tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26190671464605095602024-03-12T19:58:02.899-07:00JOU2100CAnn Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-34575209915201314552010-05-05T12:20:00.000-07:002010-05-05T12:21:34.988-07:00Thank youThank you for making my final class at UCF a memorable one. Wishing you all a great summer.<br /><br /><br />Ann H.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-44361840454654289102010-04-09T07:14:00.000-07:002010-04-09T07:15:47.939-07:00Evaluating your instructorsSTUDENTS<br /><br />The Student Perception of Instruction (SPI) evaluation will be available for you to complete online during the last two weeks of class.<br /><br />When you enter the myUCF portal during the evaluation period, you will receive a notice to complete the SPI forms for your course(s).<br /><br /> This notice will continue to appear until you complete the assessment for all enrolled courses or the evaluation period ends.<br /><br />Troubleshooting - If you have difficulty accessing the form, or do not see the option to fill out an evaluation for a class, you should contact the Service Desk at (407) 823-5117, via e-mail at servicedesk@mail.ucf.edu, or via the web at http://servicedesk.ucf.edu.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-33647437367769390132010-04-05T18:05:00.000-07:002010-04-05T18:06:47.052-07:00UPDATE SCHEDULEHere are the revised dates for handing in papers etc.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Monday, April 26</strong> - Deadline for submitting final published story. Deadline for handing in your final feature. Worth 100 points.<br /><br /><strong>Monday, APRIL 26</strong> - Final AP Style test - worth 50 points.<br /><br /><strong>Wednesday, April 28</strong> - No class that day as exams begin.<br /><br /><strong>Monday, May 3</strong> - Final meeting at 1 p.m. I will return your papers and give out grades. This time was stipulated by the administration and cannot be changed.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-62850861618687539262010-04-05T03:41:00.000-07:002010-04-05T03:44:50.307-07:00A Eureka MomentFor the first time, every member of one of my classes has had a story published in the Central Florida Future, making them eleigible for at least a C grade.<br /><br />This is a tremendous accomplishment. I know it isn't easy to fit in the assignments in addition to all the work you have to do for other classes.<br /><br />And we have now logged 37 published stories -- only 4 to go to break that record.<br /><br />You should be very proud.<br /><br />Ann H.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-65841634816900672892010-04-04T14:01:00.000-07:002010-04-04T14:05:17.642-07:00WHAT TO EXPECT ON APRIL 5We will switch our attention to news feature writing. First we will have a news quiz -- thank Maria for providing most of the questions.<br /><br />Then we'll discuss what makes a feature different from a news story and you'll get a chance to do a writing exercise.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Kevin Clark won't be able to tell us how he went from journalism school at Miami directly to the Wall Street Journal. Kevin is starting work in NYC this week as a sports writer.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-86739595797746342192010-03-31T18:44:00.001-07:002010-03-31T18:44:52.117-07:00Class strikes again with CFFCheck out CFF today and read stories by Jackie-Leigh and Adrienne. So far this semester, the class has had 34 stories published by CFF.<br /><br />You should be proud.<br /><br />Ann H.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-26826712024237783352010-03-29T06:38:00.001-07:002010-03-29T06:39:06.650-07:00WHAT WOULD CFF DO WITHOUT YOU?Congratulations to Tim, Hillary and Michael for getting stories published in CFF today - March 29. That makes six from the class in the past week.<br /><br />Good work.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-89994173650252003192010-03-27T08:33:00.000-07:002010-03-27T08:42:23.147-07:00Monday class planA reminder that professor Brunson will be teaching the class Monday. It will be on public affairs reporting, which covers everything from crime reporting to covering courts and government. It is a very important part of the course.<br /><br />To prepare read <strong>Chapter 16 - Page 398 to 455.</strong><br /><br />He will see you in <strong>Room 211 at 1 p.m.,</strong> or a little before.<br /><br />I'll be back with you on Wednesday when we will have another AP Style test - the last one didn't produce great grades. One thing I should have pointed out is that you need to check the names of newspapers to make sure The is part of the official name. Most of you wrongly capitalized The before Chicago Tribune.