Class Exercises
Week 3 - Feb 2-6
See Week 3 class notes for details
After feedback, correct your stories for style, sourcing etc as mentioned during the session. Check-list:
- Snappy headline
- Dateline style:
- Byline:
- Currency conversions
- Comparisons (year/on year)
- Full name of sources
- First person /third person
- Quotations
- Punctuation
- Figures - write out one to nine, use numerals for 10 and more
- Background and translations
- Google map
Possible topics for sidebars:
Story of the Chinese zodiac
Famous people born in the Year of the Ox
Chart of the zodiac and associated elements
Week 2 - Jan 19-23
Follow-up and feedback from Week 1
See Week 2 class notes for details.
Week 1 - Jan 12-16
Exercise: Friday class: You will interview the person sitting next to you and write up the interview as your first post on your new blog. You must not simply copy the information from that person’s blog. You must add some value.
Interview time: 10 minutes per person
Writing time: 15 minutes
The article must be no longer than 300 words and contain the following information:
- Full name
- Nickname if any
- Hyperlink to that person’s blog
- Age (if your victim is willing to disclose it!)
- Nationality
- Home town
- Previous work experience / internships
- Hobbies and interests
- At least one direct quote
The article must be written in a standard inverted pyramid format, in the third person, properly sourced and attractively formatted. Don’t forget to write an interesting headline.
The text should start as follows:
Hong Kong - January 16 - IJS-Global - Xxxxxxx
Exercise: Wednesday class:
You will go to a cafe, bar or restaurant either on or off campus (NOT Macdonald’s or KFC) and draft a report that you will post to your blog.
The article must be written in a standard inverted pyramid format, in the third person, properly sourced and attractively formatted. Don’t forget to write an interesting headline.
The text should start as follows:
Hong Kong - January 16 - IJS-Global - Xxxxxxx
This is a report, not a restaurant review, and your aim is to report on this establishment so that someone who has never been to Hong Kong can understand it.
Therefore you need to include details such as:
Is it a chain? What sort of food and beverages does it serve? What is the price range? When are its opening hours? Plus you need to get at least one interesting quote from a third party. This could be, for example, a comment on the price, or why they like/dislike the food there.
Your deadline is 5 pm. Please let me know if you cannot access a computer outside the lab.
