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J470 International Reporting

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Course Information

Instructor: Ronald E. Yates, dean of the College of Media
Office: 119 Gregory Hall
Telephone: 217-333-2350
E-mail: ryates@illinois.edu
Office hours: By appointment

Class time and location
Tuesday: 2 - 3:20 p.m.
Thursday: 2 - 3:20 p.m.
Place: 123 Gregory Hall

Required texts

 

A subscription or DAILY Internet access to a major daily newspaper of your choice, such as the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times or New York Times. You should read a major daily newspaper every day — especially the section that carries international news. Most major dailies are in the Communications Library.

 
Required Viewing

There are several films I recommend you see during the course of the semester. These are all films about the world of the foreign correspondent. Some are better than others. However, all contain nuggets of truth. I list those below.

 

There are three films I REQUIRE you to see on your own time. Almost all of these can be rented at Blockbuster, That's Rentertainment, Hollywwod Video or through online services such as Netflix or Blockbuster. Some may be available in the library.

 

REQUIRED FILMS AND DEADLINES FOR VIEWING:

 

Helena Bonham Carter and her cameraman in Live From Baghdad."Live From Baghdad" (2002)
Deadline for viewing: Aug. 26
Discussion of film on Wednesday, Aug. 29.
This HBO Films production mixes breakneck excitement, biting humor and blistering drama in telling the behind-the-scenes true story of how brash CNN producer Robert Wiener (Michael Keaton) and his resourceful team made history and reported it during the onset of the 1991 Gulf War. Arriving in Baghdad, Wiener and co-producer Ingrid Formanek (Helena Bonham Carter) contend with numerous logistical, technical and political challenges as they attempt to report on the situation in Baghdad as war looms. While feeding stories to a hungry 24-hour news network under the scrutiny of Iraqi censorship and Saddam's propaganda efforts, the two producers must stay ahead of the competition — the Big Three networks. When the bombs hit Baghdad on January 16, 1991 (most of the other news crews have fled the city), the ingenuity and courage of Wiener, Formanek and their crew (including CNN anchor Bernard Shaw and reporters Peter Arnett and John Holliman) pay off when they are able to use a coveted "four-wire" transmitter to relay live reports on the U.S. bombing of Baghdad, not just to America, but the entire world.

 

Photo from The Killing Fields."The Killing Fieldss (1984)
Deadline for viewing: Sept. 18
Discussion of film on Monday, Sept. 24
The film is based on the true story of New York Times reporter Sidney Schanberg (Sam Waterston). When the U.S. involvement in Vietnam ends, Schanberg stays in Cambodia after the American evacuation. He suggests to his native translator Dith Pran (Haing S. Nor) that he remain to help him, knowing Pran could face death. Pran says goodbye to his family and stays. When Schanberg and others are captured by the Khmer Rouge, Pran pleads for their lives. The journalists then try to save Pran by making a fake passport, but the plan fails.

 

James Woods in Salvador. "Salvador" (1986)
Deadline for viewing: Oct. 7
Discussion of film on Monday, Oct. 8
Richard Boyle and director Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay based on Boyle's experiences. James Woods plays Boyle, an out-of-work journalist who heads to El Salavador with his friend, Dr. Rock (James Belushi), after his wife takes his son and leaves him. He convinces Rock that they can cover the "little guerrilla war" while enjoying drink, drugs and women. But once in the country, they realize the danger. Boyle and a photojournalist witness hundreds of bodies left to rot in the sun by right-wing death squads. Catholic Archbishop Romero is assassinated, and three nuns and another American woman are raped and murdered.

 

RECOMMENDED FILMS:

 

DVD of The Year of Living Dangerously. "The Year of Living Dangerously" (1983)
The film follows Australian radio and news service reporter Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) in Jakarta, Indonesia, during 1965, when an attempted coup failed against President Sukarno. Linda Hunt plays Billy Kwan, a Chinese-Australian dwarf who is a photographer and the reporter's guide. Hamilton's romantic interest is Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver), a British Embassy employee.

 

DVD of Foreign Correspondent. "Foreign Correspondent" (1940)
The film is a classic Alfred Hitchcock movie that introduced the quintessential stereotype foreign correspondent. In its day, "Foreign Correspondent" was more than just a good movie (it earned six Oscar nominations); it was also the beginning of Hitchcock's propaganda films, as he (along with many European filmmakers) made movies to compel the U.S. to enter World Ward II. "Correspondent" has intrigue, adventure, charisma and romance, but it sadly never makes it to classic status. The story is the globetrotting tale of an American reporter (Joel McCrea) who heads to London to expose a spy ring. En route he falls in love and is drawn into a major drama with international ramifications.

