Media Writing Syllabus for 2025-2026
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Instructor Information

Course Information

AI Statement

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor.

Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Reporting

Amarillo College prohibits discrimination and harassment based on sex, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, under Title IX and Texas Education Code §51.253–255. Faculty and staff are mandatory reporters and must share any related concerns with the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@actx.edu. Reports and additional information are available at https://www.actx.edu/hr/title-ixtitle-ix. Confidential counseling and advocacy services are available through the Counseling Center and Advocacy & Resource Center.

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Enrollment Center, Suite 700. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

Amarillo College Web Accessibility Policy Statement

Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

COMM-2311-001 Media Writing

Prerequisites

Course Description

Fundamentals of writing for the mass media. Includes instruction in professional methods and techniques for gathering, processing and delivering content.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

Hybrid

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

• Inside Reporting: A Practical Guide to the Craft of Journalism, 3rd Ed.,
by Tim Harrower (required)

• The Associated Press Stylebook (2019 edition or later) (required)

• The Associated Press Guide to News Writing, by Rene J. Cappon (suggested)

Supplies

1 - Notebook and pen (instructor will provide a reporter’s notebook)

2 - Voice recorder or phone recording app

3 - Computer and Internet access

Student Performance

No performance information available

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Student Performance

This course is designed teach you how to write succinctly, clearly and quickly for media outlets. We will study media writing and the gathering of information and you will learn how to organize information, ask effective questions, research facts and write on deadline. Writing well is a skill and, as with any skill, the more you practice, the more you will improve. So, be prepared to write often. You will receive lots of feedback to help improve your writing. You will sharpen your writing skills and expand your knowledge of the news-gathering process. By the end of the course, you will understand mass media and how to report and write media stories appropriate for publication online, in print and, to a limited extent, for broadcast.

CLASS PARTICIPATION:

Students are encouraged to ask questions and to participate in class discussions in the spirit of sharing and gaining knowledge. Class work includes analysis of newspaper story styles and writing exercises.  Thorough, well-organized class notes will prove extremely helpful in preparing for future writing assignments. Each student must accumulate 2 hours of lab time weekly for assigned stories.

DESCRIPTION OF COURSE (as in catalog): Fundamentals of writing for the mass media. Includes instruction in professional methods and techniques for gathering, processing and delivering content. Hours (3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 2 lab) (Texas Common Course Number: COMM 2311)

OBJECTIVES AND GOALS OF COURSE: Students will learn to gather accurate information, order the information into a cohesive news story and process the story using computers and software for possible publication in a general interest newspaper, magazine or website. At the same time, students will learn basic newspaper operation.

 PERFORMANCE/LEARNING OBJECTIVES (minimum competencies): 

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Demonstrate proper media writing and editing styles.

2. Modify writing styles to fit various media platforms.

3. Demonstrate effective information gathering skills and techniques.

4. Demonstrate understanding of laws, ethics, and responsibilities of media writing

Students will also be able to:

 •   Make sound news judgments.

 •   Identify professional behavior of journalists

 •   Gather information for use in newspaper stories via traditional research methods, by conducting interviews and finding information online and from other sources.

 •   Write newspaper and magazine stories using standard journalistic style using word processing software.

 •   Recognize and write summary and other types of news leads.

 •   Recognize and write news stories following inverted pyramid and feature formats.

 •   Recognize and write columns and reviews.        

 •   Recognize similarities and differences in writing for public relations, broadcast news and online publications.

 •   Identify potential news photo opportunities, understand the use of digital cameras, understand good photo composition and understand professional behavior of news photographers.

 •   Define the ethical and legal areas that govern the day-to-day conduct of a journalist. 

Communication Expectations

I will send out emails to our whole class in Blackboard. However, please email me at mfowler@actx.edu - not through Blackboard. Please allow up to 48 hours for a reply to your email or phone messages. Correspondence received on Fridays and Holidays will not be addressed until the next regularly scheduled business day. In circumstances where a longer response time is needed, faculty will notify the student. Please allow at least one week for feedback for graded assignments and activities.

When communicating in an online format (i.e., e-mail, chat, discussions, etc.) please adhere to the standard rules of netiquette.

Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. (2014). 15 essential netiquette guidelines to share with your students (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. [Blog].

