For this assignment, you will follow two contrasting news sources (from the list on the portfolio page) over the course of the semester. This might mean following sources with different ideological positions, different types of media, or different audience demographics. You should watch or read the sources regularly so that you, 1) Are keeping up with current events and can discuss them in class, and 2) So that you get a feel for the major substantive and stylistic differences between the two sources.

Early in the semester you will set up a web site on Jimdo, research your news sources, and post a short memo that explains the sources' circulation sizes, ownership, and the demographics of the audiences they reach (due Oct 16). This memo will serve as the basis for your final executive summary and should be less than 750 words in length.

Over the course of the semester, you will add entries to your blog for each date you read or view your sources. At the end of the semester, you will have a blog that chronicles your experiences with the two sources and will give a presentation that summarizes them. The blog should provide insights into the characteristics of both sources, and should compare and contrast the news coverage provided by each. It will include an executive summary (on the site homepage) and blog entries for six different days during the course of the semester.

The specific information your website and blog should contain are outlined below.

The executive summary should be no more than 750 words. Here, you will describe the two major sources and summarize the coverage they provide by answering the following questions. (Make sure you tell the reader which two sources you are examining.)

·      Describe the news organizations in terms of their size, ownership and audience. This is the same information that goes in the memo due Oct 16. (Answering this question may require some research.)

·      Explain the major differences between the sources in terms of both the substance and style of their coverage. Use some examples from your blog to illustrate these differences.

·      Your presentation should include the information contained in the executive summary as well as highlights from your blog. Presentations are limited to 5 minutes. Presentations will be given in class from Dec 1 through Dec 10.

Your blog will contain one entry for each of the six days you choose to examine in depth. For each entry, you should 1) Note the major stories each source covered on that given day and note any differences in the stories chosen for coverage by the two sources. 2) When the sources cover the same issue or event, note any differences in the ways the sources cover them. For example, this can include differences in sources quoted, facts mentioned, visual images, etc. 3) Finally, highlight any examples of concepts from the readings done during the semester. For instance, you might find examples of “horserace coverage,” bias (as defined by the authors we will read during the semester), soft news, pseudo events, or a tabloid style. If so, discuss these terms and explain how the news reporting you consumed exemplified them. Your completed website and blog are due on Nov 24.