is in it, and why your audience should watch.

Title Write a title for your video. Make it interesting!

Revise and edit your video description and title. Make sure that spelling and grammar are correct, but, more importantly, make sure theyre both

interesting and engaging.



b i f t t th tb i f t t th t

Step 2: Drafting

RR ii dd ddiit iidd dd iRR i dd ddit idd dd i

Step 3: Revision


46

ready to go.

Write your byline. Make sure your name is on the work!


Stage 4:

Give your reporter the link to your video so it can be added to the teams post.

Gi t th li k t idGi t th li k t i

Step 1: Publication

Once your Newshounds Facilitator publishes your story, celebrate! Take the time to read the other story teams articles. Leave comments, and reply to the comments your classmates leave. Have fun!

Once your class has had a chance to go over your Newshounds articles, share them with the world! Make announcement cards telling your friends and family about your article, or use ones your Newshounds Facilitator gives you.

Step 3: Celebration



Alonggssiiiidddddee yyoouurr ttteeaamm eexxpplllllaaiiiinn ttthhhhheeAlonggssiiiidddddee yyoouurr ttteeaamm eexxpplllllaaiiiinn ttthhhhhee



47

Remember, people are more likely to watch two short videos than one long one!

ARTISTPhotography and videography are great. ey can show you the world as it is. But art? Art can show you the world as it should be - and then help make it that way. ats why I love art.

-Maya, Newshounds Artist

Artists have the ability to take something that is purely imagination and make it real. " ats a powerful ability! As the artist for the Newshounds team, your job will be to imagine a picture that best symbolizes the story your team is writing, then make it a reality. Youll make several sketches, # rst; think of those as test runs to get your idea right before you start making the real deal. " en, when youre ready, youll make the drawing that will serve as a symbol for your teams story.

Of course, as important as making a great symbol is, thats not all youll be doing. Sometimes, in spite of their best e orts, photographers and videographers wont be able to get the shots they need. When that happens, your team may turn to you to make a drawing instead. " ats an extra chance to step up and make something cool for your team!

Dont worry if you dont think youre the best artist in the world. No one starts great. " e main thing is to practice and do your best. In the end, youre sure to make something you can all be proud to share with the world.

ROLE: ARTISTPower: To create beauty from

nothing.

Tools: Pencils, paper, an

imagination, and an eye for

cool.

! e Best Part:

Imagining an idea and making

it so real the rest of the world

can enjoy it.


48

THE ART OF ILLUSTRATION: HOW TO CHOOSE THE

RIGHT SUBJECTS FOR YOUR WORKNewshounds artists play a key role in the story team. Unlike photographers, artists can create art the shows things that arent there yet, or that the photographer cant get a photograph of. ey can sketch important people who arent around to have their picture taken, draw locations that photographers cant get to, and create meaningful symbols that exist only in the artists mind!

Making art is a powerful thing, and theres a lot to learn about it. We cant teach you how to be a great artist in these few short pages, but we can help you choose great subjects for your art; in other words, we can help you decide what you should draw. en you can do your best to draw it.

SKETCHES OF SYMBOLS Symbols are almost always a great choice for an artist! O" en, its hard for photographers to get a good picture of symbols, but if an artist can think up the right symbol for a story, it can make the whole story come alive! (See the Glossary for more on symbols).

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

What is my teams story really about? Is there an idea that symbolizes that meaning? For example, a story about American history might bene# t from a sketch of a bald eagle. Sports articles frequently feature illustrations of school mascots, and the use of team colors might help to identify a location for a story in a way a photo of the school name might not.

SKETCHES OF PEOPLEPeople are always interesting to other people. You should choose people as your subjects only when your photographer cant get a good shot, though. Otherwise, there are probably other ideas you can illustrate that photographers cant.


What people are involved in the story? What should you sketch to focus on them? For example, One student warming up before the game, or the face of a food drive volunteer.


49

SKETCHES OF LOCATIONSLocations can also be a good choice. Again, choose location sketches when your photographers cant get good pictures.


What places are relevant to the story your team is telling? What parts of those places might help tell the story? For example, ! e school cafeteria, or ! e basketball court.


50

Share your ideas in the story meeting! Volunteer for the artist role.

Work with the other artists to create ideas for shots.

