COVERING NEW YORK CITYS SOCIAL ISSUES Fall 2013 Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 11:50a.m.

Room 330

Prof. Sarah Bartlett Rm. 411 646.758.7822 sarah.bartlett@journalism.cuny.edu Office hours: My schedule is a little unpredictable, but I am generally at the school at least four days a week. The easiest way to reach me is to send me an email so we can schedule a time to get together. Course description The goal of this course is to give you an in-depth and textured understanding of the range of social issues everything from education, to health care, to criminal justice, to housing - that shape life in New York City, particularly for low-income and minority residents. We will be drawing on stories about these important subjects in the news, but we will also focus on the public policies that attempt to address these burning social issues, different ways to measure the effectiveness of those policies, and how journalists can improve the publics understanding of these issues. The backdrop is a city in the midst of a seismic political shift following twelve years of the Bloomberg administration. Mayor Bloomberg liked to promote the city as a luxury good, but depending on the outcome of the November election, the perspective of labor unions and more activist, progressive public officials and advocacy groups are likely to carry greater sway in how poverty and inequality are addressed. This course gives you the opportunity to develop a beat in an area of social concern that interests you. Your goal should be to become an expert in that beat by digging deeply. For assignments, you have two options. You can either find a vehicle for telling a single, focused story with richly reported detail. Or you can produce multiple stories on the same beat. Either way, you will need to learn how to marry context and analysis with anecdote and detail. The ultimate goal is to produce extraordinary work that will make people care. Not sure how to get started? The beat memo will guide you. While you are pursuing your beat with a vengeance, the classes (and the required reading for them) will provide a general backdrop so that if your beat is in health, you will still come away with a good understanding of issues like education or homelessness. Our topic-focused classes will follow a similar structure: what is the extent of the problem, what policies are being pursued to address the problem, how effective are those policies, who is pursuing innovative approaches and what kind of success are they enjoying, and finally, who and what are the best sources on the subject. When we can,

we will get out of the classroom and into the field for first-hand encounters.

Learning objectives To gain a general understanding of the depth of the citys social problems, the public policies that influence them, for good and ill, and the key players in the system. To obtain a level of higher reporting expertise in one social issue area where you will develop a fluency in lingo, a familiarity statistics and a relationship with key sources. To learn to tell social issues stories with accuracy and humanity, marrying data and policy analysis with compelling human stories that result in important, informative and engaging journalism across multiple media. Ground rules Deadlines must be met. Unless extenuating circumstances convince me to grant you an extension, work turned in after deadline will receive a reduced grade. Class attendance is mandatory and promptness is expected. Excessive absences and/or lateness will prompt grade reductions or possible failure. When we have guest speakers, or are trying to engage the class in discussion, I would like you to keep your laptops closed so that I have your undivided attention. In addition, use of cell phones during class can be distracting and disruptive; please avoid it. Clarity and precision in writing are key. The best work uses anecdotes and data to support assertions. Solid reporting depends on details. Make every word count. It is a serious ethical violation to take any material created by another person and represent it as your own original work. Any such plagiarism will result in disciplinary action, including possible dismissal from the CUNY J-School. Plagiarism may involve copying text from a book or magazine without attributing the source, or lifting words, photographs, videos, or other materials from the Internet and attempting to pass them off as your own. Student work may be analyzed electronically for plagiarized content. Please ask me if you have any questions about how to distinguish between acceptable research and plagiarism.

Assignments: 1. BEAT MEMO: The beat memo is a step-by-step guide to help you better understand a narrow

