Text for Multimedia Story Due Wednesday

A reminder: The text-only version of your feature story is due at the start of class Wednesday. It's worth 5 percent of your class grade, so it should be as complete as possible. This is an originally reported story of 500 to 700 words (600 to 800 for grad students), on a topic previously approved by me. It should be written in journalistic style and be worthy of publication. Stories must be original work and must not have been previously published elsewhere. Stories with factual mistakes will be given an automatic F (55 percent). Stories must be accurate, fair and fully reported, and include strong feature leads, nut graphs and transitions. The text will be turned in on paper, doublespaced, with a word count at the top.

I will give you an edited (and graded) version of your story back to you, so you can then transform it into a multimedia story. This will be due on May 7, and will be worth 15 percent of your class grade. Here's info on that: The Web feature package must include the edited text story (see above), packaged in an html template (using Dreamweaver); with at least two photos (either shot by you or acquired by you); photo captions; at least one graphic (such as a banner, which we've learned to do in class); a headline; and at least two related Web links. In addition, one complementary explanatory or interactive element is required (two for grad students): This could include a blog you've created and linked to to encourage comment (we created a sample one in Blogger in class); a table of information you've compiled and linked to (we've done this in Dreamweaver together); an interactive quiz you've created and linked to (a javascript template is in the x drive, which you can cut and paste from). Or it could include a google map you've created and linked to; directions for getting started with google maps are in the handout I gave you in class. Broadcast students who have been taught to shoot video or collect audio interviews in other classes may see me for help if they'd like to include a video or audio element with this story. Video and audio files need to be compressed for use on the Web. We typically work with mp3 or .rm file extensions for audio, or .rm or Windows Media Files for video. I could show you how to upload your video file to YouTube, and embed it in your story.

When it's completed, we will upload this multimedia story together to the college's assessment site, after I've pushed it live on our college server.

Here are some examples of student multimedia stories (these were written for Maryland Newsline):

* Profile, with text, photos, Web links and video clip, from grad student Raechal Leone: http://www.newsline.umd.edu/etcetera/jenniferlholm092607.htm;

* Feature story, with text, photos, audio clips, and Web link, from undergrad Carrie Dindino: http://www.newsline.umd.edu/etcetera/watergatesale090707.htm;

* News story, with text, photos, Web links and Google map, from Carrie Dindino:
http://www.newsline.umd.edu/business/cafritz111607.htm;

* Feature story, with text, photo, audio clips, interactive quiz (first link in story), and Web links, from grad student Rachel Mauro:
http://www.newsline.umd.edu/etcetera/invisibilitycloak112107.htm.

Hope that helps to conceptualize this! Chris