Scout locations. Make thumbnail sketches Internet research Look into some of the artistic techniques discussed in the

glossary. Google some of those terms, and see what you can learn. Alternatively, practice with a digital drawing

tool like MS paint.

h id i th t ti !h id i th t ti



Stage 1:

Stage 2:

SSSSSScccooouutttt llllllooocccaaattttiiiiiiooonnnsssSSSSSScccooouutttt llllllooocccaaattttiiiiiiooonnnsss

Step 1: The Beat

ARTIST ROLE FLOWCHARTUse this owchart to see what your job as an artist will be in each stage of the production cycle.

Once your team has " eshed out a driving question and made a plan to answer it, present them both plan to the club. Answer any questions they have, and use them to

improve your plan.

O h " h dh " h d



51

Create sketches Make a few sketches of your idea. Try di! erent ways

to draw it, and choose one that you like best to make into a " nal drawing.

Which reminds me: this is not your " nal drawing! $ ese are just simple sketches to help you think through and practice your idea. When youve done

that a few times, youll be ready for the " nal work.

Make your drawings! Working from your sketches, make a drawing that you want to use in your teams story.

Sign your name on the bottom corner of your drawing when youre done; keep your signature small. Its a long tradition!

captioning than revision. But now that you have a drawing done, it needs to be digitized and put on your sites Newshounds Blog. Digitize means to make digital; in other words, make it into something you can upload onto a computer. Usually, that means youll take a picture, but if your school has scanners, use them!

Once you have a digital " le, upload it to the media library on your sites Newshounds Blog.



Step 2: Drafting

Step 3: Revision


52

Now that you have your work in the Media Library, write a caption and byline for your artwork.

N h h k i h MN h h k i h M



Work with the reporter to add your artwork to the blog post.

Step 1: Publication


Once your class has had a chance to go over your Newshounds articles, share them with the world! Make announcement cards telling your friends and family about your article, or use ones your Newshounds Facilitator gives you.

O N h d F iliO N h d F ili

Step 3: Celebration

Present your work! Alongside your team, explain the answers you found to your driving question, and let them take a look at your published work. Ask them to review your work online and leave their comments.



53

PRODUCER ere are a lot of parts to a good story, and getting all those parts together on one page is a lot like herding cats - they all want to go their own way, but the cat herder needs them to go the same way. e other Newshounds? eyre more like news cats: my job is to herd them.

-Alexis, Newshounds Producer

Newshounds producers get good at every role, because its their job to do a little bit of everything. ey help photographers gure out the shots they should take, and help set them up. ey help videographers nd the right location, frame up their shots, and get good sound. ey work with photos and videos to make sure theyre ready for publication, and the help reporters write tight, e ective articles. ey even work with artists when theyre struggling to nd inspiration.

Why do they get to do all those things? More than anything, its because its the job of the producer to make sure that the teams article is getting done. When the reporter is behind, they get the reporter caught up. If the photographer or videographer is out, they step up and take the shots. Whenever part of the team is falling behind, the producer supports them and gets them caught up. And when the team is running smoothly, the producer contributes ideas and support to make the story even better.

Being a producer may be like cat herding, but with the right cats, herding can be a lot of fun!

ROLE: PRODUCERPower: To create order from chaos.

Tools: A sharp eye, computer savvy,

a way with people, and an

intuition on when to pitch in.

! e Best Part:

Loving it when your plan

comes together.


54

HOW TO BE A GREAT PRODUCERSo if being a producer is like herding cats, what are the tools a good cat herder needs?

LEADERSHIPIts easy to think of a producer as being like the teams boss, but thats not right. Nobody has a boss in Newshounds (except maybe the Newshounds Facilitator). A producer is a leader. Not because you get to tell people what to do (you dont), but because you have a vision for the teams story, and lead your team to achieve it.

When your team walks the beat, you encourage your teammates to make their best e! ort. You help the reporter ask good follow up questions, and point out opportunities to your Ographers for great shots. You make sure that the work of making a story - and theres always work - gets done. And you do it by being helpful, encouraging, and friendly. " ats called service leadership. When you lead through service, its easy to be a leader, because when you do, people want to follow.

FRIENDLINESSHave you ever tried to force a cat to do something? It doesnt work very well. Kindness and a positive attitude are much better tools for working with cats, and thats true for people as well. Its also a part of being a good service leader, and thus a good producer.

HELPFULNESS" e cousin of friendliness, helpfulness is just as important in a producer. What is a service leader doing if theyre not being helpful? Not much. Make sure that when you step into your producer shoes, you do it in the spirit of doing whatever you can to help your team succeed.

