Public Affairs Reporting

Journalism 135

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Assignment #1

Write a 500 word news profile on a candidate in the California Recall election

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Write it for the State Hornet online. Tie in the Sacramento State debate and any other university event that is applicable.(Check Sac State news online http://www.csus.edu/news/index.htm for dates). Remember to save appropriate links for online.

Include background information on the recall election, including important dates. (You have Lexis-Nexis access from the lab).

Include your research on your candidate from this week, including information on personal/professional background, campaign financing, voting record, court records, real estate holdings, marital status (ever divorced?), education, etc.

Use AP style!

Sample Story Organization

If your vacation was just too good and you can't remember how to tackle this story, here is an organizational suggestion. Treat the story as a followup story, even if it has never appeared in the campus newspaper. Your readership has been reading and hearing Recall 24/7 (like that jargon?) so to them, it is a followup. But do not feel constrained by this sample either.

Lead includes something particularly interesting about the candidate (include party affiliation).

Next graf
Tie into event or timeline. (excluded from debates? E-mail campaign to students? Poll on student voting?)

3rd graf: Info on the recall election

4th graf: Back to candidate profile.