Feature Journalism Syllabus

ENGL 266 (Feature Journalism) Instructor: Ryan Struyk

Calvin University: Spring 2021 ​[email protected]

Schedule: ​Monday, Wednesday, Friday; 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. ET

Office Hours:​ By appointment on Monday or Tuesdays.

Welcome to Feature Journalism! ​I think being a journalist is the very best job in the world, and
I’m excited to share it with you. Whether you want to explore pursuing a career in journalism,
you want to think differently about nonfiction writing or you just want to be a smarter consumer
of news, this course has a lot to offer you. Our class periods will be conducted almost entirely
virtually via Microsoft Teams, because I live and work in Washington, D.C.

Required Texts:
- The Elements of Journalism, by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel
- On Writing Well, by William Zinsser
- The Art and Craft of Feature Writing, by William Blundell
- The Associated Press Stylebook, 55th Edition

Course Description: ​This is a course in the art of writing feature stories for magazine and online
publications. Students will research, write and edit several substantial articles for different
audiences, paying particular attention to matters of strategy and style as called for by those
audiences. Topics range from profiles of people to articles about science, history, religion, art or
contemporary events. Although the primary focus of the course is writing, students do explore the
possibilities of multimedia journalism.

A Note on the Coronavirus Pandemic: ​You are a full person, not just a student. Certainly, a
pandemic is not the ideal environment to perform at our best. All of us are facing increased stress.
We are worried about sick or vulnerable family members. We are not able to spend time with
friends. We might just be sleeping a little less soundly. If you have any concerns about a deadline
or the course generally, please let me know so we can find a solution together.

My Schedule: ​I work as a producer at CNN from Wednesday to Sunday. I am often dealing

exclusively with work from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon, and I usually won’t be able to
respond to emails during that time. At other points in the week, I will generally respond to your
emails within 24 hours. I am off on Mondays and Tuesdays, and I will be most available for video
calls and questions during those days, though I may not be checking email as regularly.
Student Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives:

Calvin University has specified the following student learning outcomes:

Students will demonstrate: 1) The ability to write college-level feature stories for
various audiences; 2) an understanding of the role of feature articles in the reportage
of contemporary events; 3) deepened awareness of rhetorical and syntactic
strategies; 4) ability to edit the writing of self and others.

In addition, my hope is that you will leave this course able:

1. To embrace a vision of Christian faith and journalism that speaks truth to power,
stands up against injustice, respects God’s image in all people and amplifies the
voices of marginalized individuals and communities.

2. To develop strong news judgment, recognizing the newsworthy dimensions of a

story and determining which facts, quotes and anecdotes are worth including and
which to leave on the cutting room floor.

3. To grow a clear, crisp writing style and the composure to edit our own stories
brutally; as well as to learn key components in the development of a story,
including the overall structure of a story, a pitch, a lede and a nutgraf.

4. To incorporate a broad liberal arts education into our journalism by selecting

article topics from a diverse array of issues among a variety of communities,
including those outside of our comfort zones.

5. To learn what it takes to pursue a career in journalism from top journalists in the
United States — and to see ourselves in them.

This syllabus is subject to change: ​I may be adjusting our schedule or assignments based on
current events, interesting articles that I find, or the work schedules of myself or our guest
speakers. I will communicate any changes via email. Thanks in advance for staying flexible!
 Course Requirements

A. Feature Story Assignments (40%)

You will write three feature stories over the course of the semester. Your first, second and third
feature stories will be worth 7%, 13% and 20% of your total grade in the course, respectively.
You will also choose a “beat” to cover for the three feature stories you write. Only final versions
of your feature stories will be graded here. See assignment page for details.

B. Journalism Mentor Relationship (15%)

Each of you will be matched with a journalism mentor for the semester. Most will be my current
or former coworkers. This is an extraordinary opportunity to learn what it’s like to work in news
and how to pursue a career in a competitive industry. You will have at least three conversations
with them. See assignment page for details.

C. Other Readings and Assignments (15%)

Throughout the semester, I will assign readings from our textbooks and from news publications. I
will be adding readings on current events, various worksheets and short reflections over the
course of the semester. The first half of the semester includes more readings; the second half of
the semester includes more writing. You will also be required to submit pitches and first drafts of
your feature stories, which will contribute to this component of your grade.