<br /><br />You'll get your first drafts back on the baseball exhibit story and I'll go over some of the problems so you can rewrite them.<br /><br />I'm thrilled that so many of you are working on CFF assignments and from what I have seen of your first drafts you have been doing some good reporting.<br /><br />Ann H.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-81386474713821191752010-03-22T14:28:00.000-07:002010-03-22T14:31:39.474-07:00Odds and endsFirst drafts of your stories on the Pride & Passion exhibit at the library are due on Wednesday, March 25.<br /><br />Guest speaker on Wednesday is John Cutter, manager of the Sentinel's web operation.<br /><br />There won't be a news quiz next week as Prof. Brunson will teach the public records class on Monday, March 29.<br /><br />I'll be back on Wednesday, March 31, and we'll go over the baseball exhibit stories so you can do rewrites and submit for grades. We'll also be moving on to discussing ideas for end of semester feature stories.<br /><br />Ann H.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-74806407808233785502010-03-15T13:58:00.002-07:002010-03-15T14:00:49.623-07:00CHANCE TO EARN EXTRA CREDITReminder<br /><br />Starting this week, send me suggested questions for Monday's News Quiz. Deadline midnight Saturday and get 5 extra credit points plus a jump on scoring 100 per cent on the test.<br /><br />Ann HAnn Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-36782206553410578212010-03-15T13:58:00.001-07:002010-03-15T13:58:41.320-07:00Details of CFF news meeting.Hello everyone,<br /><br />I trust you all had a splendid spring break. Well, it is, unfortunately, time to get rolling again. Our first writers meeting back is tomorrow, in MAP 121 at 2 p.m., like always. Come out and pick up a story. You know you want to.<br /><br />- Justine<br />-- Sincerely,Bianca Fortis and Justine GriffinNews EditorsCentral Florida Future,UCF's student newspaper<a href="http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/">http://www.centralfloridafuture.com</a><br /><br />Call Bianca at 352-650-8540<br />Call Justine at 727-743-7717Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-73156866857124311702010-03-08T14:52:00.000-08:002010-03-08T14:53:50.817-08:00UPDATED CLASS SCHEDULEHere is the updated class schedule for the rest of the semester:<br /><br />March 16 and 18 - Writing obituaries. Start by reading <strong>Chapter 12</strong>. You'll pair up with another student, interview each other and write your partner's obit from the perspective of being 60 years old.<br /><br />March. 22 - Assignment. The African American Baseball Experience at the UCF Library. We'll tour the exhibit and write stories.<br /><br />March 24 - Sentinel Wire Editor John Cutter will talk about filing for online.<br /><br />March 29 and 31 - Professor Brunson will teach a public records class.<br /><br />April 5 and 7 - Moving on to feature writing. <strong>Chapter 15</strong>.<br /><br />April 12 - Sentinel feature writer Jeff Kunerth will talk to class about the art of writing a compelling story.<br /><br />April 14 - Special event. - Former Orange County Mayor Linda Chapin and Disney VP and former Orlando Sentinel political reporter Mike Griffin will talk about the art of interviewing and being interviewed.<br /><br />April 19 and 22 - We will go over your suggestions for final feature story and begin gathering information and writing the story. This is worth <strong>100 points</strong> and is an important part of your grade.<br /><br />April 26 - Deadline for handing in your published story with byline and date. REMEMBER YOU CAN'T GET A C UNLESS YOU HAVE A PUBLISHED STORY. Final AP Style test.<br /><br />April 29 - NO CLASS AS THIS IS EXAM WEEK.<br /><br />May 3 - <strong>Final exams</strong>. We'll meet at 1 p.m. in Room 211 and you'll get your final papers back and I'll give you your grades.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-38284825134444901692010-03-06T07:32:00.000-08:002010-03-06T07:33:32.851-08:00CONGRATULATIONS MICHAELFor adding another CFF byline to his long list of stories published this semester.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-66765985087580527252010-03-04T05:32:00.001-08:002010-03-04T05:34:22.531-08:00CFF storiesGreat news - <strong>15 </strong>of you have had stories published in Central Florida Future and I know at least two more of you have commitments to get stories published.<br /><br />This could be the first class that I have taught in which every students gets a story published - meeting one of the requirements to get a C in the course.<br /><br />Good work.<br /><br />Ann H.