 

DVD of Under Fire. "Under Fire" (1983)
Nick Nolte is Russell Price, an American photojournalist covering the Nicaraguan revolution. Price meets Claire (Joanna Cassidy), a reporter for National Public Radio. They find themselves involved with revolutionaries and actually photograph a slain leader to make it appear that he is still alive. Network news anchor Alex Grazier (Gene Hackman) sees the photo and flies to the country to cover the story. Grazier is fatally shot by one of President Somoza's National Guardsmen, and Price captures it on film. The global response that follows helps put an end to Somoza's government. In reality, an ABC correspondent, Bill Stewart, was killed by Somoza's troops in 1979, and videotape brought the murder to audiences in America. Somoza fled the country on July 19, 1979.

 
Prerequisites

 

Course Description and Goals


Welcome to J-470 (International Reporting and Foreign Correspondents). This is a course for undergraduate and graduate students designed to provide an understanding of the role of international news in our daily lives. We will examine those who report it today and those who pioneered this most rigorous form of journalism. In addition to selected readings, lectures and discussions there will be writing assignments during the semester. These writing assignments will be explained later.


Students who complete this course successfully will be better able to see how the world works in an era of pervasive global information exchange. They will have an understanding of the role of the primary news media (newspapers, television and radio) as well as the emerging role of the Internet in today’s world. They will also have an understanding of how judgments about international events are made in newsrooms around the world, who makes them and how these decisions can impact our lives.


The goal of this class is to provide students with the background, knowledge, reporting skills and attitudes that are necessary to succeed as international journalists. For those who may not choose this journalistic path this class will make you more sensitive to international news and its role in everyday reporting and editing.


Objectives

To increase knowledge and understanding of:

  1. The context of global communication and international reporting.
  2. The role culture and cultural bias plays in global communication and international reporting.
  3. The media in major regions of the world & how they function.
  4. Major issues today in international journalism (technology, ethics, censorship, diversity of views, etc.).
  5. World geography and geopolitics.

To improve skills relating to:

  1. Reporting and writing news stories in the [often] stress-laden international settings most correspondents find themselves in—disaster, revolution, political/social change, war and [occasionally] peace.
  2. Use of the library and campus academic resources in conducting research and gathering relevant information.
  3. Use of Internet tools to research the field and make on-line, e-mail contact with sources.
  4. Discussion and debate of issues in international journalism.

Course Content


Early classes will focus on the history of traditional foreign correspondence. Because most of this early correspondence originated in Europe and the United States, we will focus on these regions initially. Who were the first foreign correspondents and how did they do their jobs? How has the job changed because of technology, perspective, interest, etc? I will expect you to come to class having done the assigned readings and prepared to discuss what you have read. Participation in class discussions is one of the determining factors of your grade.


We will look at how foreign correspondents work under all conditions: in war and peace and during political, economic and social upheaval. We will examine the work of the international reporter during those “down” periods when the pyrotechnics of war or the caprice of politicians do not drive stories. We will evaluate the way news organizations make decisions about the world and how they cover it. And we will seek to understand how these decisions affect our lives.


As the class progresses we will go beyond America’s borders to see how the media in other nations cover the world — including their coverage of the United States. We will examine the media in selected developed and developing nations. We will also look at the way governments in both developed and developing nations manipulate or attempt to manipulate information and news.


Initially, J-470 will consist of readings, lectures, frequent classroom discussion and weekly current events quizzes designed to test your knowledge of international current events. I will expect all of you to participate in class discussions, which I hope you will find stimulating. There are few things more interesting, after all, than talking about events that may have a significant impact on our lives.


You must keep up with reading assignments and current events. If you do not, you will fall behind and experience has shown that in this class, that could be disastrous.


J-470 will not be a passive lecture and reading class. This class is meant to engage you, to make you think critically about the world and about the people who bring it to you everyday via the printed, spoken or visual word.


In addition to the reading assignments and classroom discussions, there will be two writing assignments and a research project. The writing assignments and research project, described in detail on the following pages, count for 60 percent of your grade. Deadlines for the writing assignment and project are non-negotiable. You must have your work in on time or you will lose points. (Please read the following closely!)


Class Writing Assignments
 

The writing assignments for J-470 must be submitted in class as hard copies and by e-mail to ryates@illinois.edu by the deadlines indicated in the Class Calendar. These are explained below. IMPORTANT: I will expect all work to be original—and where it is not, it is critical that you provide attribution or that you credit the source from where you took information, graphics, video, sound, photos, etc.