D. Midterm and Final Exams (20%)

You will have one midterm exam and one final exam. Each of them will be worth 10% of your
total grade in this course. More information to come.

E. Attendance and Participation (10%)

This is an unusual time, and the pandemic or other circumstances may make it difficult to attend
every period and participate at your best. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. Participation can
include engagement with assignments or readings, with classmates or me, either inside or outside
of class periods. Please pay attention and prepare for class as if you were attending in person.
Attendance is required for all class periods, and you are required to turn your cameras on for our
remote classes via Microsoft Teams. You are encouraged to use a background if you want. If you
prefer not to turn on your camera, please reach out privately. If you need to miss a class, please let
me know at least 48 hours in advance. If you are absent for seven or more class periods without
my permission, you will fail the course.
Grading Overview:

40% - Feature Story Assignments 15% - Other Readings and Assignments

7% - Feature Story 1 15% - Journalism Mentor Relationship
13% - Feature Story 2 20% - Exams (Midterm and Final)
20% - Feature Story 3 10% - Participation and Attendance

Grading Scale:

A 94% and above C 72-74%

A- 90-93% C- 69-71%
B+ 85-89% D+ 66-68%
B 81-84% D 63-65%
B- 78-80% D- 60-62%
C+ 75-77% F 59% and below

Late Assignments:​ Deadlines are very important in news. If a journalist doesn’t meet a deadline,
the result can be an empty page in a newspaper or a blank gap on television. You will lose one
letter grade for each day an assignment is late. If you believe you will need an extension, please
request one at least three days in advance.

Plagiarism: ​Plagiarism has marked the downfall of many journalists. You must attribute all facts
and all quotes that you have not independently reported or confirmed yourself. Plagiarism will
result in failing the assignment, or even the entire course. Calvin’s Academic Integrity Policy and
reporting procedures, as well as a more detailed definition of plagiarism, are found ​here​.

Accommodations and Resources: ​Calvin University has a continuing commitment to providing

reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.  Like so many things this
spring, the need for accommodations and the process for arranging them may be altered by the
COVID-19 changes we are experiencing and the safety protocols currently in place.  Students
with disabilities who may need some accommodation in order to fully participate in this class are
urged to contact ​Disability Services in the Center for Student Success​, as soon as possible, to
explore what arrangements need to be made to assure access. If you are experiencing a
particularly difficult semester or a moment of crisis, reach out to the ​Center For Counseling And
Wellness​, the ​Center for Student Success​ or the ​Safer Spaces​ office.
 FEATURE JOURNALISM SEMESTER OVERVIEW
# Wk Topic Date Class Period Major Assignments Due
1 2/3 W Syllabus and Introductions
1 Introduction
2 2/5 F Journalism and the Christian Faith
3 2/8 M What is News? What is Newsworthy?
What is
4 2 2/10 W The Basics: Journalism 101
News?
5 2/12 F The Mindset of a Journalist Workshop
6 2/15 M Thinking About Your Audience “Beat” Proposal
Finding
7 3 2/17 W How to Develop and Write a Pitch
Your Story
8 2/19 F Pitch Workshop
9 2/22 M How to Build Sources Pitch for Article 1
10 4 Reporting 2/24 W Conducting an Interview
11 2/26 F AP Style Crash Course Workshop First Mentor Reflection
12 3/1 M Writing a Lede, Nutgraf and Ending
13 5 Structure 3/3 W Story Structure and Flow
14 3/5 F Article 1 Workshop First Draft of Article 1
15 Reporting 3/8 M The Ethics of Journalism
16 6 When It’s 3/10 W Reporting and Your Full Self Final Article 1
17 Hard 3/12 F Guest Speaker 1
18 3/15 M What is Journalistic Writing Style?
19 7 Editing 3/17 W Self-editing: Killing Your Darlings
20 3/19 F Midterm Midterm
21 3/22 M How to Write a Profile
22 8 Profile 3/24 W Guest Speaker 2 Pitch for Article 2
23 3/26 F Guest Speaker 3
24 3/29 M Finding your Voice Second Mentor Reflection
Storytelling
25 9 3/31 W Principles of Storytelling
and Voice
26 4/2 F Article 2 Workshop First Draft of Article 2
27 4/5 M Data Journalism
Data
28 10 4/7 W Public Opinion Polling Final Article 2
Journalism
29 4/9 F Guest Speaker 4
30 4/12 M Honest to God: Covering Religion
11 Religion
31 4/16 F Guest Speaker 5 Pitch for Article 3
32 4/19 M Careers in Journalism
Careers in
33 12 4/21 W Guest Speaker 6
Journalism
34 4/23 F Article 3 Workshop
35 4/26 M Multimedia: Audio, Video, Digital, Social Third Mentor Reflection
36 13 Multimedia 4/28 W How to Write for Television
37 4/30 F Article 3 Workshop First Draft of Article 3
38 5/3 M Guest Speaker 7
14 Final Week
39 5/5 W Summing It All Up Final Article 3
40 15 Final Exam 5/13 Th Final Exam Final Exam
 WEEK 1 - INTRODUCTION

