Skip to main content

News Journalism

Study Course Description

Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:5.00
Study Course Accepted:02.02.2024 12:25:31
Study Course Information
Course Code:KSK_260LQF level:Level 6
Credit Points:2.00ECTS:3.00
Branch of Science:Communication SciencesTarget Audience:Communication Science
Study Course Supervisor
Course Supervisor:Anna Peipiņa
Study Course Implementer
Structural Unit:Faculty of Social Sciences
The Head of Structural Unit:
Contacts:Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szfatrsu[pnkts]lv
Study Course Planning
Full-Time - Semester No.1
Lectures (count)5Lecture Length (academic hours)2Total Contact Hours of Lectures10
Classes (count)5Class Length (academic hours)2Total Contact Hours of Classes10
Total Contact Hours20
Study course description
Preliminary Knowledge:
Completed course Introduction to Journalism.
Objective:
The aim of the course is to create students’ understanding of the causes of formation, essence and significance of news journalism in the work of various media. The course introduces the basic principles of news writing and gives an insight into the role of news in the mass media and the functions and role of news journalism in society.
Topic Layout (Full-Time)
No.TopicType of ImplementationNumberVenue
1Introduction to news journalism. Presentation of the subject.Lectures1.00auditorium
2News in the mass media. Role and functions of news journalism. What is news? How to find facts? The dimension of fact.Lectures1.00auditorium
3News journalism and the effects of time pressure. How do I find my news? How to create news in times of stress?Classes1.00auditorium
4Principles and approaches of news writing. Accuracy, clarity, objectivity, honesty. How do news originate? How to present news? Structures of news, news leads and creation thereof.Lectures1.00auditorium
5During the seminar, news of two types/structures must be created from the material offered, justifying one’s choice – news criteria, structure, type of medium.Classes1.00auditorium
6News writing. Values of news, their development and significance. News topics and sources. How to work with news sources? Case study.Lectures1.00auditorium
7News sources, their selection and selection of information obtained. Work with news sources. Problem of availability and competence of sources. News sources that must be “hunted down” and sources that must be declined.Classes1.00auditorium
8The most common news errors. News analysis and editing. Journalist behaviour during the collection and presentation of news material.Lectures1.00auditorium
9Journalist behaviour during the collection and presentation of news material. Creating an interview with a news journalist.Classes1.00auditorium
10Research of the news subject, creation of news (writing, video, audio, photo): introduction, choice of sources, influence of processes in writing the news. Editing news and selecting visual material. Cooperation with the editor.Classes1.00auditorium
Assessment
Unaided Work:
Preparation of a presentation on one of the selected topics. Preparing an interview with a news journalist.
Assessment Criteria:
1. participation in lectures – 35% 2. work in seminar classes – 20% 3. individual work – 20% 4. examination – 25%
Final Examination (Full-Time):Exam (Written)
Final Examination (Part-Time):
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:On the essence of news journalism, news values, news topics, principles of ethics and professionalism in news journalism, news structures, characteristics of news, and their writing stages in various media.
Skills:Ability to write news articles of different types, topics, and structures; skills to evaluate the quality, truthfulness, neutrality, comprehensiveness of news; skills to assess whether reality is not stereotyped at the time of writing the news, or whether the journalist is not prejudiced and biased.
Competencies:The study course provides the basic skills of news writing, trains the ability to select the most important information, to write accurately, objectively, clearly, and concisely. It develops the ability to structure information, to evaluate its significance, objectivity, and accuracy, forming the basis for work in news journalism in various media. The course deals with the most relevant news topics, working with news sources, and impact factors of news in the context of the world as reflected by mass media and the actual events.
Bibliography
No.Reference
Required Reading
1The Handbook of journalism Studies. Edited by Karin Wahl-Jorgensen Thomas Hanitzsch, Routledge. Taylor & Francis. 2009
2DIGITAL JOURNALISM: MAKING NEWS, BREAKING NEWS. Open society Foundation, 2014
3Mencher, Melvin. News reporting and Writing. 4th ed. vai 5th ed.
4Richard Keeble, The Newspapers handbook, London, 2003
5Weinberg Stewe. The Reporters Handbook, 1996
6Fink, Conrad, Introduction To professional Newswriting, 1998
7JOURNALISM, ‘FAKE NEWS’ AND DISINFORMATION A Model Course for Journalism Educators and Trainers Worldwide
8Ethics in the news. Ethical Journalism Network. 2017
9The Future of Journalism. Papers from a conference organised by the BBC College of Journalism, BBC College of Journalism, 2009.
10Balmas M. When fake news becomes real. Communication Research, 2012. 41, 3: 430–454.
11Welbers K and Opgenhaffen M. Presenting news on social media. Digital Journalism, 2018. 7: 45–62.
12Papacharissi Z. Toward new journalism(s): Affective news, hybridity, and liminal spaces. Journalism Studies, 2015. 16(1): 27–40.
Additional Reading
1Brewer PR, Young DG, Lambe JL, et al. ‘Seize your moment, my lovely trolls’: News, satire, and public opinion about net neutrality. International Journal of Communication, 2018. 12: 1408–1430.
2Djerf-Pierre M and Shehata A. Still an agenda setter: Traditional news media and public opinion during the transition from low to high choice media environments. Journal of Communication, 2017. 67, 5: 733–757.
3Wahl-Jorgensen K. Subjectivity and story-telling in journalism: Examining expressions of affect, judgement and appreciation in pulitzer prize-winning stories. Journalism Studies, 2013. 14(3): 305–320.
4Deuze M. What is journalism: Professional identity and ideology of journalists reconsidered. Journalism, 2005. 6, 4: 442–464.
5Baum MA. Soft News Goes to War: Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003.
6Mast J, Coesemans R and Temmerman M. Hybridity and the news: Blending genres and interaction patterns in new forms of journalism. Journalism, 2017. 18(1): 3–10.
7Mellado C, Hellmueller L, Márquez-Ramírez M, et al. The hybridization of journalistic cultures: A comparative study of journalistic role performance. Journal of Communication, 2017. 67(6): 944–967.
8Ottovordemgentschenfelde S. Organizational, professional, personal: An exploratory study of political journalists and their hybrid brand on Twitter. Journalism, 2017. 18(1): 64–80.
9The 5 Principles of Ethical Journalism https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/who-we-are/5-principle…
Other Information Sources
1Political news journalism: Mediatization across three news reporting context http://miun.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:743070/FULLTEXT…
2 http://profslw.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/General-News…
3http://ethanzuckerman.com/reading/elements%20of%20journalis…
4https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/fi…