57011 Research and Reporting for Journalism
UTS: Communication: Journalism Information and Media LearningCredit points: 8 cp
Result Type: Grade, no marks
Handbook description
This subject aims to develop sound basic practices in professional journalism. It focuses on news and current affairs research and reporting, the role of journalism in liberal democracies, and journalistic techniques, ethics and standards. Students develop a series of stories in a chosen round. Through group discussion and a close analysis of news and current affairs, students develop an understanding of, and ability to contribute to, contemporary debates in journalism. Students also work to deadlines researching and reporting news stories for journalism publications.
Subject objectives/outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- demonstrate an ability to identify and research a story
- demonstrate an ability to write in a clear, concise, factual way and conduct interviews
- apply basic industry standards
- identify key ethical and legal obligations associated with reporting
- undertake individual and group work
- demonstrate an ability to set and meet deadlines
- demonstrate an awareness of local, national and international people and events, current issues and media issues
- demonstrate an ability to write under pressure
- demonstrate an ability to identify particular issues relevant to journalism, review, reflect and discuss.
Contribution to graduate profile
This subject provides students with:
- strong research and reporting skills and be able to effectively retrieve and analyse information from a range of sources
- a knowledge and critical understanding of the media
- the necessary skills to either enter professional practice in the media or continue with additional skills and intellectual depth
- an understanding of the relationship between media theory and practice
- a critical understanding of issues of gender, race, ethnicity, disability and class and the way these are linked to issues of media representation, production and reception
- the ability to be self-reliant and pro-active, flexible and innovative
- an understanding and commitment to ethical journalism practice.
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject is offered in weekly mode, including 13 classes during the semester. The subject activities will include practical journalistic assignments in researching and reporting news, lectures and discussions, in-class exercises and quizzes.
The assessment tasks are linked and designed to provide students with cumulative research and professional practice learning activities. Students are individually assessed.
All assignments and written exercises must be completed and delivered on deadline and in the manner specified by the lecturer. Failure to meet deadlines will result in loss of marks.
Content
The key activity in this course involves students in research and reporting that produces three news stories. In Week 1 students will be assigned to cover a local 'round', that is, they will be assigned to report on the area in which they live (designated according to their nearest local council).
As their first assessable task, students will be required to complete a preliminary research report and a news story in their local area. This will include on the ground research: that is, checking out the area (places/ events/ things going on/ developments/ changes); noting gathering places/ notice boards/ posters etc. looking with new eyes, asking questions of people working/living in the area about events/issues of interest or concern, which may point to potential stories.
- The research report due in Week 3 will provide a brief snapshot of the area, highlighting some key contacts (people or organisations who could potentially be sources for stories), collecting a sample of local area voices and compiling a shortlist of potential stories the area might yield based on this early research. This exercise is intended to lay the groundwork for the first local news story, (due in Week 5) news story 1 (600 words).
- This model will also be used as a base for news story 2 (600 words max) and news story 3 (750 words max).
- Each student will also be assigned a week to present a 10 minute media seminar to class. This will involve a brief critical analysis of some aspect/issue of current journalism practice/news or current affairs coverage. Students are also expected to include in their class presentation, where relevant, references to any weekly readings which may be designated for their particular week.
Being given a local round means you are assigned to operate as a reporter in your own area, (roughly defined by your nearest local council) e.g. inner west, Sutherland Shire, Katoomba, Illawarra, Bondi/Waverley, etc. Being assigned to a local round in this way allows you to effectively operate as a general reporter within your chosen area, writing stories ranging across a number of areas that would be classified as specialist rounds areas on a major newspaper/news program.
Rounds: Rounds are the areas you see specialist reporters covering in major media outlets, e.g. an education round, a health round, a political round, a science/environment round, an arts round, a business round, an industrial round, an ethnic affairs round etc. However, as you have been assigned to cover your local area, you must keep in mind that all those different rounds areas will be on your agenda — and thinking about stories under those different rounds headings will help you in your ideas search.
Ideas book/notebook: It is a good plan for students new to journalism to keep an ideas book or file throughout the semester. Make jottings/paste in references or cuttings of interest on events/issues arising in the media or via your own reporting, note fresh contacts you may observe via your media watching, etc. – this will be a resource for story ideas.
Setting up a Google Notebook is a simple way to enhance your monitoring/filing of story ideas, news items etc gathered from particular sources on issues of interest/concern with potential for follow up.
Contact book: A contact book/file (containing sources, their contact details, company name, position held etc) is a journalist's most jealously guarded resource. Journalism students are expected to initiate and maintain a contact book/file from the time they enter the course and should be building on it at all times to expand their contacts in commonly reported areas.
Assessment
Assessment item 1: Preliminary Research Report/Local News Story 1
| Objective(s): | a,b,c,f |
| Weighting: | 25% (Research Report 10%; News Story 15%) |
| Task: | First, to research and write up a brief preliminary report on your local area including a list of ideas for potential stories. (See Further Details Assessment Tasks for more details on elements to be included in the Research Report) Second, to select and report on a local story (600 words max) which will include researching the record and interviewing involved sources. Stories should include at least two named sources. |
| Assessment criteria: |
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Assessment item 2: Local News Story 2
| Objective(s): | a,b,c,f |
| Weighting: | 25% |
| Task: | The story will be 600 words max and will include information derived from researching the record and interviewing involved sources. |
| Assessment criteria: |
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Assessment item 3: Media seminar
| Objective(s): | d,g,i |
| Weighting: | 20% |
| Task: | Students in groups of three or four will conduct a media seminar in class which will open a discussion. The group will research a topic from a variety of viewpoints. The class will then act as reporters and ask questions. This will be a 20 minute presentation. |
| Assessment criteria: |
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Assessment item 4: Local News Story 3
| Objective(s): | a,b,c |
| Weighting: | 30% |
| Task: | Produce a news story of 750 words. The focus here is on the running story, the fact that one story begets another, so that a watching brief on current/running news stories is essential for this task. |
| Assessment criteria: |
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Minimum requirements
Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements. Since class discussion and participation in activities form an integral part of this subject, you are expected to attend, arrive punctually and actively participate in classes. If you experience difficulties meeting this requirement, please contact your lecturer. Students who have a reason for extended absence (e.g. illness) may be required to complete additional work to ensure they achieve the subject objectives.