Monday, February 1 - Safe Return Day

Wednesday, February 3 - Syllabus and Introductions

Welcome to Feature Journalism! We’ll start the course by getting to know each other and
talking about our goals for this semester.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE: ​None.

Friday, February 5 - Journalism and the Christian Faith

How does a journalist’s vocation fit into a Christian worldview? How do truth, justice and
human dignity make the work of faithful journalists distinctive?

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read “The Elements of Journalism,” Chapters 2 and 6
- Read ​The Eternal Lens: The Press as a Humanizing Institution (Anne Snyder)
- Read ​Should Christians Become Journalists? (Arne Fjeldstad)
 WEEK 2 - WHAT IS NEWS?

Monday, February 8 - What is News? What is Newsworthy?

What makes a story newsworthy? How do we package a story in a way that captures a
reader and doesn’t let them go? We’ll explore how story angle makes the difference.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Faith and Journalism Reflection
- Read “The Elements of Journalism,” Chapters 1 and 8
- Read ​What Joe Biden Can’t Bring Himself to Say (John Hendrickson, The Atlantic)
- Read ​Classmates and campus safety save life of student (Ryan Struyk, Chimes)

Wednesday, February 10 - The Basics: Journalism 101

We’ll do a quick overview on the nuts and bolts of practicing journalism, including getting
our facts straight, working with sources and editing our own writing.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read “The Elements of Journalism,” Chapter 4
- Read “On Writing Well,” Chapters 1-4, 6 and 7
- Read ​6 Tips for Writing About Live Events (Tony Rogers, ThoughtCo)

Friday, February 12 - The Mindset of a Journalist Workshop

What are the essential qualities of a reporter and how do we bring them to our stories?
Curiosity, resourcefulness, intuition, scrappiness and more.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Journalism 101 Assignment
- Read “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing,” Intro and Chapter 1
 WEEK 3 - FINDING YOUR STORY

Monday, February 15 - Thinking About Your Audience

Are you writing for ​The New Yorker​ or for a local newspaper? How familiar are your
readers with your topic? Write with your audience in mind.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- “Beat” Proposal
- Read “On Writing Well,” Chapters 5 and 15
- Read ​Modern-day segregation: How vouchers keep the poor out of rich
neighborhoods (Lauren Slagter, MLive)

Wednesday, February 17 - How to Develop and Write a Pitch

So… what are we going to write about, and perhaps just as importantly, how are we going
to sell it? We’ll talk about where to find stories and how to pitch them.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing,” Chapter 2
- Read ​How to successfully pitch The New York Times, or, well, anyone else (Tim
Herrera, Nieman Lab)
- Read ​What makes a good pitch? NPR editors weigh in (Alison MacAdam, NPR)
- Read ​NPR: How to write great headlines that keep readers engaged (Colin Dwyer
and Stephanie Federico, NPR)

Friday, February 19 - Pitch Workshop

Bring your preliminary Article 1 pitch ideas, including main angles for your story, source
ideas, pre-reporting and potential hurdles. Explore them with your group.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Preliminary Pitch Ideas
 WEEK 4 - REPORTING

Monday, February 22 - How to Build Sources

We’ll talk about how to report out a story, including observation, documents and data.
Plus, we’ll look at the basic tenets of reporting.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Pitch for Article 1
- Read ​Shootings on the rise as feuds fuel gun violence (Nathan Clark, MLive)

Wednesday, February 24 - Conducting an Interview

Whether it’s one question at a news conference or an hour-long discussion, the right
questions make all the difference. We’ll learn how to ask them.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read “On Writing Well,” Chapter 12
- Watch interviews from “State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash” from
Sunday, February 21.

