57018 Journalism Professional Project

UTS: Communication: Creative Practice
Credit points: 8 cp
Result Type: Grade, no marks

Requisite(s): (57013 Journalism Studies AND 57011 Research and Reporting for Journalism AND (57012 Regulation of the Media OR 57138 International and Comparative Journalism))

Handbook description

This is a final subject for the Master of Arts in Journalism program. It allows students to produce a major project for their portfolio demonstrating the depth and breadth of their learning and skill development. Students working under supervision produce a work of outstanding professional quality in their chosen medium of either print, Internet, television or radio. During the semester, students attend some seminars to discuss works-in-progress with other students.

Subject objectives/outcomes

This subject is a capstone subject in the Master of Arts in Journalism. The objective is to provide an opportunity for students to showcase and further develop the professional skills gained during the course by producing high quality, well-researched journalism. This professional journalism could comprise a series of print features or a mix or news and print stories, a short non-fiction book or chapters of same; a radio documentary, a television feature or website content. (Variations on this pattern may be considered depending on the strength of the proposal – but a basic requirement for all projects is that students must already have technical expertise in their medium of choice.)

Your work is expected to be of a higher professional standard than you have already completed since you are building on the skills you have developed.

At the conclusion of this subject students are expected to:

produce work in chosen medium of a publishable standard
draw together and further develop professional skills learnt in other professional subjects
develop a portfolio of published or publishable work in their chosen medium.

Contribution to graduate profile

At the completion of the subject, students will:

have strong research and reporting skills and be able to effectively retrieve and analyse information from a range of sources
have a knowledge and critical understanding of the media
be equipped with the necessary skills to either enter professional practice in the media or continue with additional skills and intellectual depth
have a knowledge of the historical, philosophical, ethical and cultural foundations underpinning journalism and strive to promote the important role of professional and ethical journalism in the service of the public
have an understanding of the role of the media in local, regional, national and global contexts
have an understanding of the relationship between media theory and practice
have a critical understanding of the relationships between technology, professionalism and social change and be able to adapt their professional skills to future change and to new production challenges
have 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
understand the role the media has played in the dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the importance of the role the media can play in the reconciliation process and bringing justice to all communities
develop the ability to be self-reliant and pro-active, flexible and innovative
have an understanding and commitment to ethical journalism practice and a commitment to life-long learning in journalism professional.

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject will involve both individual supervision and seminars. A number of group seminars will be organised throughout the semester in order for students to report on their progress and seek feedback from colleagues on their projects. You are also expected to meet individually with the subject coordinator or another allocated supervisor on a number of occasions during the session to discuss your ideas and your work. In consultation with your supervisor you may also arrange to discuss your ideas with other academics or professional journalists, where the particular project undertaken makes such liaison appropriate.

Content

You can choose to work in any medium or journalism genre for which you have the skills, experience and access to resources. There is no single formula, though you must have generated the project idea yourself, and have an audience and a media distribution outlet in mind.

You may also choose to mix your media, but whatever the medium the journalism work must show depth of research. The number of words or length of the production is flexible, and will depend on the nature of the project/ potential distribution outlet(s).

All Journalism Professional Project work should be of a publishable standard, that is, potentially acceptable in a significant media outlet, and you are encouraged to freelance your work to your chosen outlet(s).

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Journalism Professional Project

Objective(s):	a, b, c
Weighting:	100%
Task:	Research, prepare and submit a journalism professional project, which may be a single piece of work or a portfolio. (Initial plan to be outlined in first seminar.)
Assessment criteria:	The following criteria will be used to assess your Journalism Professional Project work: Demonstrated depth of research Selection of appropriate sources (e.g. Key interview subjects, documents) Skilful handling and combination of multiple sources Ability to express yourself clearly and in a style appropriate for the chosen audience Evidence of ability to construct a narrative or to structure material in a way that will enhance story telling for the chosen audience Evidence of understanding relevant media regulation and ethical issues.

Minimum requirements

Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements. You are expected to initiate, attend, arrive punctually and actively participate in all scheduled meetings or 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.

Indicative references

Resources available for your project include the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism, students in the course, professional journalists, academics at UTS and other universities, libraries and electronic sources.

Recommended sites, programs and texts
Project for Excellence in Journalism www.journalism.org
Columbia Journalism Review www.cjr.org
Online Journalism Review www.ojr.org
Media International Australia www.emsah.uq.edu.au/mia
Reporters Sans Frontieres www.rsf.org
Nieman Watchdog Project www.nieman.harvard.edu/watchdog
Poynter Institute www.poynter.org
ABC TV Media Watch www.abc.net.au/mediawatch
ABC Radio National: Specialist reports: Media Report, Law Report, Sports Factor, Background Briefing etc http://abc.net.au/rn
ABCTV Lateline www.abc.net.au/lateline

News sites
Australian Associated Press: http://aap.com.au
ABC news: www.abc.net.au/news
Crikey.com: www.crikey.com.au
Electronic Intifada: http://electronicintifada.net
Ethnic Media Newspapers www.crc.nsw.gov.au/ethnicmedia
Fairfax Community Newspapers www.fcnonline.com.au/fcnnsw.asp?pcode=fcn
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: www.worldnewsaustralia.com.au
SKY News: 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
The Australian: www.theaustralian.news.com.au
The Daily Telegraph: www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph
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

Texts
Simons, Margaret, 2007, The Content Makers, Understanding the Media in Australia, Penguin
Eisenhuth, Susie & McDonald, Willa, 2007, The Writer's Reader, Understanding journalism and non fiction, Cambridge University Press
Weatherburn, Don, 2005, Law and Order in Australia – Rhetoric and Reality, Federation Press
Fogg, Christine, 2005, Release the Hounds, Allen & Unwin
Zinsser, William, 1994, On Writing Well: An informal guide to writing non-fiction, Harper Collins
King, Stephen, 2000, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Hodder & Stoughton
Miller, Adrienne (editor), 2003, Esquire's Big Book of Great Writing, Hearst Books
Weingarten, Mark, 2006, The Gang That Wouldn't Write Straight, Random House
Garner, Helen, 1996, True Stories: Selected Non fiction, Text
Leser, David, 1999, The Whites of Their Eyes: A Collection of Feature Stories from the Good Weekend, Allen & Unwin
Ricketson, Matthew, 2004, Writing Feature Stories, Allen & Unwin
Pilger, John (editor), 2004, Tell Me No Lies, Investigative Journalism and Its Triumphs, Jonathan Cape, London
Mitford, Jessica, 1980, The Making of a Muckraker, Quartet
Malcolm, Janet, 1990, The Journalist and the Murderer, Bloomsbury
Masters, Chris, 2002, Not for Publication, ABC Books.
Dempster, Quentin, 1997, Whistleblowers, ABC Books
Richards, Ian, 2005, Quagmires and Quandaries – Exploring Journalism Ethics, UNSW Press
Sheridan Burns, Lynette, 2002, Understanding Journalism, Sage
Alysen, Barbara, Sedorkin, Gail, Oakham, Mandy, Patching, Roger, 2003. Reporting in a Multimedia World, Allen & Unwin
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
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

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