So how can you do that? Well, your reporter has a lot of questions to remember; help him or her remember to ask good follow ups as well. Your videographer may not be sure what to shoot, or how to frame the shot. A lot of the time, all you need to do is have a conversation with them. See if you can # gure out a solution together!

ATTENTION TO DETAILAs the producer, youre going to be keeping an eye on a lot of di! erent things. Pictures and video has to be uploaded to the blog. Captions have


55

to be written. When youre in the eld, names have to be written down correctly. Youre the last line of defense to making sure these details dont get overlooked; and the details will make or break your teams story. Which brings me to the last point....

NAMES!

More than anyone else - even the reporter - its the job of the producer to make sure you get the names of everyone you talk to, take a photo of, or put in a video. And make sure theyre spelled right! Nobody likes seeing their name misspelled in a story - or worse, le" out entirely.


56

Work with your team to esh out your story idea. Work with the other producers to create ideas for how to best

support your team.

Share your ideas! And volunteer for the producer role.Shhare your iiiiddddeas!!!! AAAAndddd vollllunttteer fffor tShare your iiiiddddeas!!!! AAAAndddd vollllunttteer fffor


eshh out your story iiddeaeshh out your story iidde


Stage 1:

Stage 2:

Point out good shots for photographers and videographers. Find a good place for shooting an interview. Help the Newshounds Facilitator keep the area quiet when

videographers are shooting. Get everyones names! Make sure theyre spelled right! Look to see who needs the most help, and help them.

Help team members with research.

Step 1: The Beat

PRODUCER ROLE FLOWCHARTUse this owchart to see what your job as a producer will be in each stage of the production cycle.

Once your team has eshed out a driving question and made a plan to answer it, present them both plan to the club. Answer any questions they have, and use them to improve your plan.

OOOOOOOnnnccceee yyyooouuurrr tttteeeaaammm hhhhhhhaaasss eeessshhhhhhheeeddddddd ooouutt aOOOOOOnnnccceee yyyooouuurrr tttteeeaaammm hhhhhhhaaasss eeessshhhhhhheeeddddddd ooouut a



57

Work with your story team members to ensure that their work is on track. In other words, help reporters outline, videographers pick good footage, or help photographers pick good videos.

Help make sure that each other story team member is creating work that is relevant to the story.

Dont be bossy! Remember, service leadership is the way to go. Be helpful, friendly, and detail

oriented.

Help your team members with digitization, photo editing, video editing, or drafting, as required.

Your main role in this step will be to be a second pair of eyes on every piece of the story your team is making. So try these ideas:Read over the reporters story and make suggestions. Work with the other team members to polish their

captions and descriptions. Make sure everything that needs a byline, has a byline. Make sure all the names are spelled right!



membbers wiithh ddiigiitiizatiion phhotombbers wiithh ddiigiitiizatiion phhot

Step 2: Drafting

Y i l i hi ill b bY i l i hi ill b b

Step 3: Revision

Review ALL the written work in the story. Is it grammatically correct? Error free? Review the artwork and video as well. Did your

team miss anything important?

itt k i th t I ititt k i th t I i



58


Help the reporter make any ! nal preparations to the story that may be needed.

Make your story teams announcement cards. Make sure everyones name is on the aricle, and

given proper credit - including yourself!

Step 1: Publication


Once your class has had a chance to go over your Newshounds articles, share them with the world! Make announcement cards telling your friends and family about your article, or use ones your

Newshounds Facilitator gives you.

Step 2: Celebration

Present your work! Alongside your team, explain the answers you found to your driving question, and let them take a look at your published work. Ask them to review your work online and leave their comments.



59

SECTION 4GLOSSARY


60


61

GLOSSARY

GENERAL NEWSHOUNDS TERMSBLOGA website in which a person or people write their ideas, usually about a certain topic. For example, Newshounds Blogs are blogs that journalists use to write stories about their school or a er school program.

BRAINSTORMINGA creative ideation process. In other words, a way for people to think of new ideas when they need them, instead of just waiting until ideas come on their own.

BREAKING THE NEWSTelling the world about a story before anyone else.

BYLINE

Credit given to the author or authors of an article, blog post, or other form of media. Newshounds does it like this: By Janobi.

COLLABORATION! e act of working with other people towards the same goal. Its an important life skill. Teamwork is a form of collaboration.

