2/11/19 Class Blog

Writing for Communication Class Blog from 2/11/19
By Mary Abom

!!! The Story of Adam Newman (But make sure to spell it right: Neuman)

-      DEADLINE: 5 P.M. TOMORROW (Tuesday 2/12) 

Current Events Quiz! 
Tips for improving on Current Event Quiz Scores 

-      Download the Washington Post app

-      Read your emails from Prof. Piacente

-      Pay attention to the clues within the questions 

Joy Baker Story Common Mistakes

-      Commas should be inside the closed quote: “She was my baby,”

-      Need “when” in the lead

-      Don’t restructure a quote, never change anything within the quote 

-      Eliminate any unnecessary words

-      Write in active voice rather than passive

-      Brush up on grammar rules (proper nouns need to be capitalized)

-      If you’re quoting someone and they speak ungrammatically, quote them as they said it. 

Example Lead with the 5 W’s: 

A 10-day-old baby (who) died (what) Monday (when) after her mother left her in a car in frigid temperatures to go gamble at a local casino (why), according to D.C. Police (where, including attribution). 

GSA and usa.gov

What is usa.gov? 

-      Portal of all government information that citizens can use 

A video by the U.S. General Services Administration released a video about the web portal, usa.gov (without informing their communications department) 

-      We watched the video in class and completed questions about it and printed the completed questions and discussed them in class

(Prof. Piacente might send an “early warning” email to bring your attention to the class and to make adjustments)

Grammar Quiz

Stephen King: On Writing 

- read aloud 

Homework

Stephen King “On Writing”

-      Reread the article

Chapter 13 on PR 

-      Top 3 takeaways  

Story of Adam Newman (Neuman)

-      DEADLINE: 5 P.M. TOMORROW (Tuesday 2/12) 

-      Who: A 48-year-old man

-      What: an arrest 

-      When: Monday

-      Where: Washington D.C.

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-      Why: Interfering with official rescuers
T
TThe facts, in case you missed class:

Write a story for tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) newspaper based on the following:

Today, Monday, Adam Neuman, 48, rescued a swimmer caught in the currents of the Potomac River near the Key Bridge in Washington, D.C. He pulled the woman to an island of rocks, and then to shore. When Neuman tried to climb out of the water, a D.C. Police officer arrested him for interfering with official rescuers. “It turned out okay, but Mr. Neuman could have gotten the swimmer and himself killed,” said Officer Vince Pulupa. “Our folks are trained in this sort of thing.” Neuman was allowed to speak to reporters briefly before he was taken to jail. He said, “Between you and me, if I waited for the cops to save that woman, she would’ve drowned.” Katherine Robey is the woman Neuman rescued. She said, “I think it’s outrageous that they arrested him.” Robey said she invited Neuman for a home-cooked dinner this Saturday evening. Robey has one daughter, Evelyn, who plays bass and sings in a punk rock band called Anarchy.