SCRIPTS, RULES AND RUBRICS
JEANC Oct. 15, 2011
Me High school features editor College radio news director CNN newswriter The mommy years: campaign press
secretary, restaurant reviewer, union newsletter editor, freelance education writer
Recovering public relations writer FINALLY! Journalism adviser
The program at Davis High Journalism 1 (fall semester: 3 articles +
sports game story + review go on website) ROP Journalism 2 Multimedia (spring
semester: video and radio packages up on website, radio also goes to KDRT community radio)
ROP Journalism 2 HUB (full-year: produces HUB, KDRT “Dirt on Davis,” and bluedevilhub.com
Atul GawandeThe Checklist Manifesto
Atul GawandeThe Checklist Manifesto
Two kinds of errors: errors of ignorance (mistakes we make
because we don’t know enough) errors of ineptitude (mistakes we
make because we don’t make proper use of what we do know)
The answer? Checklists! Even experts need
checklists to walk them through the key steps in any complex procedure
Pilots, pit crews, surgeons… journalists?!
Gawande’s Harvard address Two million patients pick up infections in American
hospitals, most because someone didn’t follow basic antiseptic precautions. Forty per cent of coronary-disease patients and sixty per cent of asthma patients receive incomplete or inappropriate care. And half of major surgical complications are avoidable with existing knowledge. It’s like no one’s in charge—because no one is. The public’s experience is that we have amazing clinicians and technologies but little consistent sense that they come together to provide an actual system of care, from start to finish, for people. We train, hire, and pay doctors to be cowboys. But it’s pit crews people need.
Doug LemovTeach Like a Champion
The big idea: let’s normalize error to maximize learning
Make getting it wrong and then getting it right normal
Wrong answers: don’t chasten: “We already talked about this!”don’t excuse: “That’s okay. That was a tough
situation.” Lemov: “It’s better, in fact, to avoid
spending a lot of time talking about wrongness and get down to the work of fixing it as quickly as possible.”
Right answers: not too much fuss or praise
What does this have to do with journalism? (Answer: everything.) Lemov: Kids won’t answer a question
because they’re afraid of being wrong Wilkerson: kids won’t take a risk
because they’re afraid of making a mistake and getting screamed at
And, finally, Malcolm Gladwell… The 10,000 hour
rule (It takes 10,000 hours to get good at anything!)
My brain… Lots to learn…and
more all the time with multimedia
By definition, our students aren’t anywhere close to reaching the 10,000 hour threshold
Everything we do is a complex task
Garden variety news story Get an idea Focus on an angle Find an expert Write a business email to request an
interview with an adult expert Find sources who aren’t my friends Conduct an informative, ethical interview Take notes
(and there’s still more!) Evaluate interviews and decide what to
include and what to delete Write a summary news lead Choose a structure that best fits the story Know “news style” Know AP style Avoid legal and ethical transgressions Revise Proofread
(and that’s not counting all the life skills…) How to work with other people How to reassure reluctant sources How to take criticism How to stand up to those in charge How to get the courage to do something
scary How to get your story done by deadline How to roll when things go wrong
We ask a lot out of ourselves
Let’s give our students a fighting chance by breaking down complex tasks
Gawande-style by using:
SCRIPTS RULES
RUBRICS
Scripts What could you use a script for?
DO DON’TPhone calling a stranger:Hello, I am Rafael Reporter. May I speak with Eddie Expert please? Oh, hello, Mr. Expert. I am with The HUB newspaper in Davis, California. I am researching a story about immigration issues in higher education. Professor Ursula Ucdavis suggested your name; she said you were an expert in this field. Would you be willing to do an interview with me, either in person or on the phone?
Phone calling a stranger:Ummm, hi, is Eddie Expert there? Yea…I’m Rafael and I wanted to talk to you about immigration. Oh, yea, I’m with The HUB—it’s just a high school newspaper. Anyway, Eddie, here are my questions and I just need short answers because I have to have an expert for my article. Ummm, Eddie? Eddie? Did you hang up?
YOUR FIRST INTERVIEW Prepare Introduce Listen Check
PREPARE Research the story using friends,
colleagues, Internet Ask the basics Use “gentle commands” to get stories,
not just facts
“Gentle commands” Tell me about… I’m curious about… Describe your reaction to… I’ve always wondered about… Talk to me about… I can’t imagine how that made you feel.
[Then pause a long time.] Take me back to five minutes before it
happened and walk me through it.--Don Ray, Investigative Journalist
INTRODUCE: Steps to an ethical interview WEAR YOUR PRESS PASS Not optional…this gives a visual signal to your interviewee that you’re now a journalist, not a student or classmate
ASK PERMISSIONHello, do you have a moment to talk?
INTRODUCEMy name is _______________. I am doing an assignment for my journalism class at Davis High School. Can I talk to you for ____ minutes about _________.
INTRODUCE: Steps to an ethical interview BE UP-FRONT AND ETHICAL“Okay, I’m going to start the interview now. And I want you to know that everything you say from this point on could end up in the school paper or web site.”
ESTABLISH RAPPORT
LISTEN Don’t interrupt Let silence be your friend Listen hard enough to be able to
formulate follow-up questions
CHECK Glance quickly at notes Clarify names, places, dates Read back important quotes Confirm important/suspicious
information Get contact information for
further follow-up
Emails to adults A stranger A referral from someone else An acquaintance
RULES Beginners like absolutes We’re all beginners
Interviews during class Wear a press pass Never disturb a class if a lecture is in
progress No shout-outs to kids in the class Ask teacher permission to interview a
student 5-minute rule: anything that takes longer
than five minutes needs to happen outside of class
RUBRICS as a teaching tool
Checklists as part of peer editing
Even “experts” need CHECKLISTSNEWS BRIEFS Is topic newsworthy? (using this criteria: timing,
significance, prominence, proximity, human interest). Did you interview at least two people to find needed
details? Have you ensured that absolutely everything in your brief is
accurate, with no assumptions on your part? Have you included at least one quotation, using a proper
speech tag? Does your story consist of 4-5 short paragraphs (1-3
sentences each)? Do you begin with an interesting lead (no “when” or “where”
starts!) that tells the news? Have you suggested a headline? Does it follow AP and HUB style?
Even EDITORS need CHECKLISTS
The HUB needs MORE scripts, rules, and rubrics Sample letters for business manager Script for handling a difficult interview Script for handling request to approve
article before printing Portfolio checklists Steps to creating an online portfolio Sources for data
thehubclass.wordpress.com
Back to Gawande… Recently, you might be interested to know, I
met an actual cowboy. He described to me how cowboys do their job today, herding thousands of cattle. They have tightly organized teams, with everyone assigned specific positions and communicating with each other constantly. They have protocols and checklists for bad weather, emergencies, the inoculations they must dispense. Even the cowboys, it turns out, function like pit crews now. It may be time for us to join them.
Recommended
