Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Newspaper Reporting & Writing

Enrollment is limited to the first fully paid 25 participants for this class. 

Group description:

This group is designed to cover the basics of newspaper reporting and writing for all types of articles - news, features, opinion pieces and so forth. Think of it as "Journalism 101." Students, through developing knowledge and skills in interviewing, drafting, revision and copyediting, will acquire a solid foundation in the basics of newspaper reporting and writing in order to apply them as members of their student publications. Students will also learn the qualities of news, visual journalism, the importance of ethics in journalism and the commitment to writing stories with fairness, accuracy and balance.

Group assignments:

• Analyze and practice the major forms of journalistic writing
• Brainstorm story ideas
• Communicate effectively through a common vocabulary by learning and using the language of journalism.
• Complete writing and editing assignments by applying knowledge of the writing process: interviewing and gathering facts, revising, editing, and proofreading for newspaper style.
• Learn and write news articles, features, reviews and opinion pieces on deadline
• Learn the importance of accuracy and avoiding bias in reporting.
• Study student and professional publications
• Understand what news is and apply the knowledge to brainstorming and news-gathering

Group accomplishments:

Class members will learn:

• how to avoid editorializing and bias in news pieces
• techniques of interviewing
• the ethics of journalism and the regulations governing the student press.
• the format for writing news articles, features, reviews and opinion pieces on deadline
• the importance of journalism in a democratic society.
• the importance of revision and copyediting for newspaper style
• the rights and responsibilities of reporters
• visual journalism: discuss the concept of packaging stories, including text, graphics, photographs, artwork, typography, sidebars and more, and how they work together to capture readers' attention
• what makes something newsworthy

Group Instructor

Bretton Zinger currently teaches English and advises the newspaper and literary magazine at Robert Adams Middle School in Holliston, Mass. He previously taught journalism and film study at Chantilly High School in Chantilly, Va., where he also advised The Purple Tide newspaper and Andromeda literary magazine, which each won Crowns from CSPA and numerous state and national awards, as well as The Knightly News video program.

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