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Unit of Study COM00481 - The Fourth Estate: News Journalism (2015)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    All students need regular access to a computer and the internet via a broadband connection.

Unit description

Introduces students to news writing, research and interviewing techniques that may be applied broadly across news media formats. Students gain a critical appreciation of professional, legal and ethical issues in contemporary journalism. Practical activities and assessments give students exposure to professional journalism standards and practices.

Unit content

Understanding journalism:

  • journalism as a cultural and media industry practice
  • news values: filtering and selection
  • interrogating objectivity: balance, fairness and multiple perspectives
  • news organisations, news sites and newsworkers.

Introduction to journalistic practice:

  • distinguishing news from news comment (editorials, opinion pieces, features)
  • forms, styles and techniques of news writing for print and online
  • news-gathering, research and information routines
  • interviewing skills.

Professional issues in journalism:

  • ethical journalism: a contradiction in terms?
  • introduction to legal issues
  • cultural representation and cross-cultural communications
  • journalist's relationship to public relations and issues management professionals.

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Lismore Session 2 Session 2
Online Session 2 Session 2,  2

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: Intellectual rigour, GA2: Creativity, GA3: Ethical practice, GA4: Knowledge of a discipline, GA5: Lifelong learning, GA6: Communication and social skills, GA7: Cultural competence
Learning outcome count Learning outcome description GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 discuss the roles that news journalism can play in contemporary societies
2 define news and distinguish its characteristics from feature and opinion writing
3 explain how news is produced and published for different readerships
4 apply journalistic techniques and conventions to the accurate research and writing of news stories
5 critically discuss representational, legal and ethical issues in contemporary journalism

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. discuss the roles that news journalism can play in contemporary societies
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA4:
  2. define news and distinguish its characteristics from feature and opinion writing
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  3. explain how news is produced and published for different readerships
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA4:
  4. apply journalistic techniques and conventions to the accurate research and writing of news stories
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA4:
  5. critically discuss representational, legal and ethical issues in contemporary journalism
    • GA1:
    • GA2:
    • GA4:

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.