Friday, February 26 - AP Style Crash Course Workshop

August or Aug.? 8 or eight? Denver or Denver, Colorado? Or Denver, Colo.? And of
course, no Oxford comma. The right and wrong answers of AP style.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- First Mentor Reflection
 WEEK 5 - STRUCTURE

Monday, March 1 - Writing a Lede, Nutgraf and Ending

The words ‘lede’ and ‘nutgraf’ might look like a foreign language, but you’ll soon be
intimately familiar with these key pieces of a story.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- AP Crash Course Assignment
- Read “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing,” Chapter 6
- Read “On Writing Well,” Chapter 8
- Read ​Writing a Strong Lead Is Half the Battle (John McPhee, Wall Street Journal)
- Read ​Psychology’s Julie Yonker named professor of the year by class of 2013
(Ryan Struyk, Chimes​)

Wednesday, March 3 - Story Structure and Flow

What are the building blocks of a story? How do we bring together all of your scattered
reporting and ideas into one cohesive unit?

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing,” Chapter 5
- Read “On Writing Well,” Chapter 8
- Read ​Death at a Penn State Fraternity (Caitlin Flanagan, The Atlantic)
- Read ​Why Minneapolis Was the Breaking Point (Wesley Lowery, The Atlantic)

Friday, March 5 - Article 1 Workshop

Bring your first draft of Article 1 with thoughts about what you think works well and does
not work well. Edit your stories with your group.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- First Draft of Article 1
 WEEK 6 - REPORTING WHEN IT’S HARD

Monday, March 8 - The Ethics of Journalism

What are conflicts of interest? How do anonymous sources work? How do we stay fair and
eliminate bias? What is plagiarism in journalism?

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read The Elements of Journalism, Chapters 5 and 10
- Read ​Shattered Glass (Buzz Bissinger, Vanity Fair)
- Read ​SPJ Code of Ethics
- Read ​SPJ Ethics Committee: Anonymous Sources

Wednesday, March 10 - Reporting and Your Full Self

Reporting can be personally hard. We’ll talk about strategies for keeping an open heart in
tough situations and bring your full background to your work.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Final Article 1
- Read “Leadership on the Line,” Chapter 11
- Read ​How journalists can fight stress from covering the coronavirus (Poynter, Al
Tompkins and Sidney Tompkins)
- Read ​Self-Care for Black Journalists (Patrice Peck, The New York Times)

Friday, March 12 - Guest Speaker 1

We have an awesome opportunity to ask questions of some of the very best journalists in
the business. More information to come!

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Three questions for Guest Speaker 1
 WEEK 7 - EDITING

Monday, March 15 - What is Journalistic Writing Style?

We aren’t writing for PhDs. We’re just trying to communicate information in a clear and
interesting way to normal people. Applies to journalists and non-journalists!

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing,” Chapter 7
- Read “On Writing Well,” Chapter 10
- Read ​The Girl in the Window (Lane DeGregory, The Tampa Bay Times)

Wednesday, March 17 - Self-editing: Killing Your Darlings

The old editing adage “kill your darlings” is particularly painful in news. We’ll talk about
the pain of throwing out what doesn’t work... even if you like it.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing,” Chapter 9
- Read “On Writing Well,” Chapter 23

Friday, March 19 - Midterm Exam

Midterm exam.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE: ​None.

 WEEK 8 - PROFILE

Monday, March 22 - How to Write a Profile

What makes a profile of an individual unique from other stories? We’ll walk through
examples of compelling profile articles and what makes them work.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read ​Life of a Salesman (Eli Saslow, The Washington Post)
- Read ​Frank Sinatra Has a Cold (Gay Talese, Esquire)
- Read ​Fearing For His Life (Chloé Cooper Jones, The Verge)

Wednesday, March 24 - Guest Speaker 2

We have an awesome opportunity to ask questions of some of the very best journalists in
the business. More information to come!

