Beat report assignment details 2015

Your assignment for Jan. 28 is to interview a classmate about their beat and publish a Q&A. Your story should have a compelling and SEO-friendly headline, a strong storytelling lede and a photo of the person you’re interviewing.

Your role here is as a reporter who has been assigned to interview someone who just began covering a new beat in Philadelphia. What do you want to know, and what will readers want to know? This Q&A should be about the person and what they’re covering. Do your research – what can you find out about this person and the topic before your interview? And of course, have enough research about your own beat to answer questions someone else will ask you. You cannot interview the person who interviews you. Before you leave class today, line up both interviews and exchange phone numbers.

Requirements

• a web-friendly headline
• a strong lede that makes me want to read the interview
• a Q&A with at least 10 questions
• a text style that makes it easy for readers to distinguish between questions and answers
• a photo at the top of your story that you took of the person you’re interviewing (include a caption)
• tags and categories
• links to external contextual information about the person and the beat

Grading

• 2 points off for every spelling and grammar error
• 3 points off for a headline that does not meet the requirements
• 3 points off for a lede that does not meet the requirements
• 3 points off for not formatting text to distinguish between questions and answers
• 2 points off for missing tags
• 2 points off for missing categories
• 5 points off for not hyperlinking to external contextual information
• automatic C for improper spelling, capitalization or punctuation of your source’s name
• automatic ZERO for failure to publish your story by deadline

Your Q&A is due by 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28. To be considered complete, you assignment needs to have all of the above elements and be published at or before 3 p.m.