You'll be getting a lot of criticism here. Criticism here, where it's safe, can save us from embarrassing ourselves in front of thousands or millions of readers, listeners, or viewers. Help each other out in class discussion. Unlike most classes, this one allows you to contribute to other students' success. Good journalism requires good research.
Content is more important than style.
You should know where to look up information in the library and on electronic databases, and be familiar with basic interviewing techniques. Factual accuracy is crucial in journalism, and errors require media to run embarrassing retractions or even subject them to lawsuits. Errors can undermine a publication's or a station's credibility, destroy a writer's career and injure the reputations of people or institutions, not to mention deceiving or misleading readers and viewers. If you love to write, you will be happy in this course, because you will be doing a lot of it. Many journalists are expected to generate their own story ideas, so understanding what is newsworthy is important.