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-90754257048030170072010-03-02T15:13:00.000-08:002010-03-02T15:17:25.989-08:00ROLLINS STUDENT NEWSPAPER GETS VICTIM WRONGHOW EMBARRASSING. JUST GOES TO SHOW REPORTER SHOULD ALWAYS CHECK AND RECHECK FACTS.<br /><br />This is on the Orlando Sentinel website under headline.<br /><br />SEA WORLD STUNNER: ROLLINS COLLEGE NEWSPAPER REPORTS WKMG'S MIKE HOLFELD WAS VICTIM OF TILIKUM.<br /><br /><br />Here’s a mistake that stunned — and amused — WKMG-Channel 6 reporter Mike Holfeld.<br />He learned that he died in 1999, a victim of the killer whale Tilikum, according to The Sandspur, the newspaper at <strong>Rollins College.<br />The newspaper was covering a trainer’s death at SeaWorld last week. And the reporter wrote that it wasn’t the first time Tilikum had been responsible for a person’s death. “Reporter Mike Holfeld died from an attack in 1999,” the story read.<br /></strong>Actually, Holfeld was anchoring WKMG’s live coverage of last week’s tragedy with Jacqueline London and Mike Garofalo.<br />Holfeld’s theory: “Somehow this reporter heard my name and assumed I was the 1999 victim.”<br />There was a victim then who slipped into SeaWorld, swam in Tilikum’s tank after hours and died of hypothermia.<br /><strong>The Sandspur bills itself as “the oldest college newspaper in Florida.” Holfeld by e-mail writes, “I thought it was funny that Florida’s oldest college newspaper allowed a major gaffe.”<br />The newspaper told me, “We are in the process of investigating how this egregious error occurred.” Holfeld said the newspaper promised a front-page retraction.</strong>Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-61766524448349092552010-02-28T09:37:00.000-08:002010-02-28T09:44:16.884-08:00Spring BreakI spent several hours yesterday reading and grading your Spring Break stories and I realized how much you have learned since our class started back in January. The leads were 100 percent better, most of the quotes were well setup with all the necessary information provided such as year, major, age....and most of your kickers were good with strong quotes.<br /><br />Thank you.<br /><br />Need to remind you that March 5 - according to my diary - is the withdrawal deadline for grade forgiveness. I have the latest grades if you want to check in with me on Monday. If you have had a story published in CFF or CFF online, you are in good shape. The extra 100 plus points makes a huge difference, especially if you have had good grades on quizes, exercises etc.<br /><br />See you Monday.<br /><br />Ann H.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-25618159847674200802010-02-20T13:31:00.000-08:002010-02-20T13:34:38.234-08:00Useful pointers for journalism students(excerpts from New York Times - Advice for Journalism Students<br /><br />Q. Wondering if I could get your advice for my journalism students — what kind of things should someone who is considering a career path in journalism understand about the relationship between the business side and the editorial side in the online world? How should these students prepare themselves in terms of business knowledge and additional entrepreneurial skills?<br />— Mo Krochmal, assistant professor of journalism, media studies, and public relations, Hofstra University<br /><br />A. I advise journalists coming out of school today to take a programming course or two, at least. I also think it’s a good idea for journalists to have a basic understanding of business; after all, journalism is a business in the United States and journalists should understand the basics of the businesses they work for. Regarding entrepreneurial skills, the best way to learn them is to work in a startup or early-stage business. Talk to accomplished venture capitalists. Read some of the better venture capitalist blogs. Dive in.<br /><br />Career Concerns of Journalism Students<br /><br />Q. What advice do you have for students considering a career in journalism and related fields, what skills would a student need to be marketable in a highly competitive field, and how can you reassure the career concerns for someone going into this field?<br />— Mark Fiorito<br /><br />A. I’ve turned to my colleague, Deputy Managing Editor <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/business/media/27askthetimes.html">Jon Landman</a>, who manages the editorial side of NYTimes.com, for an answer to this one. He writes:<br /><br />For someone intent on a career at a newspaper or news magazine, there's no reassurance to give. Those careers will be harder and harder to establish and jobs at journalism companies that come with health insurance and a pension will be scarce, to say the least. But journalism is changing, not dying, and for someone with an entrepreneurial bent, a sense of adventure and a sense of the value of journalism as a calling, there are still opportunities.