Writing for Mass Media 3 Credits CNA262-01
Wayne State College Spring 2003
MWF 1:00pm-1:50pm HU308

Instructor: Bryan Gahagan Office: HU409A Office Hours: MW 3-4p/TTH 2-4pm and by appointment Phone Number: 375-7421
Web Page: http://wscwriting.n3.net E-mail: brgahag1@wsc.edu

Text: News Writing and Reporting for Today's Media 5th Edition, Itule & Anderson

Background and Purpose: Students will be introduced to the various styles and scripting forms in writing news and features for newspaper, radio, television and public relations. Fundamentals of writing will be stressed with an emphasis on creating crisp, clean, and concise work. News judgment and basic reporting skills relevant to the different media will also be stressed. The majority of class time will be spent on writing exercises and lectures. This class serves as the foundation for more advanced writing and communication classes, including news writing and reporting, broadcast journalism, public relations, and news editing.

Assignments: The assignments are designed to expose the students to the various forms of mass media writing. Most writing assignments will be short and, with experience, quickly produced like the deadlines of the real world. Some assignments may be read live as part of the assignment (i.e. radio and TV news) or may be posted on the internet for review. The assignments will be graded on points. The points are divided into four sizes:

Small (30 points)--The small assignments include in-class exercises and some out-of-class assignments.
Medium (60 points)--The medium assignments include the typed out-of-class assignments.
Large (100 points)--The large assignments include all tests and all Wayne Stater material.
Extra Large (150 points)-- The last Wayne Stater feature.

The exams will cover the reading assignments and lectures and an exam will be given approximately every five weeks. There may also be guest lecture material on the exams. Class participation and examination and criticism of media is strongly encouraged.

The web site, http://wscwriting.n3.net, also contains specific information on class assignments, related links, students’ stories, and an overview of assignments.

All out-of-class assignments must be typed and turned in on or before class time of due date. Unexcused late assignments will not be accepted and the student will receive no points for that project. If a students has an unexcused absence from class, the student will receive no points for any in-class assignment for that day or any paper due that day.


Wayne State College provides an array of services to assist students, including the U.S. Conn Library and computer labs. The Learning Center, located in the Student Center, provides peer tutoring for most general education classes; the Counseling Center, also located in the Student Center, provides assistance in career planning, goal setting, personality assessment, stress management, and individual and group counseling. For further information phone extension 7213.
In order to assist each individual to perform to his/her potential, it is necessary for me to be made aware of any conditions which may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements/practices.