About this course: This is a course in basic journalism skills, designed for the many people who are now taking advantage of new media to publish news, views and information. For five hundred years, the privilege of being able to publish was enjoyed by very few people – those who had access to a printing press or a radio microphone or a television camera. Now, almost anyone can publish to the world within minutes of being able to do so. But is it journalism? How does a citizen journalist find things out, so they can report facts and news - moving beyond merely braying opinion? And what are the legal and ethical pitfalls to publishing facts that some people might prefer remain secret? Over six weeks, this course teaches the basics of news writing, how to interview people to gain crucial information, how to develop and manage your sources and how to use your legal rights to access public information - and stay on the right side of the law when you publish. We discuss the ethics behind journalism practice, and conduct a mock investigation into local government. This course aims to empower engaged citizens to better participate in the news ecology. View the MOOC promotional video here: http://tinyurl.com/jj46rxw
Who is this class for: No background is required other than an interest in journalism. Everyone is welcome!
Created by: The University of Melbourne
Taught by: Dr. Denis Muller, Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow
Centre for Advancing Journalism
Taught by: Dr. Margaret Simons, Associate Professor and Director
Centre for Advancing Journalism
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 6 weeks of study, 4-6 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
What is a Journalist, and What is News?
This week we will discuss what journalism is, what journalists do, and how this has been affected over time by technology. We'll think about the exciting changes of our own time – the first in human history when the means of publication are in everyone's hands. We will then talk about the principles of news writing, and the nature of news. Finally, we will introduce Newstown, a fictitious place in Victoria, Australia. We also attend a news conference held in the Newstown Council Chambers. We will be using Newstown as the basis of our skills based exercises in this MOOC, so please take the time to become familiar with the town and its issues by following the link to Newstown in the course resources.
7 videos, 3 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: Course introduction
- Reading: Welcome to Journalism Skills for Engaged Citizens
- Reading: Week 1 outline
- Reading: Start of course survey
- Video: 1.1 What is a journalist? Part A
- Discussion Prompt: Are the following people journalists?
- Video: 1.2 What is a journalist? Part B
- Video: 1.3 Principles of good news writing
- Video: 1.4 What is news?
- Video: 1.5 Newstown media conference
- Discussion Prompt: What questions would you ask?
- Discussion Prompt: What questions did not get answered?
- Practice Quiz: Week 1 Newstown quiz - This is a practice quiz and does not contribute to your final grade
- Practice Quiz: Active or passive sentences quiz - This is a practice quiz and does not contribute to your final grade
- Peer Review: Practice exercise – News lead writing - This is a practice assignment and does not contribute to your final grade
WEEK 2
Attribution, Verification and the Structure of News Writing
This week we discuss some more core skills of journalism, particularly the very important concepts of attribution of information, and verification. We explore the structure of news writing in some more detail. Finally, make sure you take a close look at the Newstown site, and keep looking at it from now on as the course develops. Some new information has been posted that you will need to use in this week's first assessable news writing exercise.
4 videos, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Week 2 outline
- Video: 2.2 Verification
- Video: 2.3 Attribution
- Video: 2.4 News story structure
- Practice Quiz: Week 2 Newstown quiz - This is a practice quiz and does not contribute to your final grade
Graded: News lead writing - This assignment contributes 10% to your final grade
WEEK 3
Finding Things Out: Places, Paper and People
This week we discuss some more core skills of journalism, particularly the very important concepts of attribution of information, and verification. We explore the structure of news writing in some more detail. Finally, make sure you take a close look at the Newstown site, and keep looking at it from now on as the course develops. Some new information has been posted that you will need to use in this week's first assessable news writing exercise.
6 videos, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Week 3 outline
- Video: 3.2 Finding things out: More about places and paper
- Video: 3.3 Freedom of Information
- Video: 3.4 Finding things out: People – interviews
- Video: 3.5 Deception and consent
- Video: 3.6 Summary and learning activity
- Practice Quiz: Week 3 ‘Finding things out’ quiz - This is a practice quiz and does not contribute to your final grade
WEEK 4
More on Interviews
This week we delve further into the art of interviewing, and watch and discuss some good and bad examples involving the key characters in Newstown.
12 videos, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Week 4 outline
- Video: 4.2 Dealing with traumatised people
- Video: 4.3 Interview with the Mayor – a bad example
- Video: 4.4 Interview with the Mayor – a good example
- Video: 4.5 Interview with the Developer – a bad example
- Video: 4.6 Interview with the Developer – a good example
- Video: 4.7 Interview with a Wildfire Victim – a bad example
- Video: 4.8 Interview with a Wildfire Victim – a good example
- Video: 4.9 Interview with a Conservationist – a bad example
- Video: 4.10 Interview with a Conservationist – a good example
- Video: 4.11 Telephone interview – a bad example
- Video: 4.12 Telephone interview – a good example
- Practice Quiz: Week 4 quiz - Open and closed questions - This is a practice quiz and does not contribute to your final grade
Graded: News story - This assignment contributes 30% to your final grade
WEEK 5
Contacts and Confidential Sources; Applying the Skills and Organising Your Material
This week we explore the complications of dealing with off the record sources and long term contacts. We watch an encounter with a Newstown 'Deep Throat' and discuss how to handle the encounter and the information offered. Remember to check out the Newstown website for more information becoming available. We begin to pull all the threads of the Newstown story together, and apply the skills we have learned in the earlier modules of this course. We talk about how to read and analyse the public documents on the Newstown site, how to organise material, what questions to ask based on this material, and how to pull it all together into a story for The Alternative. We also provide you with an exemplar news report to give you some guidance for the final news writing assessment and how it might be done.
4 videos, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Week 5 Outline
- Video: 5.2 Social media and interview with 'Deep Throat'
- Video: 6.1 Organising material
- Video: 6.2 The public interest
- Practice Quiz: Week 5 Newstown quiz - This is a practice quiz and does not contribute to your final grade
Graded: Investigative Report - This assignment contributes 60% to your final grade
WEEK 6
Media Law and Impartiality; Wrapping Up the Course
This week we concentrate on two aspects of media law – defamation and contempt, and we consider the meaning of journalistic impartiality. We wrap up the course by revisiting the key principles of journalism and what we have learned. We also have a few things to say about the public nature of journalism, and how bruising that can be.
5 videos, 2 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Week 6 Outline
- Video: 7.2 Defamation – Part A
- Video: 7.3 Defamation – Part B
- Video: 7.4 The law of contempt
- Practice Quiz: Week 6 quiz - Media law - This is a practice quiz and does not contribute to your final grade
- Video: 8.1 Closing remarks and wrap-up
- Discussion Prompt: What have you learned?
- Reading: End of course survey
FAQs
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The University of Melbourne
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Ratings and Reviews
Well organized. Interactive. I felt like a journalist! Thank Margaret & Denis for organizing this course. Was such a pleasure to participate.
Really enjoyed it.
such professional tutors, carefully chosen diction.
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Completed this course in September 2016 - very engaging and informative. I really enjoyed participating in this course.