Fast-track Practical Journalistic Skills

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenor: to be confirmed
• Assessment: a 350-word news report and 800-word critical reflection (20%), 1000-word profile feature and 150-word pitch (20%), an 800-word review (30%) and a 1500-word specialist feature (30%).

This module will equip you with the skills needed to work as a freelance or staff journalist on newspapers, magazines and online titles. It covers fundamental aspects of professional competence such as law and ethics, news writing, genres, and feature-writing.

You will develop an understanding of the more practical side of journalistic work: how to get contacts, identify a target market, approach a publication and pitch an idea.

The module looks at the bigger picture of the journalism industry, its relation to society and its future, while developing the personal skills needed to succeed in a highly dynamic professional environment.

Indicative module content

• The media and the market
• News writing
• The news cycle
• Making a living from freelancing
• Feature writing
• Research and interviews
• Specialisations and trade journalism
• Travel writing, reviews and opinion
• The visual dimension
• Standfirsts, headlines, captions and proofing
• Blogging and editing small publications
• Media law