As I mentioned the first day of class, “The Elements of Style” by Strunk & White is a quick read but an invaluable one for everyone who needs to brush up on grammar and punctuation. I think the punctuation pieces of this book are especially relevant for some of you in this class.
So I’m linking here to the free online version of the book, and I am suggesting specifically the elements related to commas (it’s the first major section). I’m seeing in a lot of your work a lack of commas — and this text is GREAT at explaining exactly when to use them and when to leave them out.
I hope it’s helpful! I find myself reading elements of this book every once in a while to remind me to stay sharp when writing.
Here are the data stories that class members picked to talk about. I’m linking to all of them here so we can discuss on Wednesday. Each of you can talk about your own selection and explain why you picked it, what makes it a “data-driven” story and what you took away from it.
Last class, you all volunteered for leading the news discussions at the start of every class for the first several weeks. Here’s the schedule. Please let me know if you have any problems with your assignment! I look forward to hearing from all of you.
Remember, 3-5 stories in your category, and please choose from more than one news source. You can find the news sources I’ve mentioned in class on the home page of this site. I’ll continue to add to those as we find new sources throughout the semester.
The meteor that streaked across the sky last night in Southeast Michigan immediately brought people to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to share images and ask questions. Here’s one way to bring all those things together: A “storify” of the breaking story.
I’ve receive some of your “data story” links but still need quite a few of them. Please send them before 4 p.m. Wednesday to give me enough time to integrate them into a class presentation we can all look at. If you need a refresher on the links where you might find such stories, you’ll find them here in the readings area of the site.
Also, I want to start setting you all up in the blog, so you can begin blogging. I need your email addresses to do this. For those of you who have already emailed me your links, you’re set! For the rest of you, I’ll be able to add you as a user to the blog as soon as you email me.
Online Reporting, Research & Writing 