Mass Media Writing Course Outline

1. PROGRAMME : Diploma in
Journalism
2. COURSE TITLE : Mass Media Writing
3. YEAR : 1
4. NUMBER OF LECTURES
PER WEEK : 2
5. NUMBER OF TUTORIALS
6. PRACTICLES PER WEEK : 2

7. METHOD OF ASSESSMENT : 40% course work
60% exam
8. COURSE DESCRIPTION :
The course introduces students to general principles of news writing for print and broadcast. It introduces students to constructive and descriptive writing.

9. AIMS
The aim of the course is to equip students with reporting and news writing skills.

10. OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course students should be able to:
• Gather information for news stories
• Identify potential news sources
• Generate stories from events, readings and observation
• Write news stories for print, radio and television.





WEEK
TOPIC
ACTIVITY
REMARKS
1 The reporter-characteristics of a reporter
news and news values
• The audience determines what reporters write. Discuss
Mencher M, (2006) News Reporting and Writing
Chapter 3

Severin Werner etal, (1988)
Communication theories,methods,uses
2 Sources of information-documentary, observation and human sources
A story is more interesting when human sources have been used been used. Discuss Mencher M, ibid
Chapter 11

Manning Pual, (2001)
News and News Sources: A critical Introduction

3 Information gathering-
The interview
Anonymous sources
• How and when can anonymous source be used? Mencher M, ibid
4 The press conference • Why do journalists take notes even when they are recording the interview?
5 Writing the story-
finding focus-5ws and h inverted pyramid
• Why do journalists use the inverted pyramid?

• Practicing the inverted pyramid
6 The lead/intro
Hard news and soft news
Side bar
• Distinguish hard and soft stories.
• Writing leads.

7 The main body
backgrounding Writing news stories

8
Fine tuning the story-using S-V-O pattern,
Quotes
• Writing news stories.
• Adverbs and adjectives are crutches of an inadequate writer. Discuss
9 Word usage Test
10 Attribution
• Word usage and attribution exercise/writing stories
11 Rudiments of a news story - • Looking at stories which have all the rudiments. What is the importance of each story rudiment?
I2 Writing for radio • Writing news for radio
• Writing for radio is the same as writing for print. Discuss Andrew Boyd, Techniques of Radio and TV News
13 Writing for television Andrew Boyd
14 Writing for television News writing/revision

PRESCRIBED BOOKS

Mencher M,(2006) News Reporting and Writing, MacGraw-Hill

ADDITIONAL READINGS
Fedler, Fred et al (2005) Reporting for the Media (8th Ed); Oxford University Press, Oxford
Manning, Paul (2001) News and News Sources: A Critical Introduction; Sage Publications; London
Boyd Andrew, Techniques of Radio and TV News
Julian Haris et al (1984) The Complete Reporter, New York, Macmillan
Dobson Chrisopher (1998) The Freelance Journalist: How Survive and Succeed. Oxford, Focal Press.