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making the news 150 points Get out of your "ivory tower" and into the real world of social movements, but take a notepad, tape recorder, or video camera with you, because for this assignment you are the media. Every week in Tucson groups of activists are displaying their WUNC (worthiness, unity, numbers, and commitment - from Tilly [2004]) in public and oftentimes they're working hard for media attention. Attend one of these public events - a rally, picket, presentation, or other movement event - as a journalist. Do some background research, then observe, interview, and produce a news report for print, radio, or television.
Instructions: Your first step is to find an event to cover. Good places to look are listed on the resources page of this website. Choose an event sponsored by a social movement organization (and not, for example, the Department of Latin-American Studies) that is open to the public, is part of a campaign, and uses a tactic from the social movement repertoire. If you're not sure whether or not an event qualifies, talk to me beforehand. Next, do a little background research on the sponsoring group and the movement it is a part of. What is the geographic and temporal reach of this movement? When did the movement and organization emerge? Learn a little about their histories. This will be useful to contextualize the event that you're covering. Decide whether you want your news report to be print, audio, or video and make the necessary arrangements to get the equipment you'll need. (The University makes media equipment available to students through the Multimedia Learning Lab, but note that you'll need to be sponsored in advance by a faculty member to do so). When you attend the event, introduce yourself to the organizers (if possible) and explain why you're there (you could mention Soc 313, or you might prefer to say that you're a freelance journalist). Talk to the event organizers and some participants about the nature of the event - who is sponsoring it, who is attending, what are their grievances, what do they think should be done, and what happened at this event (the usual who, what, when, where, and why of journalism)? Get some quotes! Finally, consider the information you collected from a sociological perspective and, drawing on our class readings and lectures, write up or edit the information you collected into either a 2-3 page (double-spaced) or a 2-3 minute report. The final result will be judged not on your journalistic genius, but the content of your report. Does it provide the context of this event (the broader movement, its history, etc.)? Does it draw on issues, theories, and concepts that we've discussed in class? Find models for your report here, here, or here. Include your bibliography of sources on a seperate page. |