DRIVING QUESTIONDriving questions are the engine that moves Newshound story teams forward. When story teams form, they create a clear, deep question that they will then answer through the process of creating their multi-media stories. ! ats a driving question. When the whole team is working together to cra a deep answer to the same driving question, great stories are made.

INTERNET! e giant, internationally connected network of computers that powers the Web, social media, Xbox Live, video streaming, the Cloud, and so much more of our modern world.


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NEWSHOUNDS CLASS BLOG e website where all your classs Newshounds stories are published. Newshounds Class Blogs can be viewed around the world, so take pride in your work, Newshounds! You dont know who may be reading!

NEW MEDIANew media is a term used to distinguish electronic media, like websites and blogs, from traditional media, like newspapers and television. ere are some features shared by new media that makes them di" erent: you can interact with new media, access them through a network, and are more easily changed a er publishing. Your Newshounds Club Blog is a form of new media.

DOWNLOADTo move a le from a place on a network, like a website, to a local device. For example, downloading an image from the Internet to your computer at home.

POST e place where the story goes. Reporters create the posts for their story, but they add photos from the photographer, video from the videographer, art from the artist, and advice from the producer. When you publish a post, it becomes a story on your Newshounds Class Blog.

RESEARCH e things you do to nd information about your teams story. at might include looking for background information on the story topic, nding out details about a school event, or just looking up the proper spelling of somebodys name.

SOURCEAny resource for your teams story. So are teachers, coaches, site coordinators, other journalists, students, websites, books and school administrators like principals all sources? If youre using them for your teams story they are!

STORY TEAMA group of Newshounds journalists, organized by role, working as a team on a story.


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UPLOADTo move a le from a local device, like a computer or phone, to a place on a network, like a website. Uploading photos from a camera to a blog is one example of uploading.

WEBSITEA place on the Internet that provides web pages to visitors. For example, Newshounds Journalism Clubs main site (tnenewshounds.com) is a website. So is your class blog.

WEB PAGE e individual pieces of a website. For example, the main page on your class blog is a web page, but so are all the other, small pages that link to the main page.

REPORTERS TERMSDRAFTING e process of taking your outline and making the rst version of your story that uses complete sentences and paragraphs. # e goal of dra" ing is to create a complete story, even if there are grammatical mistakes or things that need to change.

EDITING# e process of correcting all the grammatical mistakes, problems with sentences, and misspellings. Spelling names right is particularly important in this stage.

INTERVIEWAn activity where a reporter asks questions of a source. In Newshounds, most stories will have an interview. Usually a videographer will record them for the blog, and the photographer will get pictures. Its the reporters job in an interview to ask good questions, listen to the answers, and ask great follow up questions.

OUTLINING# e process of taking your notes and other research and organizing your ideas on a post in your class blog. # e main reason to outline is to get your


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ideas down and in order to ensure that you write a very good story when you move on to dra ing. And so you dont forget anything important.

REVISING! e process of taking a dra and cleaning it up so that its not just written down - its well written. When you revise, youll make sure that your story is easy to read, that it makes sense, and that everything is in the right place. Youll x most of the grammatical mistakes here, too, although the main focus of revision is on ideas, not grammar. Its not that grammar isnt important; youll " x that in editing. But you have to have good ideas " rst!

PHOTOGRAPHERS TERMSAPERTUREHole or an opening through which light travels.

BACKGROUND! e ground or parts, as of a scene, situated in the rear.

FOCUS! e center of interest or activity.

FOREGROUND! e ground or parts situated, or represented as situated, in the front; the portion of a scene nearest to the viewer.

FRAME! e technique of drawing attention to the subject of your image by blocking other parts of the image with something in the scene.

LCD SCREEN! e screen on which you view the photo, or the subject before the photo is taken.

LENS ! e camera lens, which is located at the front of the camera.


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SHOOTING ANGLE is refers to where you are when you take your photo. You could be standing to the le or to right of your subject. Or maybe you decided to take a picture of a subject that is on the ground so you are above it with your camera pointing down at the subject. Or perhaps you are lying on the ground with the camera pointing up at your subject. Your shooting angle would be di erent for all of these positions.

SHUTTER e button you press to take the photo.

SUBJECT e object you are photographing.

THE SHOT is is the photo.

VIEW FINDER e small hole you look through to see what you are photographing. On digital cameras people use the LCD screen rather than the view nder.

