Article assignment

Article assignment

In order to better get acquainted with modern journalism you need to start reading the news. I know o.m.g. I have to read? Yep, it’s English class, you have to read. Every week from here on out you need to read articles from real news sources. We have newspapers in the library and I am about to provide you in class with several links to news sources as well. Every Thursday you will need to turn in four articles. You need to hand in a roughly one paragraph synopsis/lede for the article as well as either a link to the article or the original article itself.

Besides keeping you up on current events that might be affecting your life this assignment will offer you a couple of interesting benefits. First, by reading the story and summarizing it you will have to think critically about the information you are ingesting. You will have to decide what the really important details are, and think about how to present them in away that catches your reader’s attention. Second, it will give you writing practice. Third, it will help you continue practicing your computer skills we have been working on so far. It also will help you learn to write a lede, which may be your most important step to getting a news story published. A lede is the introduction to a news story.

What you need to do is read several current news stories; they must come from real sources and be hard news stories. Human interest, sports, and celebrity gossip will not be accepted. You should be looking for stories that involve world events, science, politics, the environment, education, or the economy. These should be stories of consequence that have real effects on people’s lives. After you have read several sources pick four that seem the most important you, summarize their main ideas, and then turn the summary into an introduction. Once you have done this submit the assignment like you would any other assignment for the class; the title should be NEWS, then the date of the Thursday you are handing them in for ex: 1-22-09.

Here are some examples of the type of lede I want you writing.

Israel Declares Cease-Fire In Gaza
January 17, 2009 · Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced a suspension of the three-week-old military offensive in Gaza, but a Hamas spokesman said the Palestinians would continue to fight until Israeli forces withdraw. (27) (4)

Official Reflects On Foreign Aid Triumphs, Challenges
January 17, 2009 · The Bush administration leaves behind a solid legacy in humanitarian aid and development, says Henrietta Fore, the outgoing director of U.S. foreign assistance and head of USAID. Her final days on the job are busy, dealing with crises in Gaza and Zimbabwe. (5) (0)

Middle East
U.S. To Help Israel Shut Down Smuggling Tunnels
January 16, 2009 · The U.S. has promised to provide technology and training to help find and destroy tunnels between Egypt and Gaza. Israel says the tunnels are used to smuggle weapons and explosives to Palestinian militants. (59) (12)

Sorting Out A Clear Strategy For Afghanistan
January 16, 2009 · When Barack Obama takes office next week, he'll inherit an increasingly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. A troop increase has already begun, but some question the signals that strategy sends. In addition, analysts urge Obama to take a regional approach. (18) (2)

Middle East
Day Of Heavy Fighting In Gaza May Spur Cease-Fire
January 16, 2009 · A day after Israeli tanks pushed deep into the Gaza Strip's most heavily populated areas, officials say cease-fire efforts are gaining momentum. An Israeli negotiator is heading back to Cairo for what one official said could be the "final act." Israel's foreign minister is on her way to Washington seeking help in preventing Hamas from using smuggling tunnels to re-arm link

The assignment is worth 100 points a week. It will be graded on the quality of news source, number of sources, the lede itself, and, of course, how well it is all written.