Required text(s)
Course readings can be accessed through e-Readings UTS library
Indicative references
Recommended online sites, programs and texts
International Federation of Journalists www.ifj.org/en/splash
Project for Excellence in Journalism www.journalism.org/
Poynter Institute www.poynter.org/
Reporters Sans Frontieres www.rsf.org
Nieman Watchdog Project www.nieman.harvard.edu/watchdog/index.html
Columbia Journalism Review www.cjr.org/
Online Journalism Review www.ojr.org/
Media International Australia www.emsah.uq.edu.au/mia/
Australian Journalism Review www.jea.org.au/journal.htm
ABC TV Media Watch www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/
ABC Radio National: Specialist current affairs reports: Media Report; Law Report; Sports Factor; Religion Report http://abc.net.au/rn/
Background Briefing http://abc.net.au/rn/
ABCTV Lateline www.abc.net.au/lateline/
Australian Associated Press: http://aap.com.au/
ABC news online: www.abc.net.au/news/
Crikey.com: www.crikey.com.au/
Ethnic Media Newspapers www.crc.nsw.gov.au/ethnicmedia/index.htm
Fairfax Community Newspapers www.fcnonline.com.au/fcnnsw.asp?pcode=fcn
Huffington Post: www.huffingtonpost.com
Macquarie National News: www.2gb.com/
New Matilda: www.newmatilda.com/home/default.asp
News Interactive: www.news.com.au/
News Limited Community Newspapers http://community.newsmedianet.com.au/home/
Ninemsn: http://ninemsn.com.au/
Online Opinion: www.onlineopinion.com.au/
SBS News online: www.worldnewsaustralia.com.au/
SKY News online: www.skynews.com.au/index.asp
Ten News: http://ten.com.au/ten/tv_news.html
The Age: www.theage.com.au/
The Australian Financial Review: www.afr.com/home/
The Australian: www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
The Daily Telegraph: www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/
Electronic Intifada: http://electronicintifada.net/
The Green Left Weekly: www.greenleft.org.au/
The National Indigenous Times: www.nit.com.au/
The Sunday Telegraph: www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/
The Sun-Herald: www.sunherald.com.au/
The Sydney Morning Herald: www.smh.com.au/
The Sydney Star Observer: www.ssonet.com.au/
The Wire www.thewire.org.au
Webdiary: http://webdiary.com.au/cms/
Yahoo!7 News: http://au.news.yahoo.com/
Anthony Loewenstein's blog: http://antonyloewenstein.com/blog/ (links to blogs and sites in Media section)
Conley, David, Lamble, Stephen, 2006, The Daily Miracle, Third Edition, OUP
Alysen, Barbara, Sedorkin, Gail, Oakham, Mandy, Patching, Roger, 2003. Reporting in a Multimedia World, Allen & Unwin
Sheridan Burns, Lynette, 2002, Understanding Journalism, Sage
White, Sally, 1996, Reporting in Australia, 2nd edition, Macmillan
Fogg, Christine, 2005, Release the Hounds, Allen & Unwin
Richards, Ian, 2005, Quagmires and Quandaries – Exploring Journalism Ethics, UNSW Press
Eisenhuth, Susie & McDonald, Willa, 2007, The Writer's Reader, Understanding journalism and non fiction, Cambridge University Press
Simons, Margaret, 2007, The Content Makers, Understanding the Media in Australia, Penguin
Simons, Margaret, 1999, Fit to Print, UNSW Press
Pilger, John (editor), 2004, Tell Me No Lies, Investigative Journalism and Its Triumphs, Jonathan Cape, London
Weatherburn, Don, 2005, Law and Order in Australia – Rhetoric and Reality, Federation Press
Ricketson, Matthew, 2004, Writing Feature Stories, Allen & Unwin
Zinsser, William, 1994, On Writing Well, Harper Collins
Leser, David, 1999, The Whites of Their Eyes: A Collection of Feature Stories from the Good Weekend, Allen & Unwin
Hutchison, E.R. 2008, The Art of Interviewing, The Art of Feature Writing, Oxford University Press
Wilson, Ruth, 2000, A Big Ask: Interviews with Interviewees, New Holland
Stauber, John and Rampton, Sheldon, 1995, Toxic Sludge is Good for You: Lies Damned Lies and the Public Relations Industry, Common Courage
Masters, Chris, 2002, Not for Publication, ABC Books.
Dempster, Quentin, 1997, Whistleblowers, ABC Books
Watson, Don, 2003, Death Sentence, Random House
Carey, James (ed.) 1986, The Faber Book of Reportage, Faber
Waugh, Evelyn, 1938, Scoop, A Novel About Journalists, Penguin
