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Gathering and Developing the News

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Gathering and Developing the News

This course is part of Become a Journalist: Report the News! Specialization

Instructors: Joanne C. Gerstner

19,143 already enrolled

Included with

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

510 reviews

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

510 reviews

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

19 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

91%

of learners achieved a positive career outcome

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Become a Journalist: Report the News! Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

Journalists develop information through interviews and sources. The most successful journalists quickly master these important skill sets. The production of journalism relies on several elements: newsgathering, interviewing sources, researching and trying to find as much information as possible. The course will also teach you how to where to find information, interviewing skills and how to process information from various sources for publication.

Module details

How - and where - journalists obtain information can determine if their news reports will be deemed credible and trustworthy by their audience. Finding the best sources for information and quotes is a process conducted by every professional journalist. You will learn the best ways to find information and sources for your reporting.

What's included

4 videos4 assignments1 peer review3 discussion prompts

4 videosTotal 25 minutes

Sources in journalism6 minutes
Why should journalists use sources?6 minutes
Obstacles to reporting9 minutes
Why should sources should trust journalists?4 minutes

4 assignmentsTotal 120 minutes

What are sources?30 minutes
Why use sources?30 minutes
Reporting obstacles30 minutes
Working with sources30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Identifying and reviewing reporting obstacles120 minutes

3 discussion promptsTotal 30 minutes

Documents and news10 minutes
Finding expert sources10 minutes
Why should anyone ever trust a journalist?10 minutes

Successful journalists understand the need to bring in different types of information and voices to create a strong and accurate news report. You will learn how journalists carefully consider sourcing, and how to effectively and ethically interact with sources.

What's included

4 videos5 assignments1 peer review3 discussion prompts

4 videosTotal 27 minutes

Why diversity matters8 minutes
Rules for dealing with sources9 minutes
Protecting sources4 minutes
News Literacy6 minutes

5 assignmentsTotal 150 minutes

Sources and diversity30 minutes
Rules for dealing with sources30 minutes
Protecting sources30 minutes
News literacy and the public30 minutes
Sourcing areas for journalists30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Seeking diversity120 minutes

3 discussion promptsTotal 30 minutes

Using anonymous sources10 minutes
Protecting sources...and you10 minutes
Discussion about news literacy10 minutes

The interview is one of the most powerful tools of journalistic newsgathering. You will learn how journalists use interviews, the different forms it can take, how you can best prepare for it, and how to be sensitive to those who have been through trauma. A good interview can make a news report. And a bad interview can sink it.

What's included

4 videos1 reading5 assignments3 peer reviews

4 videosTotal 25 minutes

Preparing for interviews7 minutes
How to conduct effective interviews6 minutes
How to conduct person-on-the-street interviews3 minutes
Working with trauma survivors9 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Interviewing scientists and others10 minutes

5 assignmentsTotal 150 minutes

Interview prep30 minutes
Conducting the interview30 minutes
Person-on-the-street interviews30 minutes
Survivors of trauma30 minutes
The interview30 minutes

3 peer reviewsTotal 240 minutes

Developing questions120 minutes
Interviewing strangers on the street.60 minutes
Victims or survivors?60 minutes

Technology and moving beyond typical sources is letting journalists reach more sources than ever before. You will learn how to use crowdsourcing, social media, press conferences and online resources as valuable tools to enhance your reporting.

What's included

4 videos5 assignments1 peer review

4 videosTotal 28 minutes

How to use crowd sourcing5 minutes
How journalists use social media8 minutes
Using documents6 minutes
How to navigate press conferences9 minutes

5 assignmentsTotal 150 minutes

Crowd sourcing30 minutes
Social media and finding sources30 minutes
Using documents30 minutes
Press Conferences30 minutes
Tools for Finding Sources30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Assessing documents120 minutes

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Instructors

Instructor ratings

(92 ratings)

Joanne C. Gerstner

Michigan State University

5 Courses68,151 learners

Offered by

Michigan State University

Learner reviews

5 stars
79.60%
4 stars
14.31%
3 stars
3.72%
2 stars
0.98%
1 star
1.37%

Showing 3 of 510

Reviewed on Nov 26, 2016

I like the course and the teachers. I don't like the peer review because most of the students don't work hard enough on their reviews. I do want the challenge and the feedback.

Reviewed on Oct 23, 2019

Great course informative and gave helpful tips on how to conduct research via sources.

Reviewed on Nov 24, 2017

This was the brilliant course. Being a journalist I found so many new things that I did not know earlier. For beginners and for experienced, this is simply gem of a course.

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