Book Critique: Foreign Correspondence

The first writing assignment will be a critique/review/synopsis of a book you must select from READING LIST “A”   at the end of this syllabus. Your work should summarize the book’s main theme (if there is one). I will look for your interpretation of the book—how you felt about it, what you learned from it, etc. You should approach this assignment as though you were a book reviewer for a newspaper. Your original critique must include your impressions and thoughts on the subject matter, etc. These books are generally available in the Communications Library or in the Main Library. In the unlikely event that you cannot find them in either of those places, you may borrow the book (if I have it) from my personal library with this caveat: if you do not return the book, you will receive an incomplete grade in the class. Your review should be submitted to me electronically. Length, 600-800 words, double-spaced. [See Course Calendar for DEADLINE] . [See Course Calendar for DEADLINE.]


Class Research Project


The class project will be an ongoing assignment. This semester the entire class will focus on media coverage of Russia. Each student will monitor how Russia is covered by the domestic U.S. media and by the international media. Specifically, each student will select one domestic news organization and one international news organization then compare and contrast the way these two organizations cover Russia during the semester. The project will be overseen this semester by David Satter.


David Satter is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Oxford University. He worked for the Chicago Tribune and, from 1976 to 1982, as Moscow correspondent of the Financial Times. He then became a special correspondent on Soviet affairs for the Wall Street Journal. He is currently a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and the Jamestown Foundation, and a visiting scholar at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.The class project consists of two (2) parts. PART ONE should be a brief overview and history of Russia. Relevant statistical information should be presented (preferably) in a graphic style if possible. PART TWO should contain your conclusions (supported by your data) about the coverage of Russia by your domestic and international news organizations. You should assemble your project with the overview and background material as Part One and your critique as Part Two. This is explained in greater detail below.

 

Part 1: Backgrounder on Russia

 

In this assignment you will produce a general backgrounder on Russia. To accomplish this you will need to research Russia, its current status, its media, and its history—both political and economic. You should do this as though you are a correspondent who has been assigned to Russia by your news organization.

 

Assume there has been a major crisis in Russia. Newspapers, TV and The Internet are full of news about the crisis. You are being asked to do a sidebar on Russia. What does Russia look like today—politically, economically, socially, culturally—and how did it get into this mess. Hint: you might want to focus on the recent/ongoing Russian-Georgian crisis.  

 

As with all good backgrounders you should gather statistics on the country. For example, the information you gather should contain rudimentary demographic and geographic data about Russia. That means you need to gather data about population, literacy rates, dominant religion or religions, per capita annual income (converted into dollars at current rates), GNP and GDP, primary industrial and agricultural products, per capita media data (TV and radio sets per 1,000, newspaper readership or circulation per 1,000, computer/internet access, etc.)

You will need to know the geo-political history of Russia, where the country is located, how its political boundaries have shifted over time, conflicts with neighboring nations or peoples, etc. Because you are, in theory, writing for a U.S. audience, you will need to include information about Russia’s historical political, military and cultural relationship with the United States. Please see Reading List “B” for a list of books that you can use for reference.

 

Information such as this is critical for any correspondent to know about the country that he or she is assigned to cover. (Hint: Get the latest edition of the UN Statistical Yearbook, the UNESCO Statistical Yearbook, the UN Media Handbook, and check out the CIA World Factbook: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook.  Then crosscheck your findings against other sources. (See the list of reference sources at end of this syllabus).

 

The report you write should be journalistic in style. That means it should be entertaining as well as informative. Do not create a dry encyclopedia-style report. I want to see your views in this assignment, not something you lifted from the World Book Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, or worse, Wikipedia. If you have been to Russia, give the reader some personal anecdotes. You should interview a couple of experts on Russia or sources who will give your piece some depth and credibility.  

 

The length of Part One should be no more than 800 words. You may use graphics and other illustrative material if you wish. In fact, I encourage you to do so. I would rather judge your writing and reporting ability on the report you produce and its originality, rather than lists of dry numbers and facts which can better be handled graphically. [See Course Calendar for DEADLINE]

 

Part 2: Critique of Coverage
 

In this segment of your project you will examine the way the U.S. and international media have covered Russia during the course of the semester or the way those media covered an issue or event in the old Soviet Union during a specific period of time. You must monitor one regional or national newspaper such as the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Indianapolis Star, Philadelphia Enquirer, Kansas City Star, Minneapolis Tribune, Los Angeles Times, or any newspaper that is part of a chain, such as Knight-Ridder, Cox, Gannett, etc.  

