{"id":184,"date":"2021-09-25T12:37:38","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T16:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/?p=184"},"modified":"2025-10-09T12:14:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T16:14:59","slug":"news-articles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/news-articles\/","title":{"rendered":"NEWS ARTICLES"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">News articles offer students an immediate means to communicate with a public audience, and, if published on an established platform, can offer the added benefit of editorial intervention by professional journalists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Compared to the op-ed, a genre many students find tempting, news articles rely less heavily on personal expertise and more heavily on reported information that is \u201cnew\u201d (such as interviews, newly available primary source material such as data or documents, or recently emerging scholarly studies). While these journalistic pieces traditionally do not espouse or defend an \u201copinion,\u201d news articles known as \u201cpoint of view,\u201d \u201cadvocacy,\u201d or \u201csolidarity\u201d journalism have become more common. In these pieces, the author openly acknowledges their own subjectivity, while continuing to strive to provide the reader with as complete an understanding of the topic as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Platforms include <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Sophian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, local newspapers like <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Daily Hampshire Gazette <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Shoestring<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, amateur digital platforms such as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Medium<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, professional digital platforms like <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Slate<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, or even national outlets like <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The New York Times<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Methods<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students may be assigned to write a short news article (750-1200 words) reporting on a topic related to the course. Frameworks for research could include interviews of experts or affected individuals, citations of academic research, site visits, public records, public records requests, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An instructor may choose to have students convert a scholarly essay written for the course into a journalistic piece.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students will need to learn the basic conventions of the genre. A related activity may include diagramming or outlining professionally published pieces of the same scope as student assignments. In general, short journalistic articles are often structured along the following lines:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Introductory Hook \u2013 something timely or vivid to catch the reader\u2019s attention.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nut graf \u2013 the meat of the story in a single paragraph \u2013 provides the main point or theme.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mechanistic Development \u2013 sequence of facts, quotes, and analysis that tells the story.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inclusion of quotes by experts or affected subjects \u2013 effective quotes employ key details, characterization, entertaining and clear analogies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Counterargument \u2013 usually occurs about two-thirds of the way through the piece.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conclusion \u2013 the broader meaning and implications.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wikipedia\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/News_style#Terms_and_structure\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">entry on News Style<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> provides a clear introduction to basic journalistic style.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Assistance and additional materials are available from the Jacobson Center or the Journalism concentration. These include pedagogical guidance and more detailed handouts on journalistic style, interviewing, public records requests, pitching to professional outlets, ethics, and other elements of journalistic practice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students do not need to publish their work for the exercise of creating a journalistic piece to be worthy. However, the process of submitting a strong final piece for publication can offer students a sense of meaning and validation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Learning Goals<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Deepen engagement with tailoring a project for a specific audience.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Engage with motivation and timeliness.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Adapt academic work (style, argument, use of evidence) for a different genre.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consideration of the needs of professionalization if seeking formal publication.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Examples<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Professional<\/span><\/i><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Professional examples related to your discipline can be found in newspapers and magazines. Look for examples that match the subject matter, scope, or audience of the students\u2019 assignments. Especially consider using models from local newspapers so that students can expand their sense of audience beyond the national models they may be more familiar with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/us\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Conversation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/aeon.co\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aeon <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">are digital platforms that exclusively or primarily publish journalism and op-eds written by academic scholars. These platforms provide strong examples of effective interplay between disciplinary expertise and public writing. Faculty may consider contributing to these platforms themselves to enhance their pedagogy and public impact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Student<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/smithpublicvoices\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Smith Public Voices <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is an archive of professionally-published student work maintained by the Jacobson Center. Many of the featured pieces are journalistic and all are published in the mainstream press.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Several classes at Smith that explicitly center public discourse have resulted in published student work. Students in Smith\u2019s core journalism class and in the journalism capstone have published numerous journalistic pieces that can serve as strong examples of the genre. Examples follow.