- Duration: 1 day
The one-day Journalism course is a thorough introduction to the essential skills needed to write news and feature articles for newspapers, magazines, and newsletters. This is a practical certificated course that covers everything from ideas through to interviewing, writing, editing, and publishing of features.
This course offers you practice without the theory to show you how journalists write their stories. There is a strong focus on improving your writing skills – particularly structure, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Working closely with a professional journalist, you will discover how news and features are constructed.
You will be trained by an expert journalist, who will give plenty of feedback on writing tasks to give you the confidence you need to progress with your writing skills. It is perfect for beginners, those considering journalism as a career and anyone who wants to write an article in a clear, simple and straightforward way.
ON THIS COURSE YOU WILL LEARN
- How journalism works within the newspaper and magazine industries
- Who does what within newspapers and magazines and where the journalist fits in
- How to research stories and features and gather facts
- Understanding the difference between hard, soft news articles and features
- How to get the grammar right and writing to a professional standard
- How to edit your story
- How to interview well
- How to avoid typical mistakes made by journalists
TOPICS
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITHIN NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES
- Who does what from the Editor to the reporter and who’s in-between
- Editorial V Advertising and why both must know what the other is doing
- What happens once the journalist has written their story
- News reporting
THE SHAPE OF NEWS AND THE 5 W’S
- The importance of news values and writing according to the facts
- Why you must have balance in your reporting
- Types of stories
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HARD AND SOFT NEWS STORIES
- What is a vox pop and how do you conduct them?
- Fillers pieces and how they fit into publications
- Writing the news report
HOW TO WRITE AND STRUCTURE NIBS (NEWS IN BRIEF)
- How to use simple English with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation
- The importance of balance in your reporting
- Use of editing and English
HOW TO EDIT TO YOUR STORY AND QUOTES TO LENGTH USING PLAIN ENGLISH
- How to use idioms and avoid clichés
- How and where to use punctuation
- Features
HOW FEATURES DIFFER FROM NEWS
- The shape of features and the style of writing
- The three types of features
- Interviewing skills
WHAT MAKES A GOOD INTERVIEW
- Easy language to ask the killer questions
- How and when to include and exclude yourself from the story
- Do’s and Don’ts
HOW TO AVOID THE MISTAKES JOURNALISTS MAKE
- What is a good and bad taste in journalism
- Skills and qualities journalists must have
ASSESSMENT
The final Certificate award will be based on the following:
Critical Thinking Exercises set and completed during the training – a series of practical exercises are set for each session for the delegates to work on during their training. This is an effective way to try out what you have been learning and gain insight and feedback, as you progress with each session during the course.