 

In addition, you must monitor one international newspaper such as the London Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Asahi Shimbun, South China Morning Post, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Irish Times, Le Figaro, El Tiempo, India Times, El Mercurio, etc. or any other international newspaper of your choice. Many of these international papers maintain international reporting staffs around the world. That means you may be able to actually contact a correspondent in Russia via E-mail. In many cases you can find English language versions of these publications on The Internet, however, for those of you who are fluent in another language, it is always preferable to monitor international publications in their original language. Naturally, I will need your critiques in English.

You may also choose to monitor the online coverage of a broadcast news network such as NBC, ABC, CBS or a cable network such as CNN, Fox or MSNBC, etc. In that case the international news organization you monitor also should be a broadcast news organization.
 
You will carefully compare and contrast how the two publications you have selected covered Russia during the semester. (Exact monitoring dates will be determined later in class).

That means clipping or copying stories—or downloading them from the news organization’s Internet site; determining their authorship (were/are they staff written or wire stories?); critically evaluating their content; adding up words or column inches; and generally offering an enlightened critique and analysis of the stories in particular and the coverage in general. You should be able to offer judgments about how well Americans are informed about Russia compared with those who read your international paper.

 

A caveat: In most cases smaller papers (such as the News-Gazette or Bloomington Pantagraph) and even some larger regional papers (such as the Indianapolis Star and St. Louis Post-Dispatch) do no original international reporting. If you monitor a news organization that doesn't do ANY original reporting and only depends on wire services such as Associated Press or Reutersfor its coverage of Russia you will have to evaluate the stories for their relevance to the news organization's audience. In doing that you will have to categorize the stories by type, subject matter, etc. We will discuss this in class.

 

(NOTE: If several of you choose to monitor the same news organizations, I would advise you to team up and designate one person to call or E-mail the foreign editor, correspondents, etc. and ask ALL relevant questions that each of you might have about the way the organization covers your country. These people are quite busy and they will be more likely to respond in a timely fashion if you show this kind of consideration).

 

 I will look for creativity in approach; skillful, lively and accurate writing that establishes and supports a thesis (the way all good, in-depth reporting does); and originality. I want to know your opinion of the coverage. Was it good or bad or mediocre—and why. You must support your conclusions with specific examples from the coverage you monitored. When possible, you should try to contact the correspondent or correspondents from the news organizations you are monitoring—e-mail is fine. You might determine how the correspondent works—i.e., how does he/she operate in Russia on a daily basis? What is the routine? How often do they venture out on stories and when they do, under what circumstances? If you can engage the individual in an ongoing e-mail correspondence, that would ideal. That way you can have a “conversation” with the correspondent. My advice: write your critiques as though you were writing for a media magazine such as the American Journalism Review, Editor and Publisher or Columbia Journalism Review. Stay away from arcane pedantic language and academic jargon. And no footnotes, please!

 

While I want no footnotes, I will expect each individual critique to have an appendix with a list of the people you talked to, including names, titles, dates interviewed and contact information such as telephone number, e-mail address, etc. The appendix must also contain the original stories you critiqued (or copies of them), as well as a list of all publications and other printed reference materials accessed and any video or audio sources used.

 

Failure to provide this information will result in a major deduction in your grade. I suggest you plan on putting your report in a binder of some type. [See Course Calendar for DEADLINE].

Length: 1,500-2,000 words, double-spaced, with supporting graphic materials (if applicable), copies of stories critiqued with dates published, names and contact information of persons interviewed. Your project should be submitted to me both in hardcopy form and electronically as a Word Attachment. (I will discuss this later in class).

 

Exams/Quizzes


There will be no Final Exam, but there will be a Midterm Exam. There also will be short weekly quizzes on current international events and/or topics we may be discussing in class. These quizzes, which will take about 5-10 minutes, will be given each week beginning Sept. 2 and ending Dec. 2. The Midterm Exam, which will be given on Thursday, Oct. 30, will consist of objective and essay questions related to class lectures, discussions AND the assigned readings.

 

If you are absent the day of a current events quiz or arrive late (after the quiz is given) you will receive a ZERO. There will be no exceptions to this rule because the quizzes are structured to test your knowledge of events that have taken place that week. That includes excused absences as well as unexcused absences. Allowing you to take the same quiz or a different one the next week is unfair to those who took the quiz at the appointed time. SO BE ON TIME!