VIDEOGRAPHERS TERMSAUDIO e sound you record.

BACKGROUND e ground or parts, as of a scene, situated in the rear.

COMPOSITION e layout of everything within a picture frame what the subject is, where it is in the frame, which way its facing/looking, the background, the foreground, lighting, etc.

ESTABLISHING SHOT ese are shots that let the viewer know where the recording is taking place.


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FOREGROUND e ground or parts situated, or represented as situated, in the front; the portion of a scene nearest to the viewer.

FOOTAGE e recording.

FRAMEWhat you see in the view nder.

LIGHTING is refers to how the area you are recording is lit.

PANMoving the camera from side to side.

SHOT e individual parts of the recording. Multiple shots make up the footage.

TILTMoving the camera up and down.

TRANSITION e way shots are joined together to tell the story.

VIEWFINDER e small hole you look through to see what you are recording. On digital records people use the LCD screen rather than the view nder.

VISUAL SLATE is can be a recording of a written note with the date, time, and location of the recording, or it can just be a recording of someone giving that information. e visual slate is recorded at the beginning of the tape.

ZOOMUsing the camera to get closer to the subject without you moving.

ARTISTS TERMS


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DIGITIZETo take a physical object and make a digital copy that can be used on a computer. Artists digitize their illustrations a er theyre done, usually by taking a picture of them. Sometimes theyll use a scanner, though.

ILLUSTRATE! e act of illustrating. In Newshounds, artists illustrate. But you can illustrate with words, too. For example, if I explain to you how hamburgers are made, I illustrated the process with words. If I draw a picture and show you, I illustrated the idea with an image.

ILLUSTRATIONA picture. In Newshounds, usually a drawing.

IMAGEA picture. When you put pictures on computers, people tend to call them images. A er all, theres no physical picture, is there?

CAPTIONA short piece of writing that goes with an image. ! eyre usually one or two sentences. ! e purpose of a caption is to tell the reader something meaningful about the image. In Newshounds, it also explains what the image has to do with the story the image goes with.

SYMBOLA thing that stands for something else. O en, that something is an idea, but it can be something real, too. For example, many people consider the American " ag to be a symbol of freedom, but its also a symbol for the United States. If your school has a mascot, its a symbol for the school, but also for school spirit.

PRODUCERS TERMSINTUITION! e ability to understand something without thinking about it. Intuition is o en thought of as a gut feeling. Remember, though, that your intuition could be wrong!

LEADERSHIP


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e things you do that persuade people follow you.

SERVICE LEADERSHIPLeading by putting other people rst and helping them perform at the best of their abilities.

PRODUCINGSimply put, to make something. In the media, producers pull together all the di" erent parts - reporters, camerapeople, sources, supplies - so that their team can make a story. ats what Newshounds producers do, too.


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SECTION 5MATERIALS


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REPORTERS STORY WORKSHEET

Use this worksheet to prepare yourself for gathering the information youll need to tell your teams Newshounds story.

PART 1: YOUR TEAMS DRIVING QUESTION

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PART 2: YOUR QUESTIONSWhat do you need to learn from your sources to write your story? Make a list of the questions you want your sources to answer. Try writing as many questions as you can think of on a notes page (at the back of this handbook), then take the best ones and put them in the list below. Remember, you want both H5W questions and deep questions.

H5W QUESTIONS(Who, what, when, where, why, and how.)

Who:

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What:

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Where:

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When:

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Why:

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_______________________________________________________

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How:

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DEEP QUESTIONS: ese are the questions that you really have to think about. Ask open-ended questions; you know, questions that dont have a yes / no answer.

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PART 2: THE INTERVIEWTake notes in the space below. If you need more room, use a notes page in the back of this workbook.

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PHOTOGRAPHERS STORY WORKSHEET

Use this worksheet to prepare yourself to take useful, on-topic photos for your teams Newshounds story.

PART 1: YOUR TEAMS DRIVING QUESTION

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PART 2: SHOT BRAINSTORMINGUnder each category below, make a list of shots you might take. Try to come up with at least three ideas for each category.

SHOTS OF PEOPLEWhat people are involved in the story? What should they be doing in the pictures youd like to take? For example, Mrs. Higgins, standing in front of her classroom, or A close up of a happy mother.

1. _____________________________________________________

2. ___________________

Documents

Journalist's Handbook Excerpt.pdf