What you will submit:

· 600 word news article plus a suggested headline
· one 140 character shareline (i.e. a tweet that summarizes your story)
· 500-word reflection on the reporting and writing process (Alternately, you may submit a 3 minute video/audio reflection)
· Research report backup detailing sources for all facts and quotes
· A transcript of a key interview with quotes used in bold

Instructions:

· You must find, report and write a 600 word news story. In the seminars we will discuss how to find stories and you are encouraged to workshop and present your work before submission. 
· Suggest a headline and shareline (i.e. a 140 character tweet) to engage your audience and promote your work
· You should strive to be fair and impartial.
· You are expected do as much original research and reporting as possible in the given time frame. 
· You should conduct at least two interviews for your story. Be sure to include the names, title and contact details (phone and email) in your research backup. 
· Attach a transcript of a key interview with the quotes used in bold.  This will include your questions and the interviewee’s unedited responses.
· Your story should contain quotes and they should be properly set up and attributed. It's best to use quotes from your interview but in some cases you may need to use quotes from another source.  If you do so you must identify the source of the quote.
· At the top of page, please note the intended date of publication and suggest a headline
· You must list all sources for your story in your research back-up. Provide links or copies to any reports or other news stories you may have used.
· You should be able to produce transcripts or recordings of interviews if requested.
· Write a brief reflection on the reporting process. Identify challenges and shortcomings.  What reporting or writing techniques did you use to overcome these problems?  Why is this story in the public interest?   What were the advantages and disadvantages of taking an objective and impartial stance?  How would you follow up on or expand this story?  How would you adapt the story's content for other media forms? 

The assessment of the news story will be based on:

· You must find, report and write a 600 word news story. In the seminars we will discuss how to find stories and you will have the opportunity to workshop and present your work before final submission.
· You should strive to do as much original research and reporting as possible.
· You should strive to be objective, fair and impartial.
· The success of your headline and a suggested shareline or tweet to summarize and engage
· You should conduct at least two interviews for your story. Be sure to include the names, title and contact details (phone and email) in your research backup.
· Attach a transcript of a key interview with the quotes used in bold. This will include your questions and the interviewee's unedited responses.
· Your story should contain quotes and they should be properly set up and attributed. It's best to use quotes from your interview but in some cases you may need to use quotes from another source. If you do so you must identify the source of the quote.
· You must list all sources for your story in your research back-up. Provide links or copies to any reports or other news stories you may have used
· You should be able to produce transcripts or recordings of interviews if requested.
· Write a brief reflection on the reporting process. Identify challenges and shortcomings. What reporting or writing techniques did you use to overcome these problems? Why is this story in the public interest? What were the advantages and disadvantages of taking an objective and impartial stance? How would you follow up on or expand this story? How would you adapt the story's content for other media forms?

Topics Covered:  

·How to find, conceive, plan, research, report and write short news articles on deadline
·How to write a lead/intro
·How to assess sources and find and verify facts
·How to conduct interviews and select quotes
·How to select appropriate facts and statistics
·An understanding of newsworthiness and news practice
·How to write for a target audience
·How to summarize, edit and promote your work
·An understanding of objectivity as an ideal and practice and its relationship with the fourth estate 

What you will submit:

· 800-1000 word feature plus headline

· one 140 character shareline (i.e. a tweet that summarizes your story)

· 500-word reflection on the reporting and writing process (or a three-minute video/audio*)

· Research report including backup detailing sources for all facts and quotes

Instructions:

· You must find, report and write a 800 word factual article. This piece of writing may also advocate a position or have a clear point of view. You are encouraged to workshop and present your ideas in the seminars before submission. Your story may be related to your collaboration with reporters at 2SER but it must be your own original work.

· You should strive to build your argument based on original reporting and research

· You must list all sources for your story in your research back-up. Provide links or copies to any reports or other news stories you may have used.

· You should be able to produce transcripts or recordings of interviews if requested.

· Write a reflection on your reporting and writing process (as in assessment 1).  Also reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of advocacy and persuasion for factual reporting and writing. 

The assessment will be based on:

·The success of your article as a piece of non-fiction writing, the relevance of your argument and the rigour of your reporting.

·The quality and accuracy of the reporting and attention to detail in each article
·Selection and use of facts, statistics and anecdotes

·Your approach to persuasive writing including the quality of the story's structure, content and style

·Choice of sources and appropriate attribution

·The story’s success as a piece of persuasive writing

·Your ability to analyse the reporting process and product as a cultural form and social practice

·Your understanding of key debates in journalism about advocacy, opinion and the fourth estate

Topics Covered:  

·How to find, conceive, plan, research, report and write persuasive pieces on deadline

·How to craft a persuasive argument or position that relies on solid reporting and research

·How to assess sources and find and verify facts

·How to conduct and use interviews and select quotes

·How to summarize, edit and promote your work

·An understanding of key debates in journalism about advocacy, opinion and the fourth estate

The final task is a 2000 word research essay. You will devise your own research question related to current challenges and opportunities in journalism.  Suggested topics and approaches will be discussed in the seminars. Students are encouraged to ask difficult questions and to follow their passions.

Your essay should demonstrate:

A strong understanding of key ideas in journalism studies and contemporary problems and opportunities faced by the media

The ability to critically assess and contextualise the work in this field.

The ability to develop a unique and original argument.

Clarity and precision of expression.

Originality of thinking and approach.

The ability to create a concise and sophisticated argument within the word limit.

What you will do

1. Complete preparation exercises and reports and post to your iLearn blog prior to seminar. (Exercises will set in class and posted to iLearn.) Some of your entries will be your reflections on group reporting and research tasks and others will involve collaborative tasks.

2.  Write a weekly news round-up using Storify.  You should include stories from five different days.

3. Lead a short discussion about current news as it relates to the past week's questions and concepts.  (Dates tbd)

4. Keep a story idea log. Post at least one story idea/lead per week

Your assessment will be based on

Your engagement with the course material including key questions and concepts

The success and quality of your blog posts as pieces of reporting, research and writing.  (You must attempt all of the set exercises.)

Your ability to critically analyse current news and news practices.

The clarity of your expression and your attention to detail.

Please note:  This assessment is about engagement. A willingness to experiment, to take risks and make mistakes is encouraged.