Plagiarism is unacceptable. Plagiarism is considered serious academic misconduct. All written assignments presented in this class must be original work by the student. Any student caught plagiarizing or cheating will receive a failing grade for the course. Students must abide by high standards of journalistic integrity. Faking quotations, faking facts, pasting material directly from a website or other source or reporting things that did not happen will be treated as plagiarism and dealt with in the same manner as other scholastic dishonesty. Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but not be limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. Cheating on a test shall include: 1. Copying from another student’s test paper. 2. Using test materials not authorized by the person administering the test. 3. Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test without permission from the test administrator. 4. Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting, in whole or in part, the contents of an unadministered test. 5. The unauthorized transporting or removal, in whole or in part, of the contents of the unadministered test. 6. Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for one’s self, to take a test. 7. Bribing another person to obtain an unadministered test or information about an unadministered test. Plagiarism shall be defined the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of another person's/organization's work as one’s own written work for purposes of receiving grades in this course and/or publication in a student media outlet, regardless of whether the lifted material represents the original work in its entirety or in part. Collusion shall be defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for fulfillment of course requirements. A complete statement regarding scholastic dishonesty can be found in the Student Code of Conduct in Student Rights and Responsibilities in this syllabus.

AIgiarism refers to using artificial intelligence tools (AI) to produce seemingly human output that does not actually reflect your own work. AI-generated content can seem like a tempting shortcut, compared to doing the hard work of learning. When you do this, you shortchange yourself, and you and misrepresent yourself to the outside world (instructors, classmates, family, hiring managers, etc.). Moreover, the quality of AIgiarized content is often not as good as you think it is to a knowledgeable reader. Unless otherwise stated, all work submitted is expected to be conducted and written by you – not by AI chatbots or similar tools. Inappropriately misrepresenting AI-generated output as your own work will be considered a violation of academic integrity, and treated in the same way as plagiarism. 

AI-detecting software may be used to analyze your submissions. If I am unsure about the source of the work you submit, I will require you to meet with me to explain the ideas and how the assignment was written.

Grading Criteria

REQUIRED EXAMINATIONS AND QUIZZES: Two exams (equally weighted) can be anticipated. Open-book AP style quizzes and Reporting quizzes are also expected.

EVALUATIONS:        

            A = 90-100      B = 80-89        C = 70-79        D = 60-69        F = 59 or below

70% of final grade = 6 stories for The Ranger, 1 story for AC Current, 1 Multimedia story
Specific story topics will be assigned no less than 1 week before the deadline. Magazine stories will be assigned by the AC Current editor approximately three weeks before the due date.

Stories will be graded for time spent gathering information and organizing the material and for good journalism practices, which include:

• sources and quotes (at least three “live” sources per story)
• simple story formula or other appropriate story formula
• at least 400 words per story; some story topics may require more
• lack of editorializing (writer’s opinion) in news or feature stories)
• meeting deadlines
• spelling, grammar and punctuation
• AP style (once you know what it is)
• story organization
• lead
• absence of legal problems

10% of final grade – Attendance and Participation: engagement in class activities and discussions and various homework activities

20% of final grade – 2 exams (mid-term exam and final exam), AP Style Quizzes and Reporting quizzes

BASIC ASSIGNMENTS:

• 6 stories for The Ranger newspaper and website

• 1 magazine story for AC Current magazine

• 1 multimedia project

•  In-class/online exercises, copy editing and peer editing/style quizzes and textbook quizzes both online and in person/other homework/participation in class discussions 

•  2 exams

Attendance

Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement; therefore, it is your responsibility to attend class. You must sign in on the class roster every time we meet.  Points will be deducted from your final course grade for more than two absences--regardless of the reason for the absence. No official warnings will be given when excessive absences jeopardize your grade.  If you miss a class, contact a classmate to obtain missed lecture notes.  Students who miss NO MORE than two classes will be exempt from the Final Exam.

Students are expected to complete a minimum of two hours a week in lab; however, there is not a designated time for completing this lab work. Lab time should be used to conduct interviews, write stories, consult with instructors and edit stories. Instructors generally will be available during afternoons to help with assignments and stories; however, we highly recommend scheduling consultation/editing appointments in advance.

There will be no instructor-initiated withdrawals from this class.  Students are responsible for dropping or withdrawing from this course as necessary.  No official warnings will be given students when excessive absences jeopardize their successful completion of the course.

Calendar

Additional Information

This Media Writing course follows Amarillo College’s Academic Affairs Manual (2025), which affirms that faculty “must not attempt to force on students a personal viewpoint and must at all times allow diversity of opinion.”

Media Writing is a professional, skills-based course that focuses on researching, reporting, writing, and editing news and feature content for digital and print platforms. Students will analyze real-world journalism, practice interviewing and attribution, and apply ethical standards such as accuracy, fairness, and accountability in their writing.

Students are not expected to change their personal beliefs as a result of this course. Instead, they are expected to report and write with professionalism, verify information through credible sources, and consider multiple perspectives in order to inform audiences responsibly. The goal is to strengthen students’ critical thinking, media literacy, and journalistic writing skills for academic, professional, and civic contexts.

(Adapted from Academic Affairs Manual, p. 2, “Academic Freedom,” BOR DGC; SACSCOC 6.4)