Former Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Willams stopped by class to provide a perspective reporters need to acknowledge: what it's like to be covered by the mass media. He shared not only how he prepared both himself and his players to interact with reporters, but also how to work with people who, at times, may not see eye-to-eye on the same subject because they look at it from different vantage points.
There are a lot of ways to engage this topic. Please post your replies on what you took away from speaking with and listening to Williams by noon on Monday, Oct. 24. Thanks.
Alan
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Storytime with Bill Nack
Bill Nack talked to us last week about the skills used to tell a story. He just happens to have told many of them about sports, but what he discussed could have been applied to any subject (as you heard, when he talked about one of his stories from early in his career dealing with sewage-treament plants on Long Island).
Storytellers, like Nack, and long-form pieces, like the ones he used to publish, are becoming increasingly scarce. You could consider that a bad thing, or it could be just another sign of the evolution of sports writing and sports media toward a shorter, more concise format, concurrent with electronic media.
Post your thoughts on what you took away from Nack's discussion. Did you love it? Were you inspired to go out and do what Nack regrets he never did - write a 7,000-word piece for Sports Illustrated entirely in iambic pentameter? Or, on the other hand, did you find some of the stories he told a little too long and labored? Do you think there's no place- or, at least, a much smaller place - for those kinds of tales in the new media market? Or did last week's class leave other impressions upon you?
Please post your replies by noon on Monday. Thanks. See you Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. at the Newseum.
Alan
Storytellers, like Nack, and long-form pieces, like the ones he used to publish, are becoming increasingly scarce. You could consider that a bad thing, or it could be just another sign of the evolution of sports writing and sports media toward a shorter, more concise format, concurrent with electronic media.
Post your thoughts on what you took away from Nack's discussion. Did you love it? Were you inspired to go out and do what Nack regrets he never did - write a 7,000-word piece for Sports Illustrated entirely in iambic pentameter? Or, on the other hand, did you find some of the stories he told a little too long and labored? Do you think there's no place- or, at least, a much smaller place - for those kinds of tales in the new media market? Or did last week's class leave other impressions upon you?
Please post your replies by noon on Monday. Thanks. See you Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. at the Newseum.
Alan
Monday, September 26, 2011
I've got this idea ....
Twenty years ago, I'll bet a lot of people told Mark Potts he was crazy for eschewing the printed newspaper to focus on creating electronic outlets for journalism. Today, I'll bet a lot of people are apologizing to him.
Now, here's your chance to take a stab at innovation, which, as you realize, is not so easy. Write about what you would do if you were given the freedom to create a new product or means of distributing news? It could be a device (like an iPad or SmartPhone), or a niche service that provides information for a specific audience or on a particular topic, or it could be a way of gathering information in a unique manner.
Remember, the means and method may change, but many skills and requirements of reporters remain constant: gathering and disseminating truthful information in an responsible manner while remaining accountable and free from outside influence. Those who have taken JOUR 300/600, Ethics, recognize much of that comes from the SPJ Code of Ethics.
Post your replies by Monday, Oct. 3, at 12 noon. Thanks.
Alan
Now, here's your chance to take a stab at innovation, which, as you realize, is not so easy. Write about what you would do if you were given the freedom to create a new product or means of distributing news? It could be a device (like an iPad or SmartPhone), or a niche service that provides information for a specific audience or on a particular topic, or it could be a way of gathering information in a unique manner.
Remember, the means and method may change, but many skills and requirements of reporters remain constant: gathering and disseminating truthful information in an responsible manner while remaining accountable and free from outside influence. Those who have taken JOUR 300/600, Ethics, recognize much of that comes from the SPJ Code of Ethics.
Post your replies by Monday, Oct. 3, at 12 noon. Thanks.
Alan
Friday, September 23, 2011
The future of college sports
A Texas school is a menber of the Big East Conference. Colorado is heading to the Pac-12. With those three rivers running through it, Pittsburgh must've thought that was ample reason to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The geographic and financial alliances that gave distinct identities to the highest levels of U.S. college sports are on the verge of collapse (though Thursday's actions by the misnomered Big 12 might be a temporary stop-gap).
Regardless of what - if anything - happens next, the realignment of schools that participate in major college sports has radically altered the way the games are played, and how fans and college student bodies experience this. What do you think about it all?
Please post your reply before coming to class Monday at noon.
The geographic and financial alliances that gave distinct identities to the highest levels of U.S. college sports are on the verge of collapse (though Thursday's actions by the misnomered Big 12 might be a temporary stop-gap).
Regardless of what - if anything - happens next, the realignment of schools that participate in major college sports has radically altered the way the games are played, and how fans and college student bodies experience this. What do you think about it all?
Please post your reply before coming to class Monday at noon.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Not to get all existential, but ...
... why are we here? By that, I mean, why are you taking this course? What was it about JOUR 328 that jumped out at you and made you want to spend three months or so learning about sports writing?
Put your answers in the comments section of this post before noon on Monday, Sept. 12.
Put your answers in the comments section of this post before noon on Monday, Sept. 12.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Welcome
Welcome to the JOUR 328 class blog. This is where everyone will get a chance to write thoughtfully on news events or issues arising throughout the semester.
The first piece will be on something on our home turf that has caputred the nation's attention: the Maryland football team's new uniforms. They made their debut in front of a nationally televised audience in prime time on Labor Day, and everyone has an opinion on them. Beautiful or ugly, unique or confusing, stately or bombastic.
What are your thoughts? We're not looking for fashion criticism, per se, but rather what these uniforms say about the team, the athletic department, the university, as well as what they can and will do for the university. And maybe also some artistic sense, as well. Think about other much-discussed uniforms at other schools - Penn State, Alabama, Oregon, Michigan, USC.
The first piece will be on something on our home turf that has caputred the nation's attention: the Maryland football team's new uniforms. They made their debut in front of a nationally televised audience in prime time on Labor Day, and everyone has an opinion on them. Beautiful or ugly, unique or confusing, stately or bombastic.
What are your thoughts? We're not looking for fashion criticism, per se, but rather what these uniforms say about the team, the athletic department, the university, as well as what they can and will do for the university. And maybe also some artistic sense, as well. Think about other much-discussed uniforms at other schools - Penn State, Alabama, Oregon, Michigan, USC.
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