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Pitch for Article 2
- Three questions for Guest Speaker 2

Friday, March 26 - Guest Speaker 3

We have an awesome opportunity to ask questions of some of the very best journalists in
the business. More information to come!

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Three questions for Guest Speaker 3
 WEEK 9 - STORYTELLING AND VOICE

Monday, March 29 - Finding Your Voice

You’ve got the basics down. Now, it’s about finding your own journalistic voice and
giving your stories your own unique bent.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Second Mentor Reflection
- Read “On Writing Well,” Chapter 20
- Read ​Beto’s excellent adventure drips with white male privilege (Nia-Malika
Henderson, CNN)
- Read ​No league was more essential to the social justice movement in 2020 than the
WNBA (LZ Granderson, Los Angeles Times)

Wednesday, March 31 - Principles of Storytelling

We’ll talk about how to fashion your raw materials of haphazard notes and scattered
thoughts into a narrative that tells a real story.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read ​The Day a Mountain Moved, (John Branch, The New York Times)
- Read ​The Wreck of the Lady Mary (Amy Ellis Nutt, The New Jersey Star-Ledger)

Friday, April 2 - Article 2 Workshop

Bring your first draft of Article 2 to class with thoughts about what you think works well
and does not work well. Edit your stories with your group.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- First Draft of Article 2
 WEEK 10 - DATA JOURNALISM

Monday, April 5 - Data Journalism

Math is hard. It doesn’t have to be. We’ll talk about how to understand numbers and make
them accessible to a general audience.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read Associated Press Stylebook, pg. 358-369
- Read ​How 5 Data Dynamos Do Their Jobs (Lindsey Rogers Cook, NYT)
- Read ​Idaho lawmakers try to trim public defender workload (Ryan Struyk, AP)

Wednesday, April 7 - Public Opinion Polling

Surveys can be helpful in telling any story, but it’s not always as simple as it sounds. We’ll
go through a primer on how polls work and how to integrate them into reporting.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Final Article 2
- Read ​5 tips for writing about polls (John Gramlich, Pew Research Center)
- Read ​Mueller probe’s credibility eroding with GOP voters (Ryan Struyk, CNN)

Friday, April 9 - Guest Speaker 4

We have an awesome opportunity to ask questions of some of the very best journalists in
the business. More information to come!

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Three questions for Guest Speaker 4
 WEEK 11 - RELIGION REPORTING

Monday, April 12 - Honest to God: Covering Religion

Understanding religion and explaining it to a broad audience can be difficult. We’ll talk
about how to cover the faith dimension in news, plus specifically Christian news outlets.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Reflection on article from ​The Faith Angle Forum, Ethics and Public Policy Center

Wednesday, April 14 - Academic Advising

No class.

Friday, April 16 - Guest Speaker 5

We have an awesome opportunity to ask questions of some of the very best journalists in
the business. More information to come!

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Pitch for Article 3
- Three questions for Guest Speaker 5
 WEEK 12 - CAREERS IN JOURNALISM

Monday, April 19 - Careers in Journalism

So you want to be a journalist... We’ll talk about how to get your foot in the door of any
competitive industry and what you’ve learned from your mentors.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read ​How To Get The Most Out Of Your Journalism Internship (Ryan Struyk, The
Post Calvin)

Wednesday, April 21 - Guest Speaker 6

We have an awesome opportunity to ask questions of some of the very best journalists in
the business. More information to come!

