Assignment for March 31

1) Prepare a story pitch for the Student Voice based upon the format which was sent to you in a separate email. Email your pitch or revised pitch to your instructor prior to the next class meeting. You have been granted a final extension until then. Offering a story to the Student Voice is one of the requirements of this class.

For this assignment, you will come up with your own idea for a feature story which we will discuss in class. You are not locked into that idea and in fact, are encouraged to alter it if need be based on your colleagues' comments.

One of the best ways to come up with a feature story topic is to have the assignment in the back of your mind as you go about your daily work, studies and interactions. When you encounter a cool new gadget, hear someone's interesting tale of overcoming adversity, notice a new trend or hear a great speech, all of these things should trigger the reaction: Hey, that would make a great story! Then you've got a good feature topic. You can also use this story to answer your own curiosity about something.

For instance, early in a colleague's reporting career, she injured a knee playing softball and knew she would eventually have to have surgery. So she pitched and wrote a story on knee surgery. It was a perfect topic at Lake Tahoe where she was working since there are so many knee injuries from skiing there. She interviewed a couple of surgeons, including the doctor who was the U.S. Olympic team surgeon, and watched another in action. It was very interesting and answered her own curiosity. And it was a fun feature for that audience.

2) Consider doing an extra credit assignment. Everyone in the class needs some extra points.

3) Review Chapters 8 and 9 in the text. Continue to review contents of the AP Stylebook. Sphere: Related Content