Although the First Amendment appears on its face to prohibit any governmental restrictions on the press, the U.S. Supreme Court in fact balances free and open expression against other vital interests of society. This course begins by examining the struggle against seditious libel (the crime of criticizing government or its officials) that was not won in this country until the landmark decision in New York Times v. Sullivan in 1964. Students will examine freedom of the press through the prism of a rich variety of contemporary conflicts, including libel, newsgathering problems, the right of privacy, prior restraint, and the conflict between free press and fair trial. Readings include The First Amendment and the Fourth Estate; Make No Law by Anthony Lewis, The Unwanted Gaze by Jeffrey Rosen, and Origins of the Bill of Rights by Leonard Levy.

Open to SHERP students only.

This course invites students to draw inspiration from the ways others have written about places and journeys that captivated them and to learn to write travel stories of their own. We follow Freya Stark and Tony Horwitz to the Middle East; Robert Kaplan to the Balkans; Mary Taylor Simeti to Sicily; Mary Morris to Mexico; and Neal Ascherson to the Black Sea. Students also develop stories from their own travel experiences, both in New York and further afield. Three stories of different styles, targeted to newspapers and magazines, are assigned. We look at how to choose compelling subjects and destinations; what to do once you arrive; writing techniques that make a story stand out; and how to pitch to editors. Several speakers--travel writers, editors, and potential sources for stories--will be invited to class.

Students learn how to cover different types of news events and issues for radio and newscasts. They write and record reports, interview newsmakers on tape, file reports from the field, select and edit taped actualities, and write copy to use with the tape in newscasts. Sufficient instruction in audio production and announcing is included to enable students to produce their own reports. More information on the course (and a audio description) is available on the Radio Journalism page.

Dedicated to the news magazine, broadcast journalism's long-form storytelling vehicle. The course is broken into two elements: (1) hands-on editing and writing where students produce a segment using field cassettes from a story previously broadcast on CBS News, and (2) reviewing the news magazine genre with lectures that emphasize visual demonstrations of the editing process as well as student evaluations of weekly news magazine broadcasts. News magazines are cost-effective programs, usually seen in primetime and therefore must satisfy both network entertainment and news division expectations. Today's broadcast news magazines must not only have good story lines, they must be visually exciting without jeopardizing journalistic ethics. Different news magazine programs including as 60 Minutes, 20/20, 48 Hours, and Dateline are studied and dissected in order to demonstrate the variety of storytelling styles. The use of techniques such as visual special effects, music, sound effects, and the use of re-creation video are examined as both "tools for the editor" and for their impact on a story's journalistic integrity.

Using New York City as a backdrop, students learn how to produce photojournalistic images of urban news and feature events. In the traditional classroom setting, students are taught camera basics and fundamentals of still photography. They apply those skills on location at impromptu and planned photo shoots. The goal of the class is to enable each student to produce a variety of images for his or her own comprehensive photographic portfolio. A 35 mm camera and flash are required as well as color negative film, which will be processed and printed commercially. Previous photo experience is appreciated but not mandatory.

Open to SHERP students only.

Provides an in-depth look at many of the most important contemporary topics in the always dynamic field of medical journalism, including the biology of cancer, environment-related illness, epidemiology, and the precepts of sound medical research and peer review. Students write several short pieces on journal reports, medical conferences and community health lectures, and one longer, feature-length piece on a health topic of their choice. Medical researchers and prominent journalists are frequent guest speakers.

Permission Required

You are eligible to register for the credit internship course only after your internship is set up and you have returned a completed INTERN RECORD SHEET. Access codes will only be available upon receiving approval. For the details on Fieldwork in Journalism, read the information available here carefully: http://journalism.nyu.edu/careerservices/cicourse/.

Permission Required

Permission Required