topic area within the larger realm of social issues journalism. The tasks outlined in the beat memo permit you to transition from the survey-style approach of our class sessions to the deeper expertise that ought to be every student's goal. The beat memo should be completed in stages over the semester, so as to track your increasing fluency in social issues journalism and your "beat" in particular. (If youd like to see an example of an excellent beat memo, please review one produced last year by Christine Streich.) Please consult the beat memo for specific assignments and deadlines. 2. STORIES: You may select one of two options, with a decision due by September 17th: a. Produce three stories that showcase your coverage of your beat. Ideally, these should show that you are capable of a range of approaches a news story, a feature story, and an analytical piece. And they should showcase your mastery of a range of media: I want to see you take advantage of text, photography, graphics, audio and video. In terms of length, they should include 600-800 words of text, multiple photographs, graphics that show you can use numbers to illustrate and explain, and 2-3 minute audio or videos packages. Students selecting this option will file their pieces on or before October 22nd, November 19 and December 10th, respectively. Please run your topics by me before you report them. b. Produce one in-depth piece (1,500 -2,000 words, 5-6 minute video or complex multimedia package that incorporates multiple elements) covering a particular social issue. Story pitches for this option are due no later than Sept. 17th. No matter what your focus or approach, the piece must a) give your audience a richly-detailed understanding of the subject, assembled from in-depth reporting, b) make them care, most likely through an in-depth portrait of an individuals experience, c) include some analysis of the nature of the problem (historical context, description of the public policy issues at stake, how government has or has not responded, and the impact of the issue on the citys social fabric), and d)successfully synthesize that analysis with the humanistic aspects of your topic. This piece will be due by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3rd. Note: With prior approval, students may produce a more complex version of this assignment as their capstone project. Grading Beat memo 25% Using Twitter to develop sources and develop an audience 5% Three single pieces or one long piece 60% Class participation and professionalism (punctuality, doing the reading, being attentive and engaged in classroom discussion) 10% Week by Week Week 1, Sept. 3rd: Poverty and inequality in New York City

Introduction to the course. The state of poverty in New York. Challenges of poverty reporting. Reading for this weeks class: Monkey See, Monkey Do, by David K. Shipler, Columbia Journalism Review, Spring 2006 Too Little for So Many, Even in The Times, by Margaret Sullivan, NYT, June 1, 2013 City Report Shows More Were Near Poverty in 2011, by Sam Roberts, NYT, April 22, 2013 Beyond Balance: Forward Looking Budget Priorities for New York City, by James Parrott, Fiscal Policy Institute, read Section 3: Rethinking the Social Safety Net and Policies to Combat Poverty (pp. 9-15) Testimony (PDF) of Bich Ha Pham, Director of policy, advocacy and research for the FPWA at NY City Council, April 15, 2013 and video interview with Donna Mapped: poverty in New York City explore how your neighborhood ranks - NYCs Center for Economic Opportunity Additional Resources: Testimony of Robert Doar, Commissioner of HRA, April 13, 2013 Center for Economic Opportunity 2013 Annual Report Assignment for next weeks class: Complete part 1 of beat memo. Week 2, Sept. 10th: Choosing and developing your beat Discuss beat memo. Innovative approaches to storytelling about social issues. Reading/viewing for this weeks class: Mailroom in Bronx Functions as a Postal Lifeline to Poorer Neighborhoods, by Winnie Hu, NYT, Feb. 27, 2013 100 Gallons, by Powering a Nation In Harms Way: Remembering the Life of Daja Robinson, by Kathleen Horan, WNYC, June 3, 2013 - one of a series In Bloombergs New York, the Poor Move Further Out, Lengthening Commutes, by Jim OGrady, WNYC, July 10, 2013

Teaching for Life, by David Gonzalez, NYT, April 12, 2013 Assignment for next weeks class: Complete part 2 of beat memo and for those choosing one major assignment, write pitch Week 3, Sept. 17th: The working poor Guest speakers: Representatives of Fast Food Forward, plus CUNY alum Danny Massey, ex-Crains reporter, now at Berlin, Rosen Pitch for those choosing single major assignment due. Reading/listening for this weeks class: What Happened to Working-Class New York? by Joshua Freeman, The Nation, April 16, 2013 Fiscal Policy Institute graphics (PDF) "Fast-Food Workers Demand a Living Wage by Joel Rose, NPR, July 30, 2013 100-Person Poll: Fast-Food Worker Edition, by Emily Ferber, New York, July 29, 2013 (PDF) A Hard-Earned Life, by Jennifer Gonnerman, New York, Oct. 29, 2006

Week 4, Sept. 24th: Navigating the immigration maze Guest speakers: Alan Wernick, Baruch professor and immigration attorney and Maite Junco, editor of VoicesofNY Reading for this weeks class: CUNY Citizenship Now! program City to Help Immigrants Seeking Deportation Reprieves, by Kirk Semple, NYT, July 17, 2013 Dreams and Schemes in Queens, NY, report by Urban Justice Center, October, 2012 Press releases from NYC District Attorneys Office on immigration cases: http://manhattanda.org/press-release/district-attorney-vance-announces-criminal-charges-again st-law-firm-translator-defraud http://www.manhattanda.com/hot-topic-immigration-services-fraud (links to multiple cases) http://manhattanda.org/press-release/da-vance-dao-feng-lin-pleads-guilty-defrauding-chinese-im migrants-and-welfare-fraud http://manhattanda.org/press-release/da-vance-announces-indictment-martin-mannert-defraudin

