Instructions for 12 November class Ä Professional sports and journalism contd.

Our second class devoted to professional sports will focus on the attention they receive in the sports pages. By examining the amount of coverage and critiquing the nature of that coverage, you should better understand this aspect of sports journalism.

This assignment will require you to spend time in the URI library, probably using microfilm etc. Be sure to give yourself enough time; this is not an assignment that can be completed the night before class. According to my research, you should be able to access these newspapers; let me know immediately if you cannot.

In order for everyone to get the most out of the 12 November class, you must follow directions and complete the assignment. There is no additional reading assignment; you will hand in this assignment as your Weekly Report.

Overview of task: As a class, you are going to examine the coverage in five newspapers over the last decades. I have chosen the newspapers for geographic variety; the dates were determined randomly. I have provided you a form to use to collect information; you will need to make the copies necessary for your work.

Regardless of the two papers and two years you have been assigned, you will study the issues published during the week 20 May - 26 May.

	1947	1957	1967	1977	1987	1997	2007
New York Times	aRusso	Catalano	Gagne	Paisley	Benbow	Connorton	Gardiner
Chicago Tribune	----	----	------	Panu	Smith	Crawley	Michitson
Los Angeles Times	Benbow	Crawley	Gardiner	Rizzo	Sullivan	Fulchini	Paisley
Atlanta Constitution	Connorton	Fulchini	Michitson	Savastano	aRusso	Gagne	Panu
Providence Journal	Rizzo	Savastano	Smith	Sullivan	Catalano	---	---

As you gather the information about your newspapers, you will need to read stories. I do not expect that you will read every story about professional sports in every issue, but you should read enough so that you can comment intelligently on the reporting and writing.