NABJ 201-WEEK 1 2.pptx

NABJ 201 News Writing and Reporting WEEK 1 Description NABJ 201 is designed to equip students with both theoretical and practical journalistic skills. It will take students through the basics of news gathering and journalistic writing. In this course also, students will also...

NABJ 201 News Writing and Reporting WEEK 1 Description NABJ 201 is designed to equip students with both theoretical and practical journalistic skills. It will take students through the basics of news gathering and journalistic writing. In this course also, students will also be taught how to generate story ideas, develop news and news sources. Students will also develop their skills and competencies in preparation and conducting interviews. Expected Outcomes By the end of this course students are expected to: Demonstrate adequate theoretical and practical knowledge of what news is. Acquire basic information-gathering techniques Acquire basic reporting techniques Demonstrate theoretical and practical knowledge of interviewing; an understanding of the elements and values of interviewing and their use in news gathering. Course Structure NABJ 201 is an in-person course that involves classroom, studio and field-based approaches. How to Earn a Good Grade To earn a good grade in this class, you’ll probably need to: Attend all lectures; Submit all assignments on time; Pay attention and take notes during course meetings; Ask questions when you don’t understand something; Avoid the temptation to give up when you encounter difficult material; and Work hard. Course Materials This is a general news writing course and not broadcast specific. Primarily, the focus will be on writing for print and to a large extent, online news. And so, you are required to have with you a copy of the Daily Graphic newspaper with you in class at all times. In the absence of the Daily Graphic a copy of any national daily such as the Ghanaian Times is required.  Assignments and Grading Your final grade will be out of 100 marks. Marks will be allocated as follows: Final Exam 40 Mid Semester Exam( Contents from Weeks 1to 5) 15 Homework Assignments(Coverage, Press Statements) 15 News Production (At least 1 per week for Radio IFT) 20 Class participation 10 Expectations No lateness No late submission of assignments Non-participation in newsroom work No phone calls in class Lecture 1-Post-mortem of Radio Univers What did you get to know about the station? Who are the target audience? Is there a mismatch between the needs /interest of the audience and their programmes? Is the station well positioned to be a good training facility for students journalists and others interested in communications? Implications for Radio IFT What do you know about Radio IFT? Who are the target audience? What are they served currently? How can we revive the operations? Communication, media and journalism Communication is the process of passing on information from one person to another/others. The main elements are : Sender-The sender is the individual who initiates process by encoding or choosing the most appropriate way (words, symbols ,gestures) to convey meaning Receiver – The recipient of the message ( the one who decodes or interprets the content). Message-The ideas and feelings that a sender conveys Medium- Conversation, email, text, or even a television broadcast Feedback( Response from the receiver after decoding) Noise-Any distortion Types Intrapersonal –Self Talk Interpersonal –Between two or more people Verbal-Mobile phone conversations Non-verbal- Facial expression i.e. smile, frown Visual -Photograph Written- Email, texts Mass communication(mass media forms part of this process) Concept of large/mass audience In this mass communication process, information is sent to large audience (heterogeneous). You also need the media as a channel for disseminating information to the large audience. So you can use broadcast media(Radio , TV) digital media, print, social media etc. It acts as a bridge between content creators and the public, shaping how people receive and interpret information. Introduction to the concept of mass media Journalism So unlike the process of mass communication which involves sharing general information to large audience, journalism involves specific type of communication which is news oriented. News Writing is an essential part of the process of news dissemination. It is a special aspect of mass communication, hence people must be trained to perform this task. Journalism is an activity involving the collection, preparation, and distribution of news and related and related content through the media. News Writing Because journalism is a unique activity like medicine , law and even driving , you need to be equipped with the necessary skills to practice. Can you imagine what will happen if people who do not have the medical training and license are allowed to operate ? So yes, communication is a general activity and that’s why some people assume they can write news without being in a journalism class. But a good journalist must be professionally trained and equipped with the needed skills to practice. Beyond that training you must have the passion to expose wrongdoing, help the vulnerable and bring about change.