g-foreign-victims-immigration-sc

Week 5: OFF-CALENDAR CLASS: Saturday, Sept. 28th Post-Sandy challenges Visit to Far Rockaway, hosted by Marissa Bernowitz, founder of Rockaway Free Flea Market and Katie Honan, reporter at DNAinfo.com and CUNY alum Reading/viewing for this weeks class: Beach 119 - documentary of a community in the Rockaways New York At Risk From Combination of Rising Seas and Stronger Hurricanes, Experts Warn, by David Knowles, NY Daily News, Aug. 26, 2013 Sandys Mold Legacy, report by Alliance for a Just Rebuilding, May 2013 Report Sees Widespread Mold After Sandy, by Jack Curran, Brooklyn Bureau, May 8, 2013 Sandy Victims Here Illegally Struggle to Rebound, by Cindy Rodriguez, WNYC, April 8, 2013 Where Streets Flood With the Tide, a Debate Over City Aid, by Kia Gregory, NYT, July 9, 2013 and accompanying video: A Soggy Neighborhood Fights to Stay Dry, video by Stephen Farrell Outrage as Homeowners Prepare for Substantially Higher Insurance Rates, by Jenny Anderson, NYT, July 28, 2013 Additional Resources: AdaptNY.org For a good backgrounder on the Rockaways: http://www.rockawave.com/node/174471 Assignment for next weeks class: Complete part 3 of beat memo.

Week 6, Oct. 1st : The immigrant life Visit with La Union in Sunset Park hosted by Leticia Alanis, executive director Reading for this weeks class: Krishna Gone Missing, by Michael Idov, New York magazine, Sept. 13, 2009 Little Red Beacon for Immigrant Laborers Shines On, by Julie Turkewitz, NYT, Feb. 19, 2013

Immigrant Struggles Compounded by Old Age, by Kirk Semple, NYT, July 25, 2013 City Agency Language Access Plans Assignment for next weeks class: Complete part 4 of beat memo.

Week 7, Oct. 8th: City government response to poverty Guest speaker: TBA Reading for this weeks class: Citys Incarceration Rate Plummets as Nations Climbs, by Marc Santora, NYT, Dec. 20, 2012 Prison Population Can Shrink When Police Crowd Streets, by John Tierney, NYT, Jan. 25, 2013 NYC. govs press release on Innovative nonprofit awards NYCHA Launches First-Ever Large-Scale Urban Farm on NYCHA Property Assignment for next weeks class: Complete part 5 of beat memo.

Week 8, Oct. 22nd: Covering NYCs public school system Guest speaker: Geoff Decker, Gotham Schools reporter (and CUNY alum) 1st smaller story due Reading for this weeks class: A Timeline Journey Through the School System Under Bloomberg, by Beth Fertig, WNYC, July 10, 2013 After 12 Years of Bloomberg, Data Reigns in the Schools, by Beth Fertig, WNYC, July 11, 2013 Nine High Schools, One Roof, by Liz Robbins and Theodoric Meyer, NYT, March 17, 2013 NOTE: please see accompanying video and interactive graphic The graphics presented on page 2, entitled A Glimpse Into New York City Schools of Whole Child Whole School Whole City a report by A+ NYC Test Scores Sink as New York Adopts Tougher Benchmarks, by Javier C. Hernandez and Robert Gebeloff, NYT, Aug. 7, 2013

Additional Resources: Beth Fertigs notes (PDF) Elementary School Rankings: See How Your Public School Scored, by Amy Zimmer, DNAinfo.com, Aug. 19, 2013 Assignment for next weeks class: Complete part 5 of beat memo.

