Workbook Assignment #1

1. Building rapport and trust with a person you are interviewing is not always the easiest or fastest thing. If I was assigned to interview a new professor on campus, I would try to do some research ahead of time, if possible, on the person. Examples of what I should know in advance may include what subject he/she teaches, where he/she is from, his/her age, and so on. This would prepare me for what kinds of questions to ask and in what way to present them. Upon requesting a meeting, I would need to make sure I fully explain the purpose of the interview and what kinds of questions I plan on asking him/her, so he/she feels more at ease and in control. At the interview, I would show that I am genuinely interested in the professor's life and new career at the university; this makes the interviewee more comfortable and likely to open up. Lastly, I would review all the information I took in to make sure I got it correct and in context. The quickest way to ruin one's reputation and trust with an interviewee is to misquote or put words in his/her mouth that he/she did not intend.

3. a.

• Minnesota governor Mark Dayton
• 40th governor
• Democrat
• Voted against same-sex marriage ban
• Pro-choice
• Full healthcare
• Graduated from Yale University with a degree in psychology
• Age 68, born in Minneapolis
• Loved to play hockey
• Began as a teacher in NYC, became chief financial officer of a social service agency in Boston. Became politically active in the 60s, became as the auditor of Minnesota from 1991-95, U.S. Senator from 2001-2007, assumed governor office in 2011
• Divorced twice, has two sons from his first marriage

This Week in National News...

Two Bodies Found as Cops Search for Missing Elderly Couple
Elrey and June Runion, an elderly couple from Georgia went missing last week after they had gone to answer a Craigslist advertisement for a car. Although they have yet to be identified, two bodies along with the couple's vehicle were found Monday submerged in a body of water. Suspect Ronnie Adrian Towns was taken into custody on Monday after turning himself in.

Vanderbilt Rape Trial: Ex-Football Players Found Guilty
Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey, two former Vanderbilt university football players, have been found guilty of the sexual assault of another female student, which occurred in 2013. The woman had passed out from drinking, when Vandenberg, Batey, and two other team members who have yet to face trial, took her to Vandenberg's room before assaulting and raping her. There is photo and video evidence of the event, though all involved say they were too drunk at the time to remember any of what happened, including the young woman.

Handcuffed woman steals police car then drives off
Thursday, 27-year-old Roxanne Rimer of Pennsylvania was taken into custody and put in the back of a police car after shoplifting at a Kohl's department store. Somehow, Rimer managed to slip through the partition and stole the car, driving with her hands cuffed behind her back. This resulted in a police chase that reached 100 mph, and ended with Rimer being arrested and found to be in possession of heroin.

AP Stylebook Exercises

3.4
1. The Department of Defense is about to propose a new missile system.
2. FCC, hitchhiker, $3, 4 million
3. The three most important people in his life are his wife, son and mother.
4. part time, 10-year-old child, 5 p.m., 5,300
5. The Cardinals won the last game of the World Series, 7-5.
6. spring, fall, south, South
7. Nov. 15, the last day of February, March 16
8. Thirteen people traveled to Austin, Texas, for the rally.
9. He had 10 cents left in his pocket.
10. homemade, well-known, Italian-American, questionnaire

3.5
1. The United States is sometimes not the best market for U.S. products.
2. upward, Labour, Avenue, cupfuls, eyeing
3. The Republican differed from the Democrat many times during the debate.
4. Drs. John Smith and Mary Wilson performed the operations.
5. goodwill, USS Eisenhower, cigarette, mid-America
6. He said he was neither a communist nor a member of the Communist Party.
7. After her surgery, she had to wear a pacemaker.
8. "What a hare-brained scheme!" she exclaimed.
9. pre-empt, speedup, 55 mph, hooky
10. The Mafia is responsible for the murder.

3.6
1. The annual rutabaga eating contest was canceled because of adverse weather.
2. It is not all right to drink an excess of beer before going to the football game.
3. As Einstein said, "all knowledge is relative."
4. The state Capitol of Louisiana is located at 3722 Dagwood Road.
5. The mayor refused to go along with the City Council vote. "I dissent," he stated.
6. Madonna certainly has a flair for fashion; she always wears expensive outfits.
7. The bomb destroyed Sen. Kitsmoot's bird cage.
8. My bright-green Chevrolet, which is in the garage, needs a new transmission.
9. Knopke's hilarious joke elicited laughter from the Midville City Council.
10. Jones lay on the floor, waiting for the job interview to begin.
11. Horowitz, an ethics major, vowed never to compromise his principles.
12. At the end of the book report, Haynes cited the World Book as a source.

3.7
1. The 25-year-old man wept as he left Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
2. This Nov. 10 will mark our anniversary.
3. Don't park the car on Rodeo Drive. Instead, park it at 12 Davies St.
4. They spent $130 to buy a new set of nose rings.
5. Smoots moved to the North because the people there are so nice.
6. At 7 p.m. the rodeo will begin in the town square.
7. Yesterday, the terrorists blew up their home at 123 Melrose St.
8. 22 seamstresses were needed to mend the prom dresses.
9. About 5 percent of the professors has lost his hair.
10. After 2 feet of snow fell at his home in Columbus, Ohio, Jones decided to leave.
11. Ms. Smith bet $50 that her brother weighed more than a 1964 Chevy.
12. John Smith, the governor of California, set his trailer on fire September 1.
13. A fire began at 3325 McDonald Dr. when an oven full of rutabagas exploded.
14. During the 1970s, everyone wore bell-bottom blue jeans to church.

This Week in Virginia...

Jailed Virginia Dem Reelected Last Week Charged With Four More Felonies

Currently imprisoned for sexual relations with a female minor, Virginia Democratic Delegate, Joe Morrissey, was reelected last week just before being charged with four other felonies on Wednesday. Police investigators searched his office, and he is now being charged with forging false documentation for his defense in the case that has put him behind bars. Morrissey maintains these documents’ authenticity.
McAuliffe still governing Va. from his hospital bed

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has remained in the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center since Monday to be treated for injuries he received during his Christmas vacation to Tanzania. McAuliffe was thrown from a horse during a safari, and suffered seven broken ribs and a punctured lung. Despite his hospitalization, the governor continues working, keeping up with meetings and economic development calls, and hopes to be released yet this week.

McDonald's sued for racial discrimination in Virginia

Allegations of sexual and racial discrimination have led ten former employees to sue McDonald’s in Virginia’s federal court. One Hispanic and nine African-American former workers claim that franchise operator Michael Simon started hiring white employees and firing African-American employees shortly after his hire in 2013 as a plan to “get the ghetto out of the store”. McDonald’s maintains that these allegations go against the restaurant’s values and reputation.

What Makes Good Writing?

One of the most important qualities of good writing is clarity. If readers cannot understand what it is you are talking about, you have failed as a writer. Our main job is to communicate information in a coherent manner.

Closely related to clarity, conciseness is also important, especially when it comes to writing news. Oftentimes there is limited space for each piece, as well as limited reader attention span. Eliminating unnecessary words and sticking to the point of the story is the best way to ensure the piece is direct and concise.

Good writing needs to answer the facts; the who, why, what, when, where, and how of the event or topic that is being written about need to be identified. While this may seem obvious, failing to include necessary facts can ruin the piece and make it difficult to read and understand.

There are many things that go into good writing. Clarity, conciseness, and being sure to answer the facts are only a few, but they are some of the most important, especially when writing news.