What is news?

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

Instructors: Joanne C. Gerstner

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5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,188 reviews

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,188 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

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Assessments

17 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

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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.

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Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 5 modules in this course

This course will guide you through the basic elements of professional journalism and the news values and ethics of covering real-world issues and events. The overview and examples of the types of news coverage helps introduce the different types of journalism, such as social media, multimedia, print, visual and broadcast, and how professional journalists effectively use each format.

You will learn about the School of Journalism, our award-winning faculty and the world-class atmosphere of Michigan State University. We are a special place, where amazing things happen every day.

What's included

4 videos1 discussion prompt

In every module of this course, we will go deeper into journalistic values and ethics. In many ways, these values are what distinguish journalism from the many other kinds of content. You will learn how to move beyond creating content to creating journalism through understanding and using these values.

What's included

7 videos3 readings7 assignments2 discussion prompts

7 videosTotal 28 minutes

The Power of Credibility4 minutes
The importance of accuracy4 minutes
Finding balance in a world that tilts3 minutes
Transparency and dealing with mistakes6 minutes
Is seeing believing?6 minutes
Sensationalism in journalism2 minutes
What is propaganda?2 minutes

3 readingsTotal 30 minutes

Global journalistic ethics10 minutes
National Press Photographers Association guidelines10 minutes
Readings in plagiarism10 minutes

7 assignmentsTotal 124 minutes

Credibility, fairness...and you10 minutes
Earning and keeping trust6 minutes
Is seeing believing?8 minutes
Reflection on sensationalism30 minutes
Is it propaganda or journalism when ...10 minutes
Is it plagiarism?30 minutes
Trust and credibility quiz30 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Why does credibility matter to you?10 minutes
Reflection on Transparency10 minutes

You will learn how to reach your audience and community as a journalist, by exploring news reports, interest and importance, and values and ethics.

What's included

3 videos1 reading2 assignments1 discussion prompt

3 videosTotal 20 minutes

News Elements & Values8 minutes
First things first: your lead5 minutes
Point-of-view journalism7 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Frameworks for POV journalism10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Elements of a good lead30 minutes
Connecting community and content30 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

What news report ideas can you find?10 minutes

Understanding the ways journalism happens is just as important as knowing how to do it. There are many different types of journalism, as our world is filled with so many things to communicate about: sports, cars, celebrities, movies, war, business, real estate, pets, art...if you can name it, you can do journalism about it.

What's included

6 videos1 reading5 assignments3 peer reviews1 discussion prompt

6 videosTotal 38 minutes

Local news4 minutes
Features6 minutes
Sports6 minutes
National and international news10 minutes
Science and environmental news2 minutes
Opinion writing10 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Advice from a journalism recruiter10 minutes

5 assignmentsTotal 150 minutes

What is Sports Journalism?30 minutes
Pre-lecture question: Can opinions be news?30 minutes
Reflection on your path in journalism30 minutes
opinion writing30 minutes
News report ideas and development30 minutes

3 peer reviewsTotal 180 minutes

Crafting an idea for a news report60 minutes
Graded ethics challenge60 minutes
Brainstorming local news ideas with peers60 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Discussion: Does government control your media?10 minutes

Journalists are working in new and exciting places such as social media. Technology has allowed the profession and journalists to do their jobs in innovative ways. You will learn about how technology impacts journalism, and best practices for blogs, Twitter, Instagram, Periscope, WeChat, Facebook and other realities of engaging in social media.

What's included

5 videos1 reading3 assignments1 peer review

5 videosTotal 31 minutes

A 2-minute history of journalism2 minutes
Engaging online audiences4 minutes
Crowdsourcing in journalism9 minutes
Social Media Tools for Journalists11 minutes
Doing social media journalism5 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

How social media makes issues go viral10 minutes

3 assignmentsTotal 90 minutes

Why we should engage our audience?30 minutes
How to use engagement strategies30 minutes
Crowdsourcing your content30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Social media assigment120 minutes

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Instructors

Instructor ratings

(291 ratings)

Joanne C. Gerstner

Michigan State University

5 Courses68,607 learners

Eric Freedman

Michigan State University

5 Courses68,607 learners

Offered by

Michigan State University

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Reviewed on Jun 9, 2020

The content is very good and the lecturers are excellent. Being a business journalist without academic training in journalism I learnt a lot and learnt the necessary skillls I use daily.

Reviewed on Aug 20, 2020

Very rich in content and directional! The idea of what is news is no longer a brain cracking one, but well understood to the point of liking and practicing news writing. Good one!

Reviewed on Sep 8, 2022

I have to be honest this was the first course I have done on Coursera and I enjoyed it.Not just because of the subject matter but it was well done and well presented.

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To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.