 

Grading Procedure


There are 1,000 total points possible in this class. Your final grade will be computed based on the Midterm exam, the periodic quizzes, class participation, and your writing assignments. To earn 75 points for class participation you must be a vigorous and consistent contributor to class discussions. There are 10 quizzes worth 10 points each for a total of 100 points. The Midterm is 250 points. The writing assignments are worth 575 points—125 points for the Book Critique, 100 points for the Backgrounder on Russia (Part I of the Project); and 350 points for the Analysis (Part II of the Project). As you can see, more than half of the points you can earn in the class are based on the writing assignments. There are also bonus points awarded to those who miss no classes and those who miss just one class. You will be asked to sign in before each class.

 

Grading Breakdown:                                                                    

 

Midterm: 250 points

Writing Assignment #1: 125 points

Writing Assignment #2: 100 points

Project: 350 points

Class Participation: 75 points

 

Total: 1,000 points

 

Bonus Points:

 

Zero Absences : 50 points

1 Absence: 25 points

2 or more Absences: 00 points


The Grading System:
 

Consultation and Office Hours


Because my schedule as Dean is unpredictable I cannot keep regular office hours. However, I will make myself available to you by appointment. You will have to check with the administrative assistants in the College of Communications office and make an appointment if you need to see me regarding any problems or questions pertaining to course work. You may also contact me via e-mail or after class. David Satter can be reached via e-mail should you have questions about Part I or Part II of the class project.

 

I will be happy to meet with you to discuss questions you may have regarding a professional career in journalism, the news business in general or your academic careers. I also will try to set aside class time for informal discussions on these topics. At some point in the semester (time permitting) we may have a couple of informal, off campus gatherings during which all topics will be open for discussion.


A Few Final Words


It is possible that only a few of you in this class will go on to a career as international correspondents. For those of you who do, this course should give you a leg up on the competition — at least as far as understanding how the international media work, who went before you and how the job has changed and is continuing to change.

 

No matter what path you choose to follow this course should help you in history, political science, international studies and even in some composition classes. If nothing else, it will assist you in understanding the world around you and how it functions.

 

You should treat J-470 the way you would a job. If you need to be late or absent, get permission in advance. I will give permission only for reasons that would be acceptable to your employer: serious illness or a death in the family. Otherwise I expect you to be here. Assignments, exams, etc., that are not completed because of an unexcused absence will receive a grade of zero — no exceptions!

 

DEADLINES

Missing a deadline is one of the worst things any reporter can do. For journalists, deadlines are the 11th Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Miss Deadlines! In the professional world, reporters who consistently miss deadlines are fired. In this class, missing a deadline will only result in an automatic ZERO for that assignment. If you know you are going to miss a deadline and you have a LEGITIMATE excuse, see me. However, any extension of a deadline (even for those I deem legitimate extensions) will result in a penalty, i.e., the loss of points. There will be NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE!

 

When you have questions (and you will), ask them. The only "dumb" question is the one not asked! You cannot be terminally timid and expect to succeed as a journalist (or in any other profession for that matter). You may feel shy — many budding journalists do — but you must overcome that and ask questions anyway. You must learn to be assertive and confident no matter what profession you pursue.

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

 

Cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism, fabrication and wrongfully acquiring and providing information, will not be tolerated and will result in a failing grade for the course and even possible expulsion from the university. If you are not familiar with the Academic Integrity Policy at the University of Illinois, you should consult the Student Code: http://www.admin.uiuc.edu/policy/code/

 


Reading List "A"
 

 


Reading List "B"

BOOKS

ARTICLES

Reference and Research Sources
 
BOOKS
 

The following may prove helpful in your research:


 
 
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

 
 
 
PERIODICALS
 

NOTE: A vast range of journals related to international communication, mostly published overseas, is now available for those interested in the field. What I have listed below is not a complete list. Most should be available in either the Communications Library or the Main Library.)

 
American Journalism Review
Asian Journal of Communication
Australian Journalism Review
Australian Journal of Communication
Australian Studies in Journalism
Balkan Media
British Journalism Review
Canadian Journal of Communication
Combroad
Committee of Concerned Journalists (periodic reports)
Discourse & Society
Editor & Publisher
European Journal of Communication
Gazette
Index on Censorship
International Communication Bulletin
International Journal of Public Opinion Research
International Press Institute (IPI) report
Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
Journal of Communication
The Journal of International Communication
Jurnal Komunikasi
Media Asia
Media, Culture & Society
Media Development
Media International Australia
Media Studies Journal
New Media: Technology, Society, Culture (useful for research on informatization)
The Nordicom Review
Studies in Broadcasting
World Press Review
Zeszyty Prasoznawcze

 
 
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