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Three questions for Guest Speaker 6
- Read ​Reporting Advice That Changed My Career (Columbia Journalism Review)
- Read ​59 Women In Journalism Share Their Top 5 Tips To Excel As A Journalist
(Yitzi Weiner, ThriveGlobal)

Friday, April 23 - Article 3 Workshop

Bring your reporting so far on Article 3 to class with thoughts about what you think works
well and does not work well. Edit what you have so far with your group.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Preliminary ideas and reporting on Article 3
 WEEK 13 - MULTIMEDIA WEEK

Monday, April 26 - Multimedia: Audio, Video, Digital, Social

News isn’t always words on a page. In fact, it’s almost never just words on a page. This
course is a primer on images, audio, video, digital and social.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Third Mentor Reflection

Wednesday, April 28 - How to Write for Television

Writing for television or radio is different from writing for print or digital. We’ll break
down the need for simple, active language in broadcast scripts.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Read Associated Press Stylebook, pg. 512-518
- Read ​6 tips for writing broadcast stories, (Vicki Kreuger, Poynter)

Friday, April 30 - Article 3 Workshop

Bring your first draft of Article 3 to class with thoughts about what you think works well
and does not work well. Edit your stories with your group.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- First Draft of Article 3
 WEEK 14 - FINAL WEEK

Monday, May 3 - Guest Speaker 7

We have an awesome opportunity to ask questions of some of the very best journalists in
the business. More information to come!

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Three questions for Guest Speaker 7

Wednesday, May 5 - Summing It All Up

We’ll talk about what we’ve learned this semester and what we’re going to take away from
this course, whether we plan on pursuing a career in journalism or not.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
- Final Article 3

Friday, May 7 - Study Day

No class.

WEEK 15 - FINAL EXAM

Thursday, May 13 at 9 a.m. - Final Exam

Final Exam.
 Feature Story Assignments
Overview

ENGL 266 (Feature Journalism) Instructor: Ryan Struyk

Calvin University: Spring 2021 ​[email protected]

Feature Story 1: ​Your Beat and Calvin University Wednesday, March 10

Feature Story 2:​ Calvin Alumni Profile Wednesday, April 7
Feature Story 3: ​Coronavirus and West Michigan Wednesday, May 5

Your Beat:
You will choose a “beat” to cover for the three stories you write. Beats should be specific, but not
too narrow. Some examples: immigration, sports, technology, race, food, art, religion, electoral
politics, finance, education, aviation, climate change, fashion, military, travel, environment.

Assignments:

1. Feature Story 1 - Your Beat and Calvin University (7%)

Description:​ Write a feature story about how your beat interacts with Calvin University ─
its students, faculty, staff or campus. It cannot be a profile story of an individual person.
Word Count: ​1200 words
Due Date: ​Wednesday, March 10

2. Feature Story 2 - Calvin Alumni Profile (13%)

Description: ​Write a feature profile story about an alumnus or alumna of Calvin
University whose work or life intersects with your beat.
Word Count:​ 1600 words
Due Date: ​Wednesday, April 7

3. Feature Story 3 - Coronavirus and West Michigan (20%)

Description:​ Write a feature story about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected a
community, institution or other dimension of life connected to your beat in West
Michigan. This excludes topics with exclusive ties to Calvin University, and it cannot be a
profile story of an individual person.
Word Count: ​2400 words
Due Date: ​Wednesday, May 5
 Feature Story Assignments
Rubric

40% - Reporting and Newsworthiness

25% - Journalistic rigor: ​Solid reporting; mastery of sources, including interviews,

documents and data; strong journalistic ethics; complete factual accuracy.

15% - Newsworthiness: ​Tells an important, compelling story; fulfills a key purpose of

journalism, e.g. to tell the truth, to hold power accountable or to be a voice for voiceless.

30% - Story Structure

15% - Structure and Organization:​ Includes key elements of a feature story, flows
smoothly from one paragraph to next and weaves in sources without skipping around.

15% - Lede and Nutgraf: ​Begins with a compelling lede that captivates the reader,
flowing into a succinct, clear nutgraf that explains the news and why it matters.

30% - Mechanics and Style

15% - Writing Style:​ Word choice is accessible, yet colorful and interesting. Written in
your own unique voice, for an appropriate audience, with a variety in sentence structures.

15% - Grammar and Usage: ​Follows AP style impeccably; syntax is clean and clear;
words are spelled correctly and punctuation is used correctly.

Up to 20% - Correction Penalty

If the article would have required a correction for ​any​ ​factual error, a misspelled name or
lack of appropriate attribution, you will receive a deduction of up to 20% per correction.
This does not include grammatical errors or AP style errors. You must attribute all facts
and all quotes that you have not independently reported or confirmed yourself.