Introduction to Journalism - Main Topics of Study

Journalism as a Profession

  • Practical theory of journalism
  • History of print from Guttenberg to the computer
  • The rise of broadcast journalism
  • New online journalism
  • Ethics, regulations and guidelines

Ethics, Law and Free Speech

  • Journalism ethics
  • Codes of conduct – NUJ etc
  • Freedom of information
  • European convention on human rights
  • Defamation and libel
  • Copyright
  • Court reporting
  • Reporting restrictions
  • Contempt of court

Constraints and Influences on Journalists

  • Ownership and control
  • Audience
  • Advertising and advertisers
  • Regulation and self regulation
  • Codes of conduct
  • Monetising the web

What Is News?

  • Definitions of news
  • News values
  • Objectivity and impartiality
  • Types of news
  • News agendas
  • Agenda setting

News Sources

  • Contacts
  • Calls
  • Primary definers
  • Government
  • Courts
  • PR and spin
  • News access
  • Note taking and record keeping
  • Newsgroups and the web

The Language of News

  • Language in print
  • Language and broadcasting
  • International comparisons – inc US broadcast language and style
  • The soundbite

Comment, Opinion and Conjecture

  • Objectivity and subjectivity
  • Bias
  • Agenda setting
  • Gatekeeping

The Digital Newsroom

  • The modern newspaper newsroom
  • The radio newsroom
  • The television newsroom
  • The digital multi-platform newsroom (Guardian and ITN-on models)
  • Newsroom management
  • Newsroom hierarchies
  • Newsroom negatives

The Digital Reporter

  • Roles and responsibilities
  • Types of reporter
  • Research
  • Note taking and record keeping
  • Necessary skills – traditional
  • Necessary skills – digital and multi platform
  • Recording equipment

The Interview – Print

  • Why do you need interviews?
  • Choosing interviewees
  • Interview techniques

The Interview – Radio

  • The role of the interview
  • Types of interview
  • Preparing for the Interview – editorial
  • Preparing for an interview – technical
  • Dealing with the interviewee- putting them at their ease
  • Framing the questions
  • Structuring an interview
  • Vox pops
  • Live interviews
  • Telephone interviews
  • Two ways
  • The soundbite
  • Interviewing for editing and post production

News Writing for Radio and Television

  • Approaches to news writing – conversational style
  • Sentence construction
  • Word choice
  • Elision
  • Punctuation
  • Presentation and layout
  • Cliches and jargon
  • Numeracy and numbers
  • Headlines and links
  • Voice pieces

Presenting News for Radio and Television

  • The television studio
  • The radio studio
  • Location recording equipment – radio and television

Production and Post-production

  • Software editing packages – an introduction
  • Sound and soundscapes
  • Graphics and other visual support material

Film, Video, Still and Other Visual Elements

  • An introduction to video and still photography
  • Matching words and pictures
  • Graphics

Online and Text Journalism

  • Adapting scripts for online
  • Headlines
  • Navigation
  • Adding editorial value
  • Writing for teletext
  • Writing for cellphones and other small mobile devices

Specialist Journalism

  • Public affairs
  • Comment and opinion
  • Profiles
  • Sports reporting
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Environment
  • Music and entertainment
  • Children’s

 

Recommended Reading

Main Text:

Journalism In The Digital Age – Herbert, John (2000) – (Focal Press)

Journalism – Principles and Practices - Harcup, Tony (2004) – (Sage)

Alternative Texts and Further Reading:

The Broadcast Journalism Handbook - Hudson, Gary and Rowlands, Sarah (2007) –(Pearson Longman) – also main textbook for Digital Video and Audio Journalism (level 2 Unit)

Interviewing for Radio – Beaman, Jim ( 2000) - (Routledge)

Flat Earth News – Davies, Nick (2008) - (Chatto and Windus)

Presenting on TV and Radio - Trewin, Janet (2003) – (Focal Press)