Introduction to Journalism and Reporting

Syllabus

• Week 1

  Exploring journalism and reporting

  • Welcome to the course

    Welcome to Exploring Journalism and Reporting – a course designed to introduce you to the building blocks of good, authoritative and engaging journalism – and get you creating some of your own.

  • Where do we get our news?

    TV, radio, websites, social media, newspapers – there are so many ways to get our news. Which is your favourite medium?

  • The changing shape of journalism

    Let’s take a look at the origins of modern journalism and where it is going today.

  • Key forms of journalism

    Let’s take a closer look now at different forms of journalism and news platforms.

  • Weekly wrap-up

    Lead Educator Angela Harrison reflects on what we’ve covered this week and looks ahead to what’s coming next week.

• Week 2

  Vital ingredients of good journalism

  • Welcome to Week 2

    Welcome to Week 2 of this ExpertTrack on Exploring Journalism and Reporting. We are going to take a closer look at some of the vital ingredients of good journalism.

  • What is news?

    What is news and what makes something ‘news-worthy’ - worthy of reporting? Let’s explore this in the next few steps.

  • The building blocks of good journalism

    Journalism has changed in terms of the way it is delivered and consumed, but it is built on many of the same foundations as the journalism of the past. Let’s take a look at some of the key ‘building blocks’ of good journalism.

  • Prepare to create a headline and intro

    You’re soon going to put what you have been learning into practice by writing your own headline and introduction to a story you think should be covered. But first, get some tips on what makes a good headline and intro.

  • Peer Graded Assignment

    In the following steps, we would like you to create a headline and an introduction to a story you think should be covered in the news and then review the work of two other learners who have done the same thing.

  • Weekly wrap-up

    Let’s step back and remind ourselves of what we’ve covered this week.

• Week 3

  How free are journalists and what controls are there on them?

  • Welcome to Week 3

    There is a lot of talk about the importance of a ‘free press’ or ‘free media’ in democracies, but what are the boundaries or limits to this? This week we are looking at the legal and ethical frameworks journalists work in.

  • The legal and ethical framework for journalists

    There are limits to the freedom of the media - laws and ethical codes journalists need to work within. We will look at some of these boundaries and at some of the criticisms levelled at journalists accused of crossing them.

  • Ethical dilemmas

    Journalists strive to behave ethically and sometimes face difficult ethical decisions. In these steps, we look at another key ethics guide and think about what we would do in particular situations.

  • Case study analysis

    Let’s examine the controversy over the media’s treatment of the UK’s Duke and Duchess of Sussex - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

  • What do we mean by 'the Public Interest'?

    Journalists should report on matters which are in the ‘Public Interest’ and their investigations can expose wrong-doing and injustices. Let’s examine what this term means and look at some key journalistic investigations.

  • Weekly wrap-up

    Let’s recap on what we’ve covered this week and look ahead to what’s coming up next week.

• Week 4

  What makes a good interview or quote?

  • Welcome to Week 4

    This week is all about the power of a good interview and the quotes you get from them. It is through an interview that you hear a person’s story, their point of view or important facts -- all vital ingredients for good stories.

  • Exploring the purpose of interviews and what makes a good quote?

    We will think about what journalistic interviews are for and how the ‘quotes’ or broadcast clips from them are used. We will also look at how to identify a good quote.

  • Different types of interviews

    We will take a closer look at some different types of journalistic interviews, from big ‘set-piece’ events featuring famous people to the ‘vox pop’ of people on the street.

  • Getting ready to do your own interview

    Get some tips on how to interview people and how to phrase questions for journalistic interviews before composing some questions of your own.

  • Try out your interviewing skills

    It’s time to test what we’ve been thinking about by preparing for and then doing your own interview. You will then face a ‘quote challenge’ of picking what you think is the most engaging or interesting quote from your interview.

  • End of Course 1

    Let’s reflect on all we have learned this week and throughout this course. Test your memory or understanding of what we’ve covered in a simple quiz.