Assignment No. 1

Your first assignment for this course is to interview a classmate and write a short (1-2 pp.) profile story about the person.

We will conduct our interviews in class on Thursday, Sept. 7. Come prepared to take copious notes, including quotations. It is a mistake to try to write this kind of story (or any news story) purely from memory. You may use an audio recording device to supplement your note-taking, but not as a substitute for note-taking.

Before you start to write your profile piece, get a sense of what such a story looks like; read the following piece from today's Times Union:

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=514396

Don't attempt to tell your subject's whole life story. Focus your profile on one thing about the person (a hobby, a significant achievement, an unusual characteristic, etc.) that is newsworthy or interesting.

Both the reading and the written assignment are due Tuesday, Sept. 12. Write your profile in the standard paper format: double spaced, with a 12-point font and 1" margins. Be sure to put an original headline at the top.

Questions? e-mail me at ackerink@aol.com.