Dear Comm 160

Dear Comm 160,

                Here is the one thing you should know to do well in this course, be prepared for a lot of reading and writing! When Professor Young assigns you chapter readings, make sure you do them. It may seem like common sense grammar but there is so much more to it than you may think. Also make sure you take advantage of the handouts given to you in class. Professor Young is kind enough to print out basic steps and hints to making your writing better, read them and your writing will improve as well as your grade in the class. Even though this is a one credit course, it is still a newswriting course which means you won’t get an A without trying. Make sure to keep up with all your assignments because they are all meant to help you in the end! Good luck to you all!

Objectivity

Objectivity is one of the biggest things a journalist should be aware of. It is the action of keeping yourself and your opinions out of a news story. When writing my article on the Behrend Vigil, it was extremely difficult for me to keep myself out of the story. Along with everyone else, I have my own opinion of the Scandal that Penn State is involved in, so writing a story on the issue was hard because I knew I had to state only facts and keep my personal thoughts out. Not only was it difficult for that assignment but it becomes a problem in almost every article, for almost every journalist. Opinions are different with everyone but one must remember that it is not an opinion article it is a news article of facts and details. Objectivity can appear in an article by simply using one wrong word, then the whole piece becomes and opinion. Objectivity is important in journalism because a writer must be fair when stating facts. Everyone has different thoughts on certain matters, and writers must be aware of that and not choose specific sides when writing. No matter their opinions, they must refrain from letting readers know. Objectivity in my opinion, is probably the most difficult factor that journalists must consider when writing a piece of news.