COMM 240B: Student Media: Intermediate Staff

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2023
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 90
Lecture Hours : 36
Lab Hours: 54
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 72
Prerequisite: COMM 240A.
Strongly Recommended: COMM 101.
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: No
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

A lecture/laboratory journalism course that produces the Clarion, the college's student media website. Working in teams, and in collaboration with the other student publications classes, intermediate reporters produce news and feature story packages that may include a main article, sidebars, photos, charts and graphs, and/or illustrations for publication. 36 lecture hours, 54 lab hours.

Course Objectives

  • Students learn to generate ideas for news feature stories and personality profiles.
  • Students work collaboratively to produce story packages for publication.
  • Students research and gather verifiable facts, information and supporting quotations in reporting and writing in-depth stories that are truthful, accurate, fair, and balanced.
  • Students compose, edit, revise and update content to strive for accuracy and maintain currency.
  • Students demonstrate increasing computer and photojournalism skills.
  • Students critique the paper--and especially their own work--objectively and fairly with the goal of continuing improvement.

Major Course Content

  1. Organizational structure of the Multimedia Newsroom
    1. Role of faculty advisers, lab supervisors, and student editors
    2. Duties and responsibilities of intermediate staff members
    3. Publication schedule and deadlines for print and online publications
    4. Procedures and policies: Student Media Staff Manual
  2. News and feature story techniques
    1. Backgrounders: library and online searches
    2. Interviewing and attribution of multiple authoritative sources
    3. Note-taking and photo techniques
    4. Sound recording and video
    5. Diversity in campus coverage
  3. Story package planning
    1. Conceiving the story concept
    2. Team building and time management
    3. Photo story essay and cutlines
    4. Sidebar options
    5. Graphic elements and art
  4. Principles and practice of media law and ethics
    1. Student Press Law Center, Washington D.C.
    2. Behavior Pledge: Journalism Association of Community Colleges
    3. Code of Ethics: Society of Professional Journalists, National Press Photographers Association.

Lab Content

  1. Intermediate guided practice for writing for student publications.
  2. Intermediate guided practice in photo composition, cropping and caption writing.
  3. Intermediate guided practice in photo illustration and infographics.

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Read professional newspapers, news magazines and news websites.

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

News stories, features, sports, arts and entertainment, profiles, opinion and editorial for student media.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Textbook readings and exercises. Covering news events relating to Citrus College. Attending student journalism conferences.

Instruction Type(s)

Lab, Lecture, Online Education Lab, Online Education Lecture