<br /><br />A handful of big news organizations, like this one, have flourishing Web sites along with their familiar print publications. Journalists with technical savvy and technical people with a passion for journalism are almost always in demand. There are opportunities in specialty journalism like <a href="http://www.politico.com/">Politico</a>, which publishes in print and online for people hungry for detailed information about national politics. Journalistically minded startups employ some journalists; <a href="http://www.patch.com/">Patch.com</a>, for example, has editors who manage Web-only news and information sites for small towns. And there are large numbers of news entrepreneurs with a vision for news and a blog or some other platform. Some, like Joshua Marshall of <a href="http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/">Talking Points Memo</a> are well known; others struggle for attention and a niche.<br /><br />In all cases, basic journalistic skills and values — curiosity, skepticism, intellectual honesty, a sense of fair play, the ability to tell a story well — remain as essential as ever.<br /><br />I largely agree with Jon’s view: The number of traditional news outlets, and jobs in those places, is diminishing. From my perspective, the shift taking place today is part of a very long-term transition from telling stories in analog formats, to working in digital ones. We are in the middle of that transition today, and for those of us inside, it sometimes feels a little like working in the midst of a great hurricane.<br /><br />On the other hand, transitions such as these often offer great opportunities for people who are more entrepreneurial. My friend Rafat Ali, for example, was a young journalist who started a site called <a href="http://www.paidcontent.org/">paidcontent.org</a> in the middle of the dotcom bust. He recently sold his business to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">The Guardian</a> for a very tidy sum, and he and his staff now run the business inside a larger entity.<br />If I were in college today, I’d try to complement my journalistic training with a combination of hands-on technical expertise and some basic courses in business management and finance. The most important thing Jon recommends, in my view, is the “sense of adventure” necessary during times like these.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-82484405657326707972010-02-18T08:44:00.001-08:002010-02-18T09:20:15.552-08:00Class Feb. 17Prepare for writing your Spring Break story by reading Chapter 11 Preparing for the Interview, Page 272.<br /><br />We won't have a news quiz Monday so you can spend time interviewing students for your Spring Break story, which we will write in class.<br /><br /> But first we'll share information that you researched Wednesday about a variety of background issues ranging from unemployment rates in Central Florida, the economic situtation in the area that could affect students ability to go, how many students take part in Spring Break, top places to go, prices -- are cruiselines and airlines cutting rates.<br /><br />This story will require a different approach from the straight "give us the facts, maam" leads we have been learning. You will be required to interview 6 students and you can work in teams.<br /><br />Here are examples from <em>The Elements of News Writing</em> by James W. Kershner of the various approaches you can take.<br /><br /><strong>The quote lead</strong> - but only if you have a good, strong quotation, which is not a cliche. <em>"It was a hell of a melee," said Dean of Students John McIntyre.</em> Next graph outlines what he was referring to.<br /><em></em><br /><em> </em><strong>The anecdote lead</strong> - begins with a short vignette or story that sheds light on the subject of story. Should only be used when the anecdote is exceptionally telling and it must be accurate. Here is an example for a story about the increase in coyote sightings.<br /><br /><em>Mary Silva was pushing her 2-year-old daughter, Tiffany in a stroller through the UCF campus Monday. The toddler was practicing new words she had learned. She pointed out "tree" and "truck" and "flower."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Then Tiffany said "dog!"</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>But the animal she saw was not a dog; it was a coyote.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>A rapid increase in sightings of coyotes in the city has wildlife officials, pet owners and parents concerned. </em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>The list lead </strong>-<em> </em>this involves starting a story with three examples of people, places or events that demonstrate the thrust of the story.