Assignment 1: Using data to report stories

Description of Assignment: Under a voluntary program, almost every police department in the United States makes a count of all reports of crime, and submits those counts to the FBI for inclusion in its annual tome: Crime in the United States. Many jurisdictions first report crime data to the state. Missouri is one such state which puts a vast amount of information online about incidence of crime in cities and counties.

Visit the Uniform Crime Reports section of the Missouri State Highway Patrol website and use the search engine to find the totals for the state’s three biggest cities--St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield--of the eight so-called “index crimes”--murder, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, auto theft, and arson.

Determine the totals for 2014, 2015, and 2016 for each city. Use a spreadsheet to help you keep track.

Analyze the data and reach some conclusions. Which city had the most overall crime? Which had the highest crime rate (using census data to find population)? In which city did crime increase the most over the 3-year period?

Write a brief story of 300 words to report what you find.

Public Domain Source Material:
http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/SAC/data_and_statistics_ucr_query_backup.html 

Assignment 2: The public’s right to know

Description of Assignment: Reporters get insight into the workings of government at the local, state, and federal level by requesting access to government records or attending government meetings.

In doing so, reporters are said to be an important watchdog. Whether it involves probing government contracts, scrutinizing how police investigate crimes, or gathering information on building inspections, open records and meetings laws are a powerful tool for keeping the government honest.

All states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government have the so-called “freedom of information” laws that guarantee access to government documents and establish exemptions when records can be closed.

Find the state open records law in your state using the link below.

Then pick a government agency you would like to serve with a request. It could be a good way to satisfy a question. Who was arrested at your city’s most recent Mardi Gras celebration?

Then use the letter generator at the link below to create a request.

Important: If you submit your letter, make sure you send it to the agency’s custodian of records, and make sure you make it clear you are not willing to pay more than a few dollars.

Public Domain Source Material:

Links to all state records laws: http://www.nfoic.org/state-freedom-of-information-laws

Letter generator: http://www.splc.org/page/lettergenerator 

Assignment 3: The personality profile--without prior restraint

Description of Assignment: Personality profiles draw heavy readership because people enjoy reading about the lives and experiences of other people. Every person has a story and when you can tell that story in an interesting and compelling fashion, you give your audience a treat.

For this assignment, your instructor will pair you up with a classmate to interview--and be interviewed by. The assignment is to tell the story of how your partner got where he or she is today. What high school did he attend? In which sports did she participate? What is his family like? Why is she interested in journalism?

If there is time out of class to work on the assignment, please ask your partner for the names and numbers of two other people to contact, to help you flesh out your story.

Prepare to be probed--it’s not always comfortable being on the other side of the interview chair.

Here’s the thing: You need to make sure the story is accurate before you present it in class. You are absolutely forbidden from sharing your finished draft with your partner.

After your presentation, your partner will be asked to check your accuracy, so make sure your work is free of errors.

Assignment 4: Design a beat and gather contacts

Description of Assignment: You’re a new reporter in an online newsroom, part of a small but scrappy staff that’s eager to get out and cover your campus or community. What’s one essential coverage area, or beat, that your publication should start with? Let’s say it’s campus sports. Who are the people who would be essential for a campus sports reporter to know?

Open a spreadsheet and start a list of names, and stop when you get to 25. Using campus resources, or web searches, include your contacts’ phone numbers, email addresses, websites, and online bios. For example, a sports reporter would include the volleyball coach and assistant coaches, team manager, and key players on the roster. It’s OK if you can’t immediately find contact information online--just move to the next source.

Having this contact information at the ready, and in an organized format, will be an essential time-saver as you get acclimated on the beat. And as you meet more people, your contact list will grow to include hundreds, maybe thousands of names.