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">JNX\/WRT 350: Journalism in the Field<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scully-Bristol, Naomi, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gazettenet.com\/Autonomy-in-death-End-of-Life-Options-in-Massachusetts-61960032\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dying on one\u2019s own terms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gazettenet.com\/Massachusetts-inches-closer-to-legalizing-medical-aid-in-dying-62118947\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">with sidebar<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">), The Daily Hampshire Gazette\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Petty, Olivia, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theshoestring.org\/2025\/07\/17\/amid-staggering-demand-for-food-assistance-new-federal-law-is-poised-to-worsen-hunger-in-western-mass\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Amid staggering demand for food assistance, new federal law is poised to worsen hunger in western Mass<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, The Shoestring<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fay, Laura, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gazettenet.com\/2025\/08\/08\/living-proud-in-a-hostile-era-navigating-trans-rights-in-the-second-age-of-trump\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Living proud in a hostile era: Navigating trans rights in the second age of Trump<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gazettenet.com\/2025\/08\/08\/despite-threats-holyoke-nonprofit-translate-gender-continues-to-highlight-trans-visibility-resilience\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">with sidebar<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">), The Daily Hampshire Gazette<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WRT\/ENG 136: Journalism: Principles and Practice:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Doyle, Mollie, Del Bene, Ami, and Haff, Maeve Keenan, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gazettenet.com\/2024\/12\/31\/socialwork-hg-cl12192024-58556115\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Massachusetts bill aims to lessen social work burden<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, The Daily Hampshire Gazette<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wilson, Mary Kate, Bucelli, Francesco, and Halpin, Abigail, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gazettenet.com\/2025\/03\/15\/the-challenges-behind-offering-more-healthy-options-as-part-of-free-meals-in-massachusetts-schools-60021975\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fare questions: local school meals face healthy criticism<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, in The Daily Hampshire Gazette<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kolbert, Phoebe, and Engrav, Charlotte, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/msmagazine.com\/2023\/02\/09\/future-of-telehealth-abortion-transgender\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Telehealth Providers Prepare for the Future<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Ms Magazine<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The department of Statistics and Data Science has made an explicit effort to center public discourse in SDS-related writing. In <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SDS 236: Data Journalism<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, co-taught by Ben Baumer and Naila Moreira, a number of student teams have published journalistic pieces that center data analysis including:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Linker, Campbell, Kowal, Lindsay, and R., Tulip, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theshoestring.org\/2025\/05\/09\/attacks-on-health-research-could-cost-local-economy-millions\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Attacks on health research could cost local economy millions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, The Shoestring<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Additional course-generated published student work includes:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Zoe Merrell \u201819 (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ENV 311:\u00a0 Integration III \u2013 Interpreting and Communicating Information) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gazettenet.com\/An-Evergreen-s-Decline-Yields-Big-Consequences-for-Climate-22093802\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daily Hampshire Gazette<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Katherine Keenan \u201819 (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">AMS 351\/ENG 384 Writing about Women and Gender<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">) in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gazettenet.com\/Joes-hg-030619-23619372\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daily Hampshire Gazette<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Smith students have also independently published journalistic articles, often with editorial input from the Jacobson Center or Smith faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Multimedia Expansion<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Journalism-style writing dovetails well with blogging (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wordpress-blogs-and-websites\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WORDPRESS BLOGS AND WEBSITES<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">). Text-based broadcasts (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/tweetstorms-twitter-threads\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">view module here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">), or Instagram (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/instagram\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">view module here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">) can serve to encapsulate and bring public attention to the piece. Podcasts (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/podcasts\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">view module here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">) based on the students\u2019 journalistic work or employing journalistic structure and practices can broaden audience, genre, and students\u2019 technical capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News articles offer students an immediate means to communicate with a public audience, and, if [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3782,"featured_media":40,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modules","entry","tgrid"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/712\/2021\/09\/matt-popovich-wajusTqz_FI-unsplash.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3782"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":327,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions\/327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}