Avoid first person, unless specifically instructed to use it for a particular assignment. Some of our work here, particularly in the early weeks, entails adhering to formulas, and in these cases there are two essentials to grasp. Second, you'll lose points if your idea of what's important or newsworthy differs from standard news, advertising, or PR practice. Entry-level media writing isn't the only kind of journalism, but it's what many employers will expect of you, and that's why we teach it. You can get more creative later on in other classes, and in the meantime J203 does introduce feature writing, ad copy writing, etc.
Various media have their own needs and quirks, and many structures are available.
Nevertheless, good writing is good writing. The essential elements of precision, accuracy, clarity, and economy transcend boundaries between forms, structures and media. This realization is a cornerstone of J203. In your lab sections, you'll have plenty of hands-on experience with media writing in a variety of forms. To communicate with your GTF away from class, you are encouraged to use e-mail.