Week 9, Oct. 29th: The racial divide in city schools Guest speaker: Lisa Donlan, public school parent and president of the Community Education Council Reading/viewing for this weeks class: Segregation in NYC District Elementary Schools and What We Can Do About It, report by New York Appleseed, 2013 - read pp 5-13 Is Demography Still Destiny? report by Annenberg Institute for School Reform, 2012 Communication Breakdown, (PDF) by Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, chapter in School Choice and School Improvement - please read pages 154-171 Bringing Diversity to New York Citys Specialized High Schools, op ed by Comptroller John Liu, Huffington Post, March 30, 2012 Complaint against NYC Dept. of Education filed by Education Law Center Pages iii-vi and 1-12 and 19-21 of Keeping Kids In School and Out of Court, published by Advocates for Children of NY, May 30, 2013 New Data Released Shows Youth of Color Continue to be Targeted by NYPD at Higher Rates in NYC Public Schools, Dignity in Schools, June 3, 2013 Breaking the Pipeline - documentary film by Global Action Project, 2010

Week 10, Nov. 5th: Housing/Homelessness Reading for this weeks class: Good Place to Work, Hard Place to Live, report by Tom Waters and Victor Bach, Community

Service Society, 2013 As Bloomberg Built Affordable Housing, the City Became Less Affordable, by Cindy Rodriguez, WNYC, July 9, 2013 A Brief History of Homelessness in New York, by Diane Jeantet, City Limits, March 11, 2013 Bloombergs Homelessness Saga: Success. Failure. Now What? by Diane Jeantet, City Limits, March 11, 2013 Debate Over Root of Shelter Surge, Mayors Legacy, by Diane Jeantet, City Limits, March 22, 2013 Advocates Fear Homeless Program Threatens Affordable Housing, by Jordan Moss, Bronx Bureau, May 21, 2013 NYCHA Fact Sheet - PDF 227,000 Names on List Vie for Rare Vacancies for Citys Public Housing, by Mireya Navarro, NYT, July 23, 2013 NYCHA Repairs Fact Sheet NY Public Advocates office (PDF) www.nychawatchlist.com To Protect and Serve? The Uneasy Relationship Between Police and Public Housing Residents, by Abigail Kramer, Child Welfare Watch, Dec. 10, 2012 Illegal solution for more housing? by Nick Moroni, Crains New York, Feb. 18, 2013

Week 11, Nov. 12th: Criminal justice Visit to Bronx Defenders and the Bronx Hall of Justice Reading for this weeks class: NYCs Jail Population: Whos There and Why? - graphics by IBO, Aug. 22nd, 2013 Faltering Courts, Mired in Delays, by William Glaberson, NYT, April 13, 2013 In Misdemeanor Cases, Long Waits for Elusive Trials, by William Glaberson, NYT, April 30, 2013

 From Mom to Not in Seven Minutes: Inside Family Court, by Helen Zelon, City Limits, June 1, 2012 When Delays Dominate, Kids Lose, by Helen Zelon, City Limits, June 1, 2012 News Brief: Thousands More Teens Now Diverted from Juvenile Court, by Alec Hamilton, Child Welfare Watch, Dec. 19, 2012 Additional Resources: Poynter online course in covering courts Court Records 101 by Josh Meyer, LA Times

Week 12, Nov. 19th: Health in NYC Disparities in health, the health care system in NYC 2nd smaller story due Reading/viewing for this weeks class: Disparities in Life Expectancy and Death in NYC, report published by NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dec. 2010 Diabetes and Its Awful Toll Quietly Emerge as a Crisis, by N. R. Kleinfeld, NYT, Jan. 9, 2006 Living at an Epicenter of Diabetes, Defiance and Despair, by N. R. Kleinfeld, NYT, Jan. 10, 2006 View three videos that accompanied NYT print series on diabetes: Bad Blood: The Diabetes Problem (Part 1) Bad Blood: The Face of Diabetes (Part 2) Bad Blood: Treatment and Troubles (Part 3)

Nov. 26th: NO CLASS DUE TO SANDY CLASS ON SATURDAY, SEPT. 28TH

Week 13, Dec. 3rd: Case study: Brooklyns hospital crisis Guest speaker from the NYS Nurses Association Major assignment due Reading for this weeks class:

Hospitals Face Pressure, Six in Brooklyn Could Close, by Ruth Ford, Brooklyn Bureau, Oct. 3, 2012 Diagnosing Brooklyns Hospital Crisis, by Ruth Ford, Brooklyn Bureau, Aug. 2, 2013 Urgent Care Needed, by Emily Atkin, Bklynr, May 16, 2013 Interfaith healing: Bankrupt Brooklyn Hospital Leads City in Citations for Faulty Care, by Laura Lahmias, New York World, Aug. 21, 2013 Additional Resource: Poynter online course on covering hospitals

Week 14, Dec. 10th: Course Conclusion. Sharing student work 3rd small piece due