<br /><br /><strong>The descriptive lead</strong> - sets the scene or paints a picture of a place or situation.<br /><br /><strong>The question lead</strong> - There is one important rule about question leads: <strong>They must be followed quickly by the answer. The question should NOT be directed at the reader</strong>. .. <em>Have you ever wondered what it would be like...?</em> runs the risk of receiving a negative answer. Don't give the reader the chance to say "No, not me" and then turn the page.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-80450423781434140872010-02-15T07:01:00.001-08:002010-02-15T07:01:30.148-08:00CONGRATULATIONS TIMCheck out Tim's excellent story about a UCF alumni who knits for the homeless and the sidebar on homelessness in today's CFF.<br /><br />Eight of you have had stories published in CFF and I know some of you are working on assignments.<br /><br />Ann H.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-20396823604400334132010-02-11T15:27:00.000-08:002010-02-11T15:30:11.346-08:00Common mistakeMost of you missed the comma in <strong>$3000</strong> on the AP Style test.<br /><br />Remember to always use commas to separate off the thousands, millions and billions in numbers. Example: <strong>$3,000</strong>, 2,460,558 or $1,000,000,000Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-67709153282222470662010-02-10T13:24:00.001-08:002010-02-10T13:27:11.673-08:00Homework Feb. 10Good work on the leads today in class. You worked hard. That is the only way to learn the skill.<br /><br /><br />Homework. Write alternative leads - LEADS ONLY - from Exercise 2 , 3,4, 5, 6 on Page 197 and 198.<br /><br />Read Chapter 8 on alternative leads.<br /><br />Have a good weekend.<br /><br />Ann H.Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-37270128949531707812010-02-10T06:58:00.000-08:002010-02-10T07:12:38.711-08:00How to write a strong leadGuys<br /><br /> Just finished grading your Jeannette Emert stories - the stories made good use of quotes and the tips that the police officer gave on staying safe on campus.<br /><br /><strong>BUT</strong> - the royal but - <strong>the leads were almost uniformly awful</strong>. Until you can write a good lead you aren't go to get anywhere in mastering the skills of writing a news story. The lead is the first thing an editor and reader sees. If that doesn't engage, they aren't going to waste their time either working the story or reading it.<br /><br />So here again are some rules:<br /><br /><strong>Get to the point</strong>. News stories DO NOT have introductions (a common failing in your stories.)<br /><br /><strong>A good lead summarizes the main focus of the news story</strong> and lets the reader know what to expect from the rest of the story. A good lead also may hint at what is to come.<br /><br />A<strong> good lead usually should be less than 25 words</strong>, although special types of leads can be longer, if necessary.<br /><br /><strong>To decide on a lead, first ask yourself what the story is about.</strong> Answer the question as if you were telling a friend who had no prior information on the subject.<br /><br /><strong>Most leads will answer the basic five-W questions</strong>: who, what, where, when, why and how.<br /><br />In most cases, <strong>a lead should be one simple declarative sentence structured in the active voice</strong>.<br /><br />The <strong>primary types of leads</strong> include the straight news (or summary) lead, the quote lead, the anecdote lead, the list (or "bam-bam-bam") lead, the descriptive (or scene-setting) lead, and the question lead.<br /><br /><strong>A nut graf is a paragraph that summarizes in a nutshell the main point of the story</strong>. In simple stories, the lead is the nut graf. In feature stories, the nut graf may follow the lead. Every news story should have a nut graph somewhere near the beginning.<br /><br /><strong>Never bury the lead</strong> -- e.g. putting the most important element of the story anywhere other than at the beginning.<br /><br /><strong>Avoid leads that place readers in unlikely situations</strong> -- e.g. Inexperienced writers occasionally try to put the reader in the picture with the use of second-person voice writing using the word YOU. This rarely works. Sometimes it is ridiculous.<br /><br /><strong>Avoid cliche leads</strong> --e.g. expressions such as <em>avoided like the plague, flies in the face of ...worth its weight in gold.</em>Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-26734714989457796062010-02-08T13:47:00.001-08:002010-02-08T13:50:06.264-08:00Amendments on the November ballot.Here are the amendments on the Nov. 2 election ballot that Deirdre Macnab was talking about in class today.<br /><br /><br />Floridians will see questions on campaign finance, property taxes, growth plans and legislative redistricting come November.<br /><br />Repeal of public campaign finance laws - The Florida Legislature voted in the spring to put before voters a proposed amendment that would repeal the public campaign financing for statewide campaigns. In 2006, the state shelled out $11,133,761 to 10 candidates for statewide office. Gov. Charlie Crist received about $7.4 million, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink received about $1 million, Attorney General Bill McCollum received $897,104 and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson received $393,459.<br /><br />Homestead ad valorem tax - The Legislature is asking voters to provide an additional homestead property tax exemption for members of the U.S. military or military reserves, the U.S. Coast Guard or its reserves, or the Florida National Guard, who receive a homestead exemption and were deployed in the previous year on active duty outside of the United States.<br /><br />The exempt amount will be based on the number of days the person was deployed.Property tax limit for non-homestead property –<br /><br /> The Legislature also put on the ballot a proposal to limit the maximum annual increase in the assessed value of non-homestead property to 5 percent. It also requires the Legislature to provide another homestead exemption for people who have not owned a principal residence during the last eight years.<br /><br /><strong>Amendment 4 - Hometown Democracy – The group known as Florida Hometown Democracy garnered enough signatures to place an amendment on the ballot that would require changes to local comprehensive growth plans to be approved by local voters at the polls. Backers say the measure would end what they call undue influence by local developers. However, opponents argue it would make it much more difficult for local governments to make even small, necessary changes for local community growth.</strong><br /><br /><strong>Redistricting – The group Fair District Florida collected signatures for Amendments Five and Six, which deal with the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts. The proposed amendment prohibits officials from drawing legislative districts that favor incumbents or political parties and sets up other requirements also known as gerrymandering.</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong> Amendment Five deals with the Florida House and Senate seats and Amendment Six addresses Florida's congressional seats. </strong>Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-29663626995879019952010-02-03T14:38:00.000-08:002010-02-03T14:45:47.301-08:00Homework - Wednesday, Feb. 3Write a news story based on your interviews today with UCF police officer Jeannette Emert. Remember to pick what you thought was the best and most interesting news angle and develop that as the main thrust of your story.<br /><br />You can touch on other angles by using bullet points and saying something like...<br /><br />In a wide ranging interview, Emert gave the following advice OR Emert also said:<br /><br /> <br /><ul><li> Don't walk alone at night on campus.</li><li> Keep your apartment doors locked, even if you are just going down the hall to speak to a friend.</li><li> Your head, hands and feet are better weapons when it comes to protection than gadgets.</li><li> The library attracts thieves.</li><li> UCF students like marijuana.</li></ul><p>Of course if you are using one or two of these angles for the main part of your story you'll have to change the bullet points.</p><p>You can prepare for Monday's speaker - Deirdre Macnab, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, by reading up on the women's suffrage movement and the 19th amendment giving women the vote. It was ratified on Aug. 26, 1920.</p><p>See you Monday.</p><p>Ann H.</p><p> </p><p> </p>Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2619067146460509560.post-58449285390763415672010-02-02T15:19:00.000-08:002010-02-02T15:20:33.712-08:00Inside the AP Style BookCheck out this link for interesting story about AP Style and why we should care<br /><br /><a href="http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/Tactics/Articles/view/8510/1007/Inside_the_world_of_the_AP_Stylebook">http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/Tactics/Articles/view/8510/1007/Inside_the_world_of_the_AP_Stylebook</a>Ann Hellmuